SUPREME COURT JUSTICE THOMAS -- FEB 13, 2001

People who disagree with political orthodoxy should not "censor ourselves"

"By yielding to a false form of civility, we sometimes allow our critics to intimidate us," the justice said at the annual dinner of the conservative American Enterprise Institute.

"Active citizens are often subjected to truly vile attacks; they are branded as mean-spirited, racist, Uncle Tom, homophobic, sexist, etc.," Thomas said. As a result, he added, sometimes "we censor ourselves. This is not civility, it is cowardice, a well-intentioned self-deception at best.