Americanpolitics

Yes, Judge Sotomayor said the words. At this point everybody knows she said the words because they have been read and reread, printed and reprinted then distributed in every news media available – the real issue is, has she ever acted on those words or was she just doing her job according to the laws that were on the book at the time?

During the Confirmation Hearings, It was proven time and time again that Judge Sotomayor issues decisions based on a combination of the laws that are in place at the time, her interpretations of those laws and any opinions issued on those laws.

She demonstrated her knowledge of the laws, from memory, time and again. Yet, the topic that kept coming up, mostly from Republicans, involved these words she had spoken in her speeches to college students. It is one thing to speak the words but it is another to have actively pursued this course of action while on the bench.

Senator Shumer or Hatch, I can not remember right now I just know it happened, made very clear that if he had said those words, being a white man, he would have never made it to the Confirmation Hearings – while this may be true, there is a distinct difference between words and actions that come into play in this situation.

While I am not saying that Senator Hatch/Shumer is one, there are those who have been confirmed and while not verbalizing the words of racism, have demonstrated their racism by the decision they have made in years gone by and truth be told still hold the aura of those actions.

As I watched the hearings, I began to wonder about the process of Confirmation Hearings. I have never really watched them before because they move too slowly and they are a bit boring but on this occasion I decided to force myself to watch. What I felt was a bit hypocritical was that Judge Sotomayor had decided in favor of a police officer who had distributed racial flyers - she was looking out for his freedom of speech while opposing the words he had distributed. Yet she comes under fire about words she had spoken but had not acted on.

With the recent conversations regarding freedom of speech I have encountered, I began to realize even in these Confirmation Hearings that if freedom of speech were indeed absolute, this conversation regarding Judge Sotomayor’s words would not be relevant however, just like Senator Hatch/Schumer told Sotomayor, she needs to reflect on the comments she has made in the past and alter the tone of her speech. These were not his exact words but more the spirit of his words.

These Senators do not want truth, for to deny that people are not influenced, on one level or another, by their life experience, thoughts and feelings or other factors, is a little unrealistic and as has been mentioned during these hearings, legal precedents have been overturned by the personal agendas of individuals that sit on the bench of the Supreme Court – you can not get on the bench unless you articulate the precise words the interrogators want to hear and in some instances, past experiences are not as relevant as the words you speak “at the time” of the hearings.

Unless you are saying what it is they want to hear, that you will follow the letter of the law at all times – which in some cases, where “law” is not clearly defined, is easier said than done, consideration will not be given to your appointment. With this concept in mind, the need to become, as they want you to be, is more relevant than anything you may be thinking or feeling or any past deeds regardless of how positive or negative they were.

I don’t know I just felt inconsistencies and more of a need to convince through conformity. While on some levels I can understand the process, on other levels, it felt phony; primarily because of the words “interpretations of the law” and the concepts of “loopholes of law” with varying definitions of words such as “fundamental freedoms.”

Some “opinions” are left with unclear direction to be taken, creating loopholes, which allows, the interpretations of the law by lower courts to become subjective and encourages “improper,” for lack of another word, decisions to be handed down by these lower courts.

By the time it gets to the Supreme Court, through appeal, the open-ended opinions and the resulting decisions handed down are based, in part, by research of the Constitution, “opinions,” chosen definitions of key words, thoughts, feelings and debates geared at clarification which are reviewed and conducted by the “chosen” members of the illustrious Supreme Court Justices.

I remember how I had never been to court until I was getting a divorce and how I came out of the courtroom feeling dirty – to the point of rushing home and showering immediately. I did not understand then just why I felt so dirty, I thought it was a result of the people I had come in contact with at the courthouse. Today I flashed back to that memory and I understood clearly my compulsion to shower – today as I watched the Confirmation Hearings and listened to the words, I felt truly dirty and “played.”

And that’s the way I see it!!!!

Walter Organza and Lace Trim Cami in Navy