Latina women are very WISE they speak their mind and tell it like it is. .

i'm a 21 year old nigerian-canadian who is deeply inspired by this conversation. i've been watching cnn's coverage of judge sotomayer in conjunction with reading many of the online blogs and viral conversations on the subject. but these particular videos caught my eye because I can relate to what's being said: as a child of immigrant parents whose adult lives have been defined by working day and night, going back to graduate school all the while raising their kids, inorder to give me and my siblings the best education this country can offer. so as i go forth, (even though i'm not latina or even american), i know my career goals are attainable and I have women like judge sotomayer and the "wise latina women" from the videos above along with many other strong and inspiring other ethnic women (including my own mother) to thank for this.

p.s. to rick sanchez, i just want to say thank you for all that you do, and all the stories you report on in your newscast- my mother is more interested in the news and has more faith in journalists because of reporters like yourself and its exciting to witness this new enthusiam. we can't wait to watch both "black in america 2" and "latino in america" !!!

at Let me begin by saying I acknowledge that Judge Sotomayor is much more articulate that I can hope to be – indeed, that is the reason I have this comment. With all that experience and articulation, I wonder why at times she seems to duck and deflect rather than answer questions head-on at times. I am sympathetic to her situation, but it would look like she HAS a point of view if she had stood her ground and defended some of her earlier statements, rather than speak about precedents. I'm sure she realizes that as she gets on the Supreme Court bench, she'll be the one MAKING the precedents, and hence will need to have an opinion about things – and it's not unfair to ask her which way she will sway on certain issues.

Why do you keep referring to "Latino Women" when the word Latina
would suffice. And isn't Latina (sic) Women a little absurd?

kmf

I feel all of these conversations regarding the wise latina comment are disingenous. If the tables were turned, and a white man or woman had said she would make a better judge because of her race and/or experiences. Everyone, including all these wise latina women, would be up in arms, and rightly so. So, lets not pretend these comments, which were repeated numerous times, were somehow misunderstood. They were simply wrong. Wrong for a white man to say and wrong for a latina woman to say.

I very dissapointed with Elvira's decision to not be called Maria because that represents a "Mexican maid". She needs to be proud of her name and show the world that Maria can be a woman who is a maid as well as one who may one day be President. KUDOS to BARACK obama who kept is name and has shown the world that we can break through stereotypes. Elvira needs to learn a lesson from our respected President.

Female stereotypes are definitely still alive and kicking in the USA and beyond our borders as well. I am a professional yacht captain who has struggled throughout my career with the steroetyping in my industry, in my case that a yacht captain should be male. It has taken me more than twice the time to get my credientials than it has for my male counterparts due to the scarcity of industry professionals and yacht owners to recognize that gender truly has nothing to do with the capabilities of being a yacht captain. I have been blatantly turned down for positions due to my gender on numerous occasions.

It seems that only in the industries where regulations state that discrimination is a no-no when it come to hiring, is when the glass ceiling is slightly lowered. for women. The yacht industry has no such regulations and thus is run amuck with stereotyping that is shameful, unfair and has become irresponsible as well.

Thank goodness for you, Rick! Thank you for allowing these women to express the everyday situations that they must confront in their high level positions. It proves, as I believe, that attitudes have not changed much despite the "opportunities" that black and hispanic women have been given.

I am a woman of color who was a "first" in one of her professional jobs and it was a very difficult terrain to work through with men used to being in charge.

Also, when my husband and I built a beautiful, large custom built home in Florida, people would come to the door and ask "is the woman of the house home?" Who was I, the cleaning woman? Or they would ask my husband..."is this your house?" How insulting???

I know exactly how these ladies feel! And I'm sure President Obama has felt the same insults as well, even as President.

And, please talk to Alex Castellanos. Who is he? The hispanic "Uncle Tom"? He should be ashamed of himself.

I'm so glad you are airing these honest issues. Again, thank you. And let's hope that they will get off Sonia Sotomayor's back. Give me a break. She's probably smarter than most of the people questioning her...Democratic and Republican. Of course, it makes for a better Supreme Court when it is diversified. And, of course, your background and life experiences make for better judicial decisions. Would we want an all-male, all white, Republican Supreme Court? Wouldn't that influence decision in another direction? PLEASE!!!!!

This is the year 2009 and we are still stuck in this quaqmire. How sad!!!!!

To those who complain about the comment, me thinks that thou does protest too much. Clearly, if she did not strike a chord of doubt, the comment would have been ignored. The point is that she is correct in many ways. I wonder if any of you who are complaining bitterly had some concern over a loved one that was related to the law, which lawyer would you contact if you had the choice of Sessions, Graham or Sotomayor?

Why is it that someone who was born in this country, educated in this country, accomplishes success, still wants to be called a Latino Woman or a Cuban American. What's wrong with just a plain American. I have never called myself an English-American. The kind of statement that she made about a Latino being smarter than a white man went out in the 1960's. Why is it people come to this country and do not want to adopt the customs and language. It only causes more of a division in our culture.

Greetings Mr. Sanchez~

For the first time ever, I happened to see your show today.

The least of my intentions is to generate attention; however, I could not help to agree with the lady named Elvira who mentioned the stereotype given to the name “Maria” in your show, yes?

Your Mama's statement was Lovely and I relate to her point of view, as a person that accomplishes goals by own efforts is to be admired, yes?

I will not disclose my ethnical origin, as just the very fact to do so, would invite minds to think of race, which I personally do not practice to distinguish among human kind.

Regardless to the fact that I might be called an Alien in the U.S.A, let us say that I am a terrestrial, yes?

My comment about the “Wise woman…etc.” after 3 days of observation at the performance of the judge in question is the following:

The lady judge is obviously a wise and educated person, as her carefully well thought and meticulous process when answering each and every question requires it; bringing me to opine that it is a technique –for a lack of other term—that often a female exercises to perfection no need to be Latina. Therefore, when she refers to the quote “Wiser Latina … better…etc” I find it to be out of pretentiousness more than anything else. Her remark referred to a particular man kind, making it obvious that those are the ones that she had to battle against throughout the profession that she had chosen to serve in life. Inspiring to me? Not at all, as I am a bit too mature to be inspired by someone that had to overcome about the very same issues that I had to overcome in life myself.

Therefore, in my opinion she is simply a brave person, who is used to overcome obstacles much serious than clarifying a statement. She should not be judged, nor rewarded for creating a useful practice out of the opportunity of being born as an American. She is not Latina if she was born in the U. S. A. and no one should be bringing that up.

She is a meticulous person and who manages quite well her emotions. She will bring most certainly a diverse point of view to the Supreme Court panel…that is for certain.

Kind and respectful regards,

FN

Thank you Rick 4 sharing these video clips,especially the one with your mother. Their perspectives related to the Sotomayor nomination are shared by many anglo women as well, regardless of party affiliation. If only Senator Graham had the desire to listen to these wise women (or ANY women period), the Republican party just might stand a chance in 2010.

Don't want to receive follow-up mail please

Just want to remind all persons with another language in the home to be sure and teach their children to speak it. Spanish, Russian, whatever. I grew up in Maine, my grandparents were from Quebec and I did not speak English until I went to school. After my grandparents passed away, my parents stopped speaking French completely and I lost my native languare. I feel very cheated and have met many people who do not teach their children to speak their native language. I was teased about being French and called a "frog" !! I never ate frogs! Some have said that I am not French because I don't speak it fluently. What nonsense. So now I study languages as a hobby (at age 70) French, Spanish and 4 years of Chinese but I went to college for 8 years and was an English teacher. Rick, I love to hear you speak Spanish so well. Encourage all your ethnic friends to do the same as this is part of our heritage. Second generations tend not to speak family language.
Proud to be an French-American.
Jane

That is hilarious, four ultra priviledged women, sitting around your mom's living room talking about how oppressed they feel. Second point, you being in Miami and all that, are we to believe that you could not find ONE professional accomplished hispanic woman whis opposed to Sotomayor for the SCOTUS? If you're reporting the news, this is unconscionable, if you're (which you are) serving as a mouthpiece for the democrats, then it's fine. Just don't pretend to any impartiality.
BTW, your mother is a die-hard democrats. If Obama had nominated Paris Hilton, she'd find a way to support her too.

I agree there are a lot of wise latinas out there. Sonia Sotomayor is not one of them as evidenced by her warped vision of an America to be carved up like a turkey among competing "aggrieved" groups.
Presumably your mother and these other ladies were as proud of Miguel Estrada? You know, the FIRST hispanic to be nominated to the SCOTUS, only to be so trashed and humilliated by the Democrats in the Senate that he withdrew his nomination? Were these ladies outraged at the picture of Miguel Estrada's wife, who was so distraught by the abuse of her husband that she miscarried during the nominaion process, and later killed herself?

After watching the GOP hazing party this week, no matter what our background is – We are ALL wise Latina women now.

Old white guys have no insight into their prejudices as indicated by their comments during the Sotomayor hearings. Difficult to hear them comment on her prejudices and her upbring and background then listen to their comments formulated by their background and upbringing.

Sotomayor's background and experiences will only enrich future decisions on the Supreme Court.

I want to comment on the elderly gray haired distinguished rich men questioning Sonia Sotomayor. For so long in this country they have been in control wiothout question, and tthe fear of loss of control has them kicking and screaming without cause. As I follow these proceedings, it is my understanding that she has more experience than most in the Supreme Court. What is the problem? These men have the audacity to sit with their shoulders rared back, and ask her questions that, in my view are a waste of time and grandstanding for constituents.

Women of all nationalities are as good as one another based on their education, careers and experience. There is no exception for Judge Sotomayor. Please give Sotomayor a break. She made a statement which the Media and certain politicians misconstrued. A person of her stature did not mean to be racist and/or discriminating. She was only giving words of encouragement that, "If I can do it, you can." No exception for President Obama's: 'Yes we can!" His words of encouragement has provided encouragement to many people especially the youth, worldwide. Do you think that those same politicians as the Republicans are not discriminating, silently and privately? Who knows what lurks in the heart of man (woman)?

Hey sanchez , you make fun of how the old white senator talks . When is the last time you told a black to say" ask" not "axe". As, ask a liberal to tell the truth, not, axe a liberal to tell the truth!!!

Sid my friend, she's playing their game!! That goes without saying!

Many wise white men think you are biased and shameless by putting your mother and friends as character witnesses. Your latino background makes everything you say look like a rubber stamp to anything latina(o)s say or do. Actually you are a rubber stamp for anything latino.
Are you a journalist/reporter or just some ridiculous cheerleader ?
Sotomayor is a fraud and putting those idiotas on CNN sharing their pathetic experiences makes many people cringe.

Adios amigas

As a non-white person...it befuddles me that we rise up in arms whenever white men ask questions about poverty and challenging upbringing...god forgive they go there...

...btw, when did the news become purely editorial, I expect that on Fox and MSNBC...but CNN...when did they decide to hire people to tell us their opinions (e.g. Rick Sanchez / Joe Johns – great guys but they do this a lot)...where's Walter Kronkite...has the media given up on the American people and their ability to formulate their own opinions...have they decided they must lead us by the nose for our own good...

AT

Thanks Rick,
It's not Hilarious it's pathetic. To think that these republican senators can open their mouths to accuse Judge Sotomayor when in their own states they each have made bias decisions based on doing what's best for their white constituents, without regard for other non white's needs. Can you say the epitome of Narcissistic peronality. Projecting and accusing someone of something you have already done.

As we speak, we have soldiers at war, people are being denied healthcare because of the expense, the state of California is so broke that IOU's are being issued to vendors, many CA state workers are forced to take 3 days off a month, and the huge financial institution CIT may be filing bankruptcy causing thousands of businesses to close and possibly over serveral hundred thousand people may be out of work as a result yet the attention of America is being misdirected to a misconstrued comment of Judge Sotomayor ? This is an outrage!! ! This is exactly why people are sick of politicians.

I think there are wise women and wise men throughout the world. Labeling people because of their natl origin etc. causes problems.
I cam to this country 45 years ago and it is my feeling that if you come freely to this country than you need to learn the language, respect the laws and behalf like a US citizen. You are an AMERICAN!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rick – love your news program/editorial comments!

I am not Latina, but my daughter is. And my son's fiance is – and she is a lawyer, as well.... I would like to see her as a judge one day. Judge Sotomayor gives women young and old an admirable role model.

In Missouri, prejudice is alive and well – a recent local newspaper story about a cultural group offering Spanish classes elicited some amazingly racist, anti-immigrant remarks online. I am sure, however, that these views are not held by all, just a small minority. At least, that is what I want to believe...

Anyone, of any race, male or female, born into poverty and disadvantage as the Judge was, that can achieve what she has, is worthy of our admiration.

Women, of any race, achieve a level of wisdom that comes with age and experience. Contributing to society from within that place of maturity and wisdom is a duty we all have as we grow older. And the Judge's words are inspirational to a group of young women who have historically been under-represented in professional careers.

Sotomayor will make an excellent judge, based on her level of experience and her record in the past.

I am ashamed of the white and gray-haired U. S. Senators who spoke so rudely to Judge Sotomayor. I felt they were completely disrespectful and out of line. I don't know what they were trying to prove with their unintelligent questions and remarks.

I felt Judge Sotomayor was remarkably tolerant of their childish behavior and that she responded in a most respectful and highly intelligent manner.

I would be very proud to have her serve on the Supreme Court of the United States, and hope she is approved shortly.

I am proud to be a 70-yr-old wise Tejana! Proud of your mother! Grateful for your voice! Grateful for the voices of today's wise Latinas.
Enough of those diversity-ignorant senators afraid to accept a changing
America! Adelante!

I happen to know personally some of the women who participated in your "Wise Latina Women" panel. These "Wise Latina Women" are only a sample of ALL women of the United States. They would sure improve the collective IQ of the Senate.

The spectable and behaviour displayed by these Republicans is a disgrace and a slap in the face of ALL women regardless of their race or ethnicity.

How is it possible for any of those Latinas to have experienced predjudice in a city that is 99% Cuban ?
I guess they are talking about unwise latinos judging them to be just bimbos.
Right ?
And my grandmother from Italy spoke American. She had a 3 grade education.
And you became sucessful and educated in a white man's world.
Gee...you really had it tough.

I loved this piece. Invite the intelligent strong willed women to the show. I think that it is pitiful that a Supreme that has mostly white males for years has the nerve to deny the strength of anothers culture. I am glad that Sotomayor didn't back down and pointed out that she was trying to motivate other young people with goals of being a lawyer of judge.

I think those Republican Senators that have been questioning Judge Sotomayor continue to show that "SMUG" superior attitude that they show toward anyone that doesn't conform to their "Warped" outdated viewpoints.
The whole Republican party needs to"Get OVER it" and jump into the current century. Things and people have changed and their old ideas just don't fit in with what's going on in the real world.
As one of them said in the hearing "Elections have consequences" and the fact is for the next 4 (hopefully) 8 years OBAMA is President so deal with it and start helping him out instead of just saying "NO". Sandy from Florida

Honestly i disagree greatly with Mrs. Elvira Salazar. She cannot stereotype that "every single maid is named Maria", and she most definitly cannot say that "Maria means being a maid". Not only is that rude to all those women who are named Maria, but she is wrong. There has been many acknowledged individuals who have been named Maria which in english is Mary. For example Queen Mary who was the Consort of King George V, Maria Magdalena, who is considered to be Saint Mary Magdelene in Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and Anglican churches, and Virgen Maria who was Jesus' mother!
I mean really, if Mrs. Elvira thinks that the name Maria is only for maids then she should keep it to herself. Sonia Sotomayor did not choose her name to "distinguish" herself, or to declare to the world that "Im not a maid!". Her speaching skills were sloppy, and her debating skills weren't strong. Therefore I dont see what is so "wise" about her, when she doesnt know how to speak to the public.

Rick-loved your comments regarding your mother! My father came from India as well as my cousin (who now works for the national CBS news program with Katie Couric). We are the next generation. Our parents came here for us. They worked extremely long hours to get us through school. I have had lots of friends whose parents are 1st generation as well and their parents do not know english. Their parents primary goal coming to this country was to give their kids all the opportunity in the world. One of my friends works at Intel. I'm a practicing physician.

If the old white men are so bad, why has this country become the greatest country in the world? I guess they didn't do such a bad job after all, why are there millions of people still trying to come to the United States. If there are so many wise Latinas, why aren't people trying to sneek into Mexico or any other Latin American country. I guess all the wise Latinas fled to the United States already! If there are so many wise minorities, why aren't other parts of the world as great as the United States. Oh, thats right, the old white guys beat everybody up and took their money!! Hilarious. Start taking some accountability.

Rick,
Took time to watch your segment on "Wise Latina Women". You hit it right on the head of the nail, only word that was left out but I could hear it between your words-SACRIFICE. All families, American or not, can probably relate to these experience through out their lives. In fact, that describes the American experience, Sacrifice!!!
Kudos to a great piece of reporting, New Fan here!!!!

I lived and worked in Maimi for 3 years. ( 84-87). I first hand experienced your Cuban hospitality on a daily basis. Prejudice and hate was a constant companion delivered by the latino welcoming committee.
Stop portraying minorities as the moral minority.
-White Guy

Rick I saw your comment about you folks not speaking english. My Grandmother came from Germany so my mom and her brothers could get a better life. She sacraficed too. You know what else she did?
She learned how to speak English. She watched and learned form watching movies. Sorry I call B.S. on your story. I like you and respect what your parents did for you and I am sure I would love your parents. You folks should go to school now and learn English....and so should everyone who comes to this country. English is our language....speak it.
God Bless!

Thanks so much for the lovely comments about your beautiful mother. it so makes me miss my wonderful mother-in-law whose life was so very similar. We lost her in Nov and life just isn't the same without her. As to judge Sonia Sotomayor, I have been very impressed with her calm under pressure in the face of this questioning that sometimes is downright insulting. I feel she will make a superb addition to the supreme court. i am so very glad that she will be confirmed.

As a Puertorican who served in the US Navy, I take pride in having a strong educated Latina woman serving on the supreme court. It saddens me to watch the confirmation hearings and hear the comments and embarrassing comments by Republican leaders that we Latinos supported for so long. What they have to understand is America is made of many different faces, and that we also need a voice in this country. I realized this a long time ago, and so did many others, when we voted for Obama as President. The face of America is not as white as they'd like to believe, the Republicans have lost their strength due to this bigotry that seems to be too common within the party. I am a Democrat because of this reason, I want to feel like I belong here and have a contribution to make for my country, Republicans make us feel like we have to convince
them we are worthy of doing this even more so because of our skin color, they are so scared of change and that is sad and scary.

what makes a latino woman to be smarter than a white man is ridiculious i'm a blackwoman does that maker her smarter than me and any other white or black woman, man or dog . that comment should keep her off the court if she can say that in an instance imagine her jugdment on important issuses.cant be to smart to say something like that

Rick, I as an African American woman am not surprised at the stereotype of Latinas. We can certainly identify with that because it has been happening to us for a very long time. I remember several years ago reading an article in Ebony about stereotypes of black men and women. One in particular was when, I think that it was Jesse Jackson, was at the curb outside of his hotel and a white woman came out and asked him to get her a cab. It is sad that in 2009 we cannot realize that brains and a sense of right and wrong have nothing to do with skin color or nationality.

Rick – your Mom is adorable. My story is quite different from yours–
my family came to CT in 1635 from England. But I think your story
is an important one. Many of our parents sacrificed so we could have
a better life. My husband and I have done it too for our two boys.
But coming to a new country – not speaking the language. This
takes tremendous courage and obviously a great deal of love for you.
To want you to have all the advantages.
How dare anyone criticize such a hero! Why are we all so quick to
find fault with each other?? You are a lucky lucky man.

What I haven't heard yet - is that for a woman (and more particularly a minority woman) to be successful, she has to not only understand her own culture, but also to understand the rules of the male culture so that she can work with those rules to get ahead. White men usually don't even have to be cognizant of their own culture - and definitely are not required to be empathetic to anyone else. The "Wise Latina Woman" comment was a no-brainer for me - of COURSE Sotomayor is right about this. I doubt you'll find a working woman out there who didn't say "of course" in response to that. And the men just seem flustered by the idea that someone with a wider experience than theirs might actually be more understanding....

You brought tears to my eyes when you spoke about your Mom. Your story is also my story. My parents brought us here from Italy and also had difficulty expressing themselves in English. My Mom also worked in a factory and my Dad was a meat cutter. They were too exhausted for English lessons at night. They also gave up their lives so we could have a better life. Thank you for explaining the story of so many of us to people that have never lived that life.

Rick,

I love the way you handled the criticism of your Spanish-speaking mother. Perhaps it was a grand opportunity for you to reflect and convey her wisdom and the wisdom of many mamas (Latina and otherwise) who choose their children's opportunity over and above their own.

Que bueno!

When I think of the wise latina woman comment I think of the indian proverb about the six blind men and the elephant.

Six blind men encounter an elephant. One approaches it and bumps into it and says -Wow, and elephant is like wall. Another one feels the elephants leg and – Says oh and elephant is like a tree. Yet another feels the ears and – Says no an elephant is like a fan. Some one else says No- It is long like a snake ect...... Now are they wrong? No, but are thet right? Yes, but not entirely right. In order to get a complete understanding of what an elephant is some one would have to take all of the information gathered from the blind men and intergrate it. Using that information we would get close to the truth,but because they were blind, like justice, there perhaps would be missing information. We would need to invite someone with a different perspective of an elephant to the table so that we can gather more information and get even closer to the truth. That is what happens when people with diverse heritages and backgrounds are added to the court. Adding those diverse perspects would lead to a better decision being made than the decision that would be made by any monlithic group. That is what I think she meant.

Judge Sonia Stomayor is most likely heading for the Supreme Court. What is most disappointing to me is the amount of time the Senate Judiciary Committee wasted in hearings to depict once again a poor image of the Senate. Their constant questioning and concern about how her personal life experiences might affect her decisions was nothing but a poor reflection on this empathy–deficient society we live in.

It is my hope that Supreme Court Justices would factor in their own life experiences in the decisions they render. It’s the natural thing to do and it’s all the more reason for having diversity on the court as well. The nomination hearing convinced me once more that we have far too many lawyer Senators who have been in Washington and out of touch with realities of the ordinary Americans lives for too long. It’s high time for a change.

Your perspective was wonderful. It literally brought tears to my eyes. Swedish/ Hispanic/ Mandarin /whatever. Work and sacrifice is what the "Best Generation" taught us. Are we not going to carry on our parent's traditions because of language? How absurd. Tack.

Rick,

I watch your show frequently and very much enjoy your perspective on the news. Unlike too many Amerian's I am not intimidated by a person who speaks another language and it is understandable to me that your Mom chooses to speak Spanish in public. My guess is that she knows a fair amount of English but when what she says is carried live on television, she goes to her native language so that she can better experss herself. Am I right?

Keep up the good work.

Ed

A wise Latina in some, if not most, circumstances can make a better judgement than a white man. Not all whites are intelligent. I share the same background as Sotoymayor. Puerto Rican parents, poor, raised in the projects (Brownsville section of Brooklyn). College educated (UCLA). She should not back down from her statement. However, since old white men of dubious I.Q. must confirm her she has to retreat. She appears to be a level headed jurist. I only disagree with her on the Ricci case. I believe she will be an impartial and distinguished Supreme Court Judge. By the way, even though we share the same life experiences I consider myself a Reagan Republican.

My god...why do we become so polarized...black, white, latino, asian, men, women...

...again, as a non-white individual who does not come from privilege...I understand how our background, culture, and experiences shape who were are...however, why must we use our ethnicities and gender as validation for who we are and the actions that we take...have we not evolved beyond this...is this not the definition of a true progressive...not just those who label themselves as such?

..btw, Sonia Sotomayor will likely be an excellent justice not because I shes a Latina or a woman but rather because I believe she is an accomplished judge with a wide breadth of experience and a balanced and non-biased perspective...why do we care about anything else?

AT

They looked like white women to me. Just because they or their family's came from Cuba doesn't make them a race (Lanita).. Rick you are white too just encase you haven't noticed. As far as your mom she seems like a sweet old woman... She can't help it if the community she lives in enabled her not to have to learn English...

John,
I don't doubt your mother speaks American, but I'm sure you meant english. I think you might need a lesson regarding the language. You might need a lesson on the demographics of Miami. You might need a lesson on the number of white americans that work as judges and lawyers in Miami and Florida at large. I'm sure that the federal prosecuter worked beyond Miami (ie–FEDERAL) and therefore walked into other lawyer offices that were more than just Cuban.

first, i am sorry that people made comments about not learning english, she probably would have made it easier for her in this country, but i do believe she came off to me as the only true voice of a wise latina woman. The others are too young to know what life is all about. You picked woman because they all seemed accomplished with knowleged no neccessarily wise. As you stated your mother sacraficed for you. I wonder if those accomplished women have been as successful with their marriages and children. We educated women of today have seemed to sacrafice our families in the process, that is not wisdom. Barbara Mendes Robinson

Hola Rick!
I thoroughly enjoyed your "cafecito" with "your" Wise Latina Miami Women! I believe this would be a good way to report on what's going on. I learned a lot as I would sit around and listen to my "tias", mom, and abuelita, as they discussed chismes, and the news in our familia and small West Texas community. Someone would bring some "pan dulce" and brew a pot of cafe and the conversation was on.......Keep it up! I'd like to see it as a regular feature. Maybe you could tour the country and have your "cafecitos" in different communities. Maybe you could do this during Hispanic Heritage Month.

Hasta luego
Edward G Gallegos
Odessa, Tx

Rick,

I enjoyed your piece with the wise Latina women. However, I wish that you had let the one lady finish her thought because I think she was about to say something that I have wished that at least one person would say, one time, on TV. That is that Judge Sotamayor has not just been taken out of context with her "wise latina women" comment, but she has regularly been MISQUOTED out of context. You can't just conveniently remove several words from a sentence and have it mean the same thing. Please read at least he entire sentence that she said and urge your listeners to read the entire speach. When people don't even read what she said and just hear the misquote over and over, they think they know what she said.

Excuse me...but why are people so accepting of the belief that Sonia Sotomayor should apologize for claiming to be a "wise Latina"? How often do you hear of a white person apologizing for claiming to be wise or any other self-assuring comment? Ms. Sotomayor has nothing to apologize for. In fact what she should do is point out the absolute ignorance and idiocy of the the educated white men who are questioning her, she is clearly far wiser than a good bunch of them (to her right) who don't seem to have an iota of common sense between them. This is about rascism and superiority to be sure, however most people are missing what is really happening here. This is about white men doing what they have been doing for hunderds of years in america; which is putting the uppity colored person...who had the audacity to claim to be as good as or better than the white man...in her place.

Rick, I appreciated your comments on why your Mother doesn't speak the language of the country that has given her and you opportunities for a better life. However, that is no concilation for those of us who live in Miami, where everything from shopping to finding someone to service your pool requires an interpeter.

I submit that had a wise ___(fill in the blank: Latina, African American,Irish immigrant,...) participated with the white upper class men in the framing of the constitution, we may not have waited 200 years for all Americans to have the right to vote, for women to have equal pay, or for the 2nd Amendment to be clarified.

Why is it that white people have opinions that cover all sides of any controversy or issue...ask a minority person...always the same.
Minority backs minority everytime. No matter what.
Why is that ?

Those questionning your mom's fluency in english are ignorant. Our parents sacrifice everything for our success in America. Like my mom says she has 3 doctors 2 lawyers and 3 nurses who speak english for her everyday in America. I am very proud of your accomplishments.
Your mom does not need to say a word in english, as long as you live
Keep up the good work, I love your show.

I would also add Rick, that prior to the ( of questionable Contstutionality ) so called civil rights laws, and the mass migration from the Latin american countries.
People including children could walk the streets without fear of being attacked, abducted or mugged. You walked to school (up to 2.5 miles) before you rode a bus. Education was much better as were the qualifications of people in jobs, as was our economy. Murders were much rarer, as was all crime
I had a dream last night and it was clear to me that she is definitely the wrong person for the job. I beleive you need a little more about the founding fathers and their thoughts, the supreme court is no place for a woman who rules like this.

Maria is a beautiful name and my Mom has had it for 65 years! I don't believe my Mom was ever confused for a "Maid."

I happened to hear a little bit of your show today, and I can relate so well with the profound sacrifice that your mother made for you to attain success in your life. I often had to take a second job so that I little girls would not have to do so in the future. I where I live now (smaler home) so that my daughters would be able to chose wherever they want to live in the future.
God bless America
God bless honest hardworking immigrants
God bless wise selfless people
God bless all.
IKA.

I used to teach ESL years ago, the ladies always told me they liked their men Feo, Fuerte, Y formale that tells me they know what they want, your mom was great!

I was disgusted at the nasty comment of Elvira. My name is Maria and I have never been a maid . I am very proud of my name . I have a high education given to me by an Ivy league University and I am a professional woman . She has insulted all whose name is Maria. Maybe she should be called " Elvira the Maid " Rick you should not have someone so insensitive on CNN . She needs to apologise to all . Thanks . I watch your program daily.

I am not latina, but look it, and have suffered under the "redneck" attitude from those who think their whiter skin makes them superior. Only the wisdom and support of latinas in the neighborhood helped me understand that the insecurity and bulliness of such "good-'ol-boys" is no reflection on me. When I watch these grinning white men questioning the entegrity of Sotomayor, they draw attention to their ignorance and complicity.

Jayarbor,
Speaking American is a synomomous with English. If you feel better with the English description, have fun with that. BTW many Cubans say they speak American as did my Italian grandmother. I'm ethnic also and prefer my ethnic terms. U down wid dat ?
Since you never went to Miami, how would you know what goes on there ?
I lived and worked in Miami and saw first hand that the Cubans are as predjudice as me...and you..and Rick and Sotomayor.
Comprede ?

Saludos, Rick...
and congratulations for your sharing with America topics that are of importance! As a Puerto Rican male (and I offer no apologies for being who I am), I'm grateful that this wonderful country has come to a point in which a Hispanic woman has finally earned the distinction and honor of being in the Supreme Court. That is for working hard as we all should do to achieve the American Dream.
That being said, I strongly believe we still have a long way to go to in this country to achieve equality.
And to those senators who have made a big deal of judge Sotomayor's use of the "wise Latina" phrase I ask: Why instead of you saying things like, The judicial sytem should protect man and woman equally, you don't say, The judicial system should protect woman and man equally? In other words, isn't your using the noun "man" first in your spoken and written daily language, in a way, being bias? Do you place the noun "man" before the noun "woman" because you consider yourself to be superior? If that's the case, shouldn't you be accused of the same crime you're accusing judge Sotomayor? I'm just asking, that's all!

Hi Rick,

I wish I had the traditions of my anestors to look back on not to mention the lanugage. Way to go Rick, nice new prospective. I've never appreciated the thoughts of my mom as much as I do now that she is no longer with us, 2 years ago May 26, 2007. I miss he knowledge so much! Absorb all you can from your parents while they are still here with us.....

Hey Rick! I enjoyed your segment on the "Wise Latina." It occurred to me that most ,of our ancestors have done what your parents did. Your insight for me, a 57 year old caucasian woman, brought home how many of us take for granted the hard work and sacrifices our parents, grandparents, etc. made so that we could have better lives and our children, better futures. Some of us, unlike you, are far removed from experiencing first hand this sacrifice. Which leads me to my next point. I have been watching every chance I get the Sotomayor hearing coverage. Never has it been more apparent to me, (along with Obama's election), that the white male is going kicking and screaming into the reality that America is not going to escalate them and their offspring to the level of spoiled kings and princes any more. They have even gone to great lengths to preserve their "kingdoms" by being secretive and supportive of each other while breaking laws, marriage vows, (C Street Gang), while undermining rights of all citizens of America to enjoy the most fundamental rights such as allowing all citizens to choose their life partner and marry them, gaining all rights of the marriage contract. It turns my stomach to watch, day after day the kind of hypocrisy our "leaders" demonstrate by talking out of both sides of their mouths. Keep on reporting these truths. Our children need to hear stories such as yours to have hope in a future in this once great land of ours.

I have two Latina foster daughters who are now mothers and university students. Me? As they say on a regular basis, "Oh, Papa Larry, you are so white." Our problem is that their children are not learning to speak Spanish! Rick, do your children speak Spanish? Somebody give me some help here. Both girls are fluent in English and Spanish although the younger one (22) admits that she thinks in Spanish.
I do not speak Spanish but I think that I should and so should my grandchildren!

Rick, you are my favorite.Journalist. One of my favorite people was our young Cuban Episcopal priest and his Cuban wife. Mario was totaly different than my Mexican friends,,and Mexicans differ greatly from where they grew up. What bothers me is the steriotyping of all Latino speaking people. I lived 40 years in New Mexico and I knew several older folks who had lived in the area for many generations and still didn't speak English.What we need is a lot more understanding.

Interesting watching Rick Sanchez so ardently fomenting ethnic antagonism by essentially suggesting that it's an egregious affront for "old" Republican statesmen to have questioned a wise Latina SC candidate on her personal background.

Imagine if anyone suggested that the same sort of boundaries should be placed on members of congress who were not reared in affluence, when interviewing candidates raised in more advantageous environments.

Just as Sotomayor has made her background very much a part of her professional "package", Mr. Sanchez has not hesitated to act similarly all though his coverage of this story.

For Sanchez to then call foul when that particular aspect of Sotomayor's life is examined, is more than a little ironic.

Rick; You were so great today! I'. going to be honest; I usually don't agree with you and thats ok I',m sure you don't live for agreement from the public but I related to your story! By the way you have a beautiful family and I so relate to your mom! My mom was one of those moms who also did so much for her kids. She was the mom; who thought it was time to stand up to do something to make things better for us in the early sixties. So with the help of the federal marshalls she walked my sister into william Frantz elementary school to intergrate public schools! When you ask her why! she simply says; I couldn't go to school !! and I want you to go to school !!!

Hi Rick
You know what...from an outsider point of view.... Rather be a criminal in court..than a Supreme court Nominee!!!

Brilliantly done!
Please tell your audience the names of these great Hispanic women!And give my regards to Sylvia (seated camera right).

I was touched by the story of your mom and the other Latina women. Your mom looked so proud and I think anyone who has ever traveled to another country where you do not speak the language, knows her strength. Your mom is a beautiful lady. Thank you for sharing your story and another perspective. I am a white female who was not exposed to many cultures when I was young, but always felt the importance of diversity. College and travel opened up my world to other cultures and I feel it is sad when people close themselves off from meeting and learning from one another. I fear the direction the republican party is going... if I were a intelligent Latina women I would find it hard voting for the republican party after watching these hearings. We need a strong two party system and I fear the direction the republican party is heading. I would love to hear more moderate voices included in the party... In my party we have many conservative and progressive voices. I love my country and want my country to thrive so I hope some of these divisions stop.

To all of you who are up in arms because some senators had the temerity to ask questions of Ms. Sotomayor: I assume you were equally outraged when, referring to Miguel Estrada, Sen. Durbin referred to liberal interest groups' desire to keep Estrada off the Court of Appeals because his Latino heritage made him "especially dangerous" as a potential future Supreme Court nominee.

Her "wise latina" comment, had it only been said in one speech, would have been a one-question issue. What made it troubling, and worthy of multiple questions, is the fact that it was used repeatedly over the space of several years. That fact seems to have been overlooked.

Sotomayor challenges the stereotypes of Hispanic women - that somehow they are either saints or sinners.

Here is an intelligent, rational, and knowledgable Hispanic woman in a ground-breaking situation. She is articulate, credible, and, yes, wise.

My compliments to all the "wise-Latinas" out there - including the women who work dead-end jobs, in the media, in movies, in offices, in banks, etc. everyday to provide for their families - including our future Supreme Court Justice!

God bless them all!

I know lots of people who “can’t afford health insurance”…but they enjoy their cable TV, cell phone, internet, dining out and refuse to ride a bike to work. As a tax payer, I refuse to pay for other people’s responsibility.

As for Sotomayor…..let’s be honest, the Christian white male is the one experiencing the most discrimination in these sick times.

Are all Latin American women white?

I think the hearing where disrespectful and racist.
Some of the question show a disrespect for women and women of color

Rick;

Our health care system is broken. The Insurance companies make our health decisions not the doctors. Primarily the insurance companies are interested in profit and executive pay. The doctors keep getting cut back in how much they get for procedures and premiums go up while the CEO's make more money. A few years ago I saw a study that stated that the healthcare insurance company CEO's were the heighest paid as a percentage of gross revenues. The money needs to be directed to medical care not executives.

While Judge Sotomayor's accomplishments are admirable, her judicial activism is contrary to what most American expect from judges. Judges are suppose to be impartial in interpreting the law and applying it. She has not been.

As a Cuban-American attorney, I am opposed to judges legislating from the bench. Please stop representing that she is supported by all or most Latina women. That is not the case. Many of us, sadly, do not and can not support her because of her judicial history and the potential for her legislating from the bench for many, many years to come if she becomes a Supreme Court justice.

Sincerely,
Mary Caperna, Esq.

Could you please explain to me why you keep dwelling on this jackson crap...i saw larry king last night and he had joe jackson on ..then today you repeating the same crap...then you got lou dobbs..campbell brown...jane valez mitchell...anderson cooper..saying the same things...all the cnn newscast repeat the same thing...lets get on with some real news...let the man rest in peace..and reporting some real news again...thanks...

We need to stop pretending stereotypes are not valid. Especially you women. Ya'll are huge fans of those CSI shows and their psychological profiling. The entire concept of psychological profiling is based upon sterotypes. If you have a serial killer, you are usually dealing with a white male. If you have a 7-11 robbery, you are probably dealing with a black male. Stereotypes ARE valid.

President Obama is right in demanding that we get health care reform now. We've been talking about health care reform for many years, and yet the Republicans say we are "rushing it". The health insurance companies are a major cause of our problems. A single-payer government system would be best, but we need the best we can get, NOW!

Hi Rick just hailing you from Montreal, Quebec. In regards to the health insurance talk in the USA momentarily, I feel saddened that such a rich and resourceful country like America is still struggling to bring forward a comfortable health care plan for its citizens. You'll think that the senate would work really hard in passing this bill to protect the health of its citizens.

Rick, I'm frustrated with some of your comments about Obama and his health care plan. We need the change in this country. You seem to be leading your republican guests with ways to attack Obama regarding his comments about the cops/Gates issue (it was stupid, as I understand the situation) and regarding doctors/money (there are cases when that's true!). On the other hand, I love your mom and her story.

Freedom of Speech! He should be able to say what ever he wants in his own home!

Rick,
I watch your show during lunch most days at work. I don't mind most of your commentators, but you guys need to replace Roland! He is entirely too overbearing, overly emotional, and interrupts too much as well. He is entirely annoying!!! I avoid talking, or LISTENING to people like him as much as possible.

The drama and conflict your bosses are going for should not come before respectful discussion of issues, and Roland is out of control!!!

Mr. Sanchez, I used to follow your "Participatory Journalism" until you called the President of United States, the distinguished honorable Barrack Obama, "irresponsibe because he rightly stated that the Cambridge Police acted "stupidly". Not only were you irresponsible in your characterization of the President, you insidiuosly ridiculed the high office of the Presidency. The President stated prior to the comment that he did not have all the facts, notwithstanding, the issue at stake bore semblence to everyday vicisitudes visited upon the minorities. Now that you have been to the mountain top, be mindful of those you insult. A well known African proverb states that , "he who forgets where he dried himself will forget where the rain began to beat him. Rick, aparently, you have forgotten where the rain began to beat you but some people in Miami still remember your humble beginnings and by the way, your irresponsibility. Have the courage to read this.
Bassey.

Rick, as a moderator you should not be taking sides and trying to say how authentic that Cambridge police officer is, simply because he studied racial profiling . I would hope too that you did the same with judge Sotomayor's confirmation.

Rick, the Boston Globe clearly shows three police officers at the home of Prof. Gates, two white officers and one black officer. Why hasn't anyone talked to the other officers about what happened?

I think the president hit it on the nail and you can not go by the police report because they wil lie on there report to make there case. I have a situation right now with a white police officer. Just arrest me for a DUI only because I was Black. hesaid he stopped because of reckless driving in Heavy Traffice at 11:23Pm and I casue auto to swerve as I was jerking from lane to lane. at the time there were only 1 other auto in the area. and it was slowing and stopping in the middle of 3 lanes so I put my left signal and moved to the left lane I than got in front of that auto and put my right signal on and moved back in the middle lane. I have driving for Greyhound Line for 18 years accident free. After I got out of jail I paid for a copy of the police report and I could not believe what he had put in that report. he charge me with a DUI when the leagal limit is .08 and I was only .05. he added that charge only because I had told him I had 2 beers earley that day. I went to my arranment in Traffice court and I only so 1 white person out of about 50 people for traffice court. there were blacks and latinos. This was in Riverdale GA.

I have been a nurse for 30 years. I'm a democrat. I am appalled at what President Obama said about Doctors. I have worked most of my career in the operating room and have also worked in an ENT office. I find it so insulting that he said surgeons may operate so they can make alittle more money. The surgeons that I have worked with work endlessly trying to save their patients. Upset!!! A Nurse in Iowa

Re: the Prof. Gates affair ... no one is discussing Prof. Gates' constitutional right to freedom of speech. He was on his own property and was obviously venting frustration. The police forces are not Gestapo. The officer should have recognized the situation and not escalated it with threats. It takes a real man to just walk away.

Hey brother, I am saddened of the situation of the President and the cambridge police. I am a soldier and I too experience racial profiling and felt helpless because I couldn't do anything to prove my innocents. What the police officer reported was law and my statement meant nothing. I too put my life on the line to protect our way of life, but do I get an apology. I am upset that you would side with the police officers so eagerly and not give both the benefit. The president does not owe no one an apology, if that was the case then every police department in the nation owes every person who was racially profiled an apology.

If I see two white women breaking into a home, I will call 911 and report what I see. If I see two whie men beaking into a home, I will report that. If one is short with a beard and one is tall and bald, I will report that.
I do not see this as a racially profiled phone call by the neighbor.

Rick, Truth is that when a white person gets in arguement with a minority, it is the responsibility of the White person to prove he is not racist. Even if it is evident that the minority was in the wrong! Where is this Country heading? Laws that only minorities can arrest minorities? This race card is being played far too often. These cases should be investigated, but, shouldn't be given National hype because of Color. Where is the coverage for the White Fire Fighters.

I am a Latin woman that does not speak Spanish, however, I do feel insulted the way the judge was treated. It seemed a bunch of men, NO women, drilling her trying to find fault in wherever she said...like she was unworthy or her job because she said this..or that...what about all the other ones who say all kind of things about everyone. She is intelligent and we need diversity in our benches...

To those who defend that cop! I was in doubt that he had conducted himself inappropriately until I saw his interview where he acted "cocky" and said to the reporter "I did not vote for Obama", when she asked if he acted in a "racist" way. I don't care that he did not vote for Obama but to say like he was "proud" of it is a disgrace. He is a public servant and should be respectful of our President. I can now see the "whole" picture. What is wrong with approach the gentleman and ask him for his ID. I'm sure the professor explained himself before he got carried away...It is clear to me that he was treated unfairly.

rick why is it that those that stand behind prof gates withoutall the facts are chastised by the cops but the many departments out there automatically have expressed support for the officerss version of everything withoutall the facts. this defacto support of law enforcement has lead to the mistrust of police in the minority communities and has lead to the dismissal of police tactics of racial profiling brutality belittlement etc. we all can watch vidoe of traffic stops and confrontations with the police and what we see as an etra kick by officers knees in the back punches in the face are easily dismissed by th epublic as being necessary to control suspects and as they tend to explain it away as the suspect resisting. too much credibilty is given to the police automatrically. Unless we are becomming a military style police state one sjhould be able to ask and demand from officers at least a name and badge number without fear of arrest as in the gates situation. clearly once the police unions get involved what afr-american officer would go against their same department without reprisals. comon the gates situation may not have been all racial but as obama stated an agitated citizen should not be able to arrest a citizen just because he rants against them on his own property. Oh and btw most officers except monorities are usually republican voters anyway they probably didnt even vote for him. the law states that those arrested are assummed innocent until proven guilty police officers against the principles of democracy and justice would want the citizenry to believe that alll that they arrest are guilty until proven innocent. They arent always right contrary to popular conservative belief.

why should obama apologize to all law enforcement for the one incident? this is why the police feel that they have carteblanche in all matters including questionable police tactics and brutality as well as racial profiling ...does the michael steele apology to rush limbauigh sound familiar....

Given the facts reported it doesn't matter if Gates were black, white, or latino, his actions with the officer would have had the same result.