Politics: You Owe It To Yourselves

To keep up with the GOP-originated ruckus surrounding Judge Sonia Sotomayor. Why? Because the naked, rampant racism and ugliness must be fought before it becomes part of the national mindset again. Because we watched this sort of "inciting the mob" behaviour for eight years and most of us were afraid and sick inside and we did nothing because we were afraid. Well, now's your chance. Say something. Do something. Read about it. Get involved. Talk to your friends, your neighbours, your fellow churchgoers, your book club, your cousins who live a thousand miles away. We've got to stay on top of this thing. We've got to keep it from getting ugly — well, any uglier than it already is.

Oh, yeah, and write your Congresscritters, especially the Republicans. Tell them to take a stand against this sort of incitement.

ICHC

A commenter over at HuffPo had this to say about Tom "I R Teh Racist" Tancredo, who is doing teh head spin while spouting pea soup along with some very dubious yawp:

In Colorado, Tancredo is associated with the Rocky Mountain Foundation, which is dedicated to limiting and perhaps totally ending immigration. They are known for their bigotry. I called this afternoon to complain about Tancredo, but the woman who answered said she "didn't know anything about his appearances on TV)" and that, of course, no one else was their to come to the phone!" I sent them an email instead. There is a "visitors' book" where a number of conservatives have left supportive comments for Tancredo AND their email addresses! I would like to send my comments to tthe supporters also, but I don't know if I will have time. How about you?

Give 'em hell, people, it's what they're there for. How else will you get your blood pressure to safe levels when listening to the shit conservatives spew daily?

Here's what Judge Sotomayor's said that got these weeny-wavers so excited they can't stop waving their peeners:

"Justice O'Connor has often been cited as saying that a wise old man and wise old woman will reach the same conclusion in deciding cases. I am not so sure Justice O'Connor is the author of that line since Professor Resnik attributes that line to Supreme Court Justice Coyle. I am also not so sure that I agree with the statement. First, as Professor Martha Minnow has noted, there can never be a universal definition of wise. Second, 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."

"Let us not forget that wise men like Oliver Wendell Holmes and Justice Cardozo voted on cases which upheld both sex and race discrimination in our society. Until 1972, no Supreme Court case ever upheld the claim of a woman in a gender discrimination case. I, like Professor Carter, believe that we should not be so myopic as to believe that others of different experiences or backgrounds are incapable of understanding the values and needs of people from a different group. Many are so capable. As Judge Cedarbaum pointed out to me, nine white men on the Supreme Court in the past have done so on many occasions and on many issues including Brown."

Anybody find anything unacceptable about that? If so, here's something Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito said during his confirmation hearings:

In an exchange with Sen. Tom Coburn, who had asked Alito to discuss how his personal experiences shows that "he cared for the little guy," Alito said that his family"s experience as immigrants influenced his outlook on immigration cases.

Alito: "And that"s why I went into that in my opening statement. Because when a case comes before me involving, let"s say, someone who is an immigrant " and we get an awful lot of immigration cases and naturalization cases " I can"t help but think of my own ancestors, because it wasn"t that long ago when they were in that position.

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 I do take that into account."

If this is acceptable to you, as it apparently was to all the Congresscritters who voted to confirm Alito, then you should be the first to whup Slimy Reptile Gingrich upside the head for having the guts to ask Judge Sotomayor to step aside. She should not step aside unless, not even if Alito does.

Mind you, the fact that Slimy Reptile Gingrich texted his comments about Judge Sotomayor being a racist from fucking Auschwitz, jesus christ, do these motherfuckers have the first fucking clue about irony? — is just icing on the cake.

Update: Jesus Christ. Now G. Gordon Liddy, the guy who made "bobbing for French fries" part of our national consciousness, is trying to monitor Judge Sotomayor's menstrual flow. Or something. From the inimitable Maru's site, some unbelievable WhatTheFuckery for your reading pleasure. Thanks to UndieLib for the ass-kicking of Liddy that follows.


Of course, you have to ask what a wrinkled saggy old sack like Gee, Gordon, "Could You Get Your Nutsack Lifted?" Liddy has to say about anybody else's naughty bits. Gordie in a thong is a scary sight indeed, and if that doesn't keep the lot of ya chaste and celibate for a month, you must've rushed for the brain-and-eyeball bleach.

Pseudocentrist blog Politico (no link, sorry), meanwhile, referred to Judge Sotomayor as a Latina single mother, until it was pointed out to them that in order to be a single mother, one must first have children, which Judge Sotomayor apparently does not. Without so much as a by-your-leave, they removed the offending words, but did not apologize for the stupid mistake.

No doubt in a couple of days or weeks rightwing nutcases will be screaming about how Judge Sotomayor is a Latina cannibal single mother who has devoured her nonexistent children.

As for those pendejos yawping on endlessly about how La Raza is a racist organization, here is some basic information about La Raza for anyone who doesn't yet know what the organization is and does.

ICHC

And for those who don't want to clicky the linky, a summary:

The National Council of La Raza (NCLR) – the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States – works to improve opportunities for Hispanic Americans. Through its network of nearly 300 affiliated community-based organizations (CBOs), NCLR reaches millions of Hispanics each year in 41 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia. To achieve its mission, NCLR conducts applied research, policy analysis, and advocacy, providing a Latino perspective in five key areas – assets/investments, civil rights/immigration, education, employment and economic status, and health. In addition, it provides capacity-building assistance to its Affiliates who work at the state and local level to advance opportunities for individuals and families.

Founded in 1968, NCLR is a private, nonprofit, nonpartisan, tax-exempt organization headquartered in Washington, DC. NCLR serves all Hispanic subgroups in all regions of the country and has operations in Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Phoenix, Sacramento, San Antonio, and San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Translation of the name National Council of La Raza:

Many people incorrectly translate our name, “La Raza,” as “the race.” While it is true that one meaning of “raza” in Spanish is indeed “race,” in Spanish, as in English and any other language, words can and do have multiple meanings. As noted in several online dictionaries, “La Raza” means “the people” or “the community.” Translating our name as “the race” is not only inaccurate, it is factually incorrect. “Hispanic” is an ethnicity, not a race. As anyone who has ever met a Dominican American, Mexican American, or Spanish American can attest, Hispanics can be and are members of any and all races.

The term “La Raza” has its origins in early 20th century Latin American literature and translates into English most closely as “the people” or, according to some scholars, as “the Hispanic people of the New World.” The term was coined by Mexican scholar José Vasconcelos to reflect the fact that the people of Latin America are a mixture of many of the world’s races, cultures, and religions. Mistranslating “La Raza” to mean “the race” implies that it is a term meant to exclude others. In fact, the full term coined by Vasconcelos, “La Raza Cósmica,” meaning the “cosmic people,” was developed to reflect not purity but the mixture inherent in the Hispanic people. This is an inclusive concept, meaning that Hispanics share with all other peoples of the world a common heritage and destiny.

From An Open Letter To The Public, NCLR Answers Critics

So there ya go, peoples. Incidentally, you might want to let La Raza know you support them. And if you're a conservative, please remember that G. Dumbya and his daddy both had nothing but good things to say about La Raza.

Further update: Texas Republican congresscritter John Cornyn is making little squeaky noises about how all those conservatives attacking Judge Sotomayor should please stop already. Who's taking bets on when he has to grovellingly apologize to Rush Limbaugh, who's already attacking him?

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