Clarence Thomas Enters Year Three Of 'Silence Strike'
America's quietest Supreme Court justice Clarence Thomas has boldly endured two solid years of never saying anything, ever, in oral arguments, and is now entering the third year of his quest. The last time he spoke was in a death penalty case on February 22, 2006. Since then, Cocktobers have come and gone; nations have risen and fallen. So what has this man been doing with all that time he isn't wasting on the ol' blah blah blah?
We have no earthly clue, because Justice Thomas will never verbally disclose his gentlemanly secrets! AP writer Mark Sherman offers one tantalizing tidbit: apparently Thomas was spotted "leaning back in his leather chair, often looking up at the ceiling" while his coworkers asked all sorts of dumb questions about the literal life and death issues that regularly confront the Supreme Court.
Perhaps he is pondering larger, thornier questions, such as how to resolve the world's largest invisible Sudoku puzzle written on the ceiling of his chambers. Maybe he is thinking about stewing a nice cut-up chicken in an Alsatian Riesling with leeks, or wondering why his ass hurts. The world will never know, but it is a comfort indeed to know that such an agile, engaged, and curious mind presides over the highest court in the land.