Semper Fi!

Not too long after I retired in 2002 I started working at a flight school in Santa Rosa, California. The job didn’t pay worth a damn but I did get to fly a lot. When I wasn’t flying, I ran the desk and all kinds of people would stop by. One of my favorites was a Marine pilot from World War II.

It was only after he died and I saw the decorations atop his casket that I knew his country believed him to be a brave man. I’d always known that he was a wise man ever since I heard him counsel a young flight instructor as he related his domestic issues. The Marine simply asked, “Is this really the hill you want to die on”? How profound a question that really is. In other words, pick your battles!

Moving now, if I may, from the sacred to the profane, that’s kind of the way I felt about Obama’s choice to join the Supremes. Obviously, the Republicans don’t have the votes in the Senate to defeat the nomination nor, I suspect, to filibuster it into oblivion.

And that’s why I felt it to be pointless to comment upon the choice even as bad as it is. But then I began to think a little bit more deeply about it. It may well prove pointless in the end as Democrats control the Senate Judiciary Committee and, to all extents and purposes the full Senate as well. It will be interesting though to see which of the GOP members of the committee vote to confirm because that’s what the rules say.

However, that aside, close and determined questioning of Sonia Sotomayor may do nothing to derail her nomination but, done correctly, it could reveal an awful lot about Obama himself. That in itself would be healthy as too many people who voted for the man know next to nothing of his beliefs, background, politics and agenda. Or if they do, they have chosen to look the other way.

So with that in mind let’s take a look at Ms. Sotomayor. Imagine the outrage if a White, Republican-nominated male candidate was revealed as a member of an organization called “The Race”. Imagine the outrage if this same man was on tape saying effectively that because of his background, he could do a better job as a Supreme than a Latina.

Now add to that, more taped statements where this “sound and wise” judge declares that “the Appellate System is where policy is made”. And that the Second Amendment does not endow rights to the individual.

All these things are part of Ms. Sotomayor's judicial record!

If this were anything other than a racial and political pick by Obama this candidate would never have been considered. But we know that Obama is racist, (simply look at 20 years of Jeremiah Wright’s sermons) and that he wants to have political activists on the Supreme Bench. We know he’s a socialist and we know he wants gun control.

Now remember the manner in which the backgrounds of Justice Roberts and Justice Alito were scrutinized and how the nomination of Janice Rogers Brown to the DC Circuit Court of Appeals was savaged by the Democrats for, literally years. That is why the Republicans on that committee must develop some backbone and do their job.

I know this; if anyone wants to take my firearm, they’d better bring plenty of help because that is a piece of real estate worth fighting for.