By Carol Lucas
It recently came to my attention that there is someone who disapproved of my article dealing with Clarence Thomas, and what continues to be an expanding list of some rather egregious actions on his part. Now this is perfectly fine. I’m not so naive as to think everyone is going to agree with what I write, and this is even more probable, given today’s environment of disagreement as a matter of course. There is one aspect of that disagreement with which I took umbrage, but I will address that later.
I put forth the notion that Justice Thomas’ failure to report monetary acquisitions constitutes a very lengthy list, and I provided as proof the many vacations underwritten by billionaire, Harlan Crow. I also noted that Crow had purchased a home in Savannah for Thomas’ mother and made quite a few upgrades to the property. In fact, since my article was published, it has been reported that Harlan Crow paid tuition to a private school for Thomas’ great nephew. The figure stated was $6,000 per month. All of this begs the question “what is expected in return?”
Most recently, Judge Thomas was flown to the home of his benefactor to swear in a far right judge; obviously the revelation of his close attachment to Crow and the resulting “gifts” have caused little impetus for a change of behavior on Thomas’ part.
The individual who felt that I, as a former teacher have no right to criticize a man “of the law,” included reference to an article that appeared in the Wall Street Journal, written by conservative British journalist, Melanie Phillips. The article is entitled “What the left means by democracy.” I suggest that you access her article and read her bio. Determine for yourself the lack of bias (or not) on the part of this woman.
Of course, once I saw the source of the article and read the background of the author, I knew the bias would lean toward the conservative viewpoint. And again, I stress that this is fine. I will also repeat that I don’t see myself as a liberal but rather a moderate Independent who is registered Democrat, adding that I have voted for many Republicans in my lifetime.
Phillips’ article offered several examples of what she deemed equivalent trespasses on the part of liberal Supreme Court Justices. Most of these had to do with the change of tax filings on singular occasions. She then asserts that Democrats didn’t mind when they agreed with the Court’s opinions on gay marriage or abortion. Frankly, she lost me on that one because legality seems to be the missing component in those decisions. Furthermore, given the Court’s decision to overturn Roe vs Wade, I would suggest the country, as a whole, minds very much; even close to 80% of Republicans support the right of women to control their own bodies.
One point made in the Phillips article with which I agree emphatically deals with people gathering outside of the homes of the Justices in question. I would not take away the right to protest, but I feel it is never appropriate to do so at the homes of these individuals, even when they render questionable decisions.
I would like to remind Phillips, as well as my critic, of a few areas where there is no comparison between the conservative and liberal members of the Court. First, to my knowledge, no other Judge’s spouse or close family member had any ties with the January 6 insurrection. The same cannot be said of Thomas whose wife, Ginni advocated the overturn of the election; this is well-documented, if we are looking for facts.
Secondly, numbers do count. When someone has made a mistake regarding taxes and moves to correct it, we view it for what it is. To have made this ‘mistake’ multitudinous times, to have partaken of expanded gifting to family members over a period of years, is not a mistake but rather a habit, and, in my view, is a weak comparison on Phillips’ part.
Facts are true. I say this to my critic as well as to Phillips, and the facts are there should either of you care to view them.
And finally I address my critic, and what she felt compelled to assert over and above her disagreement with my take on Clarence Thomas. Here, I am quoting: “It’s no wonder schools are in horrible condition when teachers decide to proclaim judgement (by the way, my choice is to spell judgment correctly) on legal issues of which they know nothing.”
You need to know that I will defend my professionalism to the death, so to speak. I have a citation of excellence from the Pennsylvania House of Representatives that states, “Ms. Lucas has been an exceptionally dedicated, knowledgeable, and skilled educator.”
This doesn’t qualify me to render a legal opinion; however, I believe I am quite capable of evaluating repetitious corruption. If you believe teachers have no right to their opinions on what takes place outside of the classroom, then I must respectfully disagree. Furthermore, if you believe schools are in a horrible condition, I also disagree and would ask whether or not you have been to a school to make that observation personally? If not, perhaps you should consider volunteering in some capacity so that you might help to change those “horrible conditions.”
If expressing my opinion in an op-ed piece is offensive to you, why don’t you put your thoughts on paper and write a rebuttal. Put yourself out there, as I did, and let the chips fall where they may.
Carol Lucas is a retired high school teacher and a Lady’s Island resident. She is the author of the recently published “A Breath Away: One Woman’s Journey Through Widowhood.”
