When the road to the highest court in the land is littered with the lowest levels of behavior and respect …
BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: The first black woman to be nominated as a Supreme Court justice is historic and should symbolize what America stands for, but watching the interviewing process concerns both of us, albeit for very different reasons.
As a lover of history, Red can’t help but focus on the past, when the U.S. Senate would put aside partisanship thoughts, look at the candidate’s experience, qualifications, and integrity, remembering that justices sit at the top of an independent branch of government. They voted on the person, not the party. (For example, out of 100 available votes, Antonin Scalia was confirmed in 1986 with 98, Anthony Kennedy in 1988 with 97, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg in 1993 with 96.)
It distresses her that the Republican members of the committee, instead of focusing on whether Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson (KBJ) is qualified, seem more interested in trying to trip her up, using what Red see as “cheap tricks” (such as selectively discussing parts of a court case rather than providing the full context), all to make “points” for their side. Not to mention ignoring basic standards of decency, civility, and old-fashioned good manners. Things she instilled in her kids when they were still children,
I never thought I’d equate anything to do with the Supreme Court to being a mom, but if you wouldn’t let your five-year-old get away with that kind of behavior, should we let senators vetting a Supreme Court justice nominee act that way?!
Black, on the other hand, recognizes that mathematically KBJ has the appointment unless a Democrat votes “No” (which is highly unlikely). So, instead of grandstanding with an aggressively hostile (borderline toxic) partisan focus on mid-term election culture-war issues (not to mention “payback” for prior Republican nominee hearings and the blatant “I may run for higher office” campaign “speeches”), this was a wasted opportunity for a “reset” as the Senate could have created a historic bipartisan moment -- having a highly-qualified nominee become the first Black woman appointed to the highest court in the land.
And while Black believes that KBJ’s professional credentials, combined with her experience, which is different from the other justices, would bring a new and highly valuable perspective and insight to the Supreme Court (although it wouldn’t “overrule” the current dominance of conservative ideology), she also knows the value of the “soft skills” KBJ’s developed to deal with the challenges she’s faced her entire life,
Watching KBJ refusing to be drawn into a political fight and facing the harassment (from, dare I say it, white men) with poise and dignity made perfect sense because, as a Black woman, she has had to deal with that type of **it her entire life.
Red started to write warm and fuzzy Christmas and holiday greetings, but Black said some things are worth repeating … like our simple Christmas post from 2023 (check out the movie clip) …
No matter what holiday you may celebrate, Red can’t help but quote a line from one of her favorite Christmas songs, “Have yourself a merry little Christmas. Let your heart be light. From now on, your troubles will be out of sight.”
And Black can’t help but point out that the song wasn’t introduced in a Christmas movie but in the movie "Meet Me In St. Louis."
Wishing you a merry everything and a happy always!
Sadie Hawkins Day … some may find it sexist. Some may find it inspirational. Others just nostalgic. Our take on it hasn’t changed since we first issued this post. But if you asked Black for a car analogy (she always has one), she’d tell you it’s about taking the wheel and leading the way …
Comic strip or reality show: A group of bachelors participates in a foot race, and whoever's caught by the single woman in the race will become her husband.
BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: We may be sisters, but except for growing up with the same parents in the same house in New York, that may be where the similarities end; especially in terms of dating "protocol" as Black never thought twice about asking boys (and later men) out on a date, while Red never gave it any thought, accepting the convention that boys did the asking. (She did make an exception for her senior prom but was shocked when he accepted.)
When it comes to Sadie Hawkins Day, we both agree it's a quirky holiday that makes it "acceptable" for girls to ask out boys, but of course, we have very different perspectives. For Red, it conjures up images of Sadie Hawkins Day dances, although she never went to one and doesn't even remember how she knows about them. While Black's fascinated by how it all began with the cartoonist Al Capp and his popular "Lil' Abner" comic strip and quickly became a pop culture phenomenon.
Now, over 80 years later, if you were to analyze Sadie Hawkins Day, you would probably find it outdated and sexist. But why not just laugh at its silly beginnings and enjoy the day. The funny thing is Red still thinks men should ask out women, while Black always believed that every day's Sadie Hawkins Day.“A Dictator & His Mistress” might have been a catchier title, but that doesn’t change the fact that the combination of history and food makes this one of Red’s favorite Banter Bites. While Black loves the leadership lessons (from a dictator?!). Curious? If so, read on …
Quick! If someone says "Julius Caesar," what comes to mind?
BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: Almost everyone has heard of Julius Caesar, but how many of us really know much about him, or at least that's what Red starts to wonder when she receives the usual flippant, but still accurate, reply from her sister, after feeling very proud that she knew that July was named after the famous Roman.
Which is what got Red to realize, much to her surprise (shock, if truth be told), that even as a straight-A student with a love of history, that when it came to Julius Caesar, a famous historical figure and possibly one of the greatest generals and statesmen of all time, she couldn't tell you dates or battles or anything "historical" associated with him.
Even as a theater major in college, she never read Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar," although she knew just enough about the play to know that it was where the fortune teller warned Caesar to "Beware the Ides of March." Instead, her knowledge of Caesar came from her love of movies.
My first, and probably my most enduring, memory is of a brilliant general who not only commanded armies as he conquered lands far from home but was a great statesman who was also involved with one of the world's most beautiful women. And while he was Julius Caesar and the woman was Cleopatra, to me, they'll always be Rex Harrison and Elizabeth Taylor in Cleopatra, a movie almost as controversial as the general himself.
And Black? Besides knowing that Caesar Salad was invented by a different Caesar, she appreciates Julius Caesar's leadership skills and way with words,
There is much we can learn about leadership from Julius Caesar, whether on the battlefield, in politics, or in business (start small, take risks, communicate well), including what ultimately led to his death (always consider worst-case scenarios, never get complacent or arrogant). Many of his quotes speak (pun intended) to his powerful way with words, and the ability to not only deliver a message but to inspire (and story tell), with my favorite being, "I came, I saw, I conquered."