Sotomayor shows she's a wise Latina at hearings

Senate judiciary committee chairman Patrick Leahy swears in U.S. supreme court nominee Sonia Sotomayor. (Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP)

There must be an epidemic of obsessive-compulsive disorder affecting Republicans in the Senate Judiciary Committee. It's either that, or they're stubbornly set on making the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor revolve around two words she said in a speech eight years ago: "wise Latina."

You'd think she said "serial killer."

In a 2001 speech at talks on Latino presence in the American judiciary system held at the University of California in Berkeley, Sotomayor said: "I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life."

I can see why some would have concerns about this comment, and why, therefore, they would have questions about it. Fine. But hasn't it gone a bit too far?

“No words I have ever spoken or written have received so much attention,” Sotomayor said at the hearings after being grilled about her wise-Latina remark for the umpteenth time.

“I want to state upfront, unequivocally and without doubt, I do not believe that any ethnic, racial, or gender group has an advantage in sound judging,’’ she also said. “I do believe that every person has an equal opportunity to be a good and wise judge regardless of their background or life experiences.’’

Sotomayor went further: “My record shows that at no point or time have I ever permitted my personal views or sympathies to influence an outcome of a case. In every case where I have identified a sympathy, I have articulated it and explained to the litigant why the law requires a different result.’’

I wonder how many times, in how many ways and with how many words will Sotomayor have to explain herself about a light comment that, as shown by her track record, in no way determines how she rules from the bench.

While I get where they're going with this line of interrogation (it's obvious), I don't get where they're coming from given how many others have made similar comments about their cultural backgrounds, trials and tribulations, and so forth without having to explain themselves.

A Time.com piece by writer Carolina A. Miranda addresses this subject:

It is no different from what Samuel Alito said in 2006 ("when I get a case about discrimination, I have to think about people in my own family who suffered discrimination because of their ethnic background or because of religion or because of gender"). And what countless other Congressmen and Supreme Court nominees and presidential candidates have said when channeling their own "I grew up in a van down by the river" youths. Our varied experiences shape us, they enrich us, they give us the ability to... empathize.

Yup. Justice Samuel Alito said this (and much more--uninterrupted for three minutes) on Jan 11, 2006, during his confirmation hearings. His remarks were much more extensive and provocative than Sotomayor's two words, yet he didn't get crucified for it. But when Sotomayor quips about being a "wise Latina," she's called a racist. Alito was nominated by George W, by the way. Pinocchio politics as usual.

In addition to the wise-Latina broken record--Sotomayor is also being repeatedly questioned about judicial activism, to which she has replied that the court's job is to apply the law, not to legislate.

Judges "can't change the law, we're not lawmakers," Sotomayor has said.

What part of that do they not understand?

I'm wondering if they're expecting her to slip into another personality dwelling deep within her psyche and give a totally different answer to the same question.

Whether or not a judge is an activist shows in his/her rulings--right? And the senators have had more than enough time to study these ahead of the hearings. The question had to be asked at least once, maybe twice, even three times. But, c'mon. Enough already.

Same with the New Haven firefighter reverse discrimination claim. This issue, too, has been discussed ad nauseam.

In a 5-4 vote, the Supreme Court last week overturned Sotomayor's decision to reject firefighter Frank Ricci's reverse discrimination claim in an appeals court. It was not unanimous, not 8-1, 7-2, 6-3, yet Republicans are using this case to argue that Sotomayor's decision shows she has a racial preference for minorities that could influence her rulings as a Supreme Court justice. That's a big stretch, if you ask me.

I'm not saying Ricci didn't have a legitimate claim; however, I find it suspicious that he has filed lawsuit after lawsuit throughout his career. Is it because he's being discriminated against over and over again, or is he the type of person with the time and resources to file lawsuits whenever he doesn't get his way?

I also find it a legitimate argument that the 35-year-old dyslexic man got his firefighting job in the first place by claiming discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

"I don't think Mr. Ricci thought that his being hired was a case of reverse discrimination against those who weren't disabled," says Marge Baker, vice president of liberal group People for the American Way. "But you can't have it both ways. These laws can't be good when you use them to protect yourself and bad when they're used to protect someone else."

Sotomayor already has been questioned--numerous times--about her decision in this case, and she already has explained--numerous times--the basis for that decision. At this point, any further discussion about this case at the hearings seems like beating a dead horse to me.

I understand that the senators have to do their jobs (or at least give the impression they're doing their jobs). Fine. But time is wasted when senators can't come up with more intelligent, relevant questions, relying instead on those already asked and answered as well as those stemming from ulterior motives that require next to no thought or research on their part. Who do they think they're fooling?

I must add that I'm impressed with Sotomayor's conduct. Several senators have been rude, sarcastic, cynical, even hostile, and she just sits there, cool as a cucumber, with a neutral expression on is face or a slight smile, listening, measuring her words. That's experience. That's wisdom.

Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) congratulated Sotomayor on her demeanor, which was devoid of any of the sharp remarks she acknowledges that she sometimes employs on the bench, the Boston Globe reported.

“I must say that, if there’s a test for judicial temperament, you pass it with an A-plus-plus,’’ Feinstein said. “. . . You have just sat there, very quietly, and responded to questions that, in their very nature, are quite provocative.’’

What a contrast between Sotomayor and Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.)! Watching him interrogate Sotomayor and disrespectfully interrupt her when she would not reply to his questions with the answers he wanted to hear was embarrassing...and painfully annoying.

His is the kind of attitude and behavior that gives legislators a bad rep: unwise, pompous, big-headed, loves-to-hear-himself-talk, arrogant prick. Sorry, but I call it like I see it, and that's what I saw when Sessions did his thing.

Folks, Sotomayor is getting confirmed no matter how many times they salsa around with the "wise Latina." If there are no other questions, let's wrap it up, give her the robe and move on.

Sources: AP, WSJ, Time, Boston Globe, CNN
Copyright © 2009, Primetime Oracle
All Rights Reserved

Obama taps rural Alabama M.D. for surgeon general

President Obama shakes hands with Regina Benjamin, his nominee for surgeon general, in the Rose Garden of the White House on Monday. (Charles Dharapak/AP)

Republicans must be fuming.

Just as Senate hearings for Supreme Court nominee Judge Sonia Sotomayor kicked off today, President Obama announced his choice for Surgeon General: Dr. Regina Benjamin, a family physician from rural Alabama.

Both are women. Both belong to minority groups. Benjamin is African American, while Sotomayor is the daughter of Puerto Rican parents who moved to New York.

Need I say more?

Benjamin, 51, made headlines because of her determination to rebuild her nonprofit medical clinic in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. She's a country doctor who makes house calls and doesn't turn away patients who can't pay.

"For all the tremendous obstacles that she has overcome, Regina Benjamin also represents what's best about health care in America, doctors and nurses who give and care and sacrifice for the sake of their patients," Obama said Monday, noting her insight will help rebuild the country's healthcare system.

Her nomination for surgeon general requires Senate confirmation.

Ugh.

Listening to opening statements at the Sotomayor confirmation hearings today made me want to stick my head in an oven and set it on broil.

It proved, once again, that senators love to hear themselves talk--the more imperious and hostile the tone, the better. For three hours that's all they did. I don't know how the Capitol can accommodate so many swollen heads.

If my job required me to sit through these hearings, I would drive my car into a brick wall.

I would hope to end up comatose in a hospital room with no TV, just in case I wake up.

Sources: AP, USA Today, BNO
Copyright © 2009, Primetime Oracle
All Rights Reserved

Late-term abortion doctor killed in Kansas

The body of Dr. George Tiller, one of the few U.S. physicians that performed late-term abortions, is removed from Reformation Lutheran Church in Wichita, Kansas, on Sunday, May 31, 2009 after a gunman shot the abortion provider dead in the lobby of the church. (AP/Travis Heying, Wichita Eagle)

Dr. George Tiller, whose Kansas women's clinic was the epicenter of the state's battles over abortion for nearly two decades, was shot and killed at his church Sunday morning, various news sources reported.

Tiller, 67, was fatally shot shortly after 10 a.m. Sunday at Reformation Lutheran Church, where he was an usher and his wife was in the choir, Wichita police said.

He was killed in a church, of all places...what a nice touch!

Authorities took a man into custody near Kansas City after stopping a car that matched a description of the killer's getaway vehicle, according to sheriff's deputies in Johnson County, Kansas. No charges had been filed and a motive for the killing was not immediately known, CNN reported.

Tiller, who began performing abortions in 1973, was one of the few U.S. physicians who still performed late-term abortions. His clinic is one of three in the nation where abortions are performed after the 21st week of pregnancy, when the fetus is considered viable, and has repeatedly been the site of protests for about two decades, AP reported. A protester (Shelley Shannon, who is now serving a 20-year sentence in federal prison) shot Tiller in both arms in 1993, and his clinic was bombed in 1985, CNN reported.

Tiller "dedicated his life to providing women with high-quality heath care despite frequent threats and violence," his family said Sunday in a written statement. "We ask that he be remembered as a good husband, father and grandfather and a dedicated servant on behalf of the rights of women everywhere." Tiller's wife, four children and 10 grandchildren said their loss "is also a loss for the city of Wichita and women across America."

Abortion-rights group Planned Parenthood called Tiller's death "an enormous loss," CNN reported. Tiller did not work for the group but provided "critical reproductive health care services" to women "facing some of the most difficult medical circumstances," the group said.

"He was continually harassed by abortion opponents for much of his career--his clinic was burned down, he was shot by a health center protester, and he was recently targeted for investigation only to be acquitted by a jury just a few months ago," Planned Parenthood Federation President Cecile Richards said in a written statement. "None of this stopped George Tiller from his commitment to providing women and their families with compassionate care that others were unwilling to offer."

In March, Tiller was acquitted of 19 counts of performing procedures unlawfully at his clinic. In 2008, a probe initiated by abortion opponents who petitioned state authorities to convene a grand jury ended without charges, CNN reported.

Leading anti-abortion groups condemned the shooting, noting they support only nonviolent protest and the shutting of Tiller's practice by legal means.

"We are shocked at this morning's disturbing news that Mr. Tiller was gunned down," Troy Newman, Operation Rescue's president, said in a statement. "Operation Rescue has worked for years through peaceful, legal means, and through the proper channels to see him brought to justice. We denounce vigilantism and the cowardly act that took place this morning."

In 1991, the Summer of Mercy protests organized by Operation Rescue drew thousands of anti-abortion activists to this city for demonstrations marked by civil disobedience and mass arrests, USA Today reported.

On its Web site, Operation Rescue refers to Tiller as a "monster" who has "been able to get away with murder," CNN reported. Operation Rescue founder Randall Terry, who is no longer affiliated with the group, called Tiller "a mass murderer."

The National Right to Life Committee, the largest U.S. anti-abortion group, said it "unequivocally condemns any such acts of violence regardless of motivation," CNN reported. "The pro-life movement works to protect the right to life and increase respect for human life," it said. "The unlawful use of violence is directly contrary to that goal."

Anti-abortion leaders voiced concern that the Obama administration and other Democrats may try to capitalize on the murder to defuse the abortion issue in upcoming Supreme Court confirmation hearings for nominee Sonia Sotomayor, AP reported. Her exact views on abortion aren't known, but conservatives fear she supports abortion rights.

After the 1991 protests, Tiller kept mostly to his heavily guarded clinic, although in 1997 he opened it to three tours by state lawmakers and the media, USA Today reported. The clinic is fortified with bulletproof glass, and Tiller hired a private security team to protect the facility. Once outside the clinic, Tiller was routinely accompanied by a bodyguard.

At a recent trial, he told jurors that he and his family have suffered years of harassment and threats and that he knew he was a target of anti-abortion protesters, USA Today reported.

Federal marshals protected Tiller during the 1991 Summer of Mercy protests, and he was protected again between 1994 and 1998 after another abortion provider was assassinated and federal authorities reported finding Tiller's name on an assassination list, USA Today reported.

If Tiller was slain because of his work, he would be the fourth U.S. physician killed by abortion opponents since 1993, CNN reported.

In 1998, a sniper killed Dr. Barnett Slepian in his Amherst, New York, home. Anti-abortion activist James Kopp was later arrested in France and is serving life in prison. In 1994, Dr. John Bayard Britton and one of his volunteer escorts were shot and killed outside an abortion clinic in Pensacola, Florida. Paul Hill, a former minister, was convicted of the killings and executed in 2003. And in 1993, another doctor, David Gunn, was shot to death outside a different Pensacola clinic. His killer, Michael Griffin, is serving a life sentence, CNN reported.

Going back further, to 1977, Tiller would be the eighth U.S. abortion provider murdered, with 17 others being targeted with attempted murder, AP reported based on statistics provided by the National Abortion Federation.

Sources: The Associated Press, CNN, USA Today
Copyright © 2009