Thomas remains a puzzle

Gregory Stanford reviews Supreme Discomfort: The Divided Soul of Clarence Thomas by Kevin Merida and Michael Fletcher, in today's Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

What if Clarence Thomas had gotten some serious psychotherapy? Would he be less inclined than he is now to vent his pent-up rage on his own race? ...

I did get to know Thomas much better; I even found myself empathizing with him at points. But by the time I put the book down, he remained a villain. ...

The authors write: "One bitter lesson Thomas has taken from his experience is that racism is a sad, immutable fact. The sooner black people realize that and gird themselves for that reality, he says, the better off they will be."

In other words, don't count on government to right racial wrongs.

I respectfully disagree. Before reading the book, I would have done so scornfully.

Should "respectfully" have an asterisk?