News in recent months highlights the pressure women are under when involved in politics, and how being in the spotlight can affect their personal and public life.
This past week I watched portions of the grueling questioning of Judge Sonia Sotomayor. I was very impressed with the way Judge Sotomayor conducted herself under extreme pressure.
The white male establishment did their best to undermine and derail Sotomayor's obvious march to become the first Latina and third woman on the Supreme Court.
It was interesting to watch as the older white men (OWM) struggled to find any nugget that they could grab onto (much like a dog grabs a bone or piece of meat and hangs on for dear life) in order to see how many ways they could ask the same question.
It appeared to me that some of those OWMs are afraid of the Judge, specifically replacing a man (Souter) with a woman. OMG, what will the world come to if there is another woman on the highest court in the land? And a Latina, at that!
What cracked me up was that they clung to a phrase uttered in 2001, and they worried that her ethnic background might somehow play a role in her decisions.
Well, what part does being an older white male play in their decisions?
No matter where one is in life, the longer they live the more their background, ethnicity, and gender is going to play a role in the decisions they make. Come on guys, you know that. Isn't that why you were so worried? Are you afraid she won't play by your rules?
Good! We need another voice on the Court. We need someone who might have a different view of life and the law than an OWM. We need change and we need it now.
Here's hoping that Judge Sotomayor's advancement to the Supreme Court goes as quickly, and more smoothly, as the hearings this week. Congratulations for a job well done.
As for Sarah Palin...
Many will not agree with her decision to step down as Governor of Alaska, or the way Sarah Palin quit mid-term, but there is a valid reason why she did what she did that most men will not understand.
First of all, the so-called joke by David Letterman was too horrendous for words. That the 62-year-old male (Letterman) never did get that joking about a 33-year-old baseball player (Rodriguez) having inappropriate sex with a teenager (whether Bristol or Willow) is sick and disgusting shows how out of touch Letterman is with decency and good taste.
His half-baked so-called apology proves he is clueless when it comes to the lack of appropriateness of sick sexual jokes about female teenagers.
Secondly, Palin said in her announcement about stepping down from the Governorship that adults had been making inappropriate remarks about her young son who has Downs Syndrome. Inexplicable!
No wonder the mother of five was tired of the spotlight! What kind of society do we live in where senior-citizen talk show hosts and other adults can blast a public figures family and think their behavior is funny or appropriate?
No wonder this mother of five who loves her family decided to leave the spotlight for a time.
Those of us who have a sensitivity for how loving mothers, teenagers, and those who are handicapped should be treated, understand Governor Palin's desire to step out of the public eye for a season and concentrate on her family.
The David Letterman's of this world should be ashamed of their behavior. Unfortunately, he still doesn't "get it" and probably never will.
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