Senators really shouldn't joke during hearings...

Ok, so this is a rant. I was already getting sick of the hearings for the next Supreme Court because i started watching knowing that someone was going to say something provocative or just plain rude. Of course, it did not take long. I am going to give the gentleman from Oklahamo a little more leeway, or rope, if you. So, I will preface this with my opinion that perhaps he was trying to insert a bit of levity. But, it was not funny. During today's hearing Senator Colburn went all Ricky Ricardo and I was just a little offended.

Ricky Ricardo, as many of you know was Lucille Ball's spouse, in reality and on television's The I Love Lucy Show. When Lucy would invariably get into trouble, Ricky would crook his finger at her and then utter one of his most famous catch-phrases "Lucy, you got some 'splaining to do." Many thought it was cute and quirky at the time. So, the guy had a problem with the enunciating the word "explaining." For the Senator to use it during the Congressional hearing was just a little inappropriate. I am hoping that I caught this because I am just more sensitive to people poking fun at other's dialects because of some of the words butchered by my own family, but I have to wonder why he chose THAT phrase when speaking to the first Hispanic nominee to the United States Supreme Court? She is not Cuban, she is Puerto Rican, Boricua, if you please. And, the only accent you can hear from her is the one she sports indicating that she is from New York.

Perhaps, he was just being witty, but I wonder if he would have made a similar crack about Shylock to a Jewish nominee or used some line from The Sopranos if he was questioning a jurist of Italian lineage. Somehow I doubt it, but maybe, just maybe he would have gone there anyway. That being written, let me just say that people poke fun at others' manner of speaking or dialects or accents all the time. Heck, it is the bread and butter for many comedians and children do it all the time. However, some things need to be left to children and comedians and not Senators.