And same sex marriage for all!

Petitioning the US Supreme Court to hear a case must be a lot like going to mom after dad says you can’t do something. Apparently, the way our judicial system works is this:  a case appears in court; there is a winner and there is a loser. The loser doesn’t like the fact that they lost, so they appeal the case. The case moves to a higher jurisdiction court and is heard by a different set of judges. Those judges decide whether the lower court made a mistake. If so, they send it back to the lower court for reconsideration, or they may simply act on the case itself.

A court case can follow that kind of path for a long time. As the two parties continue to argue about who is right and who is wrong, the case can move all the way through the state court system and up into the Federal court system. In the end, if the case has enough merit as determined by the US Supreme Court justices, it may be adjudicated at the highest court in the land.

But not necessarily so.

Take for instance the Supreme Court’s recent decision to not hear cases concerning same sex marriage. By not hearing the case, they leave intact a lower court ruling that legitimized same sex marriage, making that the law of the land. It also takes the onus off of them for making the decision.

Some would argue that the Supreme Court needs to make the final decision on this. But for my money, they already have. By not acting on the appeal, same-sex marriage is not a debate any longer. It is the de facto law of the land.

So what does one do when one is not satisfied with the ultimate court’s results? Apparently railing in the press seems to be the way to go. And right here in Virginia, that seems to be the way we go about things.

There are decidedly two sides to the whole same-sex marriage issue:  the side that favors it and the one that is adamantly opposed to it. The result of the Supreme Court’s decision not to take up petitions from the 4^th, 7^th, and 10^th U.S. Circuit courts that renders Virginia’s ban on same-sex marriage null and void.

Victoria Cobb, president of the Family Foundation of Virginia stated recently her group’s disappointment in the Supreme Court. She claims that voters in the state supported the ban, and that the Supreme Court’s inaction takes away their right to create their own laws.

“We are disappointed that the Supreme Court has sidestepped this important issue …” said Cobb. “Unfortunately, over 1 million Virginians who legally voted to adopt the marriage amendment have been disenfranchised, leaving them to wonder if their vote on any issue is safe from government reprisal.”

She said the issue was far from settled.

Eight years ago, 57 percent of Virginia voters backed an amendment to the state Constitution that defines marriage as between a man and a woman. A Quinnipiac University survey showed last march indicated that 50 percent of Virginia voters now supported allowing gay marriage, with only 42 percent opposed.

Other state legislators aver that the Supreme Court needs to step into the fray to settle the argument for all. Still, by not addressing the petitions, the Supreme Court made its statement by allowing the lower court rulings to stand. For some, that ruling will never be accepted. Still, if the Supreme Court were to act on the petitions and return the same or similar result, the same dissatisfaction would remain.

Dying with Dignity

'I'm the one that's got to die when it's time for me to die, so let me live my life the way I want to.'—Jimi Hendrix

There’s a lot to be said about Jimi Hendrix’s statement and how it plays into our society today. We talk about the sanctity of life, but the sad reality is that sometimes life is just not worth living. And, when you reach that point, why not just pull the plug?

Often people who are virtually dead are kept alive in various ways. Modern medicine can keep the body going long after the soul has departed. Sure, there are isolated incidents where people who were thought dead or in a coma for decades came back to life, but those are only a small sampling. By and large, people who are diagnosed with catastrophic illnesses, those for whom the illness’ track record is well defined and the end an inevitable conclusion, are left to linger despite the pain and despite the horrid quality of life.

Is it so wrong, then, for someone to check out?

Not in my book.

Within my own family, I have witnessed the horrors of long drawn out deaths. An uncle kept alive, well breathing anyway, while his entire body withered from the effects of emphysema. Long after the man was for all intent and purposes gone from this good earth, his body was kept functioning due to medical machinery.

Back in the 90’s Dr. Jack Kevorkian offered to assist people who for whatever reason were destined to live a life of pain and agony during their final years. He claimed to have helped 130 people through assisted suicide. And yet, there was enough outrage by the masses who thought his deeds were outrageous that he eventually wound up in jail.

Still, I am not convinced that what he did was wrong. For the right people, in the right set of circumstances, leaving this mortal coil is the right thing. People who are in pain, people who are suffering, people whose quality of life has diminished to the extent that quality as we know it doesn’t exist should have the right to end their lives if that is their only recourse.

Is it so wrong? Think about it and then think about this as reported by Fox News:

Brittany Maynard, a 29-year-old woman decided to take control of her own life when she was diagnosed with a progressive brain tumor for which there was no cure. At first, the doctors told the newly wed she had a grade II Astrocytoma while vacationing with her husband. Initially, they gave her 10-years to live.

That changed rather quickly; however, when Maynard’s tumor ended up progressing to glioblastoma multiforme. That is the most deadly form of cancer with a life expectancy of 14 months. In addition, doctors told Maynard, her death would likely be slow and painful.

What to do, what to do?

Maynard opted to take control of her life, or rather of her death. She has decided to take her own life November 1^st of this year. Maynard’s family moved to Oregon, because the state passed the “Death with Dignity Act.” The act allows people to die using medication. Since 1997, when the act was instated, more than 750 people taken advantage of it.

Maynard plans to raise awareness of end of life rights during the few days she has left. She is working with Compassion & Choices, a life-rights advocacy organization, and is collecting donations through The Brittany Maynard Fund http://www.thebrittanyfund.org/. For sure, this is not an easy decision for anyone to make, in fact this is what Maynard told People.com about her situation:

“There is not a cell in my body that is suicidal or that wants to die,” Maynard told People.com. “I want to live. I wish there was a cure for my disease but there’s not. … Being able to choose to go with dignity is less terrifying.”

Years ago, when my mother had a devastating stroke for which she was in a convalescent home for three-and-a-half years before she died. At her funeral, my brother offered a secret pact with me:  neither of us would allow the other to linger like that.

Is it so wrong? Not for me it isn’t.

Welcome to America--Ebola!

Maybe it’s just me, but for some reason I have a hard time trying to figure out why we needed to bring people who have contracted the Ebola virus back to the United States for treatment. Logically, I think, it would be best to keep the spreading epidemic as far away from the US as possible, and that means all the way across the Atlantic Ocean to me.

We have the means to set up shop in Africa that are equal to anything available here. And we can send doctors, nurses, and the needed drugs over there. I am not trying to create a storm here, but North America has served as a great testament to what can happen when a bug or virus is introduced.

When Christopher Columbus and the rest of the European explorers found the America’s back in the late 1500’s the diseases they brought with them decimated the Native American populations throughout North and South America. That isn’t even speculation anymore. Small pox in particular was devastating, but other common to Europe, diseases like the flu also plagued the Native Americans.

Yes, I know that happened at a time when we had no idea we carried such diseases, and certainly no one back then was aware of the problems they were bringing. But smallpox was unknown in the Americas until the Europeans arrived. So if that can happen by accident, why on Earth would anyone want to bring something like Ebola here on purpose?

No question Ebola is a dangerous disease. Over the past several decades it would arrive, blossom, kill a few hundred people, and then disappear. But for some reason, this latest bloom seems to be out of control. And the thought of people coming to America for treatment is like inviting a vampire into your home.

There are dozens of examples throughout our country that draw a parallel to the current Ebola situation. Start with Killer Bees, toss in fire ants, and just for kicks look at the Elm Bark Beetle, the cause of Dutch Elm disease which has destroyed the elm tree population. And of course, the problems with invasive species like pythons in the Everglades.

Okay, so what’s the point?

Well it seems to me that we have a hard time controlling those things. In fact, we haven’t controlled them at all. They are still a problem that is devastating in one way or another.

But Ebola is different. Most experts say that controlling Ebola is more about confining the disease and those who have it. Eventually, without any more hosts, the disease “dies” out.

But we have opted to open Pandora’s Box by bringing infected people back to the US for treatment. If confinement of the disease is the best way to stop it, why purposely expand its territory to two continents?

Already dozens of people have risked being exposed to the deadly disease. Whole families are at risk, and who knows how many other people may have been exposed without knowing it? Think about how many people you come in contact with on any given day, and then expand it to a day when you are traveling. Most International Air Terminals, such as JFK or Reagan International, are chock full of people. Just waiting at the carousel to pick up your luggage will put you in contact with hundreds of other passengers.

For my money, we probably should never have brought those people back to the United States. We could easily have set up some kind of operation closer to where the outbreak is taking place. Past experience shows we are not very good at keeping people isolated. It’s difficult enough to be 100 percent effective. But WHO knows, we may get lucky this time.