I don't know a lot about Clarence Thomas, but I've been interested in him since we attended the same college at different times, a college I truly loved. Of course, I want everyone who attended and graduated from my college to do well by the world, and Thomas has not appeared to live up to that desire.
Early on we learned about Thomas' poor judgement and actions from Anita Hill. I didn't dig into that situation at the time as I was young and not as involved in what was happening in politics or the world around me. Much later, I read a book that devoted a chapter to Thomas, and the chapter did not flatter him, but instead insinuated that Thomas had not lived up to his potential or the good he could have done for people. The chapter inferred that Thomas had sold his soul to wealthy Republicans who didn't have the welfare or rights of the majority of American people as their focus.
Now, we hear a lot about Thomas and his wife. First of all, we learn that his wife was heavily involved in Trump's Big Lie and the January 6th Domestic Terror Insurrection. That's bad. Then we learn that Thomas has taken all kinds of pay-offs by way of real estate, school tuition costs, and travel from a wealthy Republican donor--pay-offs unreported by Thomas who is a member of the Supreme Court, the highest court in the land. Anyone in public service understands the ethical boundaries of taking gifts from individuals--when people give you gifts, they often expect you to do their bidding. That's why teachers in Massachusetts' are greatly limited in any gifts they can take from students or parents--it's not fair if one family has greater influence over a teacher's time and efforts because they are able to give that teacher expensive gifts--a teacher's job is to treat all her students well without favoritism.
Why did Justice Thomas, a Supreme Court Justice, think it was okay to take so many expensive gifts from a wealthy Republican who had an investment in decisions made by the court? How could a Supreme Court Justice be so dense and/or corrupt to do that? Why did this go on for so long without any consequences or corrections? So many like me who care about freedom and justice want to know the answers to those questions.
Why do individuals sell their souls? What lies within them that leads them to make such compromising, selfish, and harmful decisions? Is it simply greed? Is it anger? Is it selfishness? Is it a "survival of the fittest" attitude and belief? Is it revenge? What is it?
Whatever it is, we need to learn all about it and work to rid ourselves of that kind of errant belief and behavior. Further, we have to institute a code of ethics for the Supreme Court similar to the ethical codes so many public servants have to follow in their lines of work, and we must impeach Judge Thomas who has not lived up to the expectations and needed work of a Supreme Court Justice. He sold out on the American people, and he must step down. Onward.