Reader comments
Hispanic top-court nominee reason to celebrate

JMT | 6:42 a.m. May 29, 2009

Political correctness run amock.

Having a Hispanic on the court is great so long as you agree with their views. What if the Hispanic were a secret member of the Nazi party? Would we be so happy then? What if they were an anarchist? Would we be so happy then?

Those are extreme positions but they make the point. What is far more important in America than the color of ones skin is the content of ones heart. I believe Martin Luther King said something to that affect. We are going to be judged for who we are, not what we are.

Sadly, the more I learn about Sotomayor the more I come to understand that she is first and foremost Hispanic. After that it seems to drop off significantly. And editorializing disguised as reporting like Mr Benson did only makes the case.

I'm rapidly reaching the point where I am getting disgusted. And to the Hispanics out there. Be careful what you want. If she is confirmed and blows it big time, then that will be what the rest of the country sees of Hispanics.

Go for quality. That's what counts.

Dark's Racist Comments! | 7:33 a.m. May 29, 2009

Sadly, racism is blatantly alive and well when people make comments like:

"This is a wonderful thing," Quijano Dark continued. "America is changing. We have the first African-American president and now we have a Hispanic-American nominated to the Supreme Court."

It's obvious from the story that Dark cared most that the nominee was hispanic while little to nothing is yet know about the actual person.

Dark's comments are shallow, racist and insulting to ALL people who strive for Martin Luther King's dream of a color blind society.

When, and only when people see past race and color will we see true equality.

How's that again | 7:36 a.m. May 29, 2009

So what she's saying is that only a Latina can properly represent her on the court. This nomination means Latinos have "won" something.
We haven't learned anything since the 60s.

Comments continue below

stoplookandlisten | 8:42 a.m. May 29, 2009

Good grief. No one get all up in arms about how Justice Scalia represents white men.

No one is worried that Justice Scalia was picked just because he was a white man.

There are many many many ways one can be qualified to be a United States Supreme Court Justice. Just how very different is this recent nominee? She attended elite ivy league schools, just like "everyone else" who gets tapped for high level governmental positions. What makes her different is that she was raised outside the usual confines which make up the core constituency of said elite ivy league schools. She knows that not everyone grows up privileged. She knows she is exceptional in that sense.

I say, it is good for Ameica to have more than just 1 woman on the Supreme Court. I say, it is good for American to have a Hispanic on the Supreme Court.

People should stop being threatened by progress.

RadGrandDad | 8:42 a.m. May 29, 2009

Sotomayor is a Racist! She is also a member of "La Raza" (The Race). She said that a latino woman is better suited to make decisions than a "white man". If that isn't racist, what is? La Raza is the equal to the KKK, only it's the Latino KKK! And they target all races, but Latino. Sounds like the KKK to me. This woman SHOULD NOT be appointed to the supreme court!!!!! Contact your Senators and Reps and tell them NOT to sustain her nomination to the supreme court!!!!
WAKE UP AMERICA!!!!!!

I love Mormons! | 10:18 a.m. May 29, 2009

The primary reason that Mitt Romney was so successful here in Utah is because he is Mormon. As a practicing Mormon, I would be thrilled to see a Mormon in the White House or on the Supreme Court. Why is it that people take issue with Latinos celebrating a Latina being nominated for the Supreme Court? Anyone who does not believe that a person's history and background impacts the lens through which they see the world is ignorant to how humans function. Only a White person who has always been in the majority could be ignorant enough to not see why a person in the minority might celebrate a member of their demographic ascending to a position of power. Members of the majority need to find empathy for members in the minority.

Hillarious | 10:19 a.m. May 29, 2009

"This is a wonderful thing," Quijano Dark continued. "America is changing. We have the first African-American president and now we have a Hispanic-American nominated to the Supreme Court... We're finally looking at who is the right candidate as opposed to what they look like or where they came from."

Amazing that a Columbia grad would say something so internally inconsistent. She praises the country's moving beyond prejudice against people because of their race/background and then extols Ms. Sotomayor's seelection based solely on her race/background. Shame on Benson for not pointing out this glaring inconsistency.

Ms. Dark would not be so laughable if she had priased Ms. Sotomayor's intellect or judicial aptitude, but "partying" just because she's Hispanic smack's of racism. Let's hope Ms. Sotomayor takes a long view and avoids this type of "latinos-have-been-denied-so-now-its-pay-back-time"/reparations mentality. Indeed, may she apply the rule of law.

WatchDog | 10:24 a.m. May 29, 2009

It is NOT okay for me to create a "white only" anything. But, it's okay to have a BET channel on TV, it's okay to have an NAACP, NOW, etc., etc., etc. Obviously, there is no justice.

It is NOT okay for me to say a white male has better judgement than an Hispanic woman. Well, in like manner, it is NOT okay for this woman to claim that a Hispanic woman is better in any way than a white male.

Yappin' Tony is perfectly willing to call those who support the rule of law racist, and somehow unable to equate "undocumented alien" with an illegal alien, here in violation of our laws. How about it Tony? Are you willing to come out and announce that this woman is clearly racist?

Sadly, this appointment is 100% politically motivated, and has NOTHING to do with what is right for this country - or its citizens.

lost in DC | 11:31 a.m. May 29, 2009

stoplookandlisten, why do you say Scalia was nominated only because he was a white male?

I don't know that you can attribute comments to Scalia that are as blatantly sexist and racist as those sotomayor made, but I could be incorrect. Can you find a Scalia quote somewhere along the lines of "the rich experience of a wise white male would cause him to more likely make a good decision than an hispanic woman". We've already seen that sotomayor has said her race, gender, and experience alone make her more qualified than white males. how can you say that is not racist and sexist? What happened to judging a person by the content of their character rather than the color of their skin?

honest question | 11:58 a.m. May 29, 2009

Were the same folks interviewed in this column equally as excited to see an African-American woman serve as Secretary of State? Or was she a member or the wrong political party? But it's not about politics. Is it?

Roger | 1:32 p.m. May 29, 2009

I can understand the excitement of Hispanic people when one of their own is nominated to a high government position, as has happened with Ms. Sotomayor.

However, a look at how Ms. Sotomayor got to where she is ought to take at least some of the fun out of the party. She grew up in a government-run housing project, attended college and law school on affirmative action scholarships, and her first job was as a government prosecutor. Having become "the first Latina" to be a federal District Court Judge and Court of Appeals Judge, she is now hailed as "the first Latina" to be nominated to the U. S. Supreme Court.

Virtually all of her accomplishments in life are founded on government largesse. As such, despite all she claims, hers is not the kind of life that would give a nominee the wisdom and experience necessary to serve competently in such an important position.

Dwight | 1:54 p.m. May 29, 2009

Roger, you make me laugh. Do you think that she finished at the top of her class at Princeton because the government paid her instructors to give her As? How about at law school: do you think that the government had someone sitting by her side writing and editing her papers and tests so as to enable her to become editor of the Yale Law Review?

Let's talk about you Roger (or me: white, temple-recommend-holding, lawyer)--did you learn to read on your own? What's that? A public school teacher taught you something about that? How about that road you drove on this morning to work? Oh, built by the government was it?

Get a clue my friend.

RE: Dwight | 4:13 p.m. May 29, 2009

Private contractors built them,

a community realized they needed a school or a road, levied taxes to pay for it, hire a civil engineer susupervise it, hire an architect to design it, and hired a private contractor to build it,

nuilt by The Government, I think NOT,

By the people and for the people.

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