Our first reaction to this news was WTF?
In one of the most hilarious moments of a boring and repetitive third day of her Senate confirmation hearing, Sotomayor made the gun analogy after Oklahoma Republican Tom Coburn repeatedly prodded her to explain if the Second Amendment gave every American a right to self-defense.
"Do I have a right to personal self-defense?" Coburn said. Sotomayor said she couldn't recall a single federal law that dealt with that issue. "Most criminal law statutes are passed by states," she said. "The issue of self-defense is usually defined in criminal statutes by state laws."
"Is it okay to defend yourself in your home when you're under attack?" Coburn insisted. "Those are the kinds of things people would like you to answer."
The Bronx-bred Sotomayor wasn't taking the bait. As she has throughout the hearing, she refused to express her opinion on any issue that may come before the high court. New York law, she replied, allows citizens to "use force to repel a threat" but only "if the threat is imminent."
She then tried to placate Coburn with a hypothetical example:
"If the threat was in this room, 'I'm going to come get you,' and if I go home, get a gun, come back and shoot you, that may not be legal," she said. Laughter swept through the audience.
"You'll have lots of 'splainin' to do,'" Coburn retorted. It was an obvious reference to the broken-English phrase made famous decades ago by Desi Arnaz, the Cuban bandleader and co-star of "I Love Lucy."
Ummm... I'm not sure if we should just lighten up and take it as a funny joke (which it kind of was) or take it as an insult meant to ridicule? Share with us your thoughts! PLEASE COMMENT!
By GC
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