Sotomayor is wise...but is she really Puerto Rican?

My father once gave me this piece of advice: “Never discuss politics, religion, or sports with friends.” I was seven or eight at the time, and I am not sure why this sticks in my mind.

This brings me to Sonia Sotomayor, President Obama’s nominee for Supreme Court justice.

While vacationing over the Memorial Day weekend at our little cottage in Banco, Virginia, my sister-in-law asked me what I thought of the Puerto Rican Supreme Court nominee.

What? She’s Puerto Rican? How could I have missed that? Why hadn’t anyone told me? Sure, I knew she was from New York and a “wise” Latina. But Puerto Rican? Where was that e-mail alert – the one from the super-secret society of Hispanics? Had I forgotten to pay my annual dues? Why had I only received a “Say ‘No’ to Sotomayor, because-she- is- an- evil- liberal- and- please-forward- this- to- all- your- friends- and- family” email – from a relative?

A Puerto Rican on the Supreme Court means relatively little to me and everything in the world. You see, I have bigger issues to deal with regarding my Puerto Rican-ness. I recently found out, from a favorite uncle, that unless I was born in Puerto Rico I was not a true Puerto Rican. (I was born on Long Island, to Puerto Rican parents, then moved to the homeland at the ripe old age of 3). Born in New York, he argued, I was categorically and undeniably a Newyorrican. Egad!

So, I wondered – would a Puerto Rican born in Florida be a Florican and those in Boston, Bostorican? (Try this with some of your own favorite cities/states).

Troubled by all of this, I turned to my happy hour buds. To them, I am 'the Puerto Rican'. I ordered my usual, a Cuba Libre and began wondering to myself, if I am not Puerto Rican then who is the bigger liar, my drink or me. (Cuba Libre translates to "a free Cuba" and the drink is often referred to as “la mentirita” or “the little lie” since Cuba is anything but free.) Anyway, we talked about work, downsizing, re-orgs, and such. I told them I was taking a trip back to Puerto Rico and was finally introducing my wife and kids to the beautiful island. One of the guys had actually worked in Puerto Rico many years ago and loved it.

By most accounts, Sonia Sotomayor will fly through the confirmation process, barring any major missteps. Extremists – in this case paranoid conservatives - will continue to raise the “wise latina” comment and her ruling on reverse discrimination. Republican Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky announced early on that he would vote against her nomination. (Senators John Cornyn of Texas and Orin Hatch of Utah have since joined him). Meanwhile, other GOP Senators - Richard Lugar of Indiana, the Senate's most senior Republican, Mel Martinez of Florida, the lone Hispanic Republican, and Olympia Snowe of Maine - announced they would vote for Judge Sotomayor, either because they are satisfied with her qualifications, or they are simply being cautious not to upset their Hispanic base. As far as Kentucky, there must only be a few Hispanics in the state– and even fewer are Kentuckoricans so his vote is understandable. Same for Senator Hatch. As for the Senator from Texas, I can never speculate as to why he votes the way he does.

So you see, having Sotomayor as a Supreme Court justice might just help clarify what it means to be Puerto Rican. On the other hand, maybe not. And while we are at it, is she really a Latina or is she Hispanic?

During the 1994 – 95 baseball strike, Sotomayor issued a ruling against baseball owners, effectively forcing both parties back to the negotiating table and she is credited with saving baseball. While that alone does not seal things for me, it is more of a reason to feel good about her nomination than worrying about whether or not she Puerto Rican or just another evil-doing liberal.

Oh, no. I have just mixed politics with sports. Lord, I should have listened to my father.