Empathy & Supreme Court Justices

[Varmit]

Actually, he is not as qualified, and his record shows that.  His sexual prefrence is irrelevent. 

[Diane Amberg]

I'll repeat my question. Why was it mentioned that he lives with his mother and has no wife and kids of his own....so what!?

[redcliffsw]

Diane-
So?  Why do you question the mention of it by the black writer?

[sixdogsmom]

And why oh why do you Always mention a Black whatever? An intelligent person writes, speaks, or blogs no matter the color of the skin. Black has nothing to do with anything.

[Diane Amberg]

I don't care if the writer is pink with purple polka dots. Red mentioned his race, I didn't. It doesn't matter! Why would ANY writer put Souter's living arrangements in the article. It has nothing to do with his, or anybody else's, qualifications!!!! Why is it there?

[Varmit]

It doesn't matter! Why would ANY writer put Souter's living arrangements in the article. It has nothing to do with his, or anybody else's, qualifications!!!! Why is it there?

Why did you mention the fact that teen Palains boyfriend moved out, if its not important? 

I There are folks in the world that might just question the way each of us live and work. But that is between us and our maker. And certainly skin color should never be mentioned in qualifications for anything. Red Always says that such and such comes from a 'black' writer, as though it is amazing that a black person had a thought much less one they agree with.

I agree, to a point.  A persons home life is their own, and should stay that way, so long as it is legal.  However, a person who is a public servant is answerable to the public.  A supreme court justice is sworn to uphold and defend the Constitution, if his work record doesn't reflect that then he should't hold that job. 
I think that Red mentions race only to illustrate the fact that there are some black folks who do not support obama, contary to popular belief.  I have never read where Red said anything negative about someone simply because of race.

[Diane Amberg]

Billy, Bristol Palin's situation is a whole world less important than nominating a Supreme Court Justice and the discussions that always swirl around that. Her mom made her daughter newsworthy, not I. I just felt bad that Bristol, as so many others, became an unmarried mom at a very young age. It was almost predictable....and sad. That's a real stretch to try to make a comparison. It's apples and oranges. Edie, I knew you didn't mean me.

[Varmit]

If I recall, it was the media that made Bristol newsworthy, not her mother.  It was the media that attacked Sarah Palin for having a pregnant unwed daughter when she stated that she stood on conservative principles.  Yet, very little attention was paid to obama when he didn't want his daughters "punished with a baby just because they made a mistake".

But all that really, is beside the point.  Which is that a supreme court justice doesn't need empathy, or to understand what it is like to be black, or poor or whatever.   What they need is to be able to read and apply the Consititution and administer Justice blindly and fairly.

[Diane Amberg]

The media sure didn't help the situation. As long as there is at least one woman on the supreme court, I'll agree. Speaking of the Constitution, have you ever read a newspaper copy of the time where some of the letters are written differently from what they are now? It can be tricky to read. At least it was in English so we don't have to rely on a translator. There are some sections that have changed and been bent over the years, but most have escape clauses.

[Varmit]

Yes, I have actually, and its not all that tricky.  Even a person with remedial reading skills can figure it out.  What does that have to do with anything?