WORLD’S LONGEST PARADE

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Key West is enjoying Conch Republic Days. More festive than Fantasy fest. Cleaner in many respects, also.

Different strokes for different folks.

Tonight at 8 is the World’s Largest Parade. Part of Conch Republic activities. The parade runs from the Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico. Shore to shore. Along Duval. All of 1.25 miles. That is why it is called the Longest Parade.

If you are in town, join the parade. Then to Schooner Wharf to party.

Stopped first last night at Tavern ‘n Town. Picked up the newspapers, enjoyed a drink at the bar.

Then to Don’s Place. Everyone there. Don, Stephanie, John, Billy, Keith, Stan and Clare. Stan and Clare just returned from Washington, DC. Stan had business there.

Kevin, who I played bocce with a couple of weeks ago, stopped in. We had a great conversation. The Chart Room and GM mosquito problem.

Politics the big item of discussion with the others. No one seemed to like either Donald or Hillary. Interesting.

Stopped later at Duffy’s for dinner. I wanted to see Jennifer. She was hosting.

Anna leaves this week for a two month vacation to Poland. She will be visiting relatives. Jennifer stepped in to help me while Anna is away. Jennifer agreed to help again.

Ordered the prime rib. Good! Amazing! Might be the best in Key West. The cheapest, too.

Met Jana. She is the manager at Duffy’s. Been here ten years. Originally from Czechoslovakia.

Jana was all excited. She recently became a U.S. citizen.

I plan on taking it slow again today.

Enjoy your day!

LINCOLN: NOMINATION AND ELECTION

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We are into the Presidential season of primaries, nominations, campaigns and the election itself. Many believe this is the wildest and craziest campaign in the history of the United States.

There have been worse.

The Presidential election of 1860 split the nation. Abraham Lincoln was elected President after a tumultuous nominating process, campaign and election. Secession and Civil War followed.

The issue splitting the nation was slavery. Several parties ran Presidential candidates. Except for four, the others were non-consequential. The four consisted of the Republican Party, the Democratic Party, the Southern Democratic Party, and the Constitutional Union Party.

Each its own thoughts re the slavery issue. The Republicans were anti-slavery. The Democrats thought the states should remain one nation and resolve the slavery issue through Congressional negotiation. The Southern Democrats were for slavery. No question as to its position. The Constitutional Union also had its own thoughts on the subject.

The Republican Party was the new kid on the block. Formerly the Whig Party, it made its first appearance in 1854.

Lincoln had become a Republican. He ran for the U.S. Senate from Illinois in 1858. His opponent Stephen Douglas. Douglas won.

Douglas was a Democrat. He ran for President on the Democratic ticket against Lincoln. Interestingly, both had courted Mary Todd Lincoln in their earlier days.

Lincoln’s political experience was limited. He was a member of the Illinois House of Representatives from 1834-1842. During that time, he did not distinguish himself as anything special. His most noteworthy event while in the Illinois legislature was leaping out of a second floor window.

The opposition wanted a certain billed passed. A quorum was needed in order to take a vote. The opposition locked the doors so no one could leave. Lincoln was not staying and helping make the quorum. He jumped out of the legislature’s second floor window to escape being counted.

Lincoln ran the nomination race differently from the other candidates. He neither traveled nor debated. Made a few speeches. Ran everything from his law offices in Illinois.

Lincoln relied on his friends David Davis, Leonard Swelt and Ward Hill Lamon to be out on the road lining up delegates, etc. Davis was an astute political operative.

The nominating convention was to be held in Chicago. Not the Chicago of today. Then a burgeoning middle west trade center. Population 110,000.

Ten thousand seats were required to hold the convention. Chicago had no building anywhere near the size. A special convention hall was constructed to hold 10,000. The new building was called Wigwam. The acoustics were the best of the day. Any person speaking in a normal voice could be heard anywhere in the convention hall.

Lincoln had attracted national attention when he ran against Douglas for the Senate seat two years earlier. Both men were excellent debaters. After his defeat, Lincoln traveled around the country giving anti-slavery speeches. He also made several fund-raising speeches to the New York City bank and business community.

America took to the back woods boy. Born into poverty. Self educated. Successful. He was the embodiment of the American dream.

There was not much support within the Republican Part for Lincoln as the candidate. Though he had become well-known in a short time, it was not his time. Party leaders thought he should wait his turn.

Lincoln did not agree.

He and his friends went to work lining up delegates. Lincoln from his Illinois offices. His three friends out on the road.

William Seward was the favorite of the Republicans to be the Presidential candidate. A former Governor of New York and U.S. Senator. Other contenders included Governor Salmon Chase of Ohio, former U.S. Representative Edward Bates of Missouri, and Pennsylvania’s Senator Cameron.

The significant campaign managers were David Davis for Lincoln, Thurdlow Weed for Seward. The battle these two men waged is similar to college basketball coaching with only 30 seconds left to play.

Davis turned out to be smarter than Weed.

It took three ballots to secure the nomination.

The first ballot resulted in a large lead for Seward. However, not enough to win. He came up short of the required number. Lincoln ran a distant second. The nomination was Seward’s and it was just a question of time before he won.

The Pennsylvania delegation had voted solidly for their favorite son, Senator Cameron.

The evening of May 17 was between the first and second ballots. Davis went to work that night. Most of the night.

Cameron was agreeable to throwing his votes to Lincoln. For a consideration, of course. Two of them. He wanted to be assured a Cabinet post and that all Pennsylvania federal patronage would go through him.

The telegraph was a means of swift communication. Lincoln wired Davis no way re any deal. Davis should make no promises. Lincoln would not live up to any promises made.

Davis ignored Lincoln and did what was necessary to secure Lincoln the nomination. The next day on the second ballot, Cameron had Pennsylvania switch all its votes to Lincoln.

Was a deal made? Cameron became Secretary of War in Lincoln’s first cabinet. As to the patronage, no one is sure.

The Pennsylvania votes had Lincoln breathing down Seward’s neck. No winner yet, however. A third ballot was required.

During the third ballot, other delegations, seeing the writing on the wall, threw their support to Lincoln. Lincoln was nominated.

Lincoln had his hands full. The South had threatened to secede. Lincoln made it clear he would not tolerate secession. Slavery at the heart of everything.

Immediately upon receiving the Republican nomination, Lincoln put aside his law practice. He ran a stay at home campaign. No whistle stopping for him.

His efforts from the home front were two fold. First, to guide the direction of the campaign. Second, to foresee and hedge any divisions within the Republican Party. Divisions of any nature. Lincoln knew he had to keep his side intact in order to win.

The Southern Democrats, in another convention six weeks later, nominated Senator John Breckinridge as its candidate. The battle lines between North and South were drawn.

Again, slavery the issue.

The Republicans were referred to as Black Republicans. As a result of the Republican Party’s anti-slavery position.

Campaigning consisted of local parades and rallies. The Republicans pushed its people to get the vote out. They worked at it.

The get out the vote was successful. Voter turnout was 81.2 percent. The second highest in American history. The highest ever was the 1876 Presidential election where 81.8 percent turned out to vote.

Shamefully, American elections today bring out nowhere near those percentages.

Lincoln won. He received 1,865,908 votes. Breckinridge, 848,019. Lincoln, 39.8 percent of the vote. Breckinridge, 18.1 percent.

Lincoln carried 18 states. Breckinridege, 11.

Three hundred three Electoral College votes involved. One hundred fifty two required for election. Lincoln won 180 to Breckinridge’s 72.

Lincoln failed to carry one slave holding state. In fact, Lincoln received no southern votes, except for Virginia where he received 1 percent of the vote.

War was inevitable. Lincoln’s election was the immediate impetus for the outbreak of the Civil War. His victory signaled the secession of the Southern States.

LAZY LUNCH AT LOUIE’S BACKYARD

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Lunch yesterday could not have been better! Lazy and long. Great company. Excellent food.

Donna, Terri and Louis at Louie’s Backyard. We lunched as one. Too many bloody marys, followed by Maine lobster rolls.

It was catch up time. We have not been together in at least three years.

My lesbian wives are returning. In six weeks they will be back in Key West. Forever.

They have already rented a lovely condo near Salute’s. Two blocks off the ocean.

My blog talk radio show Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou last night.

I stayed away from politics. The primaries are crushing.

I mentioned Venezuela’s Maduro had shortened the public employee work week two weeks ago to four days a week. Not enough electric power.

This morning a news flash popped up on the internet. Maduro has further slashed the work week to two days. No bargain. The employees only get paid for two days.

Maduro says it is because of a drought which is affecting water necessary to produce electricity. A crock. It is because Maduro has not spent monies to keep the dam and electrical system in good shape. Everything is falling apart.

Shades of what could happen to our infrastructure.

Keep in mind that Maduro’s first debacle was running out of toilet paper four years ago. Still not enough toilet paper.

I share this item with you, also. I got into government waste again. Congress authorized and the President approved $600 million to boost the Afghanistan economy.

Part of the money went to transport nine blond male goats to Afghanistan. Female goats were waiting in Afghanistan. Purpose to help the wool cashmere business.

Monies also went to build a laboratory to certify that the wool cashmere was the best ever. The scenario was to produce 350 jobs.

There is no record of monies spent. Where the money went, etc. unknown.  There also is no cashmere business. It is suspected the Afghans ate the nine goats. Could be. Goats are the number one dish in Afghanistan.

Manatees in the news. Tomo-Belle is a female manatee that has been under observation since 1993. She recently gave birth to twins. Tomo-Belle and her two calves were seen swimming this past week in a Siesta Key canal.

The shame of it all. On this day in 1867, John Milton was blind and broke. He sold his copyright of Paradise Lost for ten pounds.

Greece has a special place in my heart. When in Athens, I stayed at the Grande Bretagne. The finest hotel I have ever spent time at anywhere in the world.

I recall one of the staff telling me that the Germans used the Hotel for their headquarters during World War II. I thought at the time and still do, a shame!

On this day in 1941, the German Army ended Greek resistance throughout Greece. Except for Crete. Fifteen thousand seven hundred Greeks died defending their homeland.

The Cretes would not give up. They fought the Germans forever. Ultimately, they too were overcome.

My KONK Life column this week is Lincoln: Nomination and Election. Hits the stands today.

Wednesday! Love wednesdays! Wednesday is my screw off day. I write almost full time saturday through tuesday. Wednesday is the start of my weekend. My friday.

Enjoy your day!

PETER ANDERSON

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I never met Peter Anderson. My loss. He was a man about town. Respected. Secretary-General of the Conch Republic.

Peter died this past year. Everyone spoke well of him. As they had done during his life.

At some point, Peter and Mark Howell sat down. Probably several times. I am assuming when Peter was near death.

Peter told his life story to Howell. The story has been carried in KONK Life News E-Blast the past few days. To continue till finished.

Read it! An amazing tale. Of an amazing man.

Peter Anderson lived a full and exciting life. During which he touched many lives.

The Key West/Fantasy fest war is concluded. At least for 5 years. The principals have arrived at an understanding.

My opinion is the City Commission were pigs. Their hunger for money continues to adversely affect every part of Key West life.

Dinner last night with Tom and Fran Dixon at Hot Tin Roof. Their daughter and son in law joined us for drinks beforehand.

The party got bigger. Jean Thornton joined us. Then Stephanie Kappel.

A good time!

Fran brought me home made chocolate candy. All the way from Buffalo. Second time. Did it the last trip, also. At 10 last night upon arriving home, I attacked the bag.

The Dixons return in July.

My blog talk radio show tonight at 9. Join me. I talk about interesting things. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

Topics include the 28 pages involving Saudi Arabia, specific examples of U.S. dollar waste in Afghanistan, hard ass Tea Partier Gov. Paul Le Page of Maine, Lincoln’s nomination and election, Russia’s deals with China and Pakistan re oil.

And the Tom Brady fiasco, Obama telling Germans to take in 1 million immigrants,  Chernobyl’s fall out, and more.

Have to move fast. I am running late. Thought I was having lunch with Donna and Terri tomorrow. Turns out it is today. I’m getting forgetful.

Enjoy your day!

 

KEY WEST TURTLE CONSCIOUS

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An article appears in this morning’s Key West Citizen about Longboat Key and turtles.

Hatchlings in Longboat Key returning to the ocean are being confused by highway street lights. The hatchlings are not going into the ocean. They are crawling in the direction of the street lights and getting run over. Longboat Key is considering dimming the lights.

Nature motivates turtles to move in the direction of the moon in order to enter the ocean. The turtles are mistaking the streets lights for moon light. Causes the hatchlings to find the highway by mistake.

Longboat Key is not going far enough. They should shut the highway lights completely off from May to October when the hatchlings are on the move.

Key West was confronted with a similar problem some 15 years ago. Along Smathers Beach. Smathers Beach lies between the ocean and South Roosevelt Boulevard. Bright street lines lining the Boulevard.

When the eggs buried beneath the sand hatch, the scenario once again is that nature causes them to find their way to the ocean. They are naturally drawn to the water by moon light over the ocean.

The Key West hatchlings were confused by the street lights. They mistakenly took the lights for moon light. They headed in that direction and were run over by cars.

Key West did the right thing. They turned the street lights completely off. Eliminating the confusion completely.

Longboat Key should follow Key West’s example.

I spent several day time hours yesterday writing this week’s KONK Life column. Lincoln: Nomination and Election. The column publishes wednesday.

I was motivated to write about the 1860 Presidential election because of what is going on during the present primary season. Similarities and differences between the two. The column interesting. Especially to those who enjoy politics.

I finished around 5:30. Wanted to get out. Not really hungry. Not interested in chatting with anyone.

Decided on Louie’s Backyard. Sat on the deck with my feet up on a little table. Just me and the Atlantic. Had a couple of drinks while contemplating my navel.

Harry Truman again.

Harry Truman loved Key West and Key West loves Harry Truman. As a result, I mention Truman whenever the occasion arises.

On this day in 1947, Truman officially opened the White House bowling alleys. An inaugural of sorts for the bowling alleys.

The two alleys were a gift from Truman’s Missouri buddies. Strange, since Truman was not a bowler. A poker player, yes.

Truman used the alleys rarely. However, White House staff from the Secret Service to the gardeners formed teams. A White House Bowling League was born.

Eisenhower ill treated the bowling alleys. He had them removed. Johnson had one alley put back in when he was President.

A side note. Truman bowlers were pretty good. A special team of the better players was formed. Labeled the White House Bowling Team. The team competed in competitions across the country.

Enjoy your day!

BEWARE GREEKS BEARING GIFTS

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Porn eliminated! Finally, yesterday. Godaddy did the fix. Supposedly will not happen again. My apologies those who received the porn.

Beware of Greeks bearing gifts! The Greeks in this instance being Keys Energy Services. Keys wants to transfer the old power generating plant at Truman Waterfront to the City. Free of charge! Something for nothing!

Nothing is for nothing! Keys will transfer as is. Keys will bear no responsibility if environmental problems are discovered/exist within the plant.

Guaranteed, environmental problems exist! The nature of the facility makes certain hazardous substances remain. Any clean up will be expensive. Extremely expensive.

City Commissioners will be buying a pig in the poke should they take title without an environmental review of the property. And not a cheap one to save a buck. An in depth expensive one. It will prove much cheaper in the end.

I spent the last 25 years of my career as an environmental attorney. A significant portion of my work involved the cleanup of hazardous waste sites.

Spent most of the day researching this week’s KONK Life column. Lincoln: Nomination and Election. Except for a couple of hours in the afternoon when I snuck downtown to watch the Conch Republic Drag Race.

The curbs were crowded with spectators. Everyone whooping it up! Having fun!

Something struck k me. Something unusual. Many were using their cell phones to take pics. Most of those taking the pics were women.

Dinner last night at Geiger Key. Sat at the end of the bar watching the natives and reading the newspapers.

The Sheriff’s Animal Farm will be open to the public this afternoon from 1-3. Something to see. Adults and children are provided the opportunity to get close to the animals. A winner!

Whenever I see Truman’s name for any reason, I make mention of it and the activities surrounding it. Even where Key West is not involved.

On this day in 1945, Truman learned for the first time the details of the Manhattan Project. The development of the atomic bomb. He was told 12 days after taking office. In less than three months, he approved the dropping of atomic bombs on two Japanese cities.

Woke at 5 this morning. A good night’s rest. However I woke at 5. turned on the TV. Armed and Dangerous was playing. A 1986 movie starring John Candy.

Candy and two lovelies were attending a black tie function. A first for them. Tables full food.

Candy had to check out something. He was leaving the ladies for a few moments. He said to them…..Don’t eat too much, we’re going out for pizza later.

Enjoy your Sunday!

TOM AND FRAN DIXON IN TOWN

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Certain of you are receiving porn instead of me. If so, till remedied, go directly to my Key West Lou website to read the blog. .keywestlou.com.

Diane Millikan e mailed me earluier in the week. Louis…..I get porn instead of you. she getss the blog via Twitter. Sloan tested it. coukld discover no pronblem. i tiold her the problem was at her end.

Last night, i walked into the Chart room. No hellos. instead, David, Tom dixon, and Emily hit me with you have porn on your sidte

 

NOT MY DAY. LONG CORRECTED BLOG DISAPPEARED. IN NEVER NEVER LAND. BRIEF SUJECT MATTER FOLLOWS. VERY BRIEF.

Porn problem being worked on. Has to do with redirection.  Problem at godaddy’s end.

Worked yesterday on next week’s KONK Life column. Re Abraham Lincoln, his nomination and election. Similarities with what is going on today.

Conch Republic seceded this day in 1982. Conch Republic drag Race this afternoon.

Trump’s people going to remake him into a different guy. the new one will be a phony. he past year has shown us the real Trump. What is it, a leopard does not change his spots.

Obama does not belong in Britain telling the Brits to stay with the Eurounion. He is meddling in British affairs. Just as Netanyahu did re the U.S. when he spoke before Congress re the Iran pact.

Best I can do! Sorry!

 

 

GREAT JOB SHERIFF RAMSAY!

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Sheriff Ramsay is a persistent individual. He does not give up.

A perfect example is the U.S. pedestrian cross walk in Key Largo. Ramsay said it was wrongly designed. An invitation to disaster.

Florida DOT Secretary Boxold ignored him. Ramsay complained to the Governor’s office and went to the press.

A meeting resulted within days.

Boxold came to Ramsay. The meeting took place in Key Largo.

The flashing yellow light will be a double solid red one. Pedestrian has a button to press. Light goes flashing yellow. Then, solid yellow. Finally, double solid red.

Ramsay suggested Boxold get a hold of Key West authorities to correct similar problems on Northern Boulevard. Lets hope a meeting takes place soon.

You may not recognize me the next time we meet. Got a haircut yesterday. I am bald. Had it all cut off. A #1 on the electric razor.

I am not sure the motivation. I must admit I like it.

Lori not there to cut my hair. First time she has missed in 20 years. Emma did me.

Lori and her boy friend have lived together for years. They married New Year’s Eve. Civil service. City Hall. No one knew it was coming.

Their respective families were thrilled. One group from Maine. The other, Long Island. The family wanted a for real wedding, however. They got it. The ceremony sunday at West Martello. Reception to follow at Rooftop Cafe.

I will have to congratulate Lori a second time when I get my next haircut. It may be a long while.

Stopped at Cuban Coffee Queen for lunch after the haircut. No room at the inn! Tables full. Line a mile long waiting to order.

So much for lunch. I left.

The Cuban Coffee Queen is doing tremendous. Good for them!

Rain all day. Monsoon type rain on occasion.

Not certain about today yet.

My KONK Life column Clarence Thomas / Anita Hill appears in this morning’s E-Blast.

It aggravates me. The Saudi snub of President Obama when he arrived for the oil meetings. We have to stop kissing Saudi’s ass. They need us militarily more than we need them for anything. Saudi Arabia’s time as a world oil giant diminishes by day.

Came across an interesting statement yesterday…..It was all started by a mouse. The reference was to Mickey Mouse. The statement made by Walt Disney.

Enjoy your day!

 

PRIME STEAKHOUSE

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I have enjoyed Key West one way or another for 26 years. There are still places I have not visited. One is the Prime Steakhouse. I did last night.

The Prime Steakhouse is located at the end of Caroline Street. It sits on the level above the Dante pool. Parking in the garage underneath.

I guess I never stopped by because it was a block out of the way. Amazing.

The place is absolutely fantastic! Go! One negative. The prices. Off the wall. Worth it, however.

The walls are dark wood. Atmosphere clubby.

I arrived at 7. Very few people. I thought off season. By 7:30, there was not an empty table. I knew no one. Tourists.

Lunch was at the Pier House Beach  Bar. Stayed a while. Read the newspapers. Ran some errands afterwards.

Pouring like hell at the moment. Has been all morning.

The Marathon Airport has always been a failure. Large and beautiful. No action. The airlines found they could not make money flying into Marathon.

The airport stands empty, except for some private planes.

Marathon has considerable political clout. The unused airport is always getting one thing or another. The most recent is a U.S. Customs facility. For the Florida Keys/Marathon Airport. The airport that commercial airplanes do not fly into.

Dollars spent unwisely once again. The money should go into the Key West Airport which needs, amongst other things, an expanded U.S. Customs facility. People in large numbers fly into the Key West Airport every day. Into Marathon, few.

Pearl Washington died yesterday. Age 52. A brain tumor. He fought to live for several years.

Pearl is one of the greatest players to ever don a Syracuse basketball uniform. I watched most of the home games during the three seasons he played. 1983-1986.

Syracuse loved Pearl. This year’s team wore a uniform emblem in his honor.

Things were a bit tough for Pearl. Syracuse University did not fail him. He had a home at the University.

May he rest in peace.

President Obama is in Saudi Arabia. Relations between the countries are strained. Beginning with whether Saudi Arabia had a hand in 9/11.

There have been economic and other threats the past few days coming from Saudi Arabia against the U.S.

An insult to Obama upon his arrival. No #1 or other high Saudi figure met Obama when his plane landed. Some governor from a province greeted him.

Screw these guys. Not a time to pussy foot around with them. Call their bluff. They need us more than we need them. The pendulum has swung. The U.S. no longer desperate for Saudi oil.

My KONK Life column this week Clarence Thomas / Anita Hill. KONK Life hit the stands yesterday. The column was linked to my Key West Lou website this morning. .keywestlou.com.

The article interesting. I wrote it from the perspective of the five key players in the confirmation hearings.

Enjoy your day!

CLARENCE THOMAS / ANITA HILL

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In 1991, a vacancy existed on the U.S. Supreme Court. Associate Justice Thurgood Marshall had died. Marshall was the first person of African-American descent to sit on the Supreme Court.

President George H. W. Bush nominated Clarence Thomas to fill Marshall’s seat.

A contentious hearing was held before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee. The Judiciary Committee at the time was controlled by the Democrats. Senator Joe Biden, now Vice-President Biden, was Chairman of the Committee.

Anita Hill had worked as a legal adviser to Clarence Thomas when he was Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights. Later as Thomas’ legal adviser when he became Chairman of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Hill worked for Thomas a total of two years. Following which Hill left public service. She became a law school professor. First at Oral Roberts University. Then at the University of Oklahoma College of Law.

It was ten years after Hill left public service under Thomas that Thomas was nominated for the Supreme Court seat.

Hill claimed that Thomas had sexually assaulted her when she worked under him. Her testimony before the Judiciary Committee was required.

Thomas was neither approved nor disapproved by the Judiciary Committee. The vote was 7-7. Normally a tie vote would be considered a failure by the nominee to obtain approval to proceed to a vote by the full Senate.

For some reason, the Judiciary Committee referred the matter to the Senate for its advice and consent vote. The Senate approved Thomas’ nomination 52-48. The closest approval vote in more than 100 years.

Thomas’ approval might be considered a rejection/disbelief of Hill’s sexual harassment charge. Others believe Thomas only squeaked by because of it.

The story as told thus far is merely the bones of the situation. The meat/motivations of certain individuals more interesting and important.

I am approaching this column with the background of the five persons primarily involved in the battle over Thomas’ nomination. Much of what follows is generally unknown.

The five key players in the Senate Judiciary confirmation process were Clarence Thomas, Anita Hill, Joe Biden, Arlen Specter, and John Danforth.

We start with Clarence Thomas.

In his youth, Thomas was a devout Catholic. He attended Conception Seminary College in Missouri. His goal to become a priest.

Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination intervened. Someone at the seminary made a racist comment re King. As a result, Thomas left the seminary.

Thereafter, he began attending Episcopal services.

Thomas was a product of affirmative action. Were it not for affirmative action, Thomas would not be a U.S. Supreme Court Justice today.

Interestingly, Thomas derided affirmative action during his professional career and in his votes/decisions as a Supreme Court Justice.

It was thought at the time of the Judiciary Committee hearings that Thomas was not a supporter of Roe v. Wade. His votes/decisions in the 25 years he has been a Justice reflect the same.

He is considered the most conservative member of the Court.

A Yale Law School graduate, his professional time has been primarily spent in federal public service. First as Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil rights. Then as Chairman of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. From 1990-1991, he was a Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

Thomas during his time on the Court has not distinguished himself as a Thurgood Marshall. He is not a Thurgood Marshall.

An appellate judge asks questions. He probes counsel’s reasoning while searching for the proper decision. In his 25 years as a Justice, Thomas has asked 2 questions. In instances where he wants a question asked, he writes it on a note which he passes to Justice Stephen Breyer to ask.

Thomas claims to have been greatly influenced by the writings of Ayn Rand. Most, including this writer, consider her a nut. She wrote amongst other books The Fountainhead. The movie starred Gary Cooper as the strong willed person standing alone against society.

While heading the Washington departments, it is said he made the movie obligatory viewing for staff members.

Hill’s charges of sexual harassment involved words, comments, stories, date requests. No touching.

Thomas’ hearing was not going well because of the sexual harassment questioning by the Committee. The sexual questions were most embarrassing.

At one point in the proceedings, he expressed his deepest feelings to the Committee. He compared the Committee and Hill’s charges to a legal lynching: “…..it is a high-tech-lynching for uppity blacks…..it is a message that unless you kowtow to an old order…..you will be lynched, destroyed, caricatured by a committee of the U.S. Senate rather than hung from a tree.”

I watched most of the Committee hearings on TV. To a lawyer, this was edge of the seat drama. I felt up to the point of the lynching exclamation, Thomas was losing the battle. The lynching comments were dramatic. The comments turned the tide. They made Thomas appear greatly wronged.

I believe they were connived.

Thomas’ second wife Virginia Lamb is white. He married her in 1987.

Mrs. Thomas is a distinguished conservative in her own right. She worked as a lobbyist and aide to Congressman Dick Armey. The second most powerful man in the House of Representatives at the time. She has been a consultant to the Heritage Foundation. Founder and President of Liberty Central, a non-profit conservative political advocacy group. In 2011, she stepped down to open a conservative lobbying firm. She describes her participation in the lobbying firm as that of “an ambassador to the Tea Party.”

Anita Hill.

A Yale Law School graduate also. A product of affirmative action.

Following her work under Thomas, she became a law professor at two law schools. Today, she enjoys a full professorship at Brandeis University.

Her accusations came ten years after the events occurred. The delay in reporting them did not help her position. She did tell several other people at the time, however. They were not permitted to testify by Chairman Biden and the Judiciary Committee.

Prior to her testimony, she was asked to take a lie detector test. She did. She passed. Thomas was asked to take a lie detector test. He refused.

She was calm and straight forward in her responses during Committee questioning. Never  lost her composure. The Committee questioning was rough. Tough. Especially by Senator Arlen Specter.

Following her testimony, Hill returned to her teaching career. Rarely to be heard from again.

Joe Biden.

I know Joe Biden. I have watched his career for years. Then when I was Chairman of the Board of Visitors at the Syracuse University School of Law was privileged to know him personally. A nice guy. One of the best.

Not during these hearings.

Joe Biden has been a great public servant. He is a good man. Nevertheless, I disagree with his conduct during the hearings.

Biden handled the Anita Hill phase poorly. He was chauvinistic and condescending.

Biden had chaired the Committee four years earlier during the equally contentious hearings regarding Robert Bork. Perhaps he did not want such a war repeated in the Thomas hearings.

He refused to permit Angela Wright to testify. Wright’s testimony involved similar charges as Hill had made.

Nor would he permit expert testimony on the issue of sexual harassment.

Biden’s excuse was he was trying to preserve Thomas’ right to privacy and the decency of the hearings. I disagree with his motivations. His responsibility was to protect the rights of the American people. Additionally, where sex is charged, sexual testimony is a must in being permitted. Not avoided based on a decency argument. Today, the decency argument would not fly.

Biden was severely criticized following the hearings by legal groups and women’s groups. For mishandling the hearings and not having done enough to support Hill. The appearance was the deck was stacked against Hill.

Arlen Specter.

Arlen Specter was a member of the Judiciary Committee. A long time Republican Senator from Pennsylvania. Prior to becoming a Senator, he was the District Attorney of Philadelphia.

He was politically a centrist. Time Magazine considered him one of America’s Ten Best Senators.

His conduct during the hearings was not representative of the manner in which he was viewed by people generally. It was abnormal.

Specter started his questioning by saying, “I do not regard this as an adversary proceeding.” He then proceeded to conduct a most antagonistic and fierce examination of Hill. He was hostile and adversarial. He treated Hill as if she were a murder defendant and he the district attorney cross examining her at a criminal trial.

I considered his conduct disgusting.

At one point, he stated to reporters that Hill’s testimony was perjurious in its entirety. She lied.

Specter’s conduct was so awful that 1,000 telephone calls were received by his office in protest. The calls kept coming in. Specter’s Senatorial office was required to have 40 people on the telephones. Eventually, the calls became too heavy for the telephone system. It died.

Let me interject at this point that both Specter and Biden’s conduct were not what the public had come to expect from them. They stepped out of their normal roles and became bad guys in pursuit of Hill.

Last, John  Danforth.

Danforth was respected by all. Thirty years a U.S. Senator representing Missouri. A political moderate. A conciliator.

An ordained Episcopal priest, he officiated at Ronald Reagan’s funeral.

Danforth carried considerable political clout.

Danforth and Thomas were two of a kind in that they both had attended a seminary.

Early in Thomas’ legal career, he served in Danforth’s office when Danforth was the Attorney General of Missouri. When Danforth  became a U.S. Senator, Thomas worked as his aide in the Washington offices.

The two were close.

When a person is nominated for the Supreme Court, a Senator becomes his guide through the approval process.

Thomas could not have had a better and more respected person guiding him.

Conclusion.

Everything herein is how I view the Thomas / Hill events. My personal thoughts and conclusions. As I watched the Committee hearings on TV 25 years ago and supplemented by my readings over the years. How I felt about them then and feel about them today.

I believe Anita Hill took an undeserved beating. Come hell or high water, Thomas was going to get out of the Judiciary Committee and to the Senate floor for a full vote by the Senate. What had to be done was done to accomplish the result.

Not quite American. Perhaps I am wrong. The Thomas / Hill scenario is typical American politics.

Consider the games being played today with President Obama’s most recent nomination to the Supreme Court.