There was a candidates debate, zoom style.
You can watch the entire one and half plus hours here.
But we want to focus on the answers, the elocution, the command of the English language, and the anachronistic use of the term "COLORED PEOPLE" by candidate for Circuit Judge, the one, the only, the Rosy Aponte.
We have transcribed the pertinent points, which you can listen to for accuracy, bemusement, and downright shock at her inarticulateness and deafness when it comes to speaking about people of color. Also watch how deep she digs the hole.
We pick up at the action at 1:25:20 into the debate. The topic is alternative forms of release: The text in red are Rumpole's thoughts.
RA: Yes I think we just need to get a little more creative. I think that there's a lot of instances where somebody can be given an ankle bracelet and be sent home and be monitored through the ankle bracelet. We don't need to have people incarcerated in one big jail system. [As opposed to a bunch of small jail systems?]. A lot of these crimes are crimes that are are not so so ummm so severe that you cannot have somebody have ahh ankle bracelet have them go and ah report every day to a probation officer. [There is an idea here somewhere. With a map and a little cognitive training, she will find it someday]. I think that we need to use those kinds of means more than just always sending anybody to jail umm and and where we can it will be less it will be more cost effective and it will be better for the community if some of these crimes that are not such not high crimes [Historical and constitutional scholar that she is, we are sure she is referring to high crimes in the context of the meaning in the usage contained in Article II, Section 4 of the constitution] umm we would just give them an ankle bracelet and have people remain in their home and only go out if they have to work or have to go report to a probation officer. I think we need to be more creative on how we do these things umm going forward especially after this whole covid 19 pandemic.
We want to dwell on this fascinating reference to high crimes a bit more. In 40 plus years of legal work in the courts of Dade County, we have NEVER had a judicial officer refer to our client's act as a "high crime".
But now lets move on to the good stuff. Let's really see how her legal mind clicks. The question posed is how people who are on the bench interact with those who come before them.
At 1:27:11 the moderator asks the genius about her experiences with the AFRICAN AMERICAN community. We capitalize that for a reason as you shall soon see. It's as if he was giving her a hint-but she missed it. Here is her answer. Listen to it yourself. We did NOT change one word.
RA: The only thing that comes to mind right now is Camillus House. I volunteered a lot at Camillus House. And as you know that is a very diverse community of people. The homeless people. [Yes we know that is a bit of a non sequitur, but put on your seat belts for what she says next]. Ummm There's a lot of colored people in that that depend on Camillus House so I think that what comes to mind right now is me volunteering to cook and to feed people in the Camillus House.
Rumpole cannot help but say that the only thing that comes to mind right now is that people who express themselves as if they have the IQ of a potato slug should not be running for judge. The second thing that comes to mind right now is that Ms. Aponte should look at a calendar. It is 2020 Woman. WE DO NOT CALL AFRICAN AMERICAN PEOPLE COLORED PEOPLE. Well apparently most of us don't. She does.
The third thing that comes to mind is....we can't. We just can't continue. We are rendered speechless. She used the term COLORED PEOPLE when addressing the WILKIE FERGUSON Bar Association. Does she know Wilkie Ferguson was
At 1:29:57 the moderator, having pulled himself off the floor and collected his thoughts returns to the phrase that doesn't pay.
Moderator: Attorney Aponte when addressing the last question.. the term you used was "colored people"...would you care to clarify that statement?
Now Ms. Aponte, chess master, uses the Elizabeth Warren Gambit and calls herself "colored" because she has Indian and African American ancestry- although she did not say it that eloquently.
RA: Yes. I consider myself a colored woman. To me a colored person is somebody who has a diverse background. I have Indian and African American in my family so that makes me a colored person. Anyone who has diversity in in in a different color in their skin that is not white...I consider myself to be a colored woman because as I said I have African American and Indian in my family history.
The Moderator then asks her if she realizes how that phrase can be offensive to some people. What occurs next is destined to become a classic in American political rhetoric:
RA: Ummm I keep hearing different politically correct (jumbled ) on the one point they said it wasn't politically correct and now their saying it's back to being politically correct. The other day I mentioned being a minority they told me: 'no you can't say you are a minority you have to say you are a person of color.' So I keep getting contradicting ahh opinions about that. And The reason I said colored is because when I was mentioning minority they said minority was no longer politically correct.
So it's hard to keep up with the politically correctness that people keep changing back and forth. I used to say minorities and now they say minorities is not politically correct. You have to say that you are a person of color.
Rumpole wonders, who is "They" that she keeps referring to? Is there some political correctness teacher she is consulting? And if so maybe that person can remove their white hood so Ms. Aponte can hear them better.
Dr King: I have a dream.
Rosy Aponte: So I keep getting contradictory opinions about that.
We also, on reflection, realize we need to apologize for the Potato Slugs comment. To all the Potato Slugs out there, we apologize for slurring them with this.
Moderator: You just cited to us your history in working with minority communities...Are you saying this the first time someone has ever told you that the use of the term colored person could be considered offensive?
RA: I just saw Megan Markle call herself a colored woman on national TV. I never heard that it was offensive.
Some legal scholars quote Gladstone. Others quote Chief Judge John Marshall. Some peruse literature for guidance and inspiration. Shakespeare for example.
And some quote Megan Markle.
You say Potato. She says Colored Person. You say Native American. She says Indian.
True or False: RA in closing mentioned the many colored friends she has?
False. But- and we are guessing here- it's only because she ran out of time. She did say she started her career as a civil rights attorney!! and a teacher!!!- and then she said this:
and we kid you not: "I want to bring on my experience as a public school teacher who knows how to speak to people."
We leave it at that. Because we are speechless. We cannot top it. We do not have the experience she has as someone who knows how to speak to people.
Rumpole drops the mic and walks away.
40 comments:
Rump the chess player: "elizabeth warren gambit". Sounds like she was playing checkers.
Thanks for posting. One good thing that has come from the pandemic is that all kinds of candidate debates are now recorded and available for the broader public to see. I hope that this platform remains in use post-pandemic (whenever that may be), so that more folks have access to this important educational information.
While attorney Aponte was the headline grabber, I'm curious about Judge Rebull. He repeatedly said that mistakes he has made "have been mistakes of the head, not the heart." The moderator (who, by the way, did a great job) and the opponent (who also did a great job) made references to Rebull's mistakes, and it seems like his mistakes were part of the reason he drew opposition. He's currently in a contested election, but he also has a pending application for a position on the 3rd DCA. Can someone educate us on this?
Why u be so hard on Miz Rosie. She always be nice to us coloreds.
Chicken George
Not defending her, but take a look at the current use of BIPOC.
Again, not defending and I can't speak for her, but my guess (??) is that she intended to be talking about people of color, the way it is currently being used to describe those who are not white.
Her last answer is sort of what led me to think that, but she's still got plenty to learn about using the terminology.
The fact that you have never heard the term, colored people, refer to persons of color other than African Americans as colored people amazes me. But, just so I get this, person of coor is o.k., but colored people is not.
I remain baffled by the narrow-minded attitude of progressives, as we watch Democrats who did not give a crap about persons of color demanding police restriction after having avoided the issue for decades.
I have represented clients in cases with Rosy Aponte and have never seen any indication of racism. I assume your ad hominem attack on her is based upon your support of one of the other candidates. If your head swells any larger, you may have difficulty navigating the average doorway.
You refer to "me" but clearly the moderator was taken back by the term she used. I would generally agree people of color is a term that is accepted and colored person is not- because it's a term used by racist people in the 1960's.
She was NOT confused. She has no idea - no clue- colored is offensive. Her rambling response about not knowing what is offensive until someone tells her, proves this. Especially for someone who says she is a colored woman who takes advice from Megan Markle.
This is the point- SHE IS NOT BRIGHT
Is this the type of intellect you want as a Judge?
Wouldn't you love to examine her civil rights litigation record? She said she started as a civil rights lawyer. And she uses that term and is befuddled about what is politically correct and she decides to have this discourse with the WILKIE FERGUSON bar?
I would bet a whole lot of money she has NO IDEA who Wilkie Ferguson was.
Well, she may be dumb, but she has a good last name for election in this county. So regardless of her answers, she has a pretty good chance of winning.
While you may be exasperated by her possibly winning an election and getting a spot on the bench, it's not like the appointment system is much better. Look at our recent FSC appointee.
Wasn’t Wilkie Ferguson the first Judge of color to serve on the 3rd DCA?
Aren't you the same guy who held up a "We Shall Overcome" sign at the protest? What have you personally overcome as a white man?
He was. Appointed in 1980 and served on 3DCA until appointed to federal bench in 1993.
Where is CNN when you want them ?
Rumpole: Rosy is plenty bright and her opponent is unpleasant, overbearing, lacks judicial temperment, suffers from terminal robe-itis, and conducts herself as if there is no one in the courtroom that possible is close to as bright as she is. She was an outstanding County Judge and then just went south after being appointed to the Circuit Court. Finally, I am happy to leave to Rosy, who is a woman of color of she chooses to use the term, colored woman, which I have heard for years but apparently has not penetrated the cone of your politically correct universe, where I believe there are more derogatory words to describe Blacks than any other language
I don’t know this judge, never having appeared in her courtroom. But I guess the speech police determined that her speech was against the thought police’s policies. Just who the hell are the speech police? Who has a right to tell me what to say and how to express myself? You woke liberals? Please, spare me. We now live in a time where men are women, women are men, where we have transgender, binary and who knows how many other genders. We can’t call a women her or she or ma’am for fear of being “politically incorrect” or accused by the speech police of being a misogynist, or worse. Where does this stupid political correctness end? I for one, will continue being “politically incorrect” and don’t give a crap what you bleeding heart liberal/communists tell me is right to say or not to say.
7:11. How is she bright? Do you have some examples ? A stunning motion from her days as a civil rights lawyer? Because we just reviewed an affidavit she filed in a case and bright is not the term we would use. Her relationship with solid and persuasive writing appears to be about the same as Trump’s relationship with colored people.
She appears to be a complete moron. Won’t be the first or the last on the bench. I will still vote for her over Tunis.
Nobody and I mean nobody says "colored people" anymore. What an idiot. I will vote for her simply because anything is better than Tunis and her rudeness and complete lack of respect for anyone who is talking to her.
A Zoom judicial debate...like watching water boil.
Oh yeah. I WILL also VOTE for her over TUNIS!
Few Aponte campaign announcements. Her official campaign song is Dixie, because it brings up Florida pride. Swing Low Sweet Chariot came in second.
She will be holding a watermelon and fried chicken rally in colored town on Sunday afternoon, serving culturally significant food. She will appear in blackface to present the annual steppin fetchit award on Tuesday honoring the white person who most can changed into a colored person for theatrical purposes.
The NAACP announced she is a finalist for their woman of color woman of distinction award for 2019.
9:53 AM- to use a line of reasoning from Aponte, how can you say I am biased against Hispanics? Some of my best friends are Hispanics and I did 23andme DNA test and 5% of my heritage is Injun so I am a person of color- a colored person like her.
Second- SHE WAS SUSPENDED FROM PRACTISING in a court- Bankruptcy. She has never tried a jury trial. She cannot speak coherently. She said in her interview she thinks Tunis should be on the 3rd DCA so why is she running against her? Show me one scholarly article she has written. Show me one noteworthy case she has handled. Show me some community service other than Camillus house feeding colored people- NB (NB is a latin designation for Nota Bene meaning Note Well) I called Camillus house. They have no record of her volunteering there and they do not let people come off the street and cook. So I am very suspicious of her claiming to cook there for coloreds.
Third- she keeps running and losing. What does that tell you?
Fourth- she is not bright. I have affidavits she has written and filed that I would not let ever be filed in court. They clearly were not proof read. I will be posting some.
Fifth- she is working for a law firm with a notorious lawyer from NY who is not licensed in Florida who uses runners to go to the homes of accident victims to sign them up. That allegation has been repeatedly made by clients who have retained other attorneys to sue the firm. Why is she lending her bar license to such nefarious work?
I will give you or any of her supporters front page of the blog to respond. Respond to the use of the term coloreds. Respond to my allegation she is not bright that she has never tried a jury trial and wants to be a CIRCUIT judge and that she is not qualified. Have at it. Send me something. I will run it unedited. I will give her more than equal time to prove her point and refute my points.
Yours, etc.,
HR Blog Proprietor
Oh one more question- if she is colored woman as she told the Wilkie Ferguson Bar, why is she registered to vote as Hispanic?
Rosy A Aponte
Age: 47
Gender: Female
Race: Hispanic
Residential Address:
Miami Fl 33155
Party Affiliation: Independent Party Of Florida
Registered to Vote In: Dade County, FL
Voter Status: Active
To remind you- here is her answer at the event:
RA: Yes. I consider myself a colored woman. To me a colored person is somebody who has a diverse background. I have Indian and African American in my family so that makes me a colored person.
You tried but she can’t produce ...
IS IT POSSIBLE THAT DURING THIS TIME OF NATIONAL UNREST THAT SOLUTIONS COULD BE PROPOSED BY INTELLIGENT PEOPLE? LAST NIGHT IN ATLANTA ANOTHER BLACK MAN MURDERED BY WHITE POLICE SO PREPARE FOR AN ENTIRE SUMMER OF PROTEST. HONESTY, RESPECT AND HISTORICAL FACTS WILL LEAD TO PROGRESS AND MITIGATE LOSS OF LIFE AND PROPERTY DESTRUCTION. PASSAGE OF MORE LAWS IS NOT THE SOLUTION. THE CONVEYOR BELT DELIVERING MINORITY YOUTH TO PRISON MUST BE ADDRESSED.
I’m sorry, I may have missed a change, but what does NAACP stand for?
Rumpole: You must really like Tunis, and how could you. She is a miserable person, and a nasty, unpleasant judge. It is O.K. to be a friend to someone, but why not just disclose it. I have seen Judge Tunis do some really nasty things to people. Her removal from the bench will definitely serve the ends of justice.
I'm voting for the stupid idiot just to get rid of Tunis.
Rosie, you are an idiot.
I would vote for a toad if it was running against Tunis.
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Shocking.
Such babies. Go cry in your towels and get over it. Tunis is smart and savvy. She demands people do their jobs rather than just get a paycheck. Sorry to bust your bubble but putting a neophyte in a judicial position is like electing Donald Trump president. What a mistake. This Aponte person is a disaster waiting to happen. A stupid judge doesn’t help you or your client.
You think the “colored” comment is bad - you should have heard how Judge Arthur Snyder referred to African Americans in chambers after a court hearing. He freely used the N word at lunch with fellow judges and cops who hung out in chambers.
Old school?
Disgusting and a lack of respect to woman too. Yet - most of you consider him to have been one of the great judges.
Aponte may have made an error in her choice of words. Invite her to write her position in an essay to the blog?
Very volatile and tense situation currently happening South of Fifth on Miami Beach. Protesters are marching carrying torches made of Palo Santo. An angry mob began hurling their yoga mats at the MB Police Officers. They’ve painted “DEFUND LULULEMON” on Ocean Drive. Several looters were heard to be asking where the Aesop Store is located. I fear this will be my last message as they’ve breached the perimeter at The Continuum
Rump (PR) you prove my point by assailing my post as a Tunis cheerleader. You do not and cannot deny defending Tunis’ confidant, Jeri Beth Cohen, when she said we should send the Cubans back. You cannot deny how many Afro-American or Hispanics Tunis has slammed. Interesting how you do not address how and why Stan Blake had an intervention for Tunis. (You who knows all.) You don't address Tunis’ tantrums and tirades, flying off the handle in frustration, raising her voice, berating and talking down to lawyers, and storming out of the courtroom. You cannot deny these are psychological and emotional reactions of an individual who cannot accept situational differences and are symptoms of dependency. (Is that what Stan was concerned about?) There is no denying Tunis is kept a division where she can hardly make a mistake and has never transferred to protect her. You and others know about Tunis' issues but have protected her, like they protected others before her. Just look at how you have championed her cause.
You don’t touch the suggestion that Tunis and Aponte disclose records of any psychological or dependency treatment they have had in the past five years. After all this is consistent with the cannons of judicial conduct requiring members of the judiciary to report other judges who have issues.
I suggest Aponte is a better choice knowing all we know about Tunis.
Those who rail against Judge Tunis must be fools who were unprepared when appearing in front of her. She does not tolerate fools or unprepared attorneys well. If one compares the experience of Judge Tunis, to Aponte who now is a front for a NY lawyer who merely advertise and troll for PI cases it is not even a close comparison. How could Aponte who has never tried a jury trial ever do well for a client in the civil world. The NY attorney will soon be a subject of a bar complaint for the unlicensed practice of law and Aponte may be on the hook as well as an aider and abetter.She could very well be sanctioned once again,---or worse. I have found Judge Tunis to be very fair to all and she has great judicial temperament to go with her trial experience as a PD and Judge. We have some Judges who never appeared in court and sole amway products who ran and beat a Judge who had no money or friends and was unknown having been in Probate for a long time. And now her son, who has Zero qualifications is now a judge as well. And we have an inexperienced Assistant City Attorney who never tried a case by himself and was reamed out for his tactics by two Circuit Court judges now on the County bench. The state of the bench is disgraceful.( except Judge Hanzman and a few others. We do not need the like of Aponte to join the unqualified.
Please. No more stupid judges. Perhaps Judge Tunis will take this as a wake up call and start acting nicer. Stupid doesn’t suddenly get smart.
Trialmaster may be the biggest asshole who comments on this page. Out of more than 120 judges he thinks only Hanzman's shit don't stink. Every judge has good and bad points and some have more than others. But to think Hanzman is the only good judge on our bench is to be either delusional or Hanzman. I could with no time to prepare name 10 judges who I would have rather have decide my case than Hanzman. And Tunis is one of them!
And if I could make a point to Aponte, you will be in WAY over your head if you win. You are too stupid to be on the bench. I know most of our judges and can say with certainty that you will be dumbest judge on the bench by far.
Just watched the tape, and can't believe anyone is thinking of voting for Aponte. She has no experience, and is stupid to boot. You might as well leave the seat vacant. She is in over her head and will get herself in trouble in a nanosecond.
Rumpole jumped the shark at 3:43pm when he asked "if she is [a] colored woman as she told the Wilkie Ferguson Bar, why is she registered to vote as Hispanic?"
For what its worth, the whole concept of black, colored, hispanic, etc is bullshit anyway. And as Rumpole is using it, its double bullshit because it mixes up two totally bullshit theories: 19th century race theory and "ethnicity".
Lets start with race theory. According to bullshit race theory, there are 4 races: white (Europeans), black (Africans, i.e. "colored"), red (indigenous Americans), and yellow (Asians). The fools who invented this even came up with names for the mixing of races. Black + white = mulato. Red + white = criollo. Red + black = sambo. "Hispanic" is not a race.
Next, bullshit "hispanic ethnicity" theory. The Oxford dictionary defines ethnicity as "the fact or state of belonging to a social group that has a common national or cultural tradition." Although "hispanic" is widely considered to be an ethnic group in this country, its not. It's xenophobic nonsense. The idea that people from the Dominican Republic, Mexico, and Argentina are all of a single "common national or cultural tradition" because all three countries were once Spanish possessions is as idiotic as suggesting that people from the Bahamas, India, and Australia are ethnically the same because all three countries were once British possessions. "Hispanic" and "latino" are words invented by the lazy, ignorant, and xenophobic segments of US society who had no interest in understanding even the most basic facts about anyone else in the Western Hemisphere.
In any event, and accepting the bullshit premise of both race theory and "Hispanic ethnicity" for a minute, they are separate and distinct from one another. There are Hispanics of every race.
Rosy Aponte does not appear to know much about identity politics in this country. And Rumpole has revealed that he doesn't either.
Don't throw stones Rumpole. This was a really bad look for you.
Bestowing a title onto oneself is egomania, ergo the “trailmaster.” The peanut gallery coming to the Tunis’ aid is the self crowned inner circle of the superior elite of sycophants.
Your comments about Judge Barbara Areces and her son, Ramiro, show your ignorance or prejudice, or both since the latter inspires the former, and is consistent with many of your posts.
Barbara Areces is one hell of a judge, you self-aggrandizing simpleton! Barbara works hard, reviews everything you submit to her, is always prepared, never loses her composure or throws temper tantrums, she never screams or talks down to anyone, has the patience of job, and she has immense compassion and is not afraid to practice it, all contrary to your friend Tunis.
If we had only 10 Barbara Areces’ the bench would be greatly enhanced. I will take Barbara Areces over anyone psycho Tunis!
I remember learning about prejudice and how it is not often apparent, but concealed. Let it come down to a choice of an Anglo versus a Hispanic or African-American and the Anglo wins. They stick together no matter what. Look no further than who associates with whom, indeed telling. Your friends define you. All said, many Anglos in the legal community belief that they are superior to Hispanics and Afro-Americans. How dare they claim an equal seat at the table.
The Devil has many disguises while pretending to be benevolent and caring, all while claiming your sole. Look at Uncle Tom. There are many Uncle Toms among us, those who compromise and sell their sole for crumbs, all delusional, believing they are accepted. These Uncle Toms are useful instruments. Look at the virtual fund raiser by the Tony Suprano of the legal community or Mr. Glad-hand. If this does not confirm that some will sell their sole to the devil. Tony Suprano and Mr. Glad-Hand market and peddle their influence with the judiciary, coming into cases to strut their influence with judges, and these are the guys supporting Tunis.
The virtual fund raiser reminds us of the quote: “If Don Corleone had all the judges, . . , then he must share them, or let us others use them. . . Certainly he can - present a bill for such services; after all - we are not Communists.” This is exactly what the Tony Sproano of the legal community and Mr. Glad-Hand do by coming into cases as consul. Speaks volume for Tunis’ integrity or desperation. The Tony Sproano and Glad-Hand crew are supporting Tunis because they cannot influence Apaonte!
Don’t kid yourself, your comments about Barbara Areces and her son confirm you are intellectually deficient and, and again, a simpleton. The fact you rather have a known Psychologically impaired judge over an neophyte who at least is emotionally stable speaks volumes about you and your crew.
To 5:31 PM. Judge Tunis is very qualified as one of our best besides Judge Hanzman, who is by far the best we have. Just read his opinions or have a case in front of him. Others that are great judges Reemberto Diaz,( tons of jury trial experience as a lawyer and no black robe fever), Alan Fine, Peter Lopez, William Thomas(very bright although a little arrogant) Judge Muir( now in probate) . In criminal Court. Judge De La O,Judge Dava Tunis, Judge Charlie Johnson, Judge Al Milan. 5:31PM get some trial experience in Civil and Criminal and get to know the judges and you will gain some of the knowledge that I have. Good luck. Donate to JUdge Tunis and keep Aponte, grossly unqualified from seeking a large pay increase.
11:31- If you believe that a person who has never been in court and sells Amway products should be a Judge your standards are so low that anyone with a law degree no matter how unqualified they may be should be a judge. My standards are much higher than that since I try cases. And if you truly believe that a son of that judge who has absolutely no trial experience and no practice to speak of deserves to be appointed over others who are vastly more qualified you have no idea what a truly great Judge should be. My standards are high, I believe that Judges should be like the great late Ed Cowart, Micheal Hanzman and former EDNY judge John Gleeson. I detest those who seek office only because they can not make a living in private practice and will continue to speak out. !!:31 you must be off your medication. Get back on it. The trialmaster is right.
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