High court rules in favor of white firefighters
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court has ruled that white firefighters in New Haven, Conn., were unfairly denied promotions because of their race, reversing a decision that high court nominee Sonia Sotomayor endorsed as an appeals court judge.
New Haven was wrong to scrap a promotion exam because no African-Americans and only two Hispanic firefighters were likely to be made lieutenants or captains based on the results, the court said Monday in a 5-4 decision. The city said that it had acted to avoid a lawsuit from minorities.
The ruling could alter employment practices nationwide, potentially limiting the circumstances in which employers can be held liable for decisions when there is no evidence of intentional discrimination against minorities.
“Fear of litigation alone cannot justify an employer’s reliance on race to the detriment of individuals who passed the examinations and qualified for promotions,” Justice Anthony Kennedy said in his opinion for the court. He was joined by Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Samuel Alito, Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas.
Personally, I don’t have a problem with the ruling. It’s an important and probably needed tweaking of an evolving area of law.
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135 comments Add your comment
RW-(the original)
June 29th, 2009
11:10 am
Nothing like getting your race based decision reversed right before your hearings where you need to defend your own concept that you’ll make better decisions about race, and everything else for that matter, because of your race.
ByteMe
June 29th, 2009
11:13 am
Damned activist judges ignoring the law as it was written….
TnGelding
June 29th, 2009
11:13 am
Another 5-4 with Kennedy the swing vote. Are we a nation of laws or a lawless nation? Black eye for Sotomayor.
Mrs. Godzilla
June 29th, 2009
11:14 am
Judicial Activism is most certainly in the eye of the beholder!
I Report :-) You Whine :-(
June 29th, 2009
11:15 am
A racist ruling struck down by a common sense and law abiding court.
I’m sure Obozo will get right to work fixing this problem.
booger
June 29th, 2009
11:18 am
I’ll pass the word upstairs that Jay is OK with this decision.
@@
June 29th, 2009
11:23 am
O.K., we got that one out of the way. NOW! on her opinion of 2nd Amendment rights — that Latina’s wisdom is taking a turn towards squishy politics.
Paul:
Friedman wrote an article back in 2007 about geopolitics and the “Spoiling Attack”.
I knew it…I JUST KNEW IT!!!!!
You is a “Nadering” naybob. (ISH)
BTW, I don’t favor cutting one government bureaucracy’s largesse only to fund another’s. The opportunity for government abuse is too great.
Healthcare? Puh-leeze…
Jake
June 29th, 2009
11:28 am
The SC made a good decision, although just barely. Other than that, nothing happened. Put the self-avowed racist Sotomayor in for Souter and it’s still 5-4 for the firefighters.
ByteMe
June 29th, 2009
11:33 am
Booger’s dying?
Lord Help Us
June 29th, 2009
11:33 am
I wish we had a supreme court full of Kennedy’s…
God bless him. Instead of 8 predictably ideological votes and 1 tiebreaker, wouldn’t it be great to have 9 ‘tiebreakers.’
The substance of the debates and the intellectual underpinnings of the supremes rulings would substantiate our country’s foundation.
Our legislative and executive branches would respond accordingly.
I wonder, how many posters here TRULY wish for judicial independence…
Rightwing Troll
June 29th, 2009
11:34 am
I for one take great umbrage to the idea that law “evolves”. Evolution is a golden calf of the educated leftists, law is enacted by intelligent design, Law is designed by us godly, intelligent, conservatives, then written and then it is so for eternity and not to be defined, interpreted, or misconstrued by some godless, socialist, activist liberal judge.
RW-(the original)
June 29th, 2009
11:34 am
Madoff sentenced to 150 years. CNN thinks he probably won’t live out the term.
George American
June 29th, 2009
11:35 am
Once again, the conservative saviors behaving with common sense and righting the many wrongs of the horrible affirmative action travesties in the past.
Peadawg
June 29th, 2009
11:37 am
When are we going to have a blog about Obama raising the taxes on people making less than $250,000/yr to fund this new health care system? When are we going to have a blog about how many promises he’s broken?
Paul
June 29th, 2009
11:46 am
Hello @@
Nice article. I tended towards the third options, pretty much.
[[Let’s begin with something that is obviously true. When we consider Korea, Cuba, Vietnam, Iran and even Iraq, it is clear that the United States devoted only a tiny fraction of the military power it could have brought to bear if it wished.]]
My point. We spend gazillions, bring to bear only a fraction and the conventional Army is broken. Wonderful.
I will disagree a bit with the end of the analysis. Seemed to me a bit of backward-looking justification. “Hey, the Shia and Sunnis are fighting and getting weaker, so our stirring things up was a good thing and right in line with our plans..”
Nope.
Pentagon’s still bureaucracy and top heavy, with far too many dollars devoted to doing nice things for themselves.
I never woulda guessed you’re a Spiro Agnew fan!
And I pretty much favor cutting lots of gov’t programs and NOT transferring the money elswhere.
RW-(the original) 11:34
Justice!
You do realize you and AmVet and getalife are gonna have a drink together over this sentence, don’t you?
Doggone/GA
June 29th, 2009
11:47 am
“When are we going to have a blog about Obama raising the taxes on people making less than $250,000/yr to fund this new health care system?”
Maybe when a decision is actually MADE?
pat
June 29th, 2009
11:52 am
Good. I am sure that Sotomyer would argue that her race prompted her to make the correct decsion and the high court is wrong. After all, a hispanic woman is endowed by her Creator with better and wiser judicial prowess.
Normal
June 29th, 2009
11:53 am
How can you call her racist, she ruled against two hispanics, didn’t she?
Brad Steel
June 29th, 2009
11:55 am
pat,
you should be more candid with your stance by referencing Sotomayor as a “beaner.”
thomas
June 29th, 2009
11:56 am
So your feeling on the matter have changed bookman?
Because when the first debate of this topic came up, you defended Sotomayor and her decision in this case, claiming it was not discrimination.
Why the sudden change of heart without any reason as to why?
Thats right you are the liberal Rush, you don’t have to have actual reasons why you believe what you do. You just need to make sure that it goes in favor of democrats and that your views are oppossed to anything republican.
What a joke that you and others here actually take you seriously. At one time you were good, even great, but you have been moved to allow yourself to be a tool for the democrat party and may I say what a tool you have become.
Does your integrity even matter to you anymore?
I Report :-) You Whine :-(
June 29th, 2009
12:01 pm
Cheney fears Iraq withdrawal will ‘waste’ U.S. sacrifices…
I disagree.
It is time for the Iraqi Security Forces to stand on their own.
With massive US firepower close by.
Give the Iraq people their country.
DB, Gwinnettian
June 29th, 2009
12:06 pm
CNN thinks he probably won’t live out the term.
RW watches the TeeVee so we don’t have to.
RW-(the original)
June 29th, 2009
12:10 pm
RW watches the TeeVee so we don’t have to
Do you have a point, DB?
Normal
June 29th, 2009
12:12 pm
I Report
You Whine 
June 29th, 2009
12:01 pm
Cheney fears Iraq withdrawal will ‘waste’ U.S. sacrifices…
I disagree.
It is time for the Iraqi Security Forces to stand on their own.
With massive US firepower close by.
Give the Iraq people their country.
———————
Dammit WHINER, now you’ve done it! You made me agree with you…you must be closer to the left than you let on…Just kiddin’…
Normal
June 29th, 2009
12:15 pm
Brad Steel
June 29th, 2009
11:55 am
pat,
you should be more candid with your stance by referencing Sotomayor as a “beaner.”
——————
I can see it now…Clarence and the Bean…
booger
June 29th, 2009
12:17 pm
Peadawg,
Don’t hold your breath on an Obama topic. This only happens when Obama does something clearly right, or if the topic is non controversial. Neither of these happen that often.
We have, however had three Palin and four Stanford topics during the last week, along with a riveting blog on Southern Baptist, and a few on Bush/Cheney.
You need to get used to this fare. When the Dems. are in power we’ll talk about Repubs., until the Repubs. get back into power, then we can talk about Repubs.
DB, Gwinnettian
June 29th, 2009
12:21 pm
Do you have a point, DB?
Sure. You watch the TeeVee and tell us what it says. this is a valuable public service.
As for the topic at hand–what? the SCOTUS ruling 5-4 in favor of talk radio? knock me over with a feather.
david wayne osedach
June 29th, 2009
12:23 pm
It is about time for this ruling. We have elected our first black President who is hugely popular. No more discrimination – reverse discrimination!
Eddy
June 29th, 2009
12:35 pm
‘Splain to me how a test to become a lieutenant, captain or any other promotion within the firefighter ranks can be racially biased!!! A fire is a fire; water is water; hoses are hoses; protocol to be followed in fighting the fire is the same for all, etc. If any person is so dumb as to not be able to pass the test, it’s probably best that they not be promoted! Qualifications are not the issue….quotas are and the SC said NO to those who sought throw out the results of the test and just promote those ’cause, ’cause it just feels good and the numbers must be improved at the expense of qualifications.
TnGelding
June 29th, 2009
12:39 pm
I Report
You Whine 
June 29th, 2009
12:01 pm
Nice!
Turd Ferguson
June 29th, 2009
12:45 pm
Its about time some common sense prevailed.
@@
June 29th, 2009
12:48 pm
Paul:
Third options? …as did I.
The heated rhetoric surrounding the Iraq conflict stems from the traditional American inability to hold things in perspective.
Which is why I enjoy Stratfor. They tune out the noise and get down to the business at hand.
This is the part you disagree with?
But there is an underlying order to U.S. foreign policy that makes the apparent chaos of policymaking understandable and rational.
Given the fact that the strategic interests of other nations can turn on a dime, depending on “surrounding nation’s” strategic interests, I’ll go with keeping the chessboard on tilt.
Who the heck is Spiro Agnew? Sounds botanical.
ByteMe
June 29th, 2009
12:49 pm
Whiner @ 12:01, is this an Invasion of the Body Snatchers moment?
getalife
June 29th, 2009
12:50 pm
Affirmative action for white folks.
Redneck Convert
June 29th, 2009
12:54 pm
Well, I see this Madoff got 150 years. My buddy Jim Earl about pegged it. One day you’re playing golf at the ritziest country club in the country, with more money than 10,000 people could make together in a lifetime, and the next day you’re headed for the hoosegow to do two lifetimes. That’s life for you. If Madoff was smart he would of done the crimes against poor people. You can kill a poor person and get maybe 7 years. But if you take anything from rich people with money to invest you’re down for the count and looking at 150 years. Heck, a ax murderer of 15 people wouldn’t of got 150 years.
Anyhow, I told you all this equal rights junk was going to cause all kind of trouble. Now they’re saying it ain’t right to keep from promoting white people when Those People ain’t promoted too. Next thing we’ll be reading about is a big lawsuit by Those People saying that the city run afoul of the equal rights laws. It will go on and on for years till it gets to the Supreme Court, and who knows what that court will look like 8 or 9 years from now? Probly 5 or 6 of Those People and 4 or 5 cookie-bakers. Then this SC ruling today will get overturned and we’ll be back where it all started. I reckon the law is whatever the Supreme Court at the time says it is. Seems to me we ought to be electing the Supreme Court.
That’s my opinion and it’s very true. Have a good p.m. everybody.
clyde
June 29th, 2009
12:55 pm
A good decision from the Supreme court,except for the four votes to uphold Sotomayer.This should have been a no-brainer,but as usual it wasn’t.Half of the sitting judges are not there to interpret the law.I guess you have to use your empathy to decide which half.
I Report :-) You Whine :-(
June 29th, 2009
12:57 pm
A couple of things, this is Bush’s Status of Forces Agreement withdrawal date, I have no idea why Cheney would object to it now instead of when it was negotiated. It’s almost as though his whining is politically motivated.
The Iraqi government cannot rely on us to fight the terrorists forever, and the quicker they learn to do it on their own, the sooner they will become proficient at it. And there will be no better beacon of democracy in the Middle East than having the freely elected leaders of Iraq slaughtering Islamic lunatics in service of protecting their citizens.
So let’s get on with it.
Normal
June 29th, 2009
12:59 pm
CLYDE: I guess you have to use your empathy to decide which half.
———————
That’s what empathy is for…
ByteMe
June 29th, 2009
12:59 pm
Confusing day at SCOTUS. They also overturned Missouri’s attempt to keep crazy disruptive people from a Kansas church 300 feet away from dead servicemen’s funerals.
Shawny
June 29th, 2009
1:00 pm
12:50, no, this is a decision not to make a preference based on skin color, which is wrong. The SC decision was correct, despite the effort of 4 of the 9. It makes me wonder about those 4. Preference based on skin color was wrong way back in the day and is wrong now. End it, no matter if the color is white.
ByteMe
June 29th, 2009
1:01 pm
And there will be no better beacon of democracy in the Middle East than having the freely elected leaders of Iraq slaughtering Islamic lunatics in service of protecting their citizens.
Or:
And there will be no better beacon of the status quo in the Middle East than having the freely elected leaders of Iraq slaughtering their citizens in service of protecting Islamic lunatics.
The outcome is uncertain even now.
Normal
June 29th, 2009
1:01 pm
AWRIGHT ALIEN, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH WHINER?!!…
getalife
June 29th, 2009
1:04 pm
The SC will still be 5-4 with RW activists still winning.
getalife
June 29th, 2009
1:09 pm
Iraq declared victory and they will celebrate their Independence day from another occupation.
Another tragic mistake that Congress will apologize in a hundred years like slavery and Jim Crow.
Watch for the Great Britain’s public inquiry to see the proof of this mistake.
Our government will cover it up as usual.
Bosch
June 29th, 2009
1:10 pm
Anthony Kennedy is one of the most powerful men in our country right now.
jconservative
June 29th, 2009
1:16 pm
Guys, Sotomayor made the correct decision from her seat on the Appeals Court. We do not want Appeals Court judges making “policy” – legislating from the bench in other words. If we must legislate from the bench, lets let the Supreme Court do it – there is only one of them to keep honest. And, if you guys will stop voting for incumbents we may one day get some people in the legislature who will tackle the touchy issues.
clyde
June 29th, 2009
1:16 pm
Normal,
As a judge I might empathize with a woman who murders an abusive mate,but I don’t let her off.
Wyld Byll Hyltnyr
June 29th, 2009
1:19 pm
Now, if only we could remove affirmative action and our callow, inexperienced president for the White House, now wouldn’t that be “loverly.”
Palin/Jindahl in 2012 – change that makes sense replaces change that is nonsense.
Normal
June 29th, 2009
1:22 pm
Clyde, I think I’d call it self defense…
Paul
June 29th, 2009
1:23 pm
@@
The part I disagreed with had to do with the backward looking “well, this good thing happened, so maybe what we did (even though we didn’t see it coming) was pretty good after all.
You know I like Stratfor. I hear plenty cast stones, but I’ve yet to hear anyone take take issue with an analysis.
Agnew? Nixon’s VP. Disgraced, resigned, like alliteration. “Nattering nabobs of negativism.”
He’s also the one who coined the phrase “the silent majority.”
I had a bumper sticker: “The Majority is Not Silent. The Government is Deaf.”
Report/Whine gets one pat on the back. The usual suspects are silent.
That’s telling -
@@
June 29th, 2009
1:23 pm
Heaven help us! Karzai is already accusing coalition forces of wrongdoing?
Do we really wanna go whole-hog in Afghanistan? Pakistan’s getting aggressive but they don’t have enough forces to cover their eastern and western “boundaries”. With one strategically located suicide bomber, Mehsud has succeeded in putting India on the defensive and the Pakistani front off balance.
The militants’ war at bargain basement prices — one fanatic and a pound of explosives’ll get er done.
Obama seeks insurance through AfPak.
I hope you leftists are happy! This is gonna be beyond the scale of anything you saw in Iraq.
No mention of Al Qaeda. That’s because they’re no longer significant in the grand jihadist scheme.
BTW, a recent poll had indicated that were elections held today, Fatah would successfully defeat Hamas.
Seek and ye shall Find
June 29th, 2009
1:26 pm
…It is now well established that DES, a synthetic estrogen given to many pregnant women from the 1930s to the 1970s to prevent miscarriages, caused abnormalities in the children. They seemed fine at birth, but girls born to those women have been more likely to develop misshaped sexual organs and cancer…
Well, sometimes it just does not pay to try and upset the natural order of things by attempting to play God. Of course, it’s not like the guys escaped unharmed:
In the Potomac watershed near Washington, male smallmouth bass have rapidly transformed into “intersex fish” that display female characteristics. This was discovered only in 2003, but the latest survey found that more than 80 percent of the male smallmouth bass in the Potomac are producing eggs.
Now scientists are connecting the dots with evidence of increasing abnormalities among humans, particularly large increases in numbers of genital deformities among newborn boys. For example, up to 7 percent of boys are now born with undescended testicles, although this often self-corrects over time. And up to 1 percent of boys in the United States are now born with hypospadias, in which the urethra exits the penis improperly, such as at the base rather than the tip.
Don’t worry though. After all, the lawyers from the big corporations that make these chemicals are all quick to tell you that there is no conclusive proof that their product does anything other than what it does, or something like that. Anyway, I’m sure that once the cases get to the courts, we’ll have plenty of good judges there to defend the innocent from any unneeded harassment or improperly massive settlements, etc.
Jake
June 29th, 2009
1:26 pm
Good idea jconservative, let’s just do away with appealate courts period. You get one fair trial and you live, or die, with the results. Of course Ricci and friends would have stayed screwed under that system, but there is no Constitutional right to justice anyway.
RealityKing
June 29th, 2009
1:29 pm
For clear thinking people, the correct step is always to change the test BEFORE it is taken.
Or.., like our progressive education system in Cobb has done, remove the grades all together and substitute a numeric value. As if saying I’m a #1 makes those #3′er FEEL any better(eyes rolling).
Paul
June 29th, 2009
1:33 pm
I’m a bit surprised no one’s keyed in on this:
“The city said that it had acted to avoid a lawsuit from minorities.”
What was the evidence of discrimination? One minority candidate passed. Even if not intentional, under current law that’s evidence, in itself, of discrimination. That’s disparate impact in action. And that leads to lawsuits.
Like Jay said, it was time to tweak the law.
Bosch
June 29th, 2009
1:36 pm
This thread is boring.
Paul
June 29th, 2009
1:41 pm
Hey Bosch
Just sitting here waiting for some stuff to come in from a customer. Whadda ya wanna talk about? Shamwow sales?
G Gordon Liddy.
June 29th, 2009
1:41 pm
Nixons only sin was getting caught.
Bosch
June 29th, 2009
1:46 pm
The Shamwow guy is in jail – or so I heard.
How ’bout cheese? Ya’ wanna talk cheese? I like cheese.
Doggone/GA
June 29th, 2009
1:47 pm
“As a judge I might empathize with a woman who murders an abusive mate,but I don’t let her off”
No, certainly not, but your empathy ought to lead you to give her a life sentence instead of the death penalty.
Bosch
June 29th, 2009
1:48 pm
Paul,
Here’s the story – I’ll bet he’s out now:
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2009/0327092sham1.html
Sad. We can’t have him peddling our t-shirts – what a loser.
Sister Souljah
June 29th, 2009
1:48 pm
Sotomayor has been “B!tchslapped”…….
Homer Simpson
June 29th, 2009
1:52 pm
mmmmmmm, cheese……….
Doggone/GA
June 29th, 2009
1:52 pm
“Sotomayor has been “B!tchslapped”…….”
Hardly. The decision she AND the other members of the court made was reversed. So? No one’s perfect, not even a group of judges. If you’re waiting for a “perfect person” for the Supreme Court you’ll have to wait for the Second Coming.
Paul
June 29th, 2009
1:53 pm
Bosch
Shows you how much I follow this stuff. I thought Billy Mays hawked shamwows.
I like cheese. But not mice. Unless they’re Disney mice. They’re okay.
Just went into a Sam’s Club with my brother in law. Quite a place. BIG packages for BIG people, it would seem. Found a two-yr aged, Italian, Parmesian-Reggiano for 12 bucks a pound. About half the rate in a normal market. I bought one.
And Walmart has Cabot superduper shaaaaarp cheddar. Almost as good as real New York state sharp. Excellent for macaroni and cheese. (Yes, one can make that without a box of Kraft).
Paul
June 29th, 2009
1:59 pm
anyone know why a post ‘awaits moderation?” And why it shows up while it’s a-waiting?
Normal
June 29th, 2009
2:01 pm
PAUL: Your mac and cheese offer. I used to put peas and chopped ham in homemade mac and cheese and bake it. It was the only way I could get my kids to eat peas…It was a good eat too…
Bosch
June 29th, 2009
2:04 pm
Paul,
My cats have been bringing me dead mice, chipmunks, and moles all weekend. I’ve kicked about 5 of them off my deck. God bless ‘em, they do good things, and they want me to be proud.
The other Bosch and I are making two pans of mac ‘n cheese tonight. One for us and the other to share – friend just had baby – glad it’s them and not us.
The last time I went to Whole Foods they had a whole block of Parmesean cheese – I almost cried. I think I hugged it (made sure no one was watching). Whole Foods is like my own personal Disney World.
DB, Gwinnettian
June 29th, 2009
2:05 pm
This thread is boring
We could start predicting the Senate confirmation vote on Sotomayor.
Put me down for 66-34 confirming (and,yes, that does add up to 100–let’s assume Senator Al’s seated by then.)
I’ll also predict 367 gratuitous posts to Jay’s blog from insecure white men calling the next Justice a “racist” between now and then.
you?
Bosch
June 29th, 2009
2:05 pm
My posts usually await moderation if there’s a bad word in them – but the bad word usually isn’t a bad word. Weird. When I actually use bad words, it goes right on through.
Seek and ye shall Find
June 29th, 2009
2:07 pm
Y’all are bored! Talking about cutting cheese and the wholesome foods that help the process. Have you tried beano.
DB, Gwinnettian
June 29th, 2009
2:09 pm
anyone know why a post ‘awaits moderation?” And why it shows up while it’s a-waiting?
Paul, it only shows up for the person who submitted the comment, not for the rest of the world.
It’s happened to me, on a couple of occasions, when I couldn’t imagine what I could’ve posted that would get tagged by the filter. Jay’s mentioned a few times that it works in mysterious ways. (and no-so-mysterious too… one time I slipped and used a popular Internet bowdlerization of a word synonymous with “poop” that begins with “s”, wherein the “i” was represented by an exclamation mark. It doesn’t seem to like that any more. Just as well I guess.)
Seek and ye shall Find
June 29th, 2009
2:11 pm
You just never know what sort of crap will get you these days. Therefore, one should always use moderation when selecting words to post.
Bosch
June 29th, 2009
2:14 pm
DB,
I’ll go a little higher margin with 82-18 (Saxby Chambliss being one of those 18 – I think he’d go blind if he voted for anything in favor of Obama). I think all the Sotomayer hollerin’ is over. You know when Obama does anything, even get a cheeseburger, there’s got to be hollerin’ over it by the GOP. I think they got it out of their systems early enough.
Paul
June 29th, 2009
2:15 pm
Normal
My kids would eat anything with ketchup.
Was in a steakhouse a while back. Placard on the table said “don’t even THINK about asking for ketchup.”
Bosch
Whole Foods is proof of God’s existence.
DB, Gwinnettian
Don’t have a number, but I’m betting a few more will vote for confirmation. There will always be those who wait to see if it’s gonna pass (duhhhhhhhhh) then will cast whatever vote panders to whichever constituency they need.
Bosch
Can you see anything of mine at 1:49? Does the BlogGod think ‘Sotomayor’ is a bad word? It probably didn’t show up in their dictionary database.
Seek
If we’re talking food we’re not bored.
Beano? Why Beano? I like lilacs….
getalife
June 29th, 2009
2:16 pm
Madoff gets 150 years.
Now, if both sides of partisan hacks would demand the end of cover ups and accountability for Iraq, torture and the melt down, we might just get back on track.
Enogh with the partisan bs.
Both parties need accountability to clean up Washington.
Paul
June 29th, 2009
2:17 pm
yup, it did
Bosch
June 29th, 2009
2:21 pm
Paul,
Nope – no 1:49 – apparently you have po’ed the blog gods.
Beano? Part of the fun of gas is getting rid of it! Just hopefully not in the company of others.
“Whole Foods is proof of God’s existence”
Yeap. I see God everytime I walk in (seriously, he likes the bulk grains – says it’s good for the colon)
josef nix
June 29th, 2009
2:23 pm
BOSCH–Jarlesberg for strong, havarti for mild, and I don’t care what anybody says, Velveeta!
Paul
June 29th, 2009
2:24 pm
Geez. I just wondered, given Judge Sotomayor’s ‘perfunctory disposition’ of the case and her failure to address the issues brought up on appeal, if she has the intellectual capacity to wrestle with the issues that come before the Court?
josef nix
June 29th, 2009
2:27 pm
Beans? Add a really good Mexican white just before serving and don’t worry, everybody knows their own farts don’t stink, just read through a day’s posts here (mine included!) Jus’ sayin’
To get rid of farts in beans, add a tbsp of baking soda 10 mins before serving–watch the bubbles!
@@
June 29th, 2009
2:28 pm
‘Ya gotta luv watchin’ Putin operate. Out of necessity Obama is conceding on sump’n, don’t know what but transport into Afghanistan is sho ’nuff opening up. On the other side, Netanyahu has asked that Russia not sell Iran missile systems. Russia’s response?
“Due to the economic crisis, Russia has already signed a contract and received payment. They need the income. BUT!!! they also suggested that Israel could buy the systems or find a third party buyer.”
Alrighty din! Back to the hedges.
AmVet
June 29th, 2009
2:28 pm
If you REAL conservatives wanna win next time around, stick to your values and forget those never beens Palin and Jindal.
Sanford/Vitter 2012 – a comely combination…
Paul
June 29th, 2009
2:29 pm
josef
Doesn’t that wipe out the B vitamins? Just toss the soak water and rinse well. Add enough bacon grease and you’ll never notice the flavor loss!
@@
June 29th, 2009
2:30 pm
The Queen’s Stilton!!!!
The one food to which I’m addicted.
Vewy es-pensive.
Normal
June 29th, 2009
2:31 pm
Beano? Baking soda? If I took those, I couldn’t play “Pull My Finger” with the Grandkids….
Normal
June 29th, 2009
2:32 pm
If you really need to, a tsp of ginger while cooking them is good, too
josef nix
June 29th, 2009
2:35 pm
As for the topic at hand, not having read either the majority opinion nor the dissenting opinion, I’ll reserve any more than a general comment. Being myself of a classification long subject to discriminatory quotas, I’ve never been comfortable with any discrimination, positive or negative. The expressed desire to avoid lawsuits speaks volumes.
Madoff: bring back the stocks! And, no, this is not hyperbole…:-)
DB, Gwinnettian
June 29th, 2009
2:35 pm
Geez. I just wondered, given Judge Sotomayor’s ‘perfunctory disposition’ of the case and her failure to address the issues brought up on appeal, if she has the intellectual capacity to wrestle with the issues that come before the Court?
Assuming that this is not a joke… you can always review some of her noteworthy decisions here and decide for yourself if she’s some airhead.
As for you and Bosch thinking more GOP senators will vote to confirm–hey, you guys might be right. I figure there wouldn’t be that much of a downside for a fair number, and plenty of fundraising points to score (I voted against that evil affirmative action hire! so gimme money). But I shouldn’t discount the very real prospect of losing swing voters who happen to be hispanic, which is probably more of a factor to more of these guys than I’m realizing.
Doggone/GA
June 29th, 2009
2:38 pm
” just wondered, given Judge Sotomayor’s ‘perfunctory disposition’ of the case and her failure to address the issues brought up on appeal, if she has the intellectual capacity to wrestle with the issues that come before the Court?”
Short answer: yes
josef nix
June 29th, 2009
2:38 pm
Nutmeg will do the trick, too. Paul–bacon grease, mmm! Couldn’t cook without it!
josef nix
June 29th, 2009
2:41 pm
Having read over some of Judge Sotomayor’s decisions, I would be interested myself in knowing how she would have voted. She’s a wild card and, in my opinion, that’s something long needed on the court.
Doggone/GA
June 29th, 2009
2:43 pm
“She’s a wild card and, in my opinion, that’s something long needed on the court.”
I wouldn’t argue that. Keep ‘em guessing!
Normal
June 29th, 2009
2:44 pm
Hyperbole? Rub Ben Gay on it…
josef nix
June 29th, 2009
2:47 pm
Normal:
“Hyperbole? Rub Ben Gay on it…”
Got that, Jay?
RealityKing
June 29th, 2009
2:49 pm
Wild card!?? More like a 4 of clubs.
Sotomayor 4
Supreme Court 6
Paul
June 29th, 2009
2:49 pm
DB
No joke. Just thought I’d pre-empt the point, as it will most assuredly be made.
I stated right after she was nominated – as we get into this and more and more comes out, I’m betting many on the farfarleft are gonna be just as ticked as those on the hardright when they hear about some of her decisions ‘favoring’ corporations and government.
Personally, I don’t care for it when appeals court judges punt. I think they’re ducking their responsibility.
@@
You do know that’s the only real blue variety, don’t you?
josef nix/DoggoneGA
Great… now we’re gonna havta read all the posts lambasting you for the implications of calling her ‘wild.’ But if you leave that off and just call her a card, does that mean she has a good sense of humor? Hope so. That Ginsburg looks like she could use some cheering up!
josef nix
June 29th, 2009
2:49 pm
The Unmentionable just brought me in some home-made cabbage rolls, Polish recipe–exotic farts!
Paul
June 29th, 2009
2:51 pm
josef
With tomato sauce? You gotta post the recipe. Just do it on a Friday afternoon and put ‘off topic’ at the top.
Why?
June 29th, 2009
2:51 pm
Why would anyone want to remove the gas-causing properties of beans? Flatulence is fun. Dinner and a show for one low price. C’mon, people.
Roy Lee
June 29th, 2009
2:55 pm
So no blacks passed the promotion exam and only a few hispanics passed. Maybe taking your education a little more seriously could help correct that.
josef nix
June 29th, 2009
2:55 pm
Paul–heh, heh! But you know the latins ARE a colorful and happy people! Whew, don’t Ginsburg look like she had sawteeth for breakfast? She reminds me of one of my high school English teachers. She didn’t like hyperbole much either!
cranky old man
June 29th, 2009
2:57 pm
Personally, I don’t see it as a problem if a given population, whether it’s a student body or a workforce, is not proportionately representative of the overall population, as long as it’s not the result of deliberate discrimination. The test in question was a promotion exam, not an entrance exam. In order to be eligible to take the test for promotion to lieutenant or captain, I would assume one would need to be a graduate of a firefighting academy plus have several years experience as a firefighter, which would include advanced and recurrent training. With the same training and experience, I don’t see how one racial group or another would have an inherent advantage or disadvantage on a test of job knowledge.
Affirmative action, in its current form, is trying to correct the wrong inequities. Very few jobs worth having are ever really open to competition. The old adage, “It’s not what you know; it’s whom you know” is as apt today as it ever was. People see organizational charts that have most or all of the top positions filled by white males, and they jump to the conclusion there must be some scheme in place to exclude women and minorities. I suspect, however, that in most cases it’s not so much discrimination “against” certain groups as much as it is discrimination “for” people who are members of the right networks. People who are members of the same social circles, churches, fraternities, or country clubs, or whose fathers were college roommates of the guys who are doing the hiring always have the advantage. And, while it might be accurate to say most of the members of these networks are white, I don’t think it’s accurate to say that most white people are members. Those who are not members are in the same boat as minorities when competing against the “connected.” So now, with affirmative action, those few opportunities that might otherwise be open to actual competition automatically have a certain percentage of slots declared off-limits to non-minorities.
josef nix
June 29th, 2009
2:59 pm
PAUL–will do, the “secret” V-8 juice and a dash of Snap E Tom…
Doggone/GA
June 29th, 2009
3:00 pm
“I suspect, however, that in most cases it’s not so much discrimination “against” certain groups as much as it is discrimination “for” people who are members of the right networks.”
Discrimination is discrimination – for or against, it’s the same thing. Any discrimination “for” someone is discrimination “against” somone else. This is nothing more than a distinction without a difference.
josef nix
June 29th, 2009
3:05 pm
Okay, fart blossoms, family story time:
I was three years old when Sputnik when up. Uncle Ralph took me and my eight year old brother out to watch the wonder. My brother was having trouble understanding how “it got up there.” Uncle Ralph said just watch and I’ll explain it later down at the shop. “Down at the shop” was the magic word. It was his sanctum sanctorum and it was a VERY special invitation. He rolled his own and used kitchen matches. Well, with no preliminaries, he struck the match, cut a loud one, lit and said “that, boys, is jet propulsion.” Methinks he’d be glad to see a “beaner” on the high court!
@@
June 29th, 2009
3:06 pm
Paul:
You do know that’s the only real blue variety
I do! which is probably why it stinks.
TnGelding
June 29th, 2009
3:07 pm
We do like to eat! And me with an intestinal disorder.
josef nix
June 29th, 2009
3:07 pm
Cranky Old Man: “It’s not what you know OR who you know, but WHAT you know on who you know.”–Uncle Ralph
Doggone/GA
June 29th, 2009
3:11 pm
““It’s not what you know OR who you know, but WHAT you know on who you know.”–Uncle Ralph”
Wasn’t it Lyndon Johnson who said “I never trust a man unless I have his balls in my pocket”?
Frederick Douglass
June 29th, 2009
3:12 pm
Well apparently those firemen in New Haven are better educated than 3/4
of the rubes on this blog. I’m black, and I’d love to get a crack at that exam just for s*h*ts and giggles.
TnGelding
June 29th, 2009
3:12 pm
I’m sure y’all heard this a few times: Aunt after a burp, “I just robbed my butt of a fart.”
josef nix
June 29th, 2009
3:14 pm
Doggone–hold onto your hat, I wholeheartedly agree with your 3:00!
I Report :-) You Whine :-(
June 29th, 2009
3:19 pm
Many of those admitted had apparently suffered severe trauma. In the previous night, the student said, nine patients in the hospital where he works had died of their injuries; some 28 patients had bullet wounds. According to the student, government workers arrived in the early morning hours and took away the dead “on flatbed trucks, before we could even get their names or any other information.”
You think the murderous Iranian mullahs have made their choice yet, Obozo?
Normal
June 29th, 2009
3:19 pm
Paul
June 29th, 2009
2:15 pm
Normal
My kids would eat anything with ketchup.
———————
PAUL: Do you know the history of katsup? Invented by/for the British Navy back in the 1600s or so to hide the odor and flavor of rancid salt pork. When I was in the Navy and I saw alot of katsup out, I looked real hard at the meat offering, and usually decided on a PB&J…
josef nix
June 29th, 2009
3:19 pm
Doggone–are you an LBJ fan? He said of Bobby Kennedy when Lady Bird told him not to get in a dither about him, he was tougher than that “well just because you have the hide of an elephant doesn’t mean the darts of a Pygmy don’t sting!”
Normal
June 29th, 2009
3:22 pm
Somebody farted in a bathroom stall at work and I told him to quit talking politics…
Normal
June 29th, 2009
3:25 pm
WHINER, You’re back…Thank G-d, those aliens let you go…
cranky old man
June 29th, 2009
3:28 pm
Doggone/GA:
“Discrimination is discrimination – for or against, it’s the same thing. Any discrimination “for” someone is discrimination “against” somone else. This is nothing more than a distinction without a difference.”
The difference is that minorities are not the only ones disadvantaged. There are also a large number of non-minority aspirants who are left out in the cold for most decent jobs because they don’t have the right connections. And now they are doubly disadvantaged because even when there are competitive positions available to be awarded based on objective criteria, the objective criteria will be ignored specifically to exclude them if the results do not yield a sufficient number of qualified minorities.
TnGelding
June 29th, 2009
3:34 pm
Paul
June 29th, 2009
1:53 pm
But it’s not as good, per Chelsea Clinton.
From LexisNexis:
Rack of lamb was Hillary Rodham Clinton’s go-to meal. President Bill Clinton would have been happy with barbecued ribs every night of the week. Daughter Chelsea loved her Kraft mac and cheese, no matter how hard the White House chef tried to convert her to homemade. President Bush was up front: no soup, no salads, no greens and no “wet fish” – a real head scratcher for the White House chef. Unlike her husband, Laura Bush was crazy for healthful foods, especially organics.
josef nix
June 29th, 2009
3:37 pm
TnGelding: don’t trust nobody that don’t eat greens!
Gandalf, the White! (!)
June 29th, 2009
3:47 pm
The last conservative ruling ever, nice to have them guys win!
Gandalf, the White! (!)
June 29th, 2009
3:48 pm
Frederick Douglass: You’d still be putting our fires for the “man”, just sayin’
Normal
June 29th, 2009
3:51 pm
Hey, that’s my line…
I Report :-) You Whine :-(
June 29th, 2009
3:56 pm
Just another day in Chicago, where guns are “illegal-”
Tijuan Edwards, 18, was talking to a 25-year-old man in the street at 1916 S. Trumbull Ave. when multiple gunmen approached on foot and shot both men. Edwards was dead on the scene, and the 25-year-old was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital with gunshot wounds to the left arm, chin and thigh, police said.
About 11:20 p.m. Friday, Jovon Lee, 24, was fatally shot at 5928 S. Maplewood Ave., and was dead on the scene, the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office said. Police found Lee shot in the neck.
About 2 a.m. Saturday, a man was fatally shot across the street from his Northwest Side home. Melvin Vallejo, 29, of 6100 W. Diversey Ave., was shot at 6105 W. Diversey Ave. and was dead on the scene, the medical examiner’s office said. Police said Vallejo was involved in an argument that became violent and he was shot in the head.
About 2:20 a.m. Saturday, a man was fatally shot on the South Side. Rodrick Scott, 21, of an unidentified home address, was pronounced dead about an hour later at 3:34 a.m. at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, after he was found shot on the 1000 block of West 60th Street.
Streets were quiet until Saturday night, when Ricardo Valdez, 20, was shot at 5924 S. Whipple St. and later pronounced dead. Police responded to the shooting at 8:18 p.m., according to police, who said the man was confronted on the street by six Hispanic men who fled south from Whipple Street after firing shots.
Also Saturday evening, Willie Short, 38, was shot and killed as he drove and ultimately crashed into a fence Saturday night at 4103 W. Madison St. in the West Garfield Park neighborhood, authorities said.
When guns are illegal, only criminals have guns.
Dusty
June 29th, 2009
4:02 pm
I wasted almost an hour reading this thing and nobody even mentioned the weather.
Please don’t quote Mark Twain. I’ve heard it. I’VE HEARD IT!
Frederick Douglass
June 29th, 2009
4:05 pm
“You’d still be putting OUR fires for the “man”, that’s exactly why I’d
most likely be “the man”.
josef nix
June 29th, 2009
4:12 pm
DUSTY–funny you should mention it. Just went out for a minute and came back in and told the Unmentionable “there’s a nice breeze and just the faintest hint of fall in the air” “Yeah, dream on…it’s still hot as h*ll and I’m not budging til October.”
md
June 29th, 2009
4:51 pm
“Both parties need accountability to clean up Washington.”
And that is why it will never happen. They will both fight tooth and nail to be sure accountability is for some of the masses, but never for themselves.
Paul
June 29th, 2009
4:57 pm
Normal
Thanks for the ketchup trivia!
TNGelding
Good luck with that intestinal prob. Thought about some of those health food bacteria pills? I know it can be miserable, but count your blessings. It could be worse. My son developed ulcerative colitis a bit ago – was 30. He now has no large intestine. It was a hellish nearly two years before the three major surgeries. And part of that was horrid, also. But he has a great attitude and he’s doing great.
No matter how bad it gets, someone else has it worse.
Tell It Like It Is
June 29th, 2009
5:36 pm
Does anyone know where the questions on the Connecticut test can be found? It would be interesting to see how the whites and Latinos managed to pass while all the blacks did not.
Paul
June 29th, 2009
6:10 pm
Tell it
I haven’t been able to find the exam. It was done by a private firm under contract to the city. Here’s a pretty good summary of the events:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricci_v._DeStefano
TnGelding
June 29th, 2009
6:30 pm
Paul
June 29th, 2009
4:57 pm
Congratulations to your son for his attitude and perseverance. I’ve been battling it for nearly 40 years and I’m trying to keep my gut. I should have had another operation a couple of years back, now I’m just not up to it mentally or physically. The bad thing is I have a ravenous appetite, which is a good thing, but I can’t eat very much and just a few foods.
Thanks for your sentiment. I think of that last line often.
Chesters Maker
June 29th, 2009
6:42 pm
I guess that Latino woman is a dumbazz…
TnGelding
June 29th, 2009
6:53 pm
Tell It Like It Is
June 29th, 2009
5:36 pm
Another summary:
http://www.ctlawtribune.com/getarticle.aspx?id=32076
ACLU the good guys again?
Another tact:
http://www.newhavenindependent.org/archives/2009/06/minority_firefi.php