"Someone anyone tell me exactly why Sotomeyor voted against this poor Italo-American firefighter who most likely has contributed a lot to his city and he worked like hell to win that witheld appointment."

BTW, her name is spelled Sotomayor, and the decision you cite is when she declined to overturn a lower court ruling. Unless you are intimately familiar with all aspects of that case you'd best not be too critical.

All things in balance, she is an excellent choice. Too intelligent for the likes of Rush, Newt, or Coulter but that just increases her qualifications.

so what else could we expect to happen?

Nothing comes close to watching a silent movie classic in a restored threater using a real pipe organ for accompaniment. Nothing.

What does that tell us about the use of technology in storytelling?

It tells us that the medium is not the message. It tells us that a good plot, good acting and good directing will trump technology every time, unless one is striving to impress the juvenile audience.

Gary Kamiya: "For the large majority of Obama's supporters who utterly reject the Bush administration's approach to fighting terrorism, the president's speech was disillusioning. Despite his soaring rhetoric about "upholding our most cherished values," Obama proposed eviscerating those values by continuing the Bush policies of military tribunals and indefinite detention."

Gary's conclusion about Obama's speech is nothing like what Obama actually said. Obama is not "continuing the Bush policies" at all. Rather, he is taking a slow and deliberate approach to instill the rule of law and congressional oversight.

READ THE SPEECH !

When the blowhards want to "educate" us we'd better get out the gallon jugs of truth serum.

As soon as the usual right-wing responses started polluting the discourse, I knew Sotomayer would be a shoo-in.

Congratulations on completely changing the subject and tone of the posts here.

In what started as a discussion about physical actvity to overcome midlife crisis you managed to inject an entire essay on the evils of whatever brand of politics you are currently against.

Why did you do that?

but check your medical insurance coverage first.

The problem with mountain-climbing is that the taxpayers often have to pay for emergency rescue services when someone does something stupid.

Additionally, too many lives have been lost and persons injured when attempting to recue someone.

Perhaps every mountain climber should post a million dollar bond as insurance that any costs associated with rescue or event-caused injury be covered thereby saving potentially huge taxpayer costs.

Another writer posted this quote from Obama:

"Having said that, we must recognize that these detention policies cannot be unbounded. They can't be based simply on what I or the executive branch decide alone. That's why my administration has begun to reshape the standards that apply to ensure that they are in line with the rule of law. We must have clear, defensible, and lawful standards for those who fall into this category. We must have fair procedures so that we don't make mistakes. We must have a thorough process of periodic review, so that any prolonged detention is carefully evaluated and justified."

I listened to Obama's speech (it helps when you hear the vocal expressions) and the quote shown above explains pretty well what Obama's position is, in my opinion.

When the desktop PC's power exceeds the capacity of the human brain we've pretty much reached the limit of useful information.

We're becoming 24/7 extensions of our electronic apparati. Robotism is not far away.

I protest.

The "rule of law" is absolute if we want to promote ourselves as a democracy and a defender of human rights.

Why does that confuse you?

promoting bias and ignorance and exclusion.

Well, we have them here in freedom-loving America.

not convicted of a crime enough money to feed his family, buy a house and a car, a HDTV, a dog or cat, a swimming pool, unlimited cable access, all-gas kitchen appliances, Persian rugs, a gold-plated hookah, lifetime Costco dolma, free gas and lawn-care service.

It's be cheaper than what we're doing now and we badly need new consumers, and we'd win more converts away from the temptation of terrorism than by using a waterboard.

George W. Bush looked into the cameras and said, "We don't torture" ?

Apparently Cheney was not listening to his boss.

"to make sure “our efforts are consistent with our values and our Constitution” is chilling, not reassuring."

Without copying the entire Constitution here, Obama is very clear. I don't share your doubts about his process. He has emphasized the rule of law and consistent American values as enshrined in our courts, and the Constitution. He places responsibility upon the Congress and the Judiciary to ensure that America "stays true to its ideals".

What's the problem with that?

The Bush Administration has set the stage you aptly described in your post. Even after losing the Election, the spectre of failed Bush policy hangs over us.

I totally believe that Cheney would welcome another terror attack on US soil. He would tout vindication and rally the righ-wing lunatic fringe into a frenzy.

The detainees at Guantanamo are held because they are, for the most part, suspects and their cases must be revied and acted upon accordingly. Most will be released but the legal process must proceed.

Obamas has inherited an incredible mess from the Bush Administration and along with the sniping from failed Bush-era has-beens, he has to reform American policy in accordance with the Constitution and the voters' wishes.