Enlightened Rulings From the 3rd Branch of Government

Much has happened since our last issue. Senator Strom Thurman has died. What he stood for and his predictions did not come to pass and may his soul rest in peace. Then we seem to be a victim of our own sucees in Iraq. Israel and the Palestinians seem to be moving forward on the road map. The windshield murder sentence has been handed down. Democrats continue to battle it out in the primaries and everyone is signing on to the "Do-Not-Call" list. Most importantly though, are the decisions that came down from the Supreme Court the last month of its term.

Many Americans often seem to forget that our third branch of government..... the judiciary is really still viable and does make law. The last time we really knew that the Justices were there was in Bush v. Gore when the Court basically decided the Presidential elections. Now, just before ending the Court's 2002-2003 term, the Justices of the Supreme Court upheld affirmative action (5-4) and struck down sodomy laws (6-3).

Many civil libertarians and gay right advocates applauded these decisons. However, all Americans should applaud these decisions. The Court was able to make the right decisions in two very controversial areas of our lives.

It took the Court almost two decades, but it finally got it right when it got the opportunity to do so. Bowers v. Hardwick was wrongly decided in the late 1980's and it is often said that then Justice Powell regreted his vote. Nevertheless, times are changing, society is changing, and in the final analysis, one can't deny that certain things are just fair.

The pundits all have a different point of view on what the rulings mean. The bottomline for us is that universities/colleges can use race as a factor in their admission decisions to help minorities and that the right to privacy protects private, consensual homosexual sex.

My one problem which is not really a problem, because I expect it, is Justice Thomas. I frankly do not believe that Justice Thomas is living in this reality. In fact what is SCARY is that he finds no general right to privacy in the Constitution. Hmmmm!!!

Justice Thomas wrote separately to say that while he considered the Texas law at issue “uncommonly silly,” he could not agree to strike it down because he found no general right to privacy in the Constitution. Thomas calls himself a strict adherent to the actual words of the Constitution as opposed to modern-day interpretations. If he were a Texas legislator and not a judge, Thomas said, he would vote to repeal the law. “Punishing someone for expressing his sexual preference through noncommercial consensual conduct with another adult does not appear to be a worthy way to expend valuable law enforcement resources,” Thomas wrote.

Ok, it's not literally there and the Court has implied these rights.

While I can understand Justice Scalia's argument that the Court should not get involved, it's the business of the legislature, I cannot undertsand how Justice Thomas can actually take the time to write a few paragraphs of absolutely NADA. It makes me ill to see someone of my race on the bench with so much power and yet so far right field.

And there is more good news for moderates. There has been no announcements of any retirement from the Court. This means that President Bush might not get the chance to put anyone on the Court. However, this is a BIG "might." The Justices are elderly and could still choose for health or any other reason to step down.

Victims of Our Own Success
Well we are losing more troops at a much higher rate than we did during the war. In fact more troops have died post war than during the war. We descended so quickly on the Iraqi capital, that Saddam's troop just simply melted into the general population. We do not know if Saddam is dead, where the weapons of mass destruction (WMD) are located, and we definitely need peacekeeping troops from other countries. This is what President Bush failed to foresee.

The Jews and the Palestinians
Israel seems to be pulling out its troops from the Gaza strip and the Palestinian militant group has agreed to a 3-month cease fire. Let's see.

Windshield Murder Sentence
Well the jury rendered its verdict and it was a whopping 50-year sentence. The convicted murderer will be eligible for parole in 25 years. She will be an old woman when she gets out. This case sends an important message however. The use of drugs is no excuse when you commit a crime.

"Do-Not-Call" List
At some point or the other it's likely that you have been subjected to some telemarketing. However, the field of telemarketing is about to change and maybe it's not "hip" to be a telemarketer at this point. Thousands have signed up for the list. If you want to sign up go to www.donotcall.gov.