Ruminations

I have spent an inordinate amount of time this week listening to the proceedings in Congress for the confirmation of Sonia Sotomayor. I have confirmed in my own mind the fact that you do not have to be brilliant, or have any common sense to become a Congressman. For that matter you don't have to have these qualifications to hold any public office!

My first hand experience with finding this out was quite a shock to me. I sat in on a debate and then later a panel discussion of the nine candidates running for the State House in Sarasota when Keith was running. I was so appalled at the shallowness of some of the candidates and the lack of knowledge and preparedness for some of them. They were pathetic. They were all given a few minutes to introduce themselves and give an account of their experiences and qualifications. One man pointed out that he was a former BoyScout leader and a father. One of the women said she could speak two languages which would give her an advantage, other than that she was a housewife and was tired of people saying she could not raise enough money to get elected.Others were unable to give any answer to questions about some of the issues facing the State. I was better informed than some of them and I don't even live in Florida!

I found the same level of ignorance and lack of knowledge and comprehension on the part of some of the questioners in the hearings. They spent two or three days asking the same questions over and over. They always got the same answer no matter how they worded the questions but that did not deter them in the least. What it all boiled down to was that they think white, preferably older, MEN are the only ones fit to be on the Supreme Court. They were terrified at the word 'empathy'. Perhaps because it is an unfamiliar word to them. The word WOMAN is equally scary and Hispanic was almost more than they could handle. Strange as it may seem they did not delve into the fact that she is Catholic. If she is confirmed, there will be six Catholics on the Court. That in itself must frighten many of them. The whole proceeding was such a farce, they want to be reelected when their term is up and they want their constituents to think they are doing important work. What a waste of time and money. I did see where they gave themselves a nice raise again. No hearings connected to that decision. It is probably the one and only issue that was passed with agreement on both sides of the aisle. No party lines involved. Ciao!