I was watching the NBC Nightly News (Weekend Edition) with Lester Holt tonight and he did an interview with Anita Hill, the former employee to US Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. In the interview, Lester Holt stated that it has been 16 years since Justice Thomas’s confirmation hearings. I can’t believe it has been that long.
I remember watching the confirmation hearings and being in total disbelief that it was the woman who was being questioned, not the man, and even after all of the allegations that were brought out against Mr Thomas, our lawmakers still saw fit to place this man in a position of power. And now this particular man determines the ultimate fate of many of our laws. As I look back on the whole confirmation hearing fiasco, I wonder what on earth were the congressmen thinking (and I use the term congressmen, because yes, at that time most of them were men) confirming Mr Thomas.
[I'd like all of you to note that I am using civil language in regards to Justice Thomas. I may not like his decisions. I may not like his conduct, but he is one of our Supreme Court Justices and I feel that sometimes we need to be civil, and even respectful to our "opponents." This is the basis for practicing non-violent strategies.]
It is so difficult being a woman in today’s society, let alone a strong woman and to have your credibility shot in front of the whole world must have been the hardest thing for Ms Hill to have to put up with and then she had to watch Mr Thomas be seated on the Court. I commend Ms Hill (who has a J.D., or Doctor of Law Degree) for still standing up for women’s rights at Brandeis University near Boston.
As of today my brother B. has been deployed for 13 days. And boy do I miss him!
