Here is the exact quote from Judge Sotomayor:
"I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experience would more often than not reach a better conclusion (as a judge) than a white male who hasn't lived that life."
The controversial word is "better". But taken as is, was Judge Sotomayor saying that she or any latina woman is better than all white people? No, taken literally she refer to "white male" which means, again if taken literally that "white female" were equally "better."
But again, if taken literally , she did not say all or every latina woman but a "wise latina" woman. Now here is the crust of the matter that every one is overlooking. Take this phrase into consideration: "better conclusion (as a judge) than a white male who hasn't lived that life." What kind of life was the judge talking about? She was refering to the richness and experience of her background as a wise latina woman. She was refering to her rich background and experience as a woman from humble beginning to judgeship, her long experience in the judical system.
Her richness and experience is unique because it is not all and every latina woman who possesses that richness and background. But equally she was not saying that she was better than all white men. She said "white male who hasn't lived that life." So in essence she recognized that "white male" who "lived that life" was equally able to make "better" decisions.
The judge did not make a RACIST STATEMENT and she is not a RACIST.
"The Surgeon General has cautioned folks that being Republican these days can be dangerous and hazardous to your emotional state of being...especially when you've got Rush Limburgh, Ann Coultier, Sean Hannity and a 14-year-old as your spokespersons!! "
"Reality is, Rush actually verbalized what most far right-wing Republicans feel deep inside...they actually want Obama to fail. They want the U.S. economy to tank over ideological difference, and for the country to crash so they can say ''aha, you see...we knew this nigga didn't know a thing!!'' "
"Bush coughing out US$700 billion to bail out Wall Street isn't socialism, Bush cutting taxes for the most wealthiest Americans isn't socialism...but Obama cutting tax for lower to middle income Americans that make less that $250,000 and helping those losing their homes (thanks to the banks that Bush bailed out), is socialism."
For example, the case with the first female president of Africa. The Bush adminstration through the world bank , under the controlled of Paul Wolfowitz is repeating failed economic policy in Liberia.
Just as big business has illtreated the people of America with Wall Street earning more than 18 bllion in bonuses, so too is Wolfowitz and his friends using black businessman Bob Johnson to rake in money from the Liberian people under the guise of supporting the poor.
Wolfowitz was the recent past president of the World Bank, and in that position was instrumental to president Bush visiting Liberia to influence the same business practices that is economically suffering America.
The Obama adminstration should be very careful how they deal with most of these African countries, especially Liberia because most of the World Bank and IMF personels in these countries were part of the failed economic policy of the last eight years that created the global financial problem.
Progressive should be careful not the walk the same line like extremist Conservatives, Obama ran on a platform of bringing people together from various background. The choice of Rick Warren is another example of Obama not just saying what he means but doing what he says.
Progressives should be happy about this that America finally has a president that is determine to live by his campaign promises. This is HOPE that can provide the kiind of CHANGE that is neccessary for America's Progress.
It is time for CHANGE , and not more of the same.
YES, WE CAN!!!
The economic meltdown is not the fault of the Union workers , Union workers cannot take a pay cut in the absent of increase of commodities. How will these workers match their economic conditions with the increase in food and other essential things.
NO! NO! NO! It is not the time to use workers as scape goat, workers need help and not punishment for their labor.
YES, WE CAN!!!!
Obama should not allow himself to be carry away by emotionalism, as a constitutional scholar he is obligated to support the constituion of America, especially as it relates to criminal defense.
While it is true that Blago's situation is political, this is exactly what should not be done. Obama should not allow himself to politicize a federal investigation . Let the law takes it due course and not try to oust Blago by any political means.
It is time for CHANGE, and not more of the same.
During the campaign , president-elect Obama told America the meaning of HOPE and CHANGE. He emphasized that HOPE does not mean blind following, it does not mean that things will be easy, and it does not mean that we will all agree on everything. But what is most important is for us to focus on the things that we agree on: universal healthcare, jobs, energy independence, tax breaks for working Americans among other things. These are the things that we should concern ourselves with.
The president must have the liberty to appoint those he best believe will help him carry out his vision for the country. It is the president that will work with his cabinet members so it is he who must decide who to help him get the job done for the people.
Give the president-elect a break.
Editor's note: Peggy Wallace Kennedy is the daughter of George C. Wallace and Lurleen Wallace, who both were governors of Alabama. She lives in Montgomery, Alabama, with her husband, Mark Kennedy, a retired state Supreme Court justice. They have two sons, Leigh, a decorated veteran of the Iraq war, and Burns, a college sophomore.
Peggy Wallace Kennedy says her father sought absolution for his segregationist views.
MONTGOMERY, Alabama (CNN) -- I heard a car door slam behind me and turned to see an elderly but spry woman heading my way.
The night before, a gang of vandals had swept through the cemetery desecrating graves, crushing headstones and stealing funereal objects.
My parents' graves, situated on a wind-swept hill overlooking the cemetery, had not been spared. A large marble urn that stood between two granite columns had been pried loose and spirited away, leaving faded silk flowers strewn on the ground.
I was holding a bouquet of them in my arms when the woman walked up and gave me a crushing hug. "Honey," she said, "you don't know me, but when I saw you standing up here on this hill, I knew that you must be one of the girls and I couldn't help myself but to drive up here and let you know how much me and my whole family loved both of your parents. They were real special people."
I thanked her for her kind words as we stood side by side gazing down at the graves of Govs. George Wallace and Lurleen Wallace.
After a few moments, the woman leaned into me and spoke almost in a conspiratorial whisper. "I never thought I would live to see the day when a black would be running for president. I know your daddy must be rolling over in his grave."
Not having the heart or the energy to respond, I gave her bony arm a slight squeeze, turned and walked away. As I put the remnants of the graveyard spray in the trunk of my car, I assumed that she had not bothered to notice the Barack Obama sticker on my bumper.
When I was a young voter and had little interest in politics, my father would mark my ballot for me. As I thought about the woman in the cemetery, I mused that if he were alive and I had made the same request for this election, there would be a substantial chance, though not a certainty, that he would put an "X" by Obama's name.
Perhaps it would be the last chapter in his search for inner peace that became so important to him after becoming a victim of hatred and violence himself when he was shot and gravely injured in a Laurel, Maryland, shopping center parking lot. Perhaps it would be a way of reconciling in his own mind that what he once stood for did not prevent freedom of opportunity and self-advancement from coming full circle; his final absolution.
George Wallace and other Southern governors of his ilk stood defiantly in the 1950s and '60s in support of racial segregation, a culture of repression, violence and denial of basic human rights.
Their actions and the stark images of their consequences that spread across the world galvanized the nation and gave rise to a cry for an end to the American apartheid. The firestorms that were lit in Birmingham, Oxford, Memphis, Tuscaloosa, Montgomery, Little Rock and Selma were a call to arms to which the people responded.
And now a new call to arms has sounded as Americans face another assault on freedom. For if the stand in the schoolhouse door was a defining moment for George Wallace, then surely the aftermath of Katrina and the invasion of Iraq will be the same for George W. Bush.
The trampling of individual freedoms and his blatant contempt for the rights of the average American may not have been as obvious as an ax-handle-wielding governor, but Bush's insidiousness and piety have made him much more dangerous.
Healing must come, hope will be our lodestar, humility will reshape the American conscience, and honesty in both word and deed will refresh and invigorate America, and having Barack Obama to lead will give us back our power to heal.
My father lived long enough to come to an understanding of the injustices borne by his deeds and the legacy of suffering that they left behind. History will teach future generations that he was a man who used his political power to promote a philosophy of exclusion.
As his daughter, who witnessed his suffering in the twilight of his years and who witnessed his deeds and heard his words, I am one who believes that the man who, on March 7, 1965, listened to the reports of brutality as they streamed into the Governor's Mansion from Selma, Alabama, was not the same man who, in March of 1995, was welcomed with open arms as he was rolled through a sea of African-American men, women and children who gathered with him to welcome another generation of marchers, retracing in honor and remembrance the historic steps from Selma to Montgomery.
Four years ago, the young Illinois senator who spoke at the Democratic National Convention mesmerized me. I hoped even then that he would one day be my president.
Today, Barack Obama is hope for a better tomorrow for all Americans. He stands on the shoulders of all those people who have incessantly prayed for a day when "justice will run down like waters and righteousness as a mighty stream" (Amos 5:24).
Perhaps one day, my two sons and I will have the opportunity to meet Barack Obama in person to express our gratitude to him for bringing our family full circle.
And today, the day after the election, I am going to ride to the cemetery so that if asked, I can vouch for the fact that the world is still spinning but my father lies at peace.
The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Peggy Wallace Kenn
wow! this is a suspension of disbelief!!!!!
May God guide Obama to lead America in peace, prosperity, and unity.
John McCain is a pure hypocrite and has no honor. McCain is not putting his country first, he prefers to use American tax dollars to spread the wealth in Iraq but not for the American workers.
It is time for CHANGE and not more of the SAME.
Sarah Palin boasts about Alaska Oil rebate checks to the people of Alaska. The state of Alaska takes money from the oil companies because they argued the oil comes from the ground which belongs to all the people of Alaska. Is this kind of policy not socialism? If tax rebate checks are good for the people of Alaska, why is it not good for all Americans?
John McCain says America is a bad place for business and this is why outsourcing jobs is a good thing. John McCain does not care for ordinary American workers; he cares more for the huge profit making WallStreet fat cats, Washington insiders, and lobbyists.
If tax rebate checks are good for the people of Alaska, why is it not good for all Americans?
John McCain is all talk about reducing government spending but he takes tax dollars to fund his campaign and waste donors' money on buying clothes for Sarah Palin. This is not reform.
Barack Obama refused tax dollars to fund his campaign, this shows that Obama trust the American people but John McCain does not trust the American people.
John McCain has no moral credibility to criticize Barack Obama tax plan because McCain has been unstable and his current plan mirror George Bush failed economics. The great questions that the media should be asking John McCain are simple: Didn't America try this rich tax cuts and resulted into negative trickle down economics? Didn't John McCain support similar Barack Obama tax policies in 2000?
But worst of the media failure is the fact that Ronald Reagan raised taxes several times to improve the economic conditions. So how does John McCain pay for all his services if he is giving away all this tax breaks to the rich?
But worst of the media failure is the fact that Ronald Reagan raised taxes several times to improve the economic conditions. So how does John McCain paid for all his services if he is giving away all this tax breaks to the rich?
John McCain says America is a bad place for business and this is why outsourcing jobs is a good thing. John McCain does not care for ordinary American workers, he cares more for the huge profit making WallStreet fat cats, Washington insiders, and lobbyists.
John McCain has no moral credibility to criticize Barack Obama tax plan because McCain has been unstable and his currrent plan mirror George Bush failed economics. The great questions that the media should be asking John McCain are simple: Didn't America try this rich tax cuts and resulted into negative trickle down economics? Didn't John McCain supported Barack Obama tax policies in 2000?
