A Few Comments and Pumping Up
Alito's First Case . . .
According to this article, Alito voted with the liberal justices to allow a man to challenge his impending execution by lethal injection as a violation of the Constitution's (i believe it's the 8th amendment) proibition of cruel and unusual punishment. An intersting first vote for Mr. Alito. I wonder if this will set a precedent that he'll actually do what he said he'd do (interpret the Constitution rather than be an idealogue) of if it's just an aberration. Time will tell. I know i promised never to link to Yahoo articles again, but the CNN.com article hasn't been updated.
Wal-Mart and the Morning After Pill . . .
So, some women are suing Wal-Mart because Wal-Mart doesn't sell the morning after pill. I want to make my position on this completely clear. It's stupid that Wal-Mart doesn't sell the pill. I mean, i just don't see any reason why they would choose not to. Not a good one, anyway. However, i believe that, in general, it is Wal-Mart's right, as a private business, to decide what products it will and will not have on the shelf. If Wal-Mart wants to have a dildos and butt plugs section, that's their business. If they want to not sell "violent" video games for the Playstation 2, that, also, is Wal-Mart's business. However, i think the issue gets much murkier when something from the pharmacy is involved. As a doctor, you're not allowed to decide that you're not going to provide medical assistance to someone who needs it, even if you're opposed to what that person believes. How much different is it for a pharmacist? In many ways, allowing Wal-Mart to decide what it will and will not have on its pharmacy shelves is no different than allowing conscience clauses for pharmacists. I'm opposed to those, so i'm opposed to Wal-Mart's refusal to sell the morning after pill, but i regard it as a close call, and Wal-Mart can, if it wants to, insist that artists either change their lyrics or not be sold in their stores.
The Danish Pictures of the Prophet . . .
Alright, seriously, i don't get why this was a big deal. If you believe that Mohammad was Allah's Prophet and you believe that, in order to prevent idolotry, Mohammad should not be depicted, then don't depict him. However, it's another thing entirely to demand that a newspaper apologize because it depicted him. That's just stupid on various levels.
The Promised Pumping Up . . .
I went to the gym today. I did some bench presses, some curls, some other stuff, some squats and i ran/jogged (ok, walked) for a while. I went with Laurence and Cole, who are both in infinitely better shape than me. It felt good, although i believe it is highly likely that i will be sore tomorrow. Oh well, i should work out more often.
Then i had two donuts.
According to this article, Alito voted with the liberal justices to allow a man to challenge his impending execution by lethal injection as a violation of the Constitution's (i believe it's the 8th amendment) proibition of cruel and unusual punishment. An intersting first vote for Mr. Alito. I wonder if this will set a precedent that he'll actually do what he said he'd do (interpret the Constitution rather than be an idealogue) of if it's just an aberration. Time will tell. I know i promised never to link to Yahoo articles again, but the CNN.com article hasn't been updated.
Wal-Mart and the Morning After Pill . . .
So, some women are suing Wal-Mart because Wal-Mart doesn't sell the morning after pill. I want to make my position on this completely clear. It's stupid that Wal-Mart doesn't sell the pill. I mean, i just don't see any reason why they would choose not to. Not a good one, anyway. However, i believe that, in general, it is Wal-Mart's right, as a private business, to decide what products it will and will not have on the shelf. If Wal-Mart wants to have a dildos and butt plugs section, that's their business. If they want to not sell "violent" video games for the Playstation 2, that, also, is Wal-Mart's business. However, i think the issue gets much murkier when something from the pharmacy is involved. As a doctor, you're not allowed to decide that you're not going to provide medical assistance to someone who needs it, even if you're opposed to what that person believes. How much different is it for a pharmacist? In many ways, allowing Wal-Mart to decide what it will and will not have on its pharmacy shelves is no different than allowing conscience clauses for pharmacists. I'm opposed to those, so i'm opposed to Wal-Mart's refusal to sell the morning after pill, but i regard it as a close call, and Wal-Mart can, if it wants to, insist that artists either change their lyrics or not be sold in their stores.
The Danish Pictures of the Prophet . . .
Alright, seriously, i don't get why this was a big deal. If you believe that Mohammad was Allah's Prophet and you believe that, in order to prevent idolotry, Mohammad should not be depicted, then don't depict him. However, it's another thing entirely to demand that a newspaper apologize because it depicted him. That's just stupid on various levels.
The Promised Pumping Up . . .
I went to the gym today. I did some bench presses, some curls, some other stuff, some squats and i ran/jogged (ok, walked) for a while. I went with Laurence and Cole, who are both in infinitely better shape than me. It felt good, although i believe it is highly likely that i will be sore tomorrow. Oh well, i should work out more often.
Then i had two donuts.
