EVOLVING STANDARDS OF DECENCY

While Chistmas shopping on Amazon I stumbled across their "Best Seller by Catogory" list.  In the "Feminist" category it was "The Secret Life of Wonder Woman."  

Wonder Woman fought evil with a magical lasso that caught but did not hurt villains.  She had bracelets that deflected evil doer's bullets.  But she never used guns, knives, whips, or strong language.

Wonder Woman deflecting bullets, circa 1950

The Wonder Woman character dates from 1941.  The brand is now owned by DC Comics, and Wonder Woman adventures are still being published.   But she has evolved.

The image below is from the latest adventure, promoted on the DC Comics website.  She is holding a gun and that gun is spiting fire.

Wonder Woman, dispensing bullets, ca 2014

The Supreme Court held, Trop v Dulles (1958), that judges must interpret law in the light of  “evolving standards of decency that mark the progress of a maturing society.”  What could possibly go wrong?

Occurrence at Rock Creek Run

A Day of Surprises at D.C. Thanksgiving 5 K Marathon

President accelerates towards finish line in DC 5K run

Washington, DC --  Today was full of surprises for thousands gathered at Rock Creek Park for the start of the DC Thanksgiving 5K Run.   First, the crowd was pleasantly surprised when President Obama, together with his National Security staff and Secret Service entourage, arrived 15 minutes before the scheduled start.  Surprise turned to astonishment when an announcement was made that the President and staff were registering to run.  As the news spread, astonishment turned to hearty applause and cheers.
     The crowd's enthusiasm turned to puzzlement when they discovered that Mr. Obama intended to run in his usual business suit, shirt, tie, coat, and shoes.  There was some confusion when race organizers redesigned the course to use terrain more suitable for leather soles and rubber heels.  Maps of the revised course were distributed to all starters and Secret Service agents were posted along the new route, so few runners had trouble dealing with the last minute changes.  
    However surprised the crowd was by events surrounding the start of the race, nothing could have prepared them for the unexpected events at finish.
     The president and his entire national security staff were the first 25 across the finish line.  A few in the crowd refused to believe that, however fit, politicians in business attire could be competitive in a field of athletically shod world class runners.  But most accepted the official results without grumbling.  
     A White House press release, distributed hours after the race, notes that Mr Obama is the fourth president to compete in an officially sanctioned marathon, the others being George Bush, Al Gore, Michael Dukakis, and John Edwards. 
     An Executive Order designating 5K runs to be marathons will be signed later today.

Faith Based Politics Now Obsolete

Social Justice Demands a New Paradigm:  Beyond the Faithful Execution of Laws

Faithful observance of law is enjoined in Leviticus 26:3-5, Deuterotomy 11:13, Ezekiel 11:20, and the US Constitution 2:3.  The last asserts that the president "shall take care that the laws be faithfully executed."

Faith as a critical element in society made sense in the 18th century, when our system of government was crafted.  But the world was simpler then.  There was no inequality.  There was no poverty.  There was no injustice.  In short, it was appropriate for a president to countenance faithful execution of laws since everyone always agreed on everything.  We were a childish people then; all was good.

But now we are a mature nation.  In the last 200 years we have learned to set aside Leviticus, Deuterotomy, Ezeikiel, and the Constitution.  We no longer need or want faithful leaders who can be trusted.  We need great men to rule us.  Those great men must not be constrained by the 200 year old paradigm of liberty and justice under law.

Reactionary elements obsess on the negative aspects of one man rule and minimize the benefits.   They deny that the great men in history have always made things better.  But what would Russia be today without Stalin?  Italy without Mussolini?  France without Richelieu?  Germany without Bismarck?  Spain without Torquemada?  The list is endless.  Everything good and every justice that has been secured has been secured by great men who were not constrained by the law.

It is time for America to celebrate its maturity and to set aside childish things, like trust in the law.  Let us embrace our wise and just ruler.  What could possibly go wrong?

President defends ACA

Today President Obama defended the Affordable Care Act and the politics that brought it into being.  "There has never been more bipartisan support for any law, in this, or any in other congress," he said.  "Every provision, every article, every clause, every word and every coma was publicly debated.  There were, I agree,  some issues about words and punctuation, there was never any significant disagreement on the law's ultimate goal."

Mr Obama dismissed the recent remarks of Jonathan Gruber, one of the main architects of the law, who has said that the law was written in such a way as to obscure its costs and to exaggerate its potential benefits.  "Look," Obama said, "it's a complex law.  There is no way anyone could have known what its costs might be, or if there would be any benefits.  It is disingenuous to suggest that we knew what we were doing."   Mr. Gruber has been seen in video clips as saying that Mr Obama relied on the stupidity of the American people in moving his agenda forward.  Mr Obama responded to that, saying, "I don't think the American people are any stupider than brass door knobs.  The used ones are pretty bright."

Mr. Obama ended his remarks with an attempt to reassure the American people.  "If you like your health, you can keep it.  No ifs, ands, or buts."

The White House did not respond immediately to an e-mail asking comment.  Some of the quotes in this article has not been checked for accuracy.

Impulse Purchase

OREGON PINOT NOIR

Aristocrat wine

At a democratic price.

I like the screw top.