Photo Dump
Dear Lord! Take a look at that dump!
Senate Confirms Sotomayor
Aug 7th
WASHINGTON (CNN) — Judge Sonia Sotomayor, who rose from the housing projects of the Bronx to the top of the legal profession, made history Thursday when the Senate confirmed her to become the nation’s first Hispanic Supreme Court justice.
Sotomayor was easily confirmed in a 68-31 vote. Nine Republicans joined a unanimous Democratic caucus in supporting her nomination.
Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Massachusetts, supported Sotomayor but was not present for the vote because of illness.
Sotomayor, a 55-year-old federal appeals court judge, will be the 111th person to sit on the high court and the third female justice.
She will be sworn in at the Supreme Court by Chief Justice John Roberts on Saturday.
President Obama, who selected Sotomayor on May 26, said he was “deeply gratified” by the Senate vote.
“This is a wonderful day for Judge Sotomayor and her family, but I also think it’s a wonderful day for America,” Obama said at the White House. Video Watch Obama’s remarks »
Watching the final vote with friends and family at the federal courthouse in Manhattan, Sotomayor was confirmed after senators spent a final day of debate rehashing arguments for and against her.
Democrats continued to praised Sotomayor as a fair and impartial jurist with an extraordinary life story. Many Republicans portrayed her as a judicial activist intent on reinterpreting the law to conform with her own liberal political beliefs.
Among other things, Republican opponents emphasized concerns over her statements and rulings on hot-button issues such as gun control, affirmative action and property rights. See how Sotomayor measures up with her new colleagues »
They also raised questions about some of her most controversial speeches and statements, including her hope that a “wise Latina woman, with the richness of her experiences” would reach a better conclusion than a white man “who hasn’t lived that life.”
‘Latino in America’
See how Latinos are changing America and reshaping politics, businesses and schools. CNN Presents “Latino in America.”
Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, helped close the debate by stressing the historic nature of the nomination.
“It is distinctively American to continually refine our union, moving us closer to our ideals. Our union is not yet perfected, but with this confirmation, we will be making progress,” Leahy said on the Senate floor.
“Years from now, we will remember this time, when we crossed paths with the quintessentially American journey of Sonia Sotomayor, and when our nation took another step forward through this historic confirmation process.”
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, took aim at what he claimed was Sotomayor’s inability to refrain from bringing her personal political opinions to bear on her rulings.
“This is the most fundamental test for any judge and all the more so for those who would sit on our nation’s highest court, where a judge’s impulses and preferences are not subject to review. Because I’m not convinced that Judge Sotomayor would keep this commitment, I cannot support her nomination.”
Several Republicans, however, bucked party leadership by voting in favor of Sotomayor.
Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio, announced Thursday morning that he had decided to back Sotomayor after weighing a range of factors, including her education, experience and temperament.
“Judge Sotomayor is not the nominee I would have selected if I were president, but making a nomination is not my role here today,” Voinovich said.
Sotomayor’s Life
“My role is to examine her qualifications to determine if she is fit to serve. … Based on my review of her record, and using these factors, I have determined that Judge Sotomayor meets the criteria to become a justice on the Supreme Court.”
Voinovich was joined by Maine’s Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe, New Hampshire’s Judd Gregg, Indiana’s Richard Lugar, Missouri’s Kit Bond, Florida’s Mel Martinez, South Carolina’s Lindsey Graham and Tennessee’s Lamar Alexander. Video Watch the Senate vote »
In a telling political sign, none of the Republicans who voted for Sotomayor is seeking re-election in 2010. Conservative activists, including the powerful National Rifle Association, mounted a concerted effort to rally GOP opposition to Sotomayor.
The abortion issue also played a significant role in the nomination, with abortion-rights supporters backing Sotomayor and opponents urging her defeat.
“Today’s historic vote is a sign of progress for Americans who want a Supreme Court that values individual freedom and privacy,” said Nancy Keenan, head of the group National Abortion Rights Action League Pro-Choice America.
Charmaine Yoest, head of Americans United For Life, praised the 31 Republican senators who opposed Sotomayor for a “stunning vote of ‘no confidence’ in a nominee whose background of abortion advocacy and record of judicial interventionism raise serious questions about her fitness for the high court.”
Underlying the debate over Sotomayor was the larger political question of whether the Republican Party risked alienating Hispanic voters by opposing the first Latina nominee. The party’s share of the Hispanic vote dropped sharply in last year’s presidential election.
“If you meet all of the challenges that you are told you need to meet and still you can be told no, despite fidelity to Constitution, the law and precedent, then it sends a tough message to us as a community,” said Sen. Robert Menendez, D-New Jersey.
Sotomayor’s confirmation capped an extraordinary rise from humble beginnings. Her parents came to New York from Puerto Rico during World War II. Her father worked in a factory and didn’t speak English.
She was born in the Bronx and grew up in a public housing project, not far from the stadium of her favorite team, the New York Yankees. Her father died when she was 9, leaving her mother to raise her and her younger brother.
Her mother, whom Sotomayor has described as her biggest inspiration, worked six days a week to care for her and her brother, and instilled in them the value of an education.
Sotomayor later graduated summa cum laude from Princeton University and went on to attend Yale Law School, where she was editor of the Yale Law Journal.
She worked at nearly every level of the judicial system over a three-decade career before being chosen by President Obama to replace retiring Justice David Souter on the Supreme Court.
Accepting the nomination, Sotomayor thanked Obama for “the most humbling honor of my life.”
advertisement
After the selection, Sotomayor was touted by her supporters as a justice with bipartisan favor and historic appeal. She has served as a judge on the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals since 1998. She was named a district judge by President George H.W. Bush in 1992 and was elevated to her current seat by President Clinton.
Sotomayor presided over about 450 cases while on the district court. Before her judicial appointments, she was a partner at a private law firm and spent time as an assistant district attorney prosecuting violent crimes.
Jacko Is On The Loose!
Mar 5th
I can’t be positive but I am pretty sure that this was one of the signs of the apocalypse written in the Bible. Seriously? This guy is getting desperate. He is going to have to keep people at both ends of the stage with glue at hand so they can glue any of his artificial body part back on! good luck with the lip syncing concerts Mikey!
Jacko: First Show July 9
Circle July 9th as the day Michael Jackson takes the stage at the O2 Arena and tried to moonwalk back into our hearts.
Here are some of the details that will be revealed at tomorrow’s press conference in London for the Michael Jackson comeback concerts.
The press conference, by the way, will begin at 4 p.m. in London and 11 a.m. in New York. It’s open to the public, which should be interesting: the promoters will be able to gauge interest in the shows by how many people show up tomorrow. Jackson will appear at the press conference and actually make a statement, I am told. The whole spectacle is supposed to be webcast on www.michaeljackson.com and www.michaeljacksonlive.com.
Jackson’s first shows will be on July 9th and 10th at the O2 Arena. R&B superstar NeYo has already booked July 11th, so Jackson will skip that date. But after that, the rest of July is free on the O2 calendar. The first round of Jackson shows calls for 10—as this column has reported exclusively several times. The next eight shows will be scattered through the month.
Sources inside AEG Live assure me that the tickets will be priced within reach. Of course, there will be VIP packages, and all sorts of things that could make individual tickets cost as much as $1,000. But those deals would include private sessions with Bubbles the Chimp, that sort of thing. (Just kidding!)
Damn You TMZ! Smokey The Bear Aussie Style!
Feb 12th
Hey I thought this was an awesome story. We recently had a bear that was burned in a wildfire where I live. All I can say is that I hate TMZ even more. Good luck little man.
Sam, the famous Australian koala bear rescued by a firefighter after the deadly Victoria wildfires, has garnered a huge Facebook following and even earned a rare apology from the gossip Web site TMZ.
In a post about Country Fire Authority volunteer David Tree giving his water bottle to the koala he found stumbling through burned out bushland in the Victoria fires, TMZ.com wrote:
“After battling some of the worst wildfires ever to hit Australia, a firefighter shared his bottled water with a pampered koala on Monday. Afterwards the new friends went to Pilates and dined on sushi.”
Many readers slammed the post entitled, “Koala to Firefighter: I Won’t Tap That!,” saying it was an unnecessary and insensitive shot at Victoria’s firefighters and the victims of the fire.
“OK, TMZ. Normally, I say mock the hell out of the celebrities and things you post,” reader KAK wrote. “But, seriously?? A firefighter sharing his water with a koala in Australia? Gosh, I can totally see the humor in that … saving a wild animal, giving it water, and working to save the lives and homes of thousands. On this one, you LOSE, tmz.”
Reader Cat had the same message for the Web site. “Sorry TMZ there is no humor to find in over 200 people being killed in these fires,” she wrote.
Bobby wrote: “Wow classy any 9/11 jokes about towers you want to throw in? How about spousal abuse jokes — seems like the perfect time. Sometimes I have to question your hiring practices.”Stef said: “Why would you make a caption like that about a tragic event?! I love reading your sight (sic) but this is really wrong. I’ve lost respect for you.”
TMZ later apologized, saying, “We officially apologize for poking fun at Sam, the koala rescued from the fires in the Australian wilderness. Sam was photographed drinking bottled water and we made a joke….and it was out of line.”
But some aren’t placated by the apology, and a Facebook group is demanding TMZ make a donation to the Red Cross to prove it is really sorry.
Tree was close to tears when he was reunited with his new furry friend this week at the Mountain Ash Wildlife Shelter in Rawson, where Sam is recovering from third degree burns to her paws, the Herald Sun reports.
“Who knows if she recognized me or not but I would like to think so,” Tree said. “I got a bit choked up because it has been such an emotional week. It was just good to see her doing well.”
Tree said he was surprised by the reaction to the photograph, which was snapped by Mark Pardew — a fellow CFA volunteer — on a cell phone. Tree said he was in the middle of backburning at Mirboo North when he saw the stricken koala.
“I could see she had sore feet and was in trouble, so I pulled over the fire truck. She just plonked herself down, as if to say ‘I’m beat,’” he said. “I offered her a drink and she drank three bottles. The most amazing part was when she grabbed my hand. I will never forget that.”
Sam is healing well thanks to the efforts of caretakers at the rescue shelter — and she even has a new boyfriend, Bob.
Sam won the affection of Bob, another koala whose paws were scorched in the weekend’s inferno, caretaker Lynn Raymond said Thursday.
“Bob is her protector — as soon as she is moved, he’s on the move, too. It really looks like he’s making sure she’s OK,” Raymond said from the Mountain Ash Wildlife Shelter in Rawson, 100 miles east of Melbourne in Victoria state, where the deadly fires continue to burn. “They’re good company for each other.”
Neither koala is likely to be healthy enough for release for at least four months, and are being comforted by caretakers who salve their scorched paws every few hours.
God Bless America
Feb 1st
Thank you Michael Phelps for representing our country. The true all American.
