icn see an advertisement from pinpoint, georgia.se] that's 600 long miles, but i have a feeling they may have driven 6000 miles to be here today. far and wide, from all walks of life and all levels of education and income have come here in testament to the character of clarence thomas. but what got you here is something more. the power of the american ideal, the values of faith and family, hard work and opportunity. these are the values that unite us all and give america meeting -- give america meaning. america is the first nation in history founded on an idea, the unshakable certainty that all men are created equal. justices toour uphold the constitution, we entrust to them the laws that give life to our principles. clarence thomas now joins the distinguished ranks of jurist to whom we entrust this sacred task. praise of chief justice marshall tells us, what the law is. i said when i nominated clarence, step this man is a fiercely independent anchor -- independent thinker with an excellent legal mind who believes in equal opportuni