Well, it appears that Thanksgiving has been officially cancelled. Ben woke up this morning and threw up all over the place. He hadn't even eaten breakfast yet. Now William is complaining that his stomach hurts a little, and he might throw up too. We'd made reservations at a place around here that serves Thanksgiving dinner, but we obviously can't go anywhere now.

I find this really quite depressing.
- posted by Jason @ 10:01 AM

 
There's more where that came from. Near the end of his own dissenting opinion (at which point he is engaged in a rant about the dangers this decision poses to the legal distinction between heterosexual and homosexual marriage), Justice Scalia all but admits that the basis for denying homosexual marriage is based solely on a moral judgement imposed by a majority onto a minority:

"If moral disapprobation of homosexual conduct is 'no legitimate state interest' for purposes of proscribing that conduct, . . . what justification could there possibly be for denying the benefits of marriage to homosexual couples exercising '[t]he liberty protected by the Constitution,' ibid.? Surely not the encouragement of procreation, since the sterile and the elderly are allowed to marry."
--Justice Antonin Scalia
Dissenting Opinion
Lawrence v. Texas, (2003)

- posted by Jason @ 2:48 PM

 
I'm writing my term paper for Constitutional Law right now. I sure wish I'd found this quote a couple of months ago, for use in discussions with gaffer. (Highlight is mine.)

"It must be acknowledged, of course, that the Court in Bowers was making the broader point that for centuries there have been powerful voices to condemn homosexual conduct as immoral. The condemnation has been shaped by religious beliefs, conceptions of right and acceptable behavior, and respect for the traditional family. For many persons these are not trivial concerns but profound and deep convictions accepted as ethical and moral principles to which they aspire and which thus determine the course of their lives. These considerations do not answer the question before us, however. The issue is whether the majority may use the power of the State to enforce these views on the whole society through operation of the criminal law. 'Our obligation is to define the liberty of all, not to mandate our own moral code.' Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pa. v. Casey, 505 U. S. 833, 850 (1992)."
--Justice Anthony M. Kennedy
Majority Opinion
Lawrence v. Texas, (2003)

Sometimes I love the law.
- posted by Jason @ 11:59 PM

 
Must . . . resist . . . WD . . .

I have a great deal of homework to do this morning. I know that if I get on the WD, I'll waste the entire morning there, yet I feel strangely inclined to do so.

Is this procrastination? I hate that.
- posted by Jason @ 7:27 AM

 
So I have to write a 10-page paper for my International Relations class. Problem: I have no freaking idea what I want to write about. It has to be a hypothesis test, i.e. I have to posit a theory and then do research to test it one way or the other. (That's just the way this professor likes us to write things.)

Anyone have any ideas?
- posted by Jason @ 11:53 AM

 
WooHoo!!!

I'm actually having my first piece of writing published next week!! True, it's only an opinion column in the school newspaper, but I've never had anything published before in any form. I find myself inordinately excited, and I'm seriously considering writing columns on a regular basis.

WooHoo!!!
- posted by Jason @ 7:30 AM

 
I have a 1-2 hour gap between my Geology Lab and International Relations on Thursdays, so I usually go to the cafeteria and talk for a while with Dustie. Today was like any other day: we sat and talked (which I find remarkably easy to do with her).

After a while, we started getting into personal issues. She told me about her problems with her ex, and her son, and some of the history involved. For the first time, I found myself telling someone about my own situation, and not in the "skirt-the-issue" way that I usually fall back on. After she had told me about her own life, and some really personal things, I figured I owed her the same, so for the first time I was completely honest and open about it all, and held nothing back. I was surprised: it actually felt really good to tell someone, especially someone who is in a similar situation. I even told her the most embarrasing part, from my perspective as a guy. I won't say I [i]liked[/i] talking about it, but I'm glad I told her.

I like her. I tried not to, but I can't help it. She's smart, mature, caring and nice, and beautiful. I'm in no position to pursue her, of course. We talked about that, too--not with regard to her, specifically, but we mentioned each others' inability to pursue other relationships at the moment. I'm not even sure the feeling is reciprocal (she mentioned a guy in her life who's known her for years, but who she could never be with for various reasons), but I can't help but like her. I hope we can stay in touch after she transfers to University in the Spring.

Anyway, I guess I really shouldn't talk about this much, but it's on my mind. I'm going to have to get around to talking about my situation here. Soon.
- posted by Jason @ 2:40 PM