My Grandfather's Son
by Dan Calabria
Issue 98 - December 26, 2007

"This is a circus.  It is a national disgrace. And from my standpoint, as a black American, as far as I am concerned, it is a high-tech lynching for uppity blacks who in any way deign to think for themselves, to do for themselves, to have different ideas, and it is a message that, unless you kowtow to an old order, this is what will happen to you, you will be lynched, destroyed, caricatured by a committee of the U. S. Senate rather than being hung from a tree."
("My Grandfather's Son, A Memoir" by Justice Clarence Thomas)

It was in 1991 when Justice of the Supreme Clarence Thomas spoke those words at the conclusion of his confirmation hearings before a committee of that august body, the U. S. Senate.  Wait, for those of us who paid attention, it was more like a trial, a witch hunt, and one of the most embarrassing spectacles the country ever witnessed.  And it took place in the United States Congress.  However, Justice Thomas proved he was better than the group of undistinguished Senators who thought they could destroy a principled man.  They were almost successful.

Just prior to his statement Justice Thomas exposed several reprehensible members of that Senate committee with this statement:

 "I think that this today is a travesty.  I think it is disgusting.  I think that this hearing should never occur in America.  This is a case in which this sleaze, this dirt, was searched for by staffers of members of this committee, was then leaked to the media, and this committee and this body validated it and displayed it in prime time across our entire nation."

In fact it was the most egregious attempt at character assassination that had ever taken place in the Senate.  Had any Senator engaged in these activities concerning another member of the Senate, he would have been censured and ostracized by his colleagues.  But this clearly did not happen to the gang of Senators who set out to destroy a fine human being. We've had to wait about 16 years to hear the details of his ordeal directly from Justice Thomas.  His early childhood, which was steeped in poverty, served as the basis for what he would face before a rabid press in a televised hearing designed to embarrass and demean someone far superior to his inquisitors.

It's all revealed in the book "My Grandfather's Son" in which Justice Thomas describes the influence of his proud Grandfather, Meyers Anderson, who raised him and his brother.  Both men were indeed fortunate to have the kind of guidance best expressed by a Grandfather who constantly reminded them: "Old Man Can't is dead - I helped bury him".  There's no doubt that this kind of upbringing was crucial in contending with the national spectacle of a U. S. Senate confirmation hearing, the likes of which we had never seen.  That hearing was an example of petty politicians attempting to destroy a good man with falsehoods and innuendo that are always difficult to overcome.  Thankfully this effort by small minded politicians failed and the country is better for that failure.

As always the usual suspects were involved, including Senator Teddy Kennedy, current presidential candidate Joe Biden and Howard Metzenbaum (since retired), all of whom engaged in a despicable attempt to prevent Justice Thomas from being voted upon by the full Senate.  And these guys are still at it with the exception of Metzenbaum, but now replaced by Senators Pat Leahy, Chuckie Schumer, Harry Reid, Dick Durbin and others of their ilk.  You know what it's like whenever you are subjected to their posturing - you feel the  need for a hot shower.  And yet it goes on.  Good men are shot down by common politicians who engage in the use of false information and misrepresentations of facts.  When will we finally object to and demand an end to this kind of poison that strikes at the very heart of our political system?  It's up to us because Kennedy, Biden, Schumer, Leahy, Reid and Durbin sure won't do it voluntarily.

In Justice Thomas's case we were lucky.  But we shouldn't have to depend on luck and the remarkable resolve of men like Thomas.

If you're looking for a gift that will have a lasting impact on relatives and friends, give them a copy of "My Grandfather's Son".

Dan Calabria is at www.realitychecktimes.com