Search results for "Clarence Thomas"
| Results 1 - 9 of 9
|
Page 1 of 1
|
|
Sorted by: Relevance | Sort by: Date
|
Results per-page: All
|
[…]tendencies.” Overcoming poverty and his difficult childhood via hard work has contributed to Clarence Thomas’ very conservative positions on a wide range of social issues. His memoir, My Grandfather’s Son, was published in 2008. At 16 he began studying for the priesthood. The death of Martin Luther King, Jr challenged his religious directions; he then went to College of the Holy Cross as an undergraduate and dabbled in student activism, and then on to Yale Law School, graduating in 1974. He’s reported to be another Ayn Rand fan. He was appointed by George Bush in 1991, even though he had little relevant judicial experience. The appointment of Clarence Thomas may be, in retrospect, one of George H. W. Bush’s greatest mistakes. Bush was actually an empathic person, according to Jon Meacham in his recent biography Destiny and Power. He said Bush had an empathy for others, and confided that his own appointee Rumsfeld lacked the ‘humility to see what the other guy thinks’. Thomas was just barely confirmed, due to the Anita Hill accusations and controversy during his confirmation hearings. Utah’s Orrin Hatch was one of Thomas’ staunchest supporters. Thomas is now 67. He married Virginia […]
[…]priority list – as of late 2015: Supreme Court Justices – five: Scalia, Antonin Thomas, Clarence Alito, Samuel Roberts, John Kennedy, Anthony Presidential Candidates – four Rubio, Marco Cruz, Ted Bush, Jeb! Paul, Rand Plutocrats and others – five Koch, Charles Koch, David Norquist, Grover – President, Americans for Tax Reform (ATF) LaPierre, Wayne – Executive Director, National Rifle Association (NRA) Donohue, Thomas – President, US Chamber of Commerce Congress – fifteen McConnell, Mitch – Senate Majority Leader. Ryan, Paul – Speaker of the House. McCarthy, Kevin – House Majority Leader. Barrasso, John – Wyoming Senator. Capito, Shelley – West Virginia Senator. Chaffetz, Jason – Utah District 3. Ernst, Joni – Iowa Senator; Koch support. Gardner, Cory – Colorado Senator, Koch support Goudy, Trey – South Carolina District 4, Benghazi Committee. Inhofe, Jim – Oklahoma Senator. Issa, Darrell – California District 49. Labrador, Raul – Idaho District 1; Freedom Caucus co-founder. Lee, Mike – Utah Senator. Rodgers, Cathy – Washington District 5. Smith, Lamar – Texas District 21; Chair, House Committee on Science. These 29 and the additional […]
[…]himself up, till he sees all things through narrow chinks of his caverns’. The philosopher Thomas Metzinger says we exist in an Ego-Tunnel, constrained in part by our own mental development. Some of us have windows or semi-transparent walls in our tunnels – so we can perceive a bit beyond our constrained ideologies. But even those windows are generally barred by society, custom, laws, and expectations. Most of those bars are virtual – self-imposed. Revelations, epiphanies, Eureka! moments remove some of the bars on some of the windows – or even open doors. Most Congressional ideologues are elected from now heavily gerrymandered GOP districts, guaranteeing them easy re-election. Running against them doesn’t really help. Trying to educate their constituents only marginally helps. Karl Rove said – now many years ago – ‘He who controls redistricting can control Congress’. And they did. Getting ‘rid’ of the incumbents is unlikely to help, as other ideologically polarized candidates will be elected to replace them in the gerrymandered districts. Compounding the problem is money – dollars. Most conservative ideologues are supported by – purchased by – plutocratic dollars. The Koch brothers, the deVos empire, the Adelsons, and many others […]
[…]showed him the paragraph I’d written. “Read it to me,” he said. I read slowly: Thomas L. Borodin received his Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from the University of Utah in 1971. His thesis supervisor was the well known natural products chemist Henry Goldstein. After a one year post doctoral fellowship at the University of British Columbia, Dr. Borodin accepted a position at the University of Utah in its new Department of Bioengineering, working in the new field of biomaterials with Joseph Decoto, a young assistant professor. He worked with Decoto for seven years, working on novel hydrogels for artificial heart and kidney applications. Thomas then left the University to join a startup company, Novel Biomaterials, which later became Process Analytics, a firm using Raman Spectroscopy for analysis of organic compounds. He retired in 2005 at the age of 64. He continued to work in organic chemistry as a consultant and advisor to industry and with University researchers. In 2010 his former collaborator, Decoto, introduced him to the work of Dr. Sasha Shulgin, a Lafayette, California independent chemist working on psychedelic and empathogenic drugs, including psilocybin and MDMA. Borodin and Decoto never met Shulgin, who died in 2014, but […]
[…]access him. And two separate doses can’t hurt,” Jay said, again smiling. “Regarding Thomas, the SCOTUS listed gig I saw is perfect – a BYU dinner in Salt Lake at the Gross America Hotel,” I said. “You do mean the Grand America?” Bill asked. “Of course. I call it gross because it’s so ostentatious and overdone. The event is a Founders Day dinner sponsored by the BYU Law School. I’ll see if I can get one of my U law school friends to get me in.” “A substantive donation to BYU Law should suffice,” Jay said. “Right. I’m not above that – it’s for a good cause.” “Look for Mike Lee there – he’s an alumnus.” “If you do get to Thomas – and his Mrs. – give them each two,” Bill advised. “Will do.” “Roberts doesn’t seem to have much on his speaking and appearance schedule,” I said. “SCOTUS only noted one upcoming event – at the NYU Law School on Washington Square South in New York City. I’ll try to get to him there – before or after working on David and Julia Koch.” “There have to be […]
[…]He had heard of the ‘vapor’ mechanism – that the priestess, according to popular historian Thomas Cahill, was apparently high on vapors. The Delphi oracle or priestess was called Pythia – and she was stimulated and empowered by a sweet smelling vapor. Homework. There is credible evidence that the site indeed had seismic activity, underground springs, vapor releases, and was likely a source of at least sporadic hydrocarbon releases. The current consensus seems to be that the active agent was ethylene – the reason some sniff glues, solvents, etc. Once used as a sweet smelling anesthetic, ethylene produces – in light doses – a sense of mild euphoria. Plants produce and respond to ethylene – it seems to be a regulator or signaling agent. Some Delphi stories suggest that the vapors were the sweet breath of Gaia – the breath of God. There’s also an oleander hypothesis – that ingesting or breathing oleander smoke may help explain the priestess’ behavior. Interesting. “There’s an earlier theory about the Oracle,” noted Lucien. “There’s a lot written on the history of hallucinogens and cannabis. The Greeks used to drink it with wine and ate hemp cakes to get high. Hemp seed vapors can […]
[…]more evil than the Kochs.” “Yes?” Jay asked. “Wayne LaPierre, Grover Norquist, and Thomas Donohue. First – LaPierre and his National Rifle Association – the NRA.” Wayne LaPierre is now about 65, has served as Executive Vice President of the National Rifle Association since about 1991; he has been with the NRA since 1965 – his first 20 years as a lobbyist. He is the NRA’s major public face and voice. Sheryl Stolberg of the New York Times says, ‘He is the NRA – he’s built the NRA.’ She told Frontline The membership wanted a tough guy … somebody that drew a red line, who didn’t compromise, who didn’t cave. LaPierre grew up in a home without guns only to embrace the right to own many with near-religious fervor. He apparently has no kids and never served in the military. He is now married to Susan, who helps raise money for the association and is a co-chairwoman of its women’s leadership forum, which sponsors an annual luncheon that has featured prominent political spouses including Callista Gingrich and Ann Romney. ‘He’s a student of it – lives, eats and breathes politics,’ says friend and […]
[…]a very strong Pope connection. Bush and Rubio both attend Miami’s Catholic archbishop Thomas G. Wenski’s mass and sermons,” I noted. “Wenski’s already said, via the Times, that he hopes the encyclical has resonated with Jeb and Marco. Another point: Wenski chairs the committee on domestic justice and human development at the U.S. Conference of Bishops, a historically very conservative group. Interesting.” “Jeanette and Marco are apparently lousy drivers – especially Jeanette,” Bill said. “Lots of traffic citations and mandatory driving school attendance. And they have trouble with budgets and arithmetic.” “And credit cards,” I added. “A short Times story discussed Rubio finances. Either he can’t count or he can’t live within a budget. The Times reported on his ‘financial struggles’, including one of those mid-life crises purchases – a luxury speedboat!” “It wasn’t a speedboat – apparently a recreation boat that’s fairly popular with middle class Floridians,” Bill said. “He got a substantive advance on his book and felt like spending part of it, I guess.” “He is in his forties,” Jay said. “That’s when men start to succumb to testosterone urges – mid-life crisis.” “Voice of experience?” Bill asked. “No – just a well known weakness of men […]
