Craig Crawford's Trail Mix

Woo hoo!

Adelante, Sonia Sotomayor.
Put old Scalia in his place! I guess Obama didn't wait at all like you thought he might, Craig. The nation rejoices at the choice.

Casey says the US will be in Iraq for ten years...anybody who really thought Obama would quickly end this disaster was totally foolish.
http://tinyurl.com/ocxu4u

Conservatives portray Scalia as brilliant. But, in reality, he is a thug, predictable on every single vote. He is not an intellectual giant. He is a narrow, jackass who attempts to intimidate his colleagues.

OD -- you are so right. Scalia is a serious thug. And at the risk of stereotyping an ethnic group....I have seen very few Latinas who take thugging well.

patsi, glad you said latin"a" as the media are driving me more nuts than usual using latin"o".... it was refreshing on pbs last night that the correct term for her and a complete catchall phrase "latinos and latinas" was used by one of her former law clerks, probably more sensitive to the issue than most.
picky picky, but let's get with it folks. if we're so hep on saying "he and she" for pc reasons then let's be ethnically pc about it too....

Don,

I slipped you a little comment on the last blog topic. I couldn't write that one in the light of day. Need to check it out.

Morning folkes, I did do a little research on Sotomayor. Looks good in ways but I would like to hear her answer some questions. After all, if confirmed, she will be there a very long time.

And Dex, do you think many of Obama's supporters, the ones new to voting, are still even paying attention anymore?

and Flatus, are you awake yet? You were a little rough on your pleb here yesterday.

dex, did you see that warren says he's the "seer extraordinare" ... will there be a play off? jamie says she was also in there with her prediction hunch. please fight it out among the lot and let me know to whom to send the laurel wreath.

I guess i'm out of the competition.....i thought he'd pick woody allen............he'd get the laurel and hardy wreath.....

Morning Pat, Patsi. Just got my first RN since I've been at this job. She will be the new nursing supervisor. She called yesterday evening to say she was sick and would be out today. Second sick day in about 2 weeks. Should I be worried?

Carol -- here's a great overview on the nominee's decisions:

http://www.scotusblog.com/wp/judge-sotomayors-appellate-opinions-in-civil-cases/

question: is the term hispanic referring to the language one speaks and the term latino/a to the latin root heritage? can one rightly be termed hispanic if one does not speak spanish or come from a spanish country ie portugal, brazil? last night's discussion never came up with a clear-cut answer....

"Second sick day in about 2 weeks. Should I be worried?"
ct, if same day of week you might ask her about it.

Thanks Patsi for the link. Will need to read that one when I can concentrate which will take time and at least 4 cups of coffee.

"Second sick day in about 2 weeks. Should I be worried?"

Is it catching?

Daily Howler is funny today, with a final, quick Matthews smackdown...

http://www.dailyhowler.com/

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/05/will-sotomayor-take-on-scalia.html#comment-230921

???

Let's hope Judge Sotomayor does get the opportunity
to take Scalia down a peg or two-----in the meantime---
a more complete version of the 30 second video of her comments at Duke Univ. in 2005 that her detractors keep circulating--- portrays a very different result than what they are attributing to her--yet the media so far has not exposed this sorry attempt to undermine her qualifications.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ug-qUvI6WFo

Also, here is the full speech Judge Sotomayor gave
in 2001 at UC-Berkeley symposium titled "Raising the
Bar: Latino & Latina Presence on the Judiciary & the
Struggle for Representation"--a portion of which her
detractors are trying to use to disqualify her.

http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2009/05/26_sotomayor.shtml

Yo Sturg

http://www.sturgeonsmill.com/

Hi Coreen

".... I'm frocked as a seer extraordinaire, and defrocked, all within a matter of hours."

flatus, defrocked, more like de-flatus-ed? and my apologies again for not only stripping you of your medal but also for attributing to warren your "seer extraordinaire" quote.

mornin'

jamie, thanks for looking up the correct spelling of bumbershoot. An old dear friend used to call umbrellas that and I always got a hoot out of it. I figured it was 'chute - as in para-.

Looking over the "Hispanic" discussion from yesterday, I wondered, so I went looking and found this in the font of all knowledge (Wiki):

"Hispanic (Spanish: hispano, hispánico) is a term that historically denoted a relationship to the ancient Hispania (geographically coinciding with the Iberian Peninsula). During the modern era, it took on a more limited meaning, relating to the contemporary nation of Spain.

Still more recently, the term is used to describe the culture and people of countries formerly ruled by Spain, usually with a majority of the population having Spanish ancestry and speaking the Spanish language. These include Mexico, the majority of the Central and South American countries, and most of the Greater Antilles. There are also Spanish influences in the African nation of Equatorial Guinea,and the cultures of the Spanish East Indies' nations and territories, the Philippines, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands."

And this on Cardozo - same source (Wiki)

"Cardozo was born in New York City, the son of Rebecca Washington (née Nathan) and Albert Jacob Cardozo. Both Cardozo's maternal grandparents, Sara Seixas and Isaac Mendes Seixas Nathan, and his paternal grandparents, Ellen Hart and Michael H. Cardozo, were Sephardi Jews; their families immigrated from England before the American Revolution, and were descended from Jews who left the Iberian Peninsula for Holland during the Inquisition. Cardozo family tradition held that their ancestors were Marranos from Portugal, although Cardozo's ancestry has not been firmly traced to Portugal."

Under modern use of the term "Hispanic", it would be a stretch to refer to him as one.

Regardless, Sotomayor will be the first Hispanic woman on the court, only the third woman to serve, and only the fifth or sixth (depending on where you come down on whether Cardozo was Hispanic) minority member who is not a white male of European descent (which Cardoxzo certainly was whether he was Hispainc or not). And it's about damn time we quit listening to the idiotic "best person for the job" bullshit that comes from the right - there isn't one. There are probably 100 to 200 "best persons for the job" out there. Sotomayor is one of them IMHO.

'scuse me - she woudl be the 6th or 7th (depending on where you come down on whether Cardozo was Hispanic) minority member on the Court who is not a white male of European descent (which Cardoxzo certainly was whether he was Hispainc or not).

Pogo
wiki blah blah blah
By the definition used by the feds to determine entitlement programs Cardoza is 'hispanic.' And it just goes to show how lame the mass media is and once a meme gets started no one ever bothers to fact check.

interesting that there will now be 6 catholic justices, 2 jewish justices and 1 protestant.

question: just what is an "intellectual heavyweight" and why isn't the nominee considered one by the media... isn't being top of the class or law review editor evidence of intelligence of some heft?

Coreen......ha......very nize..........wood-sturgeons floating in the mists of time.............

i guess i must be a germanic with an italian name.......allemanic? teutonic?

senor pescado,

you are a fish! remember?

re scotus catholic majority, is there an equivalent term in catholicism for a "minyan"? need ten to make one?

El doot......"I remember (doot-doot) I remember (doot-doot)......they had a swimming poooool.........."

dooty, but would a fish by any other name smell as sweet?

He is a man of splendid abilities, but utterly corrupt. He shines and stinks like rotten mackerel by moonlight.

-- Senator John Randolph of Virginia

sturg

I was just saying hi to Coreen
the Sturgeon Mill is near me!

senor fish :) nice

the cartoons begin

http://www.toonpool.com/cartoons/SOTOMAYOR_46865

another 'toon
http://www.politicalcartoons.com/cartoon/98a1c797-68cb-41b9-b7fd-f1d0adc03353.html

KGC,

Good early morning---almost late for an appt---so
later will give a call to catch up

It's interesting how far we have come in the politicization of the SCOTUS. Judge Sotomayor has extensive experience as a lawyer and prosecutor, and then on the Federal Circuit Court and the Federal Appeals Court. There is absolutely no question that she is a highly qualified nominee for the Supreme Court. The fact that she is a woman and a Puerto Rican Hispanic, and her personal story adds dimension to her basic qualifications. The controversy will emerge only over attempts to divine how she will rule in, as yet undefined, future cases, and whether the diviner (let's call them Senators, bloggers, pundits, etc.) would agree with them. She's not changing the balance of the Court, and baring some past legal indiscretion on her part that might come out, she should be a shoo-in after all has been said, and said, and said ....

hmmmmm.....

the thought of the feisty latina kicking some thuggish italian ass..... I like it....

I actually watched part of Hardball last night.... first time in over a year....
I wanted to see how Matthews would handle the idea of another woman on the SC..... have to say he was most gracious about her.....

but Pat Buchanan was a total asshole.... all I could think was ....Pat.... your initials are "PB"..... which stands for Petty Brontosaurus....

patd:

It is nonsense not to consider Sonia an intellectual heavy-weight. I think a lot of this is based on that Rosen article in the New Republic - which got a decent amount of attention when it first came out - and now has become the almanac for the GOP.

I suspect it might also be based on Sonia not being a show off.

Hey, KC, don't shoot the messenger. I may very well have Iberian Peninsula forebears for all I know, but I was just looking at the modern usage of the term Hispanic. And frankly, I don't care whether anyone considers Cardozo Hispanic or not - he was a brilliant legal mind and a giant in the legal field. And in his day Hispanic wasn't the big deal it is now that people are afraid our country is being overtaken by non English speaking illegal immigrants who come in here from Mexico and the Caribbean to try and find decent lives - or sell drugs - or be terrorists, and in common modern parlance, notwithstanding federal definitions to the contrary, third generation American of Portuguese descent from European immigrants are certainly not typically what people think of when they think Hispanic, although different folks will have different opinions on that.

Having worked in federal programs that provided services based on ethnicity, I have less than the highest regard for the feds' opinion about who is and who is not a minority. Under DoE regs, 1/8 is (or was in the 70s) enough to qualify you under some programs. Reminds me of the old play "The Octoroon". I did educational testing of Native Americans in the Sand Mountain area of AL who were fair skinned, fair haired and in some cases blue eyed. There were a few kids who had some identifiable features from their native ancestry, but most of them looked like the rest of the white kids they went to school with, and almost none of them identified with their native American forebears, but they were "Indians" according to the feds.

And, who says someone must be an intellectual heavyweight in order to be a successful justice?

If a justice is well served by competent clerks and is well grounded in the law, and understands the role of the
Court as envisioned by the Founders, and is a person of unimpeachable integrity, and is independent of special interests, then that individual has the makings of being a superior performer despite not being an intellectual heavyweight.

here's an interesting blog post on Sotomayor from TPM..... it talks about why Obama really might have picked her..... hint... it's the economy, stupid....

http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/blogs/thisniss/2009/05/sotomayor-pick-its-the-economy.php?ref=recmuck

and Bethy.... from what I understand so far.... Sotomayor has always been prone to go with precedent..... I think that says just the opposite of what you think her call may be on Roe vs Wade.... IMO....

" suspect it might also be based on Sonia not being a show off. "

I think you nailed it, Warren. I read her as a no-nonsense woman who puts up with no BS. I think she'll be respectful and nice and get to know the court. But once she's established, I doubt she'll let a thug like Scalia push her around. Once again, may I say that any Latinas I've known have NOT been pushovers. Just ask that idiot who broke into George Harrison's house and attacked him...he'll tell you that Latinas like Harrison's wife can be tough mamas.

You'll notice that the attacks are all veiled in gender-based insults. "Domineering" and "dumb." How many times have we heard women described in those terms? Ball-busters or twits, and OMG! Both at once???.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/05/will-sotomayor-take-on-scalia.html#comment-230922

Warren can have the leaves in his hair. That much greenery might give me hives.

But, Patsi, you repeatedly cite her potential strengths based on her being a Latina--a characterization that combines ethnicity, gender, and emotional attributes perceived as being representative of our stereotype of a specific group. Doesn't that characterization grant a similar, but opposite, blessing for her opponents to bring those same ethnicity, gender, and emotional attributes into play?

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/05/will-sotomayor-take-on-scalia.html#comment-230955

Renee,

PB can be somewhat charming at times, but give him a reason to make a racist "white males should run the universe" argument and it will spill out almost reflexively, immediately followed by the "who me" denial.

I've watched him for years and either he is completely deluded about what he thinks he is saying or he is one of the best actors in existence.

I vote for completely deluded. PB is usually pretty candid. Much more so than most of the partisans that inhabit the airwaves...

We will hear a great deal over the next few months about strict constructionism and the desire on the part of conservatives to have Justices who will interpret the Constitution for how it was intended by the original framers.

Let's remember that the most famous of the strict constructionists may have been Roger B. Taney, who based his infamous Dred Scott ruling on the fact that African American Slaves were historically considered inferior at the time of the writing of the Constitution, and therefore could not be extended normal human rights.

To quote:
"It is difficult at this day to realize the state of public opinion in regard to that unfortunate race which prevailed in the civilized and enlightened portions of the world at the time of the Declaration of Independence, and when the Constitution of the United States was framed and adopted; but the public history of every European nation displays it in a manner too plain to be mistaken. They had for more than a century before been regarded as beings of an inferior order, and altogether unfit to associate with the white race, either in social or political relations, and so far unfit that they had no rights which the white man was bound to respect."

Jamie....
I've watched PB for a long time also.... and I've read several of his books...

over the last several years he was one of the few Republican pundits who not only got how devastating the Bush administration would be for the GOP.... he wasn't afraid to voice that opinion either.....

watching him last night made me realize just how hard the GOP must now struggle to survive..... and I don't think it's going to make it....

we do need more than one party in order to have a democracy, IMO....
I hope something arises from the GOP ashes soon..... and something that doesn't appeal to the baser emotions of it's adherents....

warren,

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/05/will-sotomayor-take-on-scalia.html#comment-230956

you are likely correct on all counts.

I love the speculation over what prospective judicial nominees might do with Roe - as if a case presenting the opportunity for a wholesale review of the decision is like to come before the Court in the foreseeable future. I'd suggest that those who want to deal in such speculation first go figure out what Roe says and does and how - my money is on the proposition that most of the folks who argue the loudest have never actually read the decision or would have a clue what they were reading if they had - to say nothing of how it has been limited in subsequent abortion cases.

well, later - and lest I forget or fail to return in time - lunch.

I have tried to remember conversations that my family has had,,,specially my 4 sisters,,,and can remember them calling aPuerto Rican women that was married to a friend of my fathers that was Mexican,,,,they said that she was a Latina,,,,and that as far a the Portuguese was concerned that they were also,,and any one in South America. I don't remember the term Hispanic ever being used in our house,,,that came from other people,,,and I always took it mean the same as Latinos,,,Chicanos,,

Patsi is correct in saying that most Latina's,,won't let you push them around,,,specially if they have an education,,,my sisters would not let anyone do that,,,not even their husbands,,,,once found out that a brother in law had hit one of my sisters,,,and was going to take care of that with a little talk,and a little hitting of my own,,,,,my sister Alice,,,was the meekest one of all,,,and stopped me,,,and said that she would take care of it,,,she did,,,in front of the whole family,( all of us ),,less children around,,,she punched her husband and told us why she did it, he apologized to all of us,,,and never did hit her again,,,,All of my nieces are educated,,,and are even more aggressive than the mothers,,,when it comes to protecting their rights,,and that of the children,,,the cosmic god help the husband that smacks one of them,,,,,and lastly,,,I think that they balance religion a lot better than my mothers generation did,,,,they strictly went (Latina wives,,,most of them) by the bible,,that said OBEY,,your husband in all things, I hope,,and believe that this is true of all women now.

I also think that when we say we speak Spanish,,,we are talking about the whole south American commonality that we share,,,,so when I turned on the "Spanish" new stations,,,there was a lot of the same talk,,,and I think that it will continue,,,,,one good thing about this choice,,is that this kind of conversations will be enlightening,,,even to us Latins,,Cordozo,,,who was Cordozo,,,well now I know,,,,thanks

RR:

How bout we replace the GOP with the Independents!! It can be the Dems vs. the Indy's and the GOP can rule talk radio and nominate kooky 3rd party candidates along the lines of Ross Perot...

Renee

Thanks for that talking points link on Sotomayor

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/05/will-sotomayor-take-on-scalia.html#comment-230959

I just know that sooner or later,,,some chump will tell me that she put on the s c , just cos she is a women,,,and a minority,,,looks like she earned it to me,,,,,so I think that this pick of Obama is a grand slam,,,,,and should go a long way with the Latin community in 2012?

Which politician is the happiest about Sonia's nomination?

Pelosi Galore. Haven't heard much about that "non-story" recently....

Sorry Chicano's is not the same as Latinos ,,,,or Hispanics,,,,,I left out that,,,that was slang for just Mexican,,,,and there are other slang names for Puerto Ricans,,and other nationalities.

SC, that's why I say let's drop the labels and simply call them Americans.

Flatus,,,,I agree with what you said 100%,,,whenever I speak to others,,,I correct them and say,,the same thing,,,we are american first,from Mexico,,,,or Philand,,,or what ever,,just saying what is out there, thats all.

Rez,,,,,

I had a little hard time of it,,,,but this some history of the kind of Indian heritage that I knew about,,,but learned even more thru this article,,,that I would never would have looked up,,if not for our conversation last night,,,thanks a lot

http://www.houstonculture.org/index.html

Thought for the day :
" When forced to choose between two evils, try the new one. "

"Doesn't that characterization grant a similar, but opposite, blessing for her opponents to bring those same ethnicity, gender, and emotional attributes into play?"

Nope. Praising individual ethnic or gender based strengths doesn't justify name-calling as a response. It would be like saying John Lewis' s experiences had made him a strong black man who understands civil rights issues, and hearing the response, "he's a n---- and will want reparations."

"Sorry Chicano's is not the same as Latinos ,,,,or Hispanics,,,,,I left out that,,,that was slang for just Mexican"

Solar -- my old Denver neighbor Corky Gonzalez was one who really popularized the term...and I always felt like he used it in a political sense. People who didn't want to meld into anglo culture and were proud to be of Mexican heritage. But I know that word has many connotations.

Patsi, picking an extreme example is not what I meant. I was thinking more along the line of damning through faint praise tied to the non-merit factors I cited.

1818 Amelia Jenks Bloomer suffragette known for her pantaloons
1837 "Wild Bill" Hickok [James Butler] - scout
1907 Rachel Louise Carson biologist/ecologist/writer (Silent Spring)

1529 30 Jews of Posing Hungary, charged with blood ritual, burned at stake
1679 Habeaus Corpus Act (no false arrest & imprisonment) passes in UK
1850 Mormon Temple in Nauvoo IL destroyed by tornado
1905 Japanese fleet destroys Russian East Sea fleet in Straits of Tushima
1919 1st transatlantic flight ends; US Navy flying boat takes 11 days
1919 Charles Strite patents pop-up toaster
1930 Richard Drew invents masking tape
1931 1st full scale wind tunnel for testing airplanes, Langley Field VA
1931 Piccard & Knipfer make 1st flight into stratosphere, by balloon; 1st use of pressurized cabin in a balloon
1933 Federal Securities Act signed
1941 FDR proclaimes an "unlimited national emergency" due to Germany's sinking of Robin Moor
1941 German battleship Bismarck sunk by British naval force
1942 Hitler orders 10,000 Czechoslovakians murdered
1942 Top German Nazi Reinhard Heydrich is shot & mortally wounded in Prague
1961 1st black light is sold
1961 President Kennedy announces US goal to reach the Moon
1977 2 Boeing 747s by Pan Am & KLM collide in Canary Islands, killing 582
1994 Radio conservative Rush Limbaugh (43) weds Marta Fitzgerald (35)

1994 must have been a slow year. :)

Well, if we get PC,then we can't mention gender, ethnicity, etc at all....

"1919 Charles Strite invents the pop-up toaster"

What every inventor should strive for:

Does one thing well;
Basically same design in use for ninety years;
Inexpensive and easy to operate;
Intuitive user interface.

(Warning: Do not use in the shower)

Patsi,,,,

Here is the reason that I agree with Flatus,,,,,,I always have felt,,that whenever,,,some Mexicans used the term Chicanos,,,yes there is pride in the term,,,,but it is also putting your self apart,,tribal,,,from the others,,, people from Columbia,,,,,,they have a little diff meanings of words that are pronounced ,,the same ,,,,but if I was to tell this person,,,,that Im a Chicano,,,and he was to tell me that he was____whatever slang he used,,,subconsciously,,we have set our selves apart,,,and have another obstacle to work thru,,,,If I was to tell him,,,that I am an American,,,that came from Mexico,,,that is informing him of a lot more of me than just giving him some slang ,,,hip,,,word,,that tells him,,that im here in America,,but not American ,,,hope I said this ok,,,I will say this,,,,it is hard sometimes thinking in Spanish,,,and trying to say it in English.

Other than that Patsi,,good to talk to you.

Flatus/Solar, I understand what you are getting at. But -- I have some strong feelings about the "ladies" trying to meld into the old boys club. Just as I liked the black and brown power concepts, I believe that women should recognize their identities and wear them proudly. I'd like to see Latinas stand as proud as their black and anglo sisters, with no downplaying the elements that made them the individuals they are. (And then say screw you to anyone who doesn't like it.)

Plus I'm in a lousy mood because some guy on the professional music biz message board I read is displaying as his signature, a tarted up image of Dora the Explorer, one of my granddaughter's favorite cartoon characters and one who has popularized her ethnic identity. The tag line is Dora the Whora. I may be on my last nerve when it comes to this sort of BS. And I think the only way to stop it is to get pissed as hell, and own our identities.

The Movie,,,,,,Born in East LA.,...is one of my favorite commedy flicks,,a laugh out loud movie,,,that pokes a little fun at a Mexican,,,that can't speak a lick of Spanish,,,and is picked up in a factory raid,,by the Migra,,he is deported to Mexico,,,and has to try to get back to America,,,,very funny movie,,,from any one perspective,,,and in a very big way,,speaks to our ignorance of some individuals,,,and the system.,,Ok thats enough from me,,,thanks

Patsi,,,You in a bad mood :-)...thats a roller coaster for me on a daily bases,,,but I put those aside,,,one of the reasons for exercising ,,,,gets the mood back to :-))))))

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/05/will-sotomayor-take-on-scalia.html#comment-230998

I think that is a little different that what I was trying to convey,,,,and yes,,,,,there has to be individual pride,,weather it be women,,or men,,,,and ethnicity,,also,,,,and I do agree with all that you said on your last post,,,,,,all of the women here at TM show this to be true no?

Ok

get back to Sotomayor,,,Pogo,,,,so I can learn something,,sorry for the interruption.

"all of the women here at TM show this to be true no?"

Oh yes -- as do the men. Very strong, honest people.

There is something that I want to say about the S. C.,,,,I don't like it that there are so many Catholics in it,,,,but there is where they need to put aside those teachings,,,and give us heathens a little acknowledgment,,,and keep the Church out of their decisions?

While not a big fan of The View, I must admit that I enjoyed the show very much today.

Elizabeth Hasselbeck gave her Fox News attack on the new Supreme Court nominee. The rest of the panel took her on. Whoopi finally referred to Elizabeth's points as "crap" and "a load".

Hasselbeck is a real mess. There must be some decent conservatives who could present a better case on this show.

OD:

I think that the real weakness is with the "Fox News attack."

Kinda the same way a very talented actor would give a dreadful performance in a movie that has a horrible script.

But I don't watch the View enough to have a real opinion of Liz. (If she is bad - maybe it is a liberal ploy to make the right-wing view less attractive. Kinda the same thing Fox did with Hannity and Colmes...)

Maybe they should replace her with Meghan McCain?!

Hillary on CSPAN NOW with Egyptian minister.

Love hearing the RW complain that Sotomayor is a "racist" because she considers her heritage an asset. Another, "What is wrong with these people?" moment.

We ALL bring the sum of our experience to any situation. The court has ENOUGH White male experience, now it needs some different experience.

The law is meant to make the interactions among human beings easier. It provides the instructions for fair dealing and equitable relationships. Precedent has a role because historical experience can provide guidence. Changes in societal needs has a role because change happens. The judge weighs one set of circumstances against another and then views how it reflects in the case before them. That's why apellate and supreme courts have more than one judge. The more life experience and law experience the judges bring to the matter, the fairer and more applicable to the future their decision will be.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/05/will-sotomayor-take-on-scalia.html#comment-231007

Warren,

That is a great suggestion. Meghan was having kittens yesterday about the Prop 8 decision. She reflects the attitude of most young people whether they are left or right, Dem or Rep.

All Hasselbeck does is bring the Evangelical 20% not the Republican attitude across the spectrum.

FYI: Our friend (gov doc lib.) just sent along these links regarding Sotomayor. He's Hispanic also and real happy about the nomination.

The full text of the speech from Berkeley and can be found at:

http://www.law.berkeley.edu/4982.htm

The webcast of her speech to prospective law clerks at Duke University can be found at (you will need Real Player to view it, 51 minutes):
http://realserver.law.duke.edu/ramgen/spring05/lawschool/02252005clerk.rm

A reprint of the Duke speech was re-published as a result of Sotomayor’s nomination to the SCOTUS:

http://preview.tinyurl.com/o4aqqa

SC said some really worthwhile stuff when he was talking about the different takes on the same words that someone from Colombia may have as opposed to someone from a different Spanish speaking region.

I tend to think that many of us Anglos try to lump all Spanish speaking people into some pre-conceived cubbyhole where they have monolithic life experiences, where they like the same foods, where their spoken, idiomatic language is the same, and where they all look alike.

Not good and not fair.

Talk about strange bedfellows...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/us_gaymarriage_california_court

"Two lawyers who squared off in the legal case that determined the 2000 U.S. presidential election joined forces on Wednesday to ask a federal court to halt California's same-sex marriage ban, despite warnings from gay rights advocates not to mount a federal challenge.

Ted Olson and David Boies, who opposed each other in the Bush v. Gore Supreme Court case, said that gays and lesbians were made into second-class citizens by California's voter-approved ban, known as Proposition 8.

They sued on behalf of two same-sex couples who want to marry but cannot because of the Prop 8's passage."

But - if there is anyone that can make some serious legal headway on this issue - it is this dynamic duo...

Patsi, I totally agree with your being totally pissed at the clod who has tried tarnishing Dora the Explorer. I hope you and your cohort in that group are giving him his just deserts.

Goodness, Warren, will wonders never cease.

I thought Boies' arguments were so compelling and that Olson had engaged in some sort of legal chicanery allowing him to carry the day.

It was neither Boies nor Olson but a Supreme Court that was out of control.

Flatus and Patsi,

Call Viacom, Nickelodeon's parent corporation and tell them their brand is being sullied.

Viacom: (212) 258-6000

Back from my second job as road crew for LP's band. God show, - I should stop sweating within the next little while.

Don't expect any reasonable or fair attacks from the secondary RW attack dogs or anything other than fair sounding criticism from the Senators on the Judicairy Committee. Even Newt, Rush and the other fat white repug mouthpieces calling Sotomayor a racist because she thinks she can understand the problems of people with a background similar to hers certainly should be able to agree that they understand the problems of fat white old republicans better than, say, middle aged Latinas from backgrounds than their own. But then again, they are racists, right?

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/05/will-sotomayor-take-on-scalia.html#comment-231013

Right you are, Flatus. Right you are.

that was a "Good show", not a "God show" (although it was at his Catholic school and there was a prayer at the end.)

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/05/will-sotomayor-take-on-scalia.html#comment-230956

warren, thanks about cluing me in on the rosen article... i was mystified how such a scholarly background as hers could be considered lightweight. guess one's supposed to talk like william buckley, write like george will and make an ass of themselves like (fill in the blank) to be considered an intellectual heavyweight by those guys.... oh yes, forgot to add one has to be rolling in dough for the media to hold in high regard.

em-burris-ments of the day... any of these have legs?

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/washingtonpostinvestigations/2009/05/burris_tape_keep_me_in_mind_re.html?wprss=washingtonpostinvestigations

there's a mighty sick person on the loose in miami

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/may/27/miami-cat-killer

Flatus,,,,thanks for reading between the lines,,,like I said ,,I don't like to be too direct,,,that is exactly what I meant,one interesting thing (difference) that I have learned about Columbia,,,is that what we call amuerso,,,,,(breakfast) is their dinner,,they eat dinner( same word) in the am,,,thats what a worker,,with a limited school visa once told me.

Pogo,,did go out for lunch,,,turkey club,,,freedom fries,,and a bud.

Patd,,,from my economist news letter.

These are fighting words no?

Dear Reader,

I'm delighted to be able to share our good news with you this month. Our Democracy in America section has won a Webby award for the best political blog, and Gulliver, our business-travel blog, has been named among the best business- travel blogs by The Times newspaper in the UK. Also, our online debates series has been in the spotlight, being shortlisted for the Association of Online Publishers Awards too. Not bad for one month!

pat, the Rosen article is as close to unresearched as you can get and still claim to have some basis in reality as opposed to being based on uniformed opinion only.

Pogo picked up lunch on the way back to the office - roast beef sandwich, chips, diet Coke. (I eat French fries, buddy, but not to day).

" I totally agree with your being totally pissed at the clod who has tried tarnishing Dora the Explorer'

I know, Flatus -- This is such a great image type for little girls! I'd like to know who the a-hole really is, behind his fake name.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/05/27/gop-stressed-gonzales-his_n_208175.html

That damned racist Orrin Hatch - I hope someone on Rush's show or who has Newt on confronts them with Hatch's statements about Gonzales and gets them to acknowledge that under their guidelines, Hatch is a racist. Funny how they didn't call him out on it in '05.

Well, now it's off to listen to a depo and dodge lightning. Life's dull and exciting.

As I said before,,,Israel takes half of its water from other countries other than their own,,,they drain it,,,and what they are really after is the water that comes from the Litini River in Lebanon,,,this is why the Golan Hights expansion is so important to them,,,,not a few missiles that are fired on them,,,they are just an excuse ( a good one),,,just like when the two soldiers were kidnapped in 06 ,,,that was a great mistake by Hezbola,,IMO,,,and they expanded more at that time,,,the goal ,,is to steal the water in that area of the world,,,not matter how many lives it takes to get them,,,they are on their way to treating others how they have been treated,,I guess?

I think that this deal,,already has been made,,,from AP nenws

Israel proposing settlement compromise to US

Israeli compromise proposal to US: dismantle West Bank outposts, expand other settlements

May 26, 2009 11:21 EST

Israel would dismantle nearly two dozen wildcat settlement outposts in the West Bank in the next few weeks if the U.S. drops its objections to continued building in existing, government-sanctioned settlements, officials said.

Last week, President Barack Obama met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington and demanded a halt to all settlement growth. But Netanyahu has defied that demand since his return to Israel, saying his government will continue to build homes in existing settlements.

Defense Minister Ehud Barak will bring the new proposal to senior American officials during his visit to Washington next week, the Israeli officials said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the proposal has not yet been officially submitted.,,

What a stellar day for you guys. Reading through the discussion today was a real pleasure and enlightening. I knew there was a reason I'm proud to hang out here.

Max,,,,one just for you,,Iran freed Rosana Saberi,,
,you were right by the way,,,,but U forgot one,,,,,,,

U.S. holds journalist without charges in Iraq
Mohammed Ameen / Associated Press
Ibrahim Jassam, a cameraman and photographer for the Reuters news agency, is being held by the U.S. without charges.
Reuters cameraman Ibrahim Jassam has been held since September. The U.S. military rejected a court order to release him, saying he is a 'high security threat.' No evidence has been presented.

Last one from AP...Military attacks on the Media,,WTF

In the journal of the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs (JINSA), Peters wrote,

"future wars may require censorship, news blackouts, and, ultimately, military attacks on the partisan media.

… [A] media establishment that has forgotten any sense of sober patriotism may find that it has become tomorrow’s conventional wisdom. The point of all this is simple: Win. In warfare, nothing else matters. If you cannot win clean, win dirty. But win."

Posted by: patd | May 27, 2009 4:03 PM :
"i was mystified how such a scholarly background as hers could be considered lightweight. guess one's supposed to talk like william buckley, write like george will and make an ass of themselves like (fill in the blank) to be considered an intellectual heavyweight by those guys.... oh yes, forgot to add one has to be rolling in dough for the media to hold in high regard."

Let's not ever forget that buckley was a confessed dope smoker, and that george will is a confessed thief.

I would feel a lot better about Justice Sotomayor if she were 20 years younger. OTH, if she continues to be sharp and thoughtful on the high bench until she's 120 years old, it will make up for the fact that she is not as young as I would like. I just don't want any republican prez (God forbid that we should EVER have one again) replacing her a few years from now with some pugnacious, dishonest, and venal moron like toxic tony scalia.

XR, look at it this way. It could be Scalia _and_ Bork.

Rez

Evo Morals,,,looks like a mixed bag,,,but for the better,,,if they can keep out most of the corruption,,,but I think good over all,,,but here is some interesting articles about him,,and Bolivia,,,and my earlier post to u was about my Indian blood lines,,,very proud.

http://www.globalpost.com/home/bolivia

Poor Roland....

It is interesting watching the right-wing wingnuts attacking our new nominee to the Supreme Court for having empathy.

MSNBC is playing the clip of President George H.W. Bush introducing his nominee, Clarence Thomas and listing as one of best qualities, "empathy".

Film is great don't youi think?

Yes, Flatus, Kennedy is much better than any mean-spirited, pro-dictator, pro-totalitarian, anti-trial attorney (except when HE got hurt), phony "originalist", lying sunovabydge like the bork. One might almost say that Kennedy is a thousand years ahead of bork in civilized attainment. It is like comparing Sveyn Forkbeard with Dag Hammarskjold.

LOL

I just picked myself up off the floor, after reading this blog post by JD Rhoades, the crime fiction writer.
Dusty pokes a little fun at Canadians and then has a suggestion on how Hillary might best handle little Kim.

Very funny imo

http://jdrhoades.blogspot.com/2009/05/oh-my-god.html

Jack

On the ethnic identity discussion. A couple of tales from the hood.

Seen on a Tshirt (as I best remember)
"I'm not Hispanic, I'm from Mexico not Spain"

One of the first things my neighbor Angelo told me when I moved in to the neighborhood (he was more than a bit drunk at the time)

Thumping himself on the chest with his finger as he said it.
"Puerto Rico, American! No, Mexicano"

Angelo speaks with very limited English and while I didn't understand a lot of what he said that night, he wanted to make sure I understood the difference.

Jack

SolarCrete,

Actually, the water you wrote about at 4:59 pm come out of the mountains and either flow into Israel from Lebanon or form Israel's eastern border. Israel is not 'taking' anyone else's water. It's like saying that the US takes Canada's water from the St Lawrence, or that Iowa takes the Mississippi River water from Minnesota.

As to Israel coveting the water of the Litani River, you have to prove it before I'd believe. Would you also say that Mexico covets the Red River, or that Denmark covets the Rhine ?

Good 'ol rush reminding us of the ugly (and inciteful) side of the "debates" (or attacks) - of recent memory:

"Rush Limbaugh took some calculated shots at Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor on his show today, calling her a "reverse racist," a "hack," and "an affirmative action case extraordinaire,""

http://www.newser.com/story/60159/limbaugh-calls-sotomayor-reverse-racist.html

It is insensitive and regressive. And does nothing to move our conversation, culture or civilization forward.

It just lines his fat pockets and fills his ditto-heads with talking points. And then Hannity adds in a little misinformation for good measure.

And now it is most obvious in the right wing nuts, especially the RNC wing led by Rush, Newt & Cheney (& Co.). But the ugly political culture is much a product of the battle between the ultra-partisans on each side of the fence.

And of course we are all guilty of a "take no prisoners" attitude on on one issue or another.

http://www.newser.com/story/60159/limbaugh-calls-sotomayor-reverse-racist.html

But this nonsense has no place.

Despite what many here feel about Scalia, Craig's lament must be put into perspective. One issue Scalia is right about is a reasonable application of originalism and the idea the Court doesn't make policy as Soto suggests, but rather interprets the Consitution, building upon orginal intent. The fact that there are few Liberal heavy weights that can intellectually argue Constitutionally against such a view is not surprising. Is Koh really more consistent with OUR Constitution that Scalia? Perhaps such a Liberal heavy weight should have argued against Prop 8 and convinced the California high court with logical and Constitutional thinking, not just public protests. Just look at Obama's view on the 2nd. Is that heavy weight and he claimed he was a Constitution professor.

No amount of pretty words and scholarly sounding arguments ought to derail our founders intent, unless we are prepared to alter our Constitution. There is a mechanism for that. And would such a Lawyerly Messiah battling Scalia really side with the House in their view of Freedom of the Press Craig? Would he derail Executive Power or limit our Liberty? And would such a wizard really have won a victory in a recent SCOTUS discrimination case making future owners of a busines responsible for actions made by the previous owner unaware that an employee even had a grip against them? Then future owners would fire all hold overs to be safe. It seems every time SCOTUS rules against Liberal talking points, the Left claims the Court is too Conservative. Perhaps they are just too Constitutional.

Perhaps some might want to single out the cases Scalia got wrong and show us what a right opinion would look like while basing such a claim on the Constitution rather than their view of what they think the Constitution says.

Soto was a good choice considering the options. And that is just my personal opinion for whatever it is worth.

And while we are arguing SCOTUS, let me offer a side bar concerning the landmines I warned of last week BEFORE NK detonated a nuke. So far, our President has won no new accomplishments in the field of foreign policy.

A news collage from the Independent underground

>Ms Rice said earlier that international pressure on North Korea would increase, until it realised the tests had left it "further isolated and further debilitated".

She said the international community would not "throw up our hands and let them pursue this path" and that North Korea would "pay a price for their action".Somalia is being invaded by foreign fighters, whose main purpose is to turn the country into an Afghanistan or an Iraq," Sharif said at a rare news conference in his office.
"We call on the international community and the Somali people to help us in fighting against them," he added.
According to Somali security officials and foreign intelligence sources in the region, there are up to 500 foreign jihadist fighters in the troubled country, most of whom arrived over the past few months.
The rebels themselves have admitted to receiving the support of foreign fighters believed to be from Arab, Asian as well as European countries in their latest offensive against Sharif's fledgling administration.Last week Ahmadinejad accused his predecessor as president, Mohammad Khatami, of bringing "humiliation" on Iran by agreeing to suspend uranium enrichment from 2003-05 as a confidence-building measure with the West. Ahmadinejad's main reformist challenger, Mir Hossein Musavi, is backed by Khatami.The romantic attachment of one of the terrorists led the cyber-detectives directly to one of the main suspects. He committed the unbelievable indiscretion of calling his girlfriend from one of the "hot" phones. It only happened once, but it was enough to identify the man. He is believed to be Abd al-Majid Ghamlush, from the town of Rumin, a Hezbollah member who had completed training course in Iran. Ghamlush was also identified as the buyer of the mobile phones. He has since disappeared, and perhaps is no longer alive.

Revelations Will Likely Harm Hezbollah: Ghamlush's recklessness led investigators to the man they now suspect was the mastermind of the terrorist attack: Hajj Salim, 45. A southern Lebanese from Nabatiyah, Salim is considered to be the commander of the "military" wing of Hezbollah and lives in South Beirut, a Shiite stronghold. Salim's secret "Special Operational Unit" reports directly to Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, 48. AFP.
Imad Mughniyah, one of the world's most wanted terrorists, ran the unit until Feb. 12, 2008, when he was killed in an attack in Damascus, presumably by Israeli intelligence. Since then, Salim has largely assumed the duties of his notorious predecessor, with Mughniyah's brother-in-law, Mustafa Badr al-Din, serving as his deputy. The two men report only to their superior, and to General Kassim Sulaimani, their contact in Tehran. The Iranians, the principal financiers of the military Lebanese "Party of God," have repressed the Syrians' influence.”< Der Speigel

It leads to Bolivia and Venezuela http://english.eluniversal.com/2009/05/22/en_ing_esp_13-signals-of-cessat_22A2340085.shtml . It leads to North Korea and Syria. Russia and China see this axis of assholes as a strategic advantage. The signals and activities are loud and clear. Nuclear tests, assassinations and illegal arms shipments. There is Pakistan on a precipice with another terrorist group on the verge of political victory in Lebanon. Our allies invent disguised capitulations to hide their irresponsibility. Our adversaries are working collectively. A Flight from Tehran leaves every day bound for Caracas after a stop in Syria. FARC leaders find refuge in Venezuela where they can chat with Hizb’Allah http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1084174.html and Quds agents. The Future looks promising…..
Now what was Obama saying?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dU0e6nEA9mI A goodnight story about Starbucks……….

Note Dems are going to push $450 billion highway bill. Wouldn't this money be better spent on rail both from a jobs and an evnvironmental point of view.

That did not copy out correctly leaving sentences out. How strange....., sorry to post again, but this might be more readable. I noticed punctuation (left and right arrows screwed things up):

News Collage from the Independent Underground

"Ms Rice said earlier that international pressure on North Korea would increase, until it realised the tests had left it "further isolated and further debilitated".

"She said the international community would not "throw up our hands and let them pursue this path" and that North Korea would "pay a price for their action"." BBC

So they fired another missile.

"Somalia is being invaded by foreign fighters, whose main purpose is to turn the country into an Afghanistan or an Iraq," Sharif said at a rare news conference in his office.
"We call on the international community and the Somali people to help us in fighting against them," he added.
According to Somali security officials and foreign intelligence sources in the region, there are up to 500 foreign jihadist fighters in the troubled country, most of whom arrived over the past few months.
The rebels themselves have admitted to receiving the support of foreign fighters believed to be from Arab, Asian as well as European countries in their latest offensive against Sharif's fledgling administration." AFP

500? There are more North Korean technicians in Iran….

"Last week Ahmadinejad accused his predecessor as president, Mohammad Khatami, of bringing "humiliation" on Iran by agreeing to suspend uranium enrichment from 2003-05 as a confidence-building measure with the West. Ahmadinejad's main reformist challenger, Mir Hossein Musavi, is backed by Khatami." GlobalSecurity.Org

This is Ahamdinejad’s opposition http://ncr-iran.org/content/view/6403/1

The hatred in Tehran inspires hatred in
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/SendMail.aspx?print=print&type=1&item=8802
France

It reaches out to Lebanon…

"The romantic attachment of one of the terrorists led the cyber-detectives directly to one of the main suspects. He committed the unbelievable indiscretion of calling his girlfriend from one of the "hot" phones. It only happened once, but it was enough to identify the man. He is believed to be Abd al-Majid Ghamlush, from the town of Rumin, a Hezbollah member who had completed training course in Iran. Ghamlush was also identified as the buyer of the mobile phones. He has since disappeared, and perhaps is no longer alive.

Revelations Will Likely Harm Hezbollah: Ghamlush's recklessness led investigators to the man they now suspect was the mastermind of the terrorist attack: Hajj Salim, 45. A southern Lebanese from Nabatiyah, Salim is considered to be the commander of the "military" wing of Hezbollah and lives in South Beirut, a Shiite stronghold. Salim's secret "Special Operational Unit" reports directly to Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, 48. AFP.
Imad Mughniyah, one of the world's most wanted terrorists, ran the unit until Feb. 12, 2008, when he was killed in an attack in Damascus, presumably by Israeli intelligence. Since then, Salim has largely assumed the duties of his notorious predecessor, with Mughniyah's brother-in-law, Mustafa Badr al-Din, serving as his deputy. The two men report only to their superior, and to General Kassim Sulaimani, their contact in Tehran. The Iranians, the principal financiers of the military Lebanese "Party of God," have repressed the Syrians' influence.” Der Speigel

This hatred also leads to Bolivia and Venezuela http://english.eluniversal.com/2009/05/22/en_ing_esp_13-signals-of-cessat_22A2340085.shtml .

It leads to North Korea and Syria. Russia and China see this axis of assholes as a strategic advantage. The signals and activities are loud and clear. Nuclear tests, assassinations and illegal arms shipments. There is Pakistan on a precipice with another terrorist group on the verge of political victory in Lebanon. Our allies invent disguised capitulations to hide their irresponsibility. Our adversaries are working collectively. A Flight from Tehran leaves every day bound for Caracas after a stop in Syria. FARC leaders find refuge in Venezuela where they can chat with Hizb’Allah http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1084174.html and Quds agents. The Future looks promising…..

Now what was Obama saying?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dU0e6nEA9mI A goodnight story about Starbucks……….

I think it is endearing that Americans of all stripes are attempting to pronounce Sotomayor properly (and often failing miserably ; )

Diversity is a good thing - and that is why "A wise Latina woman with the richness of her experience would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life."

This is true because the facts and the law should lead to the same result. But a better conclusion and a better decision is more than the result. It is the ability to resonate with different experiences - and articulate each side's argument - and the considerations involved - all that is part of the system of justice.

Of course we want the the bright and the wise judges. We settle for nothing less at this level. And if you can find a woman like Sonia - who will lend the Court credibility to wide swaths of people - and inspire boys and girls of all types that look up to the leaders of this Great Nation - well then all the better.

Carol

I hit something by mistake,,,and somehow ended up at last nights thread,,,glad I did ,,there were a few more post that I did not read,,,including this ,,,funny!

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/05/gop-plays-gitmo-fear-card.html#comment-230919

Warren,,,,the correct way to say Sotomayor,,,,,is,,,,,so toe ma your

Newt a Right WIng nut. And then Democrats want to debate? You simply group Newt with Rush in a single pot Warren.

Whatever Rush thinks, Soto is far better than Miers.

Solar, I posted that this morning but it was definitely an after midnight post and I wouldn't post it in the light of day. It was for Don and it would only work in the context of what we were discussing but since you were in on the discussion, you would understand.

Solar

Remember that loan my wife and I applied for last winter with Bank of America?
We are finnally going to close on it Friday. Five months for them to get there shit together. They approved us for it in the first 2 weeks and in a month we had everything they needed to close. Looks like they didn't have the people in place who could do the processing on their end.
LOL

Jack

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/31/magazine/31clinton-t.html?nl=pol&emc=polb1

"It’s Not About Bill"

"At the same time, he is trying to respect a certain line with the new administration. He sends memos occasionally to the national-security adviser, Jim Jones. He talks with Vice President Joe Biden perhaps once a week and less frequently with former aides like Rahm Emanuel, Larry Summers and Carol Browner, who all now hold high positions in Obama’s White House. But he leaves Obama alone. When I visited Clinton at his office in Harlem last month, he said he had talked with Obama only once since the inauguration and could not remember what about. “I try to stay out of their way,” he told me. “I’ve got plenty to do. I’ve got a full life here. If I come up with an idea I think that’s helpful to them, I give it to them.”

He has easier access to the secretary of state, at least when he can get the phones to work. “If she asks, I tell her what I think,” Clinton said. “And if there’s something that’s going on that I feel that I have a particular knowledge of, I say that.” Does she ask? “Yeah, quite frequently she does,” he said. “She says: ‘Did you ever work with this guy? Do you know him?’ ”

Max:

"Despite what many here feel about Scalia, Craig's lament must be put into perspective. One issue Scalia is right about is a reasonable application of originalism and the idea the Court doesn't make policy as Soto suggests, but rather interprets the Consitution, building upon orginal intent. The fact that there are few Liberal heavy weights that can intellectually argue Constitutionally against such a view is not surprising."

Because why exactly?

Because you must dismiss even the slightest challenge to the infallible School of Scalia's Constitutional Interpretation.

I studied Scalia in school and was a big fan. One criticism of Scalia is that the original intent - often coincides with Scalia's intent.

It is also no difference whether the result is positive or negative enforcement of rights - its all "policy."

Another valid critique of Scalia - especially in terms of construing legislation rather than the Constitution - is that his "strict constructionist" view is based on an entirely unrealistic view (or at best "idealistic" view) of how the laws are written in Congress.

Using Scalia's method - you often end up telling people that the courts can't help them because there "specific" situation does not meet the requirements of the law.

(I do respect Scalia's craftsmanship. One of his best techniques is that he will almost always dismiss the strongest argument against him in one to two sentences. And spend the rest of his time convincing you he's right.)

Carol,,,

I didn't think about it that way,,,and ur right,,,,,but I do think that almost all of us read the post from the night before,,just to catch up,,,I do,,,but I see what you r saying,,,,,have a nice day a work,?,,,and don't let that new Nurse go to long before having a heart to heart,,,when I was a concrete driver,,,I missed 4 day's in 14 years,,,and she is a nurse for devils sake,,,don't you gals know how to take care of your selves,

http://www.rr.com/home/home/article/9000/7870038/The_new_GM___Government_Motors

"The new GM _ Government Motors?"

Rush and Newt are both rabble rousers prone to hyperbole. And both are "wicked smart."

And - currently they have the same goal - self-promotion.

Jamie:

"Note Dems are going to push $450 billion highway bill. Wouldn't this money be better spent on rail both from a jobs and an evnvironmental point of view."

We could spend money on both. I am all for infrastructure and public work projects. I'd rather have money going there than to the banks and Wall St.

i can see rush being smart.....having to hold his tissue of lies and inuendo together 3 hours a day, 5 days a week, without dropping a stitch here and there.....he's good at it.........but newt? nah.....ain't happening.....

newt is a natchal bone slug and anyone says he's a smart one, I could only ask...........in what way, exactly.........

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/05/will-sotomayor-take-on-scalia.html#comment-231076

Ha Sturge
You have me in a laughing jag!! I like you MR...

I know lots of stupid people who went to Ivy league schools."

--rove

"the idea the Court doesn't make policy as Soto suggests, but rather interprets the Consitution, building upon orginal intent"

Warren,

I think the right is seizing on a word and as usual making a mountain they like out of a molehill that doesn't mean any such thing.

The venue where she used the phrase was a group of students asking her to define the judge's role in different types of courts. That she laughed about it is a fairly good indication, that she knew how it would sound if taken out of context.

At the apellate level the judges are reviewing a case from a lower level that may have been decided on a point of law that might have competing or cloudy precedents. Since the apellate decisions then become part of the body of precedents, they are often making a "policy" for lack of a better word.

tony.......'sa good to laughing.......

olberman's having a blast..........lol

Solar, Nurse has multiple problems which is the last thing I need now. She is scared, new job, usless husband at home, we are two nurses short, and she just got back from a 3 day camping trip exposed to allergens. She sounded awful when she was fine a few hours earlier when she left work.

I told her last night that I wasn't asking any of my already overworked, flush with too much comp time they can't even take, nurses to come in to work. I told her she may feel better this AM and if not we would just have to make do.

She was there bright and early this AM with absolutely no symptoms. Miraculous cure. Another day.

If Justice Sotomayor takes on Scalia she will kick his butt
http://blogs.tnr.com/tnr/blogs/the_plank/archive/2009/05/27/sotomayor-s-quot-preferential-treatment-quot.aspx

KGC......saw your post about sturgeon's mill.....i misread it and thought it was from coreen.......it looks like a great project......

We have all been hanging out with the famous (if not quite rich).... Patsi's new book

http://www.amazon.com/Garth-Factor-Career-Behind-Countrys/dp/1599950995/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1243471723&sr=1-1

Sturgeon

I just read about for the first time last week and I'm planning an outing this weekend when it will be up and running. It really seems like they have done a great job.

"the idea the Court doesn't make policy as Soto suggests"

You beat me to it Jamie. More RW talking points taken out of context. Agree with your 'policy' point too.

ct,. .Dear Wife once told me that going inside was awfuly scary the first few times, but what really got her attention was the sound of the sally port doors clanging shut that first time.

"We have all been hanging out with the famous (if not quite rich).... "

I know Jamie. I brag about knowing, well at least talking to, all of you guys all the time.

Rez, this nurse was supposed to have worked in corrections back in Canada so I don't think being in the prison is the problem. She wanted to come work in corrections, said she loved it.

I think that maybe just working, with her old man at home not working, may be the biggest problem. I also think he is a drunk. She left him for a while then came back. I guess she couldn't live without a man in her life even a dead beat one. See that a lot around here.

Maxtrue @ 6:58 pm : "The fact that there are few Liberal heavy weights that can intellectually argue Constitutionally against such a view is not surprising."

The fact that there are no republican legal heavyweights is not surprising. The disciplines involved in the practice of law are the Liberal Arts. Beating women, stealing ballots, and letting a hurricane destroy New Orleans are not Liberal Arts.

Maxtrue @ 6:58 : " One issue Scalia is right about is a reasonable application of originalism and the idea the Court doesn't make policy as Soto suggests, but rather interprets the Consitution, building upon orginal intent."

On the one occasion when it really counted, scalia ditched 'originalism' to help make the bushcheney usurpation legitimate. He failed his so-called 'judicial philosophy' and he failed to legitimize the crime family that re-took the White House.

"(if not quite rich).... "

NO kidding!

Patsi, writing is not a lucrative career?? I would think it was.

Maxtrue @ 6:58 : "And would such a wizard really have won a victory in a recent SCOTUS discrimination case making future owners of a busines responsible for actions made by the previous owner unaware that an employee even had a grip against them? Then future owners would fire all hold overs to be safe."

This is how the law has been interpreted since before the days of the Founding Fathers. It is in that sense, the true originalist view, not one made up by scalia. This concept is enshrined in the ancient Latin phrase Caveat Emptor, meaning 'buyer beware!' This interpretation has not had much effect on the way firms treat the employees the get when they buy other firms over the last 300 years or so. In short, youyr alarmism is a remarkably republican strawman.

or did you put all your money in my mutual fund too?

"Who the shit is paying for all this" LAMAO

Oh well, all you need in life is the love of a good dog!

I seem to remember you have a cat. They usually mainly just love themselves.

Maxtrue @ 6:58 : "Perhaps they [partisan republican Justices] are just too Constitutional."

Tell it to President Gore.

Jamie, thanks for clarifying to Warren what I really meant.

Unfortunately, you are wrong in applying your talking point to me. First, you dismiss the more far more likely result of legislating from the bench with a Soto than a Scalia. She is more likely to agree with Olsen and Tribe that same sex marriage is a right of a “class of people” which the Constitution defends as it does the right for a white and black to marry. Scalia's originalism could fly out the window for all they care. They would like to spin public polls against same sex marriage as reflections of unfortunate religiosity and unfounded fear rather than biological bias and public opinion about popular culture. By Olsens account on CNN, any class of people can be deprived their right to marry including those who advocate a rite to follow Sharia Law governing marriage.

If the Constitution says the Court cannot legislate new anti-discriminatory laws based on an expanded and unoriginalist "right" of a new class of people to marry and possibly be parents, how conservative do you have to be to agree? How conservative do you have to be to acknowledge government has always regulated marriage to a significant degree? A step away from Rush? Or perhaps standing right next to our President who accepts both the Constitutionality of the recent 2nd Amendment SCOTUS ruling and a view as a Constitutional scholar that one would need a Constitutional amendment to enforce any Federal Protection of same sex marriage rights which he does not support. Given Obama’s argument before SCOTUS on the State Secret Defense as well as his support of several Bush ERA intelligence activities, aren’t I Left of our President?

Patsi,,,,,sounds like someone ordered more than just a pizza and beer from room service HA!,,,going to order that book a little later.

How might we get that famous author's autograph on our book?

XRepublican, it is not enshrined anywhere that a woman who felt discriminated against for years but never said or did anything, sues her new employer for the discrimination of her past employer.

How strange you remarks. Businesses are bought and sold every day. The court rejected the expansion of the law to include this new situation. This would have been one more Starry Decisis to wider the scope of regulated behavior. It was hardly the case that the new owner fired all the past employees. Not even Obama has done that.

Had Bill or Hillary framed their words in the way Sotomajor spoke about race today, they would have been hung.
If her rulings from the bench are that poorly stated, Craig will be looking a long time for a Liberal Heavy weight.

And I suggested Posner.....lol.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/05/will-sotomayor-take-on-scalia.html#comment-231101

Yes, Carol, good question. The book is supposed to arrive on Monday. Do you reckon Patsi can sign mine before it leaves Amazon's warehouse?

Hello Patsi. Cat got your tongue?

Conservatives seem to be flapping their wings, trying to find something to criticize about the new SC nominee.

It is kid of pitiful when a great political party sinks to the depths of Rush Limbaugh and Newt Gingrich.

What a laughable bunch of creeps!!

Maxtrue @ 6:58 : "Perhaps some might want to single out the cases Scalia got wrong and show us what a right opinion would look like while basing such a claim on the Constitution rather than their view of what they think the Constitution says."

How about, neither Article II nor the relevant Statutes consider the date and time by which states must complete the the counting of votes for Presidential Elector Slates, thus the votes of rehnquist, scalia, thomas, kennedy, and o'connor were policy-making rather than the legitimate work of the Supreme Court. It is upon this blatantly false assertion of a time restriction that the republican rigged Supreme Court took up, intruded upon, and mis-ruled in regard to the 2000 Florida election.

Put that in your pipe and smoke it. This is the wrong venue for playing fast and loose with ideas about law.

Warren to Maxtrue @ 7:35 : "Because you must dismiss even the slightest challenge to the infallible School of Scalia's Constitutional Interpretation."

In fact, even that mealy-mouthed bag of half truths and outright lies, antonin scalia, dismisses his school of interpretation when ever it is convenient to ignore it.

Sorry -- I was on Facebook trying to apologize to my daughter that the only person in their house who got an invitation to my book party was my granddaughter!

Carol -- people like Stephen King make a lot of money -- the rest of us, not. Plus the time it takes to write it makes the payment about minimum wage!

Maxtrue @ 10:12 : "XRepublican, it is not enshrined anywhere that a woman who felt discriminated against for years but never said or did anything, sues her new employer for the discrimination of her past employer."

Your positing of the case led me to understand that the case was about a suit against the previous regime. My reply was exactly that buyers are responsible for both the assets and the liabilities of their purchases. If the case was as you now state it, the woman (her attorney, to be precise) sued the wrong party. The liabilty, should there be one, would lie with the seller of the company, not the purchaser. How this got to the SCOTUS eludes me. The woman must have had the money of Croesus.

Max:

My point is that if a court rules that prop 8 violates the Constitution - and gay people can get married - the court is making policy.

If a court rules that prop 8 does not violate the Constitution - and gay people can't get married - the court is making policy.

You don't think Scalia is "legislating from the bench" or an "activist" judge because you agree with him.

Those terms are meaningless RNC adjectives which have pejorative connotations for people they disagree with.

Patsi, I can understand it would be time consuming and when you know you gotta sit down and do it instead of waiting for a puff of inspiration to do it, it is probably tough also.

Maxtrue's piece about abd al Majid Ghamlush is from a Der Spiegel article. Der Spiegel is a middleweight German newsmag on par with Time.

The atrocity refered to is the assassination of the anti-Syrian two term Lebanese PM Rafik Hariri.

Maxtrue @ 9:58 : "She is more likely to agree with Olsen and Tribe that same sex marriage is a right of a “class of people” which the Constitution defends as it does the right for a white and black to marry."

Whatever makes anyone think that Mrs. Sotomayor would agree with ted olsen and Lawrence Tribes, on this or any other matter ? What is meant by likely, anyway ? And, even if she were, so what ? Does the originalist find any writing by James Madison that suggests that the Framers would object to gay marriage ?

By the way, it was Olsen who argued before the SCOTUS for the bush/cheney/rumsfeld junta that the US government has a compelling interest in, and reserves the right to, force any woman to become pregnant and bring the pregnancy to term. So much for republicans opposing BIG government.

Carol,
Just read your last comment from this morning. Good thing I wasn't drinking coffee. LMAO

Don1 --

I've been quoting you today (^_~)

"There is no growth without change, and there is no change without time."

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/05/gop-plays-gitmo-fear-card.html#comment-230911

why, thank you ivy.

I've tried to grok existence outside of time. Haven't made it yet.

Of course, when I asked for a writing by Madison that opposed gay marriage, I was making a synecdoche for the writings of all of the Framers of the Constitution.

I can't imagine that the Framer's left us any guidance as to their opinions on the matter.

I can't believe that grown people actually believe any of that 'originalism' malarkey. It's on a par with the tooth fairy, "We've already sent relief teams to aid the hurricane victims", Piltdown Man, the Secret Plan to win in Viet Nam, chain letters, reagan tax cuts, and the Michele Obama 'Whitey' video.

There doesn't seem to be anyone around here to beat up, so I think I'll take my rose garden war-scarred body off to the barracks. To send up James Janos (dba Jesse the Baloney Ventura), "I ain't got time ta read."

and Bethy.... from what I understand so far.... Sotomayor has always been prone to go with precedent..... I think that says just the opposite of what you think her call may be on Roe vs Wade.... IMO....

Posted by: RebelliousRenee | May 27, 2009 9:59 AM

I know, Renee, but I'm always a sceptic. All I said was that her opinion that it is constitutional to deny foreign aid to countries who allow abortion bothers me because I see no logic in denying rights we have to those people we are supposed to be helping. The only basis for that argument is church dogma.

It bothers me that if she bases her opinon on dogma, where will that stop? I understand she likes to let established decisions stand - I'm glad. I hope she sticks to that. I hope she is confirmed. I am not worried about Roe.

I simply said that I hope I am not disappointed, which is what I said re Obama. So far, I think I'm one of the few here who has found no fault with him. That's all - I was trying to add my reaction to her nomination to everyone else's.

I was not speculating and I was certainly not accusing
her - I like her and am frankly a little tired of repubs trying to identify her ethnicity, and even what an hispanic is. She's an American woman who is a minority group member and whose first language was probably Spanish -with a few tweaks that should cover it.

I was not speculating - I find that rather boring because there tend to be a finite numberr of possibilities. I was mentioninga fear that I have . I NEVER referred to Roe and wouldn't read it - it's immaterial since I understand all too well that I will have to wait to see if my fears are grounded. I made reference to ONE opinon (not Roe)which she apparently gave...then again I could be wrong and maybe she didn't write that. I have few strong opinions because I think few things have been proven.

One opinion I do hold very strongly is that religion cannot be allowed to set our poilicies. Once that happens, we are no longer America. It's pretty simply said, and I don't think stating my fear qualifies me to be told I'm speculating and shouldn't talk about something I know nothing about, poor stupid little woman.