Oh, SCOTUS..Again?

It’s fascinating to live in a country where we have the separation of church and state. Fascinating because every time I turn around, someone wants to live as if we don’t. We have a Constitution and a Bill of Rights which are supposed to protect us from various and sundry nefarious things..yet someone somewhere always wants the Supreme Court to say they can get as nefarious as they want.

Justice Sotomayor granted the Catholics a stay regarding the birth control mandate in the Affordable Care Act. SCOTUS is going to hear a case in the near future on the issue, so I suppose that’s why she granted it. But following that logic, then anyone sitting in jail awaiting trial should be released on zero bail. I mean, why not? If the Catholic Church and anyone else can discriminate against people while awaiting trial, why shouldn’t criminals be let out to do whatever they want to do while they await their trials? It’s true that no one is protected, but then who cares about that? Certainly not Justice Sotomayor.

Isn’t it great that some people get to choose which laws they follow..and with the blessings of the highest court in the land no less! How about letting all the folks in prison for cannabis out? Most of us want legalization in this country anyway, so throw open the doors and let them all go home. So they want to get high. Who doesn’t? Especially now when everything is such a mess in this country.

Look, we have separation of church and state for some pretty good reasons. Which religion wins the prize here? Christianity? Really? Two words..Duck People. You know who I’m talking about. The guy who thinks men should marry 15 year old girls..right. We really want his interpretation of the Bible running the country. Or how about the Westboro Baptist people? Do we want their interpretation of the Bible running the country?

Religion, as expressed by many of our more conservative lawmakers, has nearly brought this country to its knees. I believe their distorted religious ideology is at the very foundation of their lack of compassion for the American people..our brothers and sisters..illustrated by their draconian policies that leave everyone by the roadside. If that’s not clear evidence that our founding fathers were on to something when they included this idea in the Constitution, then I don’t know what is. And now the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court has said that sequester cuts have a negative effect upon public safety. Well, lot’s of things do, sir..like your Citizen’s United decision, and your Voting Right’s Act decision. You keep us safe by protecting our rights, not diminishing them.

We’re the United States of America. It’s the united part that matters here. Sometimes it means that we have a neutral way to co-exist. That’s what the Constitution is, in a sense. There must be a way to respect the beliefs of some without infringing on the rights of others. So we all have to agree to give up something when in the public arena, if you will. If you want to do business out in the world, then you can’t decide to discriminate while doing so in an effort to stay true to your belief system. It’s your belief system. It might be shared by others in your immediate vicinity, but that’s about it as far as it goes in terms of relevance. Beyond that, your beliefs should govern only your life. 

It may sound cliche, but we’re better than this. Vote Blue next time..besides, our national conventions are more like love fests, and not an empty chair in sight! Just sayin’..