Thoughts on The News, Or Some What the Heck Moments

I.

In the news yesterday, it was reported that Iran detained three American citizens that crossed into Iran from Iraq, ostensibly as a result of getting lost while hiking.

I'm sure there is no way this could be anything but exactly what it was reported to be; I mean, the border region between Iraq and Iran is such a well-known vacation hot spot.

Although it begs the question, what sort of tourist would consider now to be the ideal time to explore that area of the world?

II.

Italy approved the "abortion pill" RU-486 for use in a hospital prescribed by a physician. There is some confusion as to whether or not this pill is the same as the morning-after pill; it appears that it is not the same, but that it can be used for the same function through a smaller, properly-timed dosage.

The Vatican protested, warning of immediate excommunication for doctors who prescribe it or women who take it.

A search on Google found that the majority of websites covering this drug are either pro-life sites or abortion sites; it is a little hard to tell which sites can be trusted for objective information. However, it appears there is controversy over this drug due to the fact that there have been deaths subsequent to its usage.

I am not qualified to argue for or against this specific drug; however, I will say this: we should totally trust the Vatican in all things related to a woman's right to choose, because they have an absolutely unblemished record when it comes to equal rights regardless of gender, race, creed or orientation. In no way should their statement be viewed as a propagation of a patriarchal modality that discourages contraception. The pope, after all, is infallible. Pay no attention to the implications of the Vatican's 1998 apology for not taking action on the Holocaust.

No On 8

Today's the day the State Supreme Court hears arguments for and against Proposition 8, the proposition that denies human beings the right to marry. NPR ran a feature this morning about the protests that arose after Prop 8 passed, specifically the protests that targeted individuals and businesses that donated to the Yes on 8 cause.

Granted, some protests might have gone over the line, and vitriol is rarely helpful. Nevertheless, there is a strange sanctimony or unwillingness to be honest among the Yes on 8 supporters. A creamery owner in Sacramento was 'mystified' at protests at his business after he donated a large amount of money, saying he'd always had good relations with the gay and lesbian community. Frank Schubert, who ran the Yes On 8 campaign, says that the protests are targeting any one who gave money to Yes On 8, regardless of their stance on gay rights, and also that the protests are attacking people's freedom of religion.

First of all, you can't argue that a donation to Yes On 8 is not an attack on gay rights. The content of the proposition allows one group of humans a certain right, while denying that right to another group of humans. Don't hide your support behind arguments for the will of the electorate. That isn't relevant.

And the Anti-Prop 8 campaign is in no way an infringement of anyone's right to believe as they want, nor is it an infringement on their right to vote for or against particular ballot issues with anonymity. You are certainly free to believe that homosexuality is wrong; and you are certainly entitled to abstain from marrying a homosexual if you really don't want to.

But if you are going to give money to fund a campaign of this nature, and then if you are going to be upset when people find out what you did, then you need to have the courage of your convictions, and accept the fact that your actions are causing pain to friends, neighbors, family members. You need to accept that there is no love or compassion in your actions.

If you can accept that what you are doing is going to have consequences, and that there are going to be people who do not care much for you as a human being, then god bless you. Just don't play the innocent in this case. You are on a slippery slope of separate but equal that we have hiked before.