Miguelina

To Understand Takes Time and Effort, Something that Not All People Are Willing To Give

I'm not even going to pretend that this a political blog (or I should more accurately say, a judicial watch blog) but the constant exposure to Sonia Sotomayor's "wise Latina" quote, taken out of context is -- to put it mildly -- disappointing to me.

Dirty GOP politics is nothing new, but that the mainstream media keeps repeating the quote out of context thus doing the GOP's dirty work for them is pretty scary.

Sigh.

Why such a sophomoric smear campaign? In Sotomayor's own words,

To understand takes time and effort, something that not all people are willing to give.

You could argue that those words are proven right by the storm brewing around her right now, but I'll let you decide on your own. I trust that my fellow Americans are capable to form an opinion based on facts, something that talk radio seems to think is impossible.

Anyways.

Here is the offending statement:

First, as Professor Martha Minnow has noted, there can never be a universal definition of wise. Second, I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life.

Let us not forget that wise men like Oliver Wendell Holmes and Justice Cardozo voted on cases which upheld both sex and race discrimination in our society. Until 1972, no Supreme Court case ever upheld the claim of a woman in a gender discrimination case. I, like Professor Carter, believe that we should not be so myopic as to believe that others of different experiences or backgrounds are incapable of understanding the values and needs of people from a different group. Many are so capable. As Judge Cedarbaum pointed out to me, nine white men on the Supreme Court in the past have done so on many occasions and on many issues including Brown.

However, to understand takes time and effort, something that not all people are willing to give.

Does this sound like a racist to you? I get that "racist" is a charge that is guaranteed to get you press, but it also makes you look desperate when it is thrown about so cheaply.

(And yes, Hispanic is not a race, but the concept is clearly too difficult for people to understand right now. Let's keep things simple.)

Read the complete speech here and make up your own mind.

(Cross-posted at MOMOCRATS)

Hugging is Hip

This article made me laugh out loud. And yet, the sight of teenagers protesting for their right to hug gave me the warm fuzzies. The kids, they are all right, after all.

I mean, really? Are people really concerned about this newfangled hugging craze? Maybe it's a cultural thing, but to me, a hug is really no big deal. Then again, in Miami you kiss everyone hello when you enter a room. And no, I'm not talking the infamous Hollywood air-kiss, and no, it's not a soulful peck on the cheek either. It's hard to explain, but it's perfectly appropriate and slobber-free. It's a good thing, because acknowledging the existence and humanity of everyone you meet is always good. Yes, it is. Don't even try to argue with me on this, or I'll hug you.

I know, I know. What about the kids who don't want to hug? They don't have to. So what if they're known as non-huggers? It's what they are -- and a way to express their individuality. If you don't like it, don't do it - and own up to it. There are people who don't like to shake hands -- because of germs, or religious reasons or whatever. They have to figure out how to be outside the norm. That's not a bad thing either. It's good practice for the rest of your life. 

I say let the kids hug. It sure beats the alternative.

My Three Sons (Hold Me)

It's official: I'm a mom of boys!

I wasn't the least bit surprised when the ultrasound clearly showed the extra appendage that made it official. Three boys. Wow. Most days I'm pretty sure I can handle it, but then I have a day like yesterday -- when the two year old lodged a Lego up his nose (yes, really - and yes, it was bloody), was run over by the eight year-old neighbor driving a 4X4 power wheel and both boys insisted they were still hungry. At 9:00 PM.  After dinner and a snack.

I may need to go back to work just to pay for the extra groceries.

Then again, I've already trained the boys to always put the toilet seat down AND to wipe the toilet after each use. A sticky toilet is a crime punishable by ... well, I've never actually told them, but they're clever enough not to leave evidence behind and find out.

I may have this boy parenting thing down.

Ah, The French...

Not sure why I like this video, but I do:

Make The Girl Dance "Baby Baby Baby" ( official video )
by placeblancherec

Maybe it's because the bystanders are remarkably nonchalant about the whole thing? I can see the thought bubbles over their heads, "¡Mon Dieu! Cette Fille needs a scarf or she'll catch a cold!"

Weeks 12-20

Well, you are all probably wondering what in the HELL I've been up to all month. I've been busy! BUSY! I tell you. I've been sick. TWICE. One of my kids developed a couple of mystery rashes. I bought a typewriter. I was so desperate because of seasonal allergies that I tried a neti pot (but don't worry, I'll spare you the details). I've been shopping for bigger clothes, because, lest ye forget, I've also been gestating.

Aaaand, that's all I've got.

In other words, my life is too boring for words. So you know what that means, right?

PICTURES!

Here I am at around week 12:

Look at how rested I am! Hell, I'm even wearing lipstick. I miss those days.

Here is the baby at just about the same time:

Cute little bugger.

Week 16

This picture was taken right after a four year-old's birthday party. No, I didn't eat the four year-old, but I did steal one of the kid's bowls of mac n cheese. What can I say? The BABY needs nutrition! I mean, look at it:

The baby's practically begging for it! How could I say no?

And here's week 18:

You will notice a craptastic cropping job. I looked awful that day, and I still have some dignity left. Oh, and the baby:

Still chilling out.

In other words, things are good. I'm on my 20th week, but I haven't found the energy to take a picture of the belly. But don't worry! It's still there.

(Trust me.)

Little Green Lies

For some reason (probably one too many viewings of Max and Ruby) my son became obsessed with growing tomatoes from seed.

I'm an avid fake gardener, but I've never grown anything edible. So I bought some seeds (you know where this is going, don't you?) and because it was still chilly I tried to "start" them inside.

Almost a month later, we've got nothing. But my son kept checking his seeds daily, waiting for a miracle. It was sad.

So I, being a benevolent mother, and a cheater, did what I like to think anyone else would do: I went to a nursery and bought a baby tomato plant, plopped it where a tomato seedling should be growing by now, and waited for my son to discover the miracle of germination.

(You'd think I'd be ashamed to admit this, but guess what? I'm not!)

When my son checked his seeds and found a HUGE "seedling" sprouting out of nowhere he was not amused. He brought it over and demanded to know what this was.

"A baby tomato plant!" I said. I wasn't lying. That's EXACTLY what it is.

"Why is it the only one that got big?" He demanded, "why is it so big?"

I had no answer. So he wants nothing to do with the tomato plant. And neither do I.