If It Walks Like A Racist...

In my previous blog post, I blogged about Obama's decision to appoint Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court. I wrote about her recent decision against white and Hispanic firefighters in New Haven. To summarize the case, the city of New Haven decided to give a test to a group of firefighters for a promotion. The top 15 firefighters would get promotions within the Fire Department. All participants were given the same materials to study for the exam. All participants were given the same amount of time to prepare for the exam. The top scores were achieved by mostly all white and one Hispanic firefighter. Because no black firefighters were in the top 15, the city of New Haven decided to discard the exam all together. This is obviously racism on the part of the city of New Haven. But I don't want to get into that right now. What I want to get into is racism of white people. Some people call it "reverse racism", but that term would assume that racism could only be committed by white people against black people or Hispanics. Racism is racism. Regardless of who commits the act, or who it is against. This kind of racism is the kind that most people don't like to talk about, or perhaps are afraid to talk about.

This year has been historical for minorities so far. For the first time in history, a man who is half black won the highest political seat in the world. Barack Obama is now the President of the United States of America. That is historical. There is no denying it. But my question is this: So what? Does being black automatically qualify a person to be President of the US? So much so, that even experience, policies, voting record, and principles are now meaningless? And just yesterday, Obama announced his decision for picking Sotomayor for Supreme Court. While he was delivering a speech about his choice, he mentioned that she was Puerto Rican, and that she grew up in the Bronx. But no where in his speech did he mention the most important characteristic in a Supreme Court Judge. Knowledge and adherence to the US Constitution. Is race and upbringing more important than the Constitution?

Now with Obama's pick for Supreme Court, I am starting to see and hear many Latinos who are happy for this historical appointment. Just because she is a Latina woman. It is so similar to the Blacks who went out and voted for the first "Black" President. 96% of Blacks voted for Obama. Almost half of all Whites voted for Obama. So if half of the White population voted for a Black President, that should tell you right there that a good majority of Whites are not racist. But almost ALL of the Black population voted for Obama, What does that tell you?

My question here is this: Why are people so shallow that they actually consider race, color, or gender as a deciding factor? Don't people realize that there are good and bad in all races and both genders? Why is that even important? It isn't to me. When I look at a candidate for office, local, state, or federal, I always look at the politicians past voting record. I look at his or her stance on the important issues. I look at his or her principles. I want to know if he or she is willing to fight for freedom and liberty. I want to know that he or she will protect and defend the Constitution. I don't care if the candidate is black, white, latino, man or woman. When I vote for a candidate that I believe in, I vote for the person who I think will be the best person for the job. Nothing else matters.

President Obama picks Sonia Sotomayor for Supreme Court

President Barack Obama on Tuesday named federal appeals court judge Sonia Sotomayor as his choice for a Supreme Court vacancy.

I have a few thoughts about this. I can't say that I know much at all about Sonia Sotomayor, because I don't. But I do have an opinion. First, A Supreme Court Justice should be someone who strictly interprets the US Constitution. Based on her most recent case, she does not appear to rule by the Constitution. In her recent decision in the Ricci v. DeStefano case, which is currently in front of the U.S. Supreme Court, she decided against the firefighters.

Here is George Will's explanation of the case:
In 2003, the city [of New Haven, Connecticut] gave promotion exams--prepared by a firm specializing in employment tests, and approved, as federal law requires, by independent experts--to 118 candidates, 27 of them black. None of the blacks did well enough to qualify for the 15 immediately available promotions. After a rabble-rousing minister with close ties to the mayor disrupted meetings and warned of dire political consequences if the city promoted persons from the list generated by the exams, the city said: No one will be promoted.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/24/AR2009042402305.html

Discarding a test because no minorities would have been promoted violates the equal protection clause of the U.S. Constitution and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which forbids discrimination because of race.

Discrimination based on race, color, gender or religious belief is wrong no matter who the discrimination is against.
Sotomayor voted against the Firefighters and thus, shows that (at least in this case), she ruled according to her beliefs and not according to the Constitution.

Why I Finally Decided to Start Blogging...

This is my first blog post, so I thought it would be a good idea to explain why I finally decided to start blogging. My name is Robert, I am a 36 year old male. I am happily married and my wife and I have 2 wonderful children. I have never considered blogging until recently. With all of the political events that are happening around us lately, I have just been so consumed with thoughts and opinions. I need a way to release these thoughts on a regular basis. I often find myself discussing my opinions with co-workers, friends, or family. Most of the time, people do not agree with my point of view. Although I know that everybody has the right to their own opinion, I often find myself questioning their opinion. "How can anybody feel this way?" I have a very hard time understanding why people feel the way they do. Sometimes, I feel as though they have been programmed or "dumbed down" by our government and the elites that run our country. Now, I know this sounds arrogant on my part, but I can't lie. This is truely how I feel. So many people are too busy following American Idol, Dancing With The Stars, sports, or video games, that they have no desire to research and learn about the important issues of life. I also feel as if many people have been brainwashed into thinking that they are stupid. People always think that the doctors, or the government is always out for their best interest. They never question them. If a doctor says "you need this vaccine", without hesitation, they comply. When our government says "We need to go to war with Iraq because of 9/11", they sit back and believe it.

Anyway, I don't want to get into any issues in my introductory blog post. I will get into my beliefs and my thoughts later on. That is why I started this blog. I just want to get my feelings out on a day to day basis. So... Here goes nothing.