There are those in the world who touch our lives in a unique and special way; a way that impacts who we are and how we think. These are rare individuals who actually open our minds. They teach us how to think; they educate us about the realities of the world, and how to live in it. Occasionally they are friends, sometimes they are mentors, and often they are teachers. Sometimes, on very rare occasions, an individual fills all of these roles. (continue reading…)

In the coming weeks as judge Sotomayor goes through the fire of confirmation as an US Supreme Court justice we should tune our ears to the rhetoric of both the left and the right. When we hear the screams of fear and foul play or the sweet voices of empathy and compassion, we must use our capacity for reasoning and detection to understand why those voices are being raised. We will hear more on the evils of policy making from the bench and personal agendas and biases. We will hear more of life experiences and overcoming hardship. But, does any of that matter? It’s hard to tell right now, yet here is how I see it.

It is the responsibility of our Supreme Court to (continue reading…)