Sotomayor | VivirLatino

Posts Tagged ‘Sotomayor’

Don’t Worry 2nd Amendment Supporters, Kids Will Probably Still Have Guns to Shoot Themselves With

2:38 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Justice| Politics| children| society| youth · Comments Off

21 Jul 2009

To all you worried guys in the video above, fear not. Gun control is, as of today, still dead in this country. Just look at this:

A five-year-old boy died from self-inflicted gunshot wounds in Hamilton, Ohio, the Journal News newspaper reported online.

The death was from an “accidental, self-inflicted gunshot”, Debbie Lacey, the coroner’s investigator, was quoted as saying late Monday.

The boy, Zachariah Nesbitt, shot himself Saturday night at his home with a 9mm Glock handgun. The bullet went through his lung, Lacey said.

The boy died later Saturday night.

Police were investigating. In the call to emergency services, a man believed to be Zachariah’s father, David Nesbitt, was quoted as saying: “Oh, my God, no. He got my (expletive) gun out of the closet.”

Fear not, arms bearers! This “activist judge” has vowed to simply interpret the law as it is written (video after the jump). So relax, you still might have to put a padlock on your gun cabinet so Junior doesn’t get in there.

With GOP Votes, is Sotomayor on her Way?

4:55 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Justice| Politics| race · Comments Off

17 Jul 2009

I know it’s starting to sound like the 24-hour Sotomayor News Channel around here, but we promise we’ll be done with it soon. Here’s at least one note before our heads explode with all the Sonia updates: 3 Republican senators have pledged they will vote for her confirmation. Might Sotomayor be paving an easy street to confirmation? Can we get excited yet? The Miami Herald reports:

Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor picked up her first Republican Senate backers Friday – Sens. Mel Martinez of Florida, Richard Lugar of Indiana and Olympia Snowe of Maine – virtually assuring her of an overwhelming confirmation vote.

Democrats control 60 Senate votes, and some other Republicans could join them when the Senate votes, probably in early August.

In the clip above, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham asks Sotomayor about her “temperament”. Another “hot-blooded Latina” stereotype? Maybe, but The Miami Herald and other sources are saying that Graham is strongly leaning towards voting for her.

I’m actually really surprised that Mel Martinez is voting for her confirmation. I mean, just look at his positions on common hot button topics. I guess this might be taken as further testimony to the fact that Sotomayor is no “activist liberal judge”. But some (perhaps Fox News?) will undoubtedly whine that it’s about Latino favoritism. Like Mel Martinez and Sonia Sotomayor have anything in common aside from a Spanish surname.

What do you think? Is Sotomayor out of the woods yet?

After the jump, some fun and lightheartedness with regard to how literally Sotomayor’s soundbite about being a “wise Latina” has been taken…and what she’s still up against.

More Defending the “Wise Latina” Comment

6:50 am By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Controversia| Politics| race · 1 Comment

16 Jul 2009

In the past two days of confirmation hearings, Sonia Sotomayor was made to “clarify” her now infamous “wise Latina” statement countless times. Yesterday afternoon she went up against Republican Senator from Texas John Cornyn in yet another attempt to quiet the accusations of racial bias (see video above). While she is totally not owning the statement, she wins the battle of rhetoric here and Cornyn is clearly grasping at straws. Score one for Sotomayor.

After the jump, video of Sotomayor defending the statement to Senator Patrick Leahy (D) of Vermont on Monday.

Ricky Ricardo Evoked at Sotomayor Hearing

6:48 am By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Controversia| Politics| race · 1 Comment

16 Jul 2009

From my sickbed yesterday I was able to catch some of the Sotomayor hearing (thanks, C-span!) and it didn’t disappoint. I mean it did disappoint if you were looking for a hearing that didn’t include unfounded accusations of “bias”, but in terms of WTF moments, it really performed. But one moment that has me baffled was this: a pop culture reference made by Senator Tom Coburn (R). Coburn quoted I Love Lucy character Ricky Ricardo while questioning Sotomayor. Have a look:

Was this racist? Did he evoke the quote because Sotomayor is Latina? Or is it just the Senator’s “silly” style? Without being too much of a conspiracy theorist, I’d err on the side of yes, this was yet another potshot at Sotomayor’s Latino heritage. Consider the source.

BTW, today’s hearings start at 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time, and you can catch them online at C-SPAN.

Via / HuffPost

Obama Appoints the Most Latinos in History

5:33 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Obama| Politics| race| society · 2 Comments

15 Jun 2009

402px-president_clintons_latino_appointees Mainstream media really knows how to blow up a relatively insignificant piece of data. Case in point: the newswires are all a-flutter with “news” that Obama is the U.S. president that has appointed the most Latinos ever to his administration. How many? A whopping 11% for posts requiring Senate confirmation:

The Houston Chronicle reported Sunday that Obama has tapped significant numbers of Latinos from California and Texas to serve in his administration.

Brent Wilkes, national executive director of the League of United Latin American Citizens, said he credits California’s large Latino population, its quality educational system and its concentration of “more progressive Latinos” for its high number of Obama administration picks.

While this is nothing to wince at, it’s not anything to marvel over either. Obama is being compared to former President George W. Bush with 5.5% and former President Bill Clinton with a paltry 4.5%.

These appointments are welcomed, but let us not forget that Latinos now account for 17% of the U.S. population, and that is only counting those residents recognized by the U.S. Census.

Don’t be fooled. This type of “news” is helping along the Right’s suggestions that Obama is, to use their term, a “reverse racist” gone wild, when in reality all he is doing is making meager attempts to diversify his administration.

Via / UPI

Obama to Nominate Latina to Supreme Court

8:11 am By Maegan la Mamita Mala · Obama| Politics · 4 Comments

26 May 2009

6a00d83451b46269e2011570a6d15d970b-250wi In about an hour, President Obama will announce his nominee for the spot retiring Supreme Court Justice David Souter will leave open and numerous sources point to Puerto Rican from the Bronx, federal Judge Sonia Sotomayor. Speculation was that Obama would be picking a mujer and a Latina.

I don’t know much about Sotomayor’s record to make a statement of support for the nomination, pero this is a historic moment as she would be the first Latina to serve on the Supreme Court.

As Liza over at Culture Kitchen has pointed out, expect the right to attack Sotomayor’s gender and ethnicity using all the stereotypes they can pull out of their asses.

AmeRICAN: Calle 13 is a bad luck charm brought on Puerto Rico ex-Boxing Champion Miguel Cotto a BEATING by Pac [...]

Maegan La Mala: I don't think so [...]

Maegan La Mala: I was thinking about this...how the two are connected [...]

Maegan La Mala: Well I certainly don't condone an eye for an eye politics and don't think that that kind of "justice [...]

Raymond Lee: This is an outrage, again a young gay man attacked and killed and the fact that they where gay or bi [...]

VivirLatino