Okay, Fine. Justice Sotomayor is Right.

One of the wonderful benefits of growing up in the post-1960s world of feminism was being taught that I could have a career and that career could anything I imagine. I had choices.

I grew up knowing that I could be a lawyer, a teacher, a business owner (thank you Katharine Graham and Mary Kay Ash), a scientist (thank you Jane Goodall and Margaret Mead), an astronaut (thank you Sally Ride), a Supreme Court Justice (thank you Sandra Day O'Connor), a professional athlete (thank you Billy Jean King) or anything else I could imagine, including a wife and mother.

One option, however, was not on the table. As much as I fought it, my parents insisted that I could not be a princess. And now, Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor agrees with them. Being a princess is not a career.




Of course, if being a princess is not a career choice, this begs the all-important question: Why do all the Disney movies seem to imply that being a princess is not only a career choice, but it's the only career choice?

I know. I know. Let's solve one problem at a time.

So yay! for Sesame Street teaching girls that they have real choices in life. And yay! for Justice Sotomayor for being such a great role model.

Sonia Sotomayor to be 3rd Woman on the Supreme Court

Today President Barack Obama nominated U.S. Appellate Judge Sonia Sotomayor (2nd Cir.) to be the next Supreme Court Justice. She will be only the third woman and the first Latina on the Court.

You may not know her name, but if you're a baseball fan, you know of her. She single-handedly saved baseball by ending the 7 1/2 month strike, just one day before the start of the 1995 season.Her story is moving and the epitome of how to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps. She grew up in the Bronx housing projects, was diagnosed with Diabetes at age 8 and was told that people with Diabetes could not be private investigators like her childhood heroine, Nancy Drew, so she would have to scale back her dreams. As a child of 9, her father died. Her newly widowed mother worked two jobs to put her two children through private Catholic school. She earned scholarships to Princeton University and Yale Law School.

I am inspired by Sonia Sotomayor.

Did you see President Obama's speech nominating her or her acceptance speech? Watch below. It's worth 18 1/2 minutes. I cried when she thanked her mom, who was sitting in the audience.

Ooh! Ooh! Katie! Pick Me! I Know the Answer!

Katie Couric: Okay, Little Merry Sunshine, what Supreme Court decisions do you disagree with?

Little Merry Sunshine: Well, Katie, I'm so glad you asked. There are a number of SCOTUS opinions I disagree with. First, I take extreme exception with Bush v. Gore, 531 U.S. 98 (2000). Yes, I'm still upset that Al Gore lost. And I believe that if former Vice President Gore were President these last eight years, we would not be in this horrible economic crisis we now find ourselves in. Furthermore, we would not have invaded Iraq based on lies.

Second, I disagree with Exxon Shipping v. Baker, 554 U.S. ____ (2008), in which the Supreme Court decreased the punitive damages owed by Exxon for the 1989 11 million gallon Exxon Valdez oil spill in the Prince William Sound in Alaska from $5 billion to $500 million. Companies such as Exxon must be held responsible for their actions, especially when they cause that kind of environmental damage.

Finally, I disagree with the Supreme Court in its ruling in Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., 550 U.S. ____ (2007), in which the Supreme Court held that employers are protected from lawsuits for pay discrimination when the decisions were made by employers more than 180 days ago. It's almost always impossible to know about income disparity within 180 days of a salary decision being made. Furthermore, many companies have strict policies prohibiting employees discussing salary with other employees.

Katie Couric: Wow. Little Merry Sunshine, I'm impressed with your depth of knowledge of Supreme Court cases. Do you read any newspapers, by chance?

LMS: As a matter of fact, Katie, I am a voracious reader. My mother was a remedial reading teacher and I could read when I entered Kindergarten. But to your specific question about newspapers, you know, I'm very environmentally conscious, and while I love the feel of a newspaper in my hands, I have chosen not subscribe to any newspapers. Instead, I read a multitude of newspapers, magazines and other news sources online. I find that reading online also allows me the opportunity to learn about the issues facing our country and our world from a vast spectrum of perspectives, rather than a singular point of view.

Katie Couric: Thank you for sitting down with me today, Little Merry Sunshine. I know you're a busy woman running a small business and preparing for your college reunion in less than 48 hours, so I appreciate that you chose to speak with me today.

LMS: Oh, Katie, you are so very welcome. Chatting with you was my pleasure. Feel free to call me again.

George Carlin's Famous Seven Word Routine - NSFW!!!!!

In case you've lived in a cave, as I apparently have, and have never seen nor heard George Carlin's famous Seven Dirty Words Routine, I've just ripped this off Boxer Rebellion's blog for your viewing pleasure.

But PLEASE DO NOT PLAY THIS AT WORK or around small children. Truly, it's not suitable for them.