The Richness of Her Experience

I have not studied the decisions of President Obama’s nominee for the Supreme Court, Judge Sonia Sotomayor. I will not speak about her record, because I don’t feel informed enough to help others understand it. I will point out that I disagree with her recent ruling on Ricci vs. DeStefano. The City of New Haven, Connecticut decided that their future promotion of firefighters would be based on a written test. They called in a consultant when formulating the test to be certain it was job related. The firefighters spend numerous hours and a lot of money preparing for the test. After it was over, the city decided that not enough minority candidates had passed, and denied the promotions to all the firefighters. The men who had worked so hard and earned the promotions sued. Judge Sotomayor heard the case on appeal and ruled against the firefighters. The Supreme Court has since heard the case and we’re awaiting their decision.

While the ruling offered by the appeals court is short and doesn’t offer explanation beyond upholding the decision of the lower court, it makes one wonder about this controversial statement made the Judge: "I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experience would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life."

I chuckled at Newt Gingrich’s response, “Imagine a judicial nominee said 'my experience as a white man makes me better than a Latina woman,' Wouldn't they have to withdraw? New racism is no better than old racism. A white man racist nominee would be forced to withdraw. Latina woman racist should also withdraw."

But the charge of racism is not what caught my attention in the statement. What caught my attention was, “with the richness of her experience.” I think this is about the most arrogant statement I can imagine. When I was young, I thought that the whole of knowledge came from your experiences. I thought that your decisions should be based on what you know. I thought I knew a lot because of the things life taught me. Experience has taught me different. I now know that it’s not just okay, it is absolutely vital to sometimes say, “I don’t know. Where can I learn more?”

This is especially true for a judge. More than any other occupation, a judge has to be open-minded and willing to hear both sides of an argument. More than anyone else, a judge has to put the “richness of her experiences” aside and look at the arguments in terms of our societal values and MOST IMPORTANTLY the affirmation of the Constitution.

I don’t know whether this woman is a racist. What I am sure of is that someone who bases her judgments on the “richness of her experiences” rather than the law and the constitution is not someone we want on the highest court in the land.

The Sanctity of Life

Today is a serious day and we’re going to have a serious discussion. Yesterday I was reading the comments written about a news article when I came across this statement, “Sarah Palin is a lunatic. She claims to believe in the sanctity of life, but she loves to go hunting. It doesn’t make any sense.”

You may not see it yet, but this statement is the evidence of the worst evil I can imagine. People everywhere are perplexed by the fact that some people are against abortion because they don’t approve of killing but those same people are not lobbying for wild animals to be put on trial for eating each other. Now, most of us see this as common sense, but I’ll state this very clearly for anyone who doesn’t: humans are different from animals. Shocked? Confused? Disgusted?

From a spiritual perspective this concept is very easy to understand. Humans are children of God. Animals are his creations. If I drew a beautiful picture, I would protect it and treat it with care. But I would torch that picture gladly to save my child from harm. We should respect animals because we are rational, moral people. We should not revere them as humans. I find it absolutely shocking that anyone could think a statement that equates the worth of an animal’s life with the worth of a child’s is anything but nonsense.

I am disgusted by how quickly the value human life is being destroyed. Let me tell you what I know. Each human being is a unique being with an infinite worth. There is no value that ought to be held above that of the human life, soul and mind. I do not believe that any person has the potential to see their own worth. But, I truly wish that I could see you the way God does. Perhaps I would treat you better. Perhaps I would treat myself better. If only the world understood exactly what it's devaluing. If it did, I doubt we'd have to discuss any problems at all. If it did, I'd have nothing to write about, because no one would want to threaten personal liberty.

Blaming the Innocent

A child is kidnapped. Inevitably, people start talking about how horrible the parents must be to have allowed the child to walk to a friend’s house. A police officer is involved in a high speed chase that ends in innocent fatalities. People start discussing why in the world the officer had the audacity to chase the criminal. A man starts answering ads on craigslist and robbing or murdering the women he meets on the site. Today’s front-page, national news story is all about how the founder of craigslist is to blame for allowing the ads to be placed.

The saddest thing is that in each of these recent news stories, there is a clear “bad guy.” I simply cannot understand why the public feels the need to condemn the innocent. In many cases, they blame the victims. Why? The sad fact is that the moral lines have been blurred in our world. They have been blurred to the point where people cannot bring themselves to condemn the guilty. Instead, they justify excusing the actual criminal by trying to spread the guilt around. It is just another symptom of our trend to never want to accept personal responsibility. It is just another symptom of the societal ills that I talk about every day.

To the parents whose children are victims of senseless crimes: I cry for you when I read your stories. I hold my own precious children a little tighter because I know that it was only chance that made you the victim and not me. There is no sense in what happened to you and your family, but I wish you justice.

To the police officer who was attempting to protect my life and liberties when the unthinkable happened: Thank you for your service to the community. You put your life on the line every day; there is no reason to sell your soul as well. I pray you can let go of the agony you are facing. Your desire to serve and protect is a virtue and in no way deserving of condemnation.

To the businessmen who create so much for our community and are constantly sued and condemned because some people choose to use your creations for their own evil: Continue to stand up for freedom. You are not to blame for the decisions of others. I hope that the constant stream of law suits does not discourage others like you from taking a chance on industry and business.

To those who post hateful comments on the internet condemning the innocent because society can no longer bring itself to put the weight of guilt on the guilty: Actually, I have nothing to say to you.

If we continue to blame the innocent, there may come a time when people decide to stop doing good, for fear they will be blamed for other people’s evil. Of course, we could just enact a whole bunch of laws that blame the victims as well, completely sacrificing freedom to the regulation gods...wait, we're already doing that.

The White Man's Greed

First, let me say I'm sorry for how long it's been since I posted. I had my son's birthday and Easter to work on. But today's post is so funny that it will make up for it. There was a controversy in the period leading up to the presidential election about this quote:

"It is this world, a world where cruise ships throw away more food in a day than most residents of Port-au-Prince see in a year, where white folks' greed runs a world in need, apartheid in one hemisphere, apathy in another hemisphere...That's the world! On which hope sits!"

It is a quote from Barack Obama's book. Some conservative commentators used it to hurt Obama, rightly so. The left shot back that it was taken out of context. The quote is actually Barack Obama quoting his pastor. I ask, "does it matter?" Whoever originally said it, Obama thought it was an important point. Now, I really wish I could comment on this quote, but I just don't want to. Instead, I'm going to share with you two pieces of recent news.

1) Michelle Obama becomes the first White House Wife to hire a full-time, traveling make-up artist!

2) On Friday the president had some friends over for pizza. He remembered a pizzaria from the campaign trail and decided to fly the pizza dough and the restaurant staff from St. Louis to prepare dinner.


Funny stuff! Perhaps Obama is more "white" than he likes to pretend?

As a side note: I would like to point out that yesterday "for the first time in my adult life" I was proud of President Obama. He authorized the navy seals to rescue the boat captain being held by the pirates. It showed that he does have the capability to act. Now, he needs to stop prancing around Europe, referring to America as "arrogant" and start exhibiting the leadership he was elected for.

Inciting Panic and Random Acts of Kindness

Once upon a time there was a scientist who had made some interesting calculations. He had predicted and imminent disaster and decided to warn the people to evacuate before it was too late. The government got wind of the ideas and forced him to stop sharing his conclusions. They had their own panel of experts who insisted there wouldn't be a disaster and worked to assure the people that all was well. They silenced the scientist because they didn't not want him inciting panic among the people. But the scientist was right, not the government.

I know what you're thinking...Jor-El, right? Nope! (Okay, I admit, the picture may have been slightly misleading.) Gotta love a government requiring people to remove their ideas from the internet. This story actually takes place in Italy, weeks before Sunday's disastrous earthquake. Check it out here.

Now, as I promised, here's the first in a serious of stories about how small things can make a big difference. This one's a bit long and I wrote it into a blog that includes many different stories about the joys of motherhood. When you have some time, it's kind of an amusing story. You can read it here.

The Rhetoric of Fools

I think it's time for me to abandon my home and start running for public office. I have had enough of the idiots running this country. It's getting to the point where turning on the computer to read the news is a little like watching a train wreck. It sickens me to watch it, but I can't turn away.

So, here's what I've decided: I love my kids and want the best possible world for them. Because of that, I feel that my superior intellect is being wasted with the menial tasks I dedicate myself to. It's time to fulfill my true destiny and save this world from itself.

Would you like to hear my platform?

1.The news stations are corrupted by a liberal bias. The world will never choose to be fair to the conservative audience until equality is legislated. It's not about freedom of speech. It's about freedom of opportunity for all points of view.

2.The education system in this country is awful. It's been proven time after time that textbooks are liberally skewed. I want every textbook to be evaluated by a panel of government appointed experts. Anyone wishing to write a new textbook must seek approval from the panel.

3.I believe in free enterprise but it is being destroyed by lack of competition. I think business licenses should only be given to people who can prove that they are intelligent enough to make their business worth running. Any business currently in existence should have to justify its business model to experts on capitalism.

4.I am tired of the voting system being destroyed by people too ignorant to understand the path they're paving for my children. In order to vote in this country, you should have to pass an IQ test.

If you people won't embrace freedom because it's right, I will take your hand. If you resist, I will push you. If you refuse to be pushed, I will find ways to legislate your ideas out of existence. One way or another, I will ensure liberty for my children.

Whether or not you enjoyed this article, you might be amused by this one. I can't help but relish the creativity these people are capable of. But check it out today! The fun won't be here tomorrow...

The Triumph of Reason

Some of you may remember, last month I was reading Costco's monthly magazine when I came across an article asking whether animals deserve the same rights as people. The argument in favor of giving animals human rights came from an uppity-up at PETA at a time when celebrities were getting in line to strip their clothes off in photo shoots for the organization. You can read the riveting commentary here. (if you missed it, at least check out the funny picture)

Today, there is good news far all logical thinkers. This month's magazine contains a poll of reader's opinions on the last issue. Ninety-three percent sided with me! Now, I freely admit that I sometimes enjoy being in the minority. It is much more meaningful to stand up for your beliefs when you're standing alone. However, I am thrilled to see what I had always suspected. This is a country full of intelligent people seeking to make moral decisions while avoiding fad-thinking.

I certainly do not listen to the opinions of celebrities when I am weighing arguments to help me achieve an opinion on anything. But, I involuntarily laughed yesterday when I read that Angie Harmon (an actress, I think...not sure) had to come out and declare to the press the fact that, even though she disagrees with President Obama, she isn't a racist. The article I read pointed out that she is in the minority among celebrities in her thinking. It quoted 4 female stars all eager to tout Obama for being "articulate and so well versed," "thoughtful and considerate," and " a wonderful leader." It all makes for a nice fuzzy feeling if we're talking about someone running for student body president of a high school, but not much else. Of course, I'm not sure whether any of the actresses in question graduated from high school. Maybe they're trying to relive what they missed. Still, people will listen to what actors say. People will watch when actors strip naked for PETA. I am proud of the fact that I will not be the only one in this country who won't notice and doesn't care.

God Bless America!!!

The Misinterpretation of Heroes

"Whenever I hear any one arguing for slavery I feel a strong impulse to see it tried on him personally."
-Abraham Lincoln

I find it hilarious how the news media loves to draw connections between pet politicians and great historical figures when it serves their causes. However, when they are presented by the actually documented philosophies of great historical figures that contradict their own, those same men become dried up old fossils who had no idea what our day would be like or what changes would be needed.

In the spirit of that, today I’m considering the comparison people have been drawing between President Barack Obama and former President Abraham Lincoln.

Abraham Lincoln Once said:

"I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go. My own wisdom and that of all about me seemed insufficient for that day."

Barack Obama once said:

"Who is Barack Obama? Contrary to the rumors you have heard, I was not born in a manger. I was actually born on Krypton and sent here by my father Jor-El to save the Planet Earth. Many of you know that I got my name, Barack, from my father. What you may not know is Barack is actually Swahili for 'That One.' And I got my middle name from somebody who obviously didn't think I'd ever run for president. If I had to name my greatest strength, I guess it would be my humility. Greatest weakness, it's possible that I'm a little too awesome."

Abraham Lincoln once said:

"Labor is prior to, and independent of, capital. Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if labor had not first existed. Labor is the superior of capital, and deserves much the higher consideration."

Barack Obama once said:

“I think when you spread the wealth around it's good for everybody.”

And…

“What do you think a stimulus is? It's spending - that's the whole point! Seriously.”

Abraham Lincoln once said:

"...I know that the Lord is always on the side of the right. But it is my constant anxiety and prayer that I and this nation should be on the Lord's side."

Barack Obama once said:

“You know, my faith is one that admits some doubt.”

And…

"It's not surprising, then, they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations."

It occurred to me that my posts have been too serious lately. So, to prevent that, I am throwing in this video on the subject. It’s just for fun! Keep the faith and join the revolution.

Members of the Moral Community

From the Associated Press:

CANBERRA, Australia — When a dark intruder smashed through his bedroom window and repeatedly bounced on his bed, Beat Ettlin was initially relieved to discover it was a kangaroo.

"My initial thought when I was half awake was: it's a lunatic ninja coming through the window," the 42-year-old told The Associated Press on Monday. "It seems about as likely as a kangaroo breaking in."

But his relief was short-lived. Moments later, he heard his 10-year-old son Leighton Beman scream from bed: "There's a 'roo in my room!"

"I thought: This can be really dangerous for the whole family now," Ettlin said.

The extraordinary ordeal for the family of four began at 2 a.m. Sunday in their house in the upmarket Canberra suburb of Garran.

Ettlin, a chef originally from the Swiss city of Stans, wrestled the thrashing and bleeding 90 pound marsupial out the front door.

The kangaroo vanished into a nearby forest from where it likely came. The family reported the intrusion to police and to wildlife authorities.

And the story continues (as written by me):

Police set up a perimeter around the forest and shouted for Mr. Kangaroo to come out with his hands up. It is likely that the animal misunderstood (due to dialect differences), because police had to wrestle him to the ground. All of the officers involved have been placed on administrative leave while the excessive use of force is investigated. The Canberra Police chief defended their actions explaining, “This is a very dangerous kangaroo who willfully attacked a family in their home. My men didn’t know the motivation behind the attack, but they had every reason to believe that Mr. Kangaroo was armed, unstable and very dangerous.”

Mr. Kangaroo’s public defender is skeptical of the police motivation. He said, “Mr. Kangaroo is a victim of circumstance. We have reason to believe that he was slipped a bad fungi while grazing at a popular meadow. He clearly thought the victim’s house was his own. Furthermore, it’s simply ridiculous for the police to argue there was any aggression in Mr. Kangaroo smashing through a bedroom window. In his culture, that’s a perfectly acceptable form of entry. None of this would have happened had we not stolen this land from the kangaroos in the first place. I am suggesting that my client countersue in a court officiated by kangaroos. These people had no right to build a house on land that belonged to another species.”

Experts are watching this case closely because it resembles the now infamous case of the man who defamed the culture of apes by insensitively claiming that, “Congress is nothing but a group of apes grunting at each other.” He was, of course, turned over to the apes by our legislature and brought up on charges in an ape court. That case has been going on for 23 years now, owing to the difficulty of determining whether the judge is the one reporters have titled "the scratcher" or the one reporters have dubbed "the screamer." Although the tide of that argument is turning, (One prominent reporter recently said, "There are good indications its the screamer. I mean, he beats his chest a lot, so we wonder if that's not a way of passing sentence) experts are not optimistic that there will be much of a precedent set.

Animal rights activists hope that the show of fairness by the government will result in a more tolerant society where breaking through people’s windows is understood to be the olive branch that it clearly is.

WHY I AM WRITING THIS:

1) Because I think I’m funny.

2) Yesterday I was idly flipping through Costco’s magazine, “The Costco Connection,” when I came upon this headline, “Should animals have the same rights as people?” It included this, very interesting line, “Animal rights advocates say that…animals should no longer be regarded as property, or used as food, clothing, research subjects, or entertainment, but should instead be viewed as legal persons and members of the moral community.” (emphasis added)

Seriously? I could not believe that this was an honest to goodness argument among intelligent people! Look, either we’re animals or we’re people. If we’re animals then everything we do is based on instinct and the law of the jungle. If we’re people then we’re capable of rational thought and planning. But, who knows? After all, we could generate all kinds of new jobs by giving kangaroos lawyers, social workers, and senators. It could just be a creative new way of gerrymandering. ("I'm sorry the census is taking a lot longer this year, Mr President. There is some evidence that the Republicans have padded the data on the number of mosquitoes living in certain red states.") Wait a minute…I may have just uncovered an evil plot! This blog might be on hiatus for a bit while I flee the country.