The Saga of Sotomayor

This blogpost has been a long time coming. Ever since Obama announced his choice to be the next Supreme Court justice-Sonia Sotomayor-Republican smear artists and obstructionists have been trying to demean her as a racist. Now, let's address this issue head-on. At a conference on Latino diversity in the workplace, Sonia Sotomayor said that someone like her, a woman from a working class, minority background, had more to offer to the legal profession than a white male "who had not lived that life."

I'll gladly admit that Sotomayor's comments were not totally appropriate, but claiming that they were patently racist is offensive. In fact, I think that at the heart of her statement is a sentiment that should be embraced-that being that people from minority backgrounds have much to offer. She was trying to challenge the white male-dominated status quo of her profession, which I think is completely valid.

The point is... this woman is not a radical or a racist. She was originally appointed to the federal bench by George H.W. Bush, how extreme could she be? From what I've been able to cull from her record, she tends to defend the rights of organized labor and the freedom of expression guaranteed in the first amendment. She's more than qualified to be on the Supreme Court and should be appointed.