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WASHINGTON-- The Supreme Court upheld Oregon's one-of-a-kind physician-assisted suicide law Tuesday, rejecting a Bush administration attempt to punish doctors who help terminally ill patients die. Justices, on a 6-3 vote, said that a federal drug law does not override the 1997 Oregon law used to end the lives of more than 200 seriously ill people. New Chief Justice John Roberts backed the Bush administration, dissenting for the first time. The administration improperly tried to use a drug law to punish Oregon doctors who prescribe lethal doses of prescription medicines, the court majority said. Congress did not have this far-reaching intent to alter the federal-state balance, Justice Anthony M. Kennedy wrote for himself, retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor and Justices John Paul Stevens, David Souter, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Stephen Breyer. Kennedy is expected to become a more influential swing voter after O'Connor's departure. He is a moderate conservative who sometimes joins the liberal wing of the court in cases involving such things as gay rights and capital punishment. The ruling was a reprimand to former Attorney General John Ashcroft, who in 2001 said that doctor-assisted suicide is not a legitimate medical purpose and that Oregon physicians would be punished for helping people die under the law. Kennedy said the authority claimed by the attorney general is both beyond his expertise and incongruous with the statutory purposes and design. Justice Antonin Scalia, writing for himself, Roberts and Justice Clarence Thomas, said that federal officials have the power to regulate the doling out of medicine. If the term 'legitimate medical purpose' has any meaning, it surely excludes the prescription of drugs to produce death, he wrote. Scalia said the court's ruling is perhaps driven by a feeling that the subject of assisted suicide is none of the federal government's business. It is easy to sympathize with that position. Oregon's law covers only extremely sick people-- those with incurable diseases and who are of sound mind, and after at least two doctors agree they have six months or less to live. For Oregon's physicians and pharmacists, as well as patients and their families, today's ruling confirms that Oregon's law is valid and that they can act under it without fear of federal sanctions, state Solicitor General Mary Williams said. The ruling backed a decision by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which said Ashcroft's unilateral attempt to regulate general medical practices historically entrusted to state lawmakers interferes with the democratic debate about physician-assisted suicide. Ashcroft had brought the case to the Supreme Court on the day his resignation was announced by the White House in 2004. The Justice Department has continued the case, under the leadership of his successor, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. The court's ruling was not a final say on federal authority to override state doctor-assisted suicide laws-- only a declaration that the current federal scheme did not permit that. However, it could still have ramifications outside of Oregon. This is a disappointing decision that is likely to result in a troubling movement by states to pass their own assisted suicide laws, said Jay Sekulow, chief counsel of the American Center for Law and Justice, which backed the administration. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and a supporter of the law, said the ruling has stopped, for now, the administration's attempts to wrest control of decisions rightfully left to the states and individuals. Thomas wrote his own dissent as well, to complain that the court's reasoning was puzzling. Roberts did not write separately. Justices have dealt with end-of-life cases before. In 1990, the Supreme Court ruled that terminally ill people may refuse treatment that would otherwise keep them alive. Then, justices in 1997 unanimously ruled that people have no constitutional right to die, upholding state bans on physician-assisted suicide. That opinion, by then-Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, said individual states could decide to allow the practice. Roberts strongly hinted in October when the case was argued that he would back the administration. O'Connor had seemed ready to support Oregon's law, but her vote would not have counted if the ruling was handed down after she left the court. The case is Gonzales v. Oregon, 04-623.
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Copyright © The Sun-Times Company Oregon Christian Coalition Head Resigns - Family Sexual Abuse If these are *family values* then the right is RIGHT. I'm proud to say I These people get scarier and scarier every day, and I'm keeping my children Christian Coalition head to withdraw from political life 10/10/2005, 5:50 p.m. PT By RUKMINI CALLIMACHI The Associated Press PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The longtime head of the Christian Coalition of Oregon I am thankful for a family that loves and supports me, and intend to withdraw Beres has denied any criminal misconduct and wrote that he will pursue the Multnomah County District Attorney Michael Schrunk told The Oregonian The three women — now adults — allege they were abused by Beres as preteens. I was molested, one of the women, now in her 50s, told The Oregonian. I was Beres, 70, has blamed personal and political enemies for the complaint. Only one of the three cases appears to fall under Oregon's statute of A nephew of Beres' is standing up for the three women. My family has gone through hell, said Richard Galat, 41, of Oakland, Calif., Lives have been ruined. Those of us who have come forward have been In response to Galat's statements, Beres said on the Christian Coalition web Beres, who did not immediately return a phone message from The Associated Jim Moore, who teaches political science at Pacific University in Forest In fact, under his leadership, the Christian Coalition in Oregon has gone In state legislative races in 2004, for example, Moore said that, we found Oregon Republican Chairman Vance Day said Beres hasn't been much of a factor I don't view this as having any major impact on politics here in Oregon; I The group did support a constitutional amendment against gay marriage that Tim Nashif, the political director of that group, said he has few details Anytime any family goes through anything like this it's a pretty grievous my God loves you, my God loves me ALL is in divine and perfect order God loves McCain too. Get it? God loves us all. No one more than the other. I do not understand it. I think he just loves the campaigning last year. He never makes sense to me. He just talks and talks with lots of prepositions and adjectives, but never makes it real clear as to what he is doing. Nothing new to me, just the same old blah, blah, blah. A lot of what he says is what McCain used to say. Talk about a president putting major fear in you! In fact, he scares me to death. Also, I just do not think this stimulus is going to work. Think about it. If you were in debt? Would you actually keep spending and spending and going into more debt? Then you borrow money from family and friends and guess what? You are still in debt plus now more in debt because you owe money to your friends and family! Now you want to borrow money from your children and get more into debt. Then what? You basically go bankrupt. Isn't that what we are doing with this country and giving the debt for our children? Shouldn't we make cuts here and there to try not to go more into debt? Need to save in case of future disasters and repairs? Instead of spending and spending. I thought Bush liked to do that! I see the great depression coming with inflation raising its ugly head. I betcha a gallon of milk will cost 8.00 for half a gallon. I cannot say about Franken....and whether he loves the country or not... but to say Michael Moore cares deeply about this country is ridiculous. One has only to listen to what he says. He holds this country in contempt. Ann Coulter makes juvenile insults...okay fine. Franken makes bigoted hateful insults...especially about gays. Pot calling kettle black, big time. If Ann Coulter was on your side of the fence making juvenile insults about Republicans you would be lauding her as well. Kinda transparent...and extreme partisan. I condemned them all...you condemned only the Republican. That speaks for itself. Refreshing to see he loves his wife, and isn't And it's about time, too. Out with the old, and in with the new! YAAAYYYYYY!!!!!!!!! Well, gee. I think Bush loves his wife too. nm You know what they say . . . misery loves company!! xx Bush loves terrorists..he creates them Seems to me Bush and his ilk love terrorists, after all, by illegally invading a soverign nonthreatening country, he destabilized it and created a terrorist breeding ground.. She loves genocide, if it's done in the *right* place and to the *right* people.
And Israel loves those suicide bombers. Your posts are disquieting. Why do you defend Hezbollah? Another liberal who loves every living thing... as long as it is not a conservative and agrees with everything they say. Moderator says we can post on either board. I would hate to be so closed-minded I tried to run off anyone who disagreed with me. Good grief. Did this turn into Venezuela overnight? You hit that right on, BB. Talk about misery loves company!! And the stock market LOVES it while Boy Wonder flits around! // Double standard is right... and loves to call other nm Who cares if he has family values and loves this country! Wall Street loves the new president....ouch! nm // Wall Street loves the new president....ouch! nm // This post really makes me WANT to vote for Obama. I am undecided, but this pushes me closer to Obama ...Thanks for the info! Obama was cool, while grouchy man steamed. Obama!!! I'm so happy. The dippy people on here who are haters and racists and mccain lovers must be so po'd today. HAHAHAHAHAHA If Obama gets elected, then it was meant to be! Go, Obama! nm Go Obama/Biden! I don't like it and will VOTE OBAMA/BIDEN! Obama has shown great judgment in the people who surround him. He picked a great VP choice, and his wife is impeccable as a helpmate and is a fantastic role model for the American children. Obama I believe Obama has an awesome political future. He sure is a bright light, and he would be someone I would seriously consider voting for. Someone I like even better is Rep. Harold Ford from Tennessee. Every time I hear this man speak, I like him more and more and more. I think there are lots of good candidates out there who don't fit the profiles you outlined, which I also believe to be true, and I think we're well overdue in considering those candidates because, in my opinion, what we've been offered in the last several elections -- on BOTH sides -- has been pretty pitiful. The "box" isn't working, and it's time to look outside of it. Obama is the man!!! I think he will make an excellent president some day. Maybe Hillary/Obama would be a good ticket choice. obama FYI - he never attended a midrasha. This was later corrected. Obama 08...nm Obama et. al. If we get Obama or any of the other candidates we will get more of the same. War and taxes. Empire building. If you like that kind of stuff, vote for any of the candidates EXCEPT.......... RON PAUL. The only candidate for peace, limited government and minding our own business.
Obama As I posted on the other board, it is crazy that in one breath people are freaking out saying he is a Muslim, and in the next one, they are freaking out because of his stand on abortion. Being pro-choice really does not go with being a Muslim. I like Obama, and I like his stance on choice. I really could care less if he is a Muslim. But, he belongs to a Christian church and has for over 20 years, before he had a political career. People never cease to amaze me! Obama My husband just returned from Iraq, we support the war-- but if I had to vote democrat, definitely Obama, please!! But I vote republican, hee hee. Go Obama! What a great victory for Obama! Did anyone see the Kennedy’s endorsement for Obama and his speech this morning? I have never been more excited and inspired in politics. In my life I’ve voted both sides (usually not voting for a candidate but rather voting for the other side as a vote against a candidate). I usually tune out in politics because of outright lies. Barack is the first candidate that I finally understand what he stands for, what his plans are, and he is someone who can connect with everyone in every walk of life. He is a trustworthy, inspiring, and humble person and his voting record and other aspects of his government life give me the confidence that he would be a great president. Listening to his speeches gives me hope for a better country/future for everyone. I respect everyone’s choice for who they think would be a better president, but I’m sick to death of Clinton and what she stands for. All you have to do is read up on the history of her and what she did when she resided in Oakland California (who her mentors/ colleagues were and what her motives/plans are). She claims to have all this “experience” but doesn’t have it. She takes what her husband accomplished and if it was something good she claims credit to it and if it was bad she had nothing to do with it. Meanwhile her husband is so consumed/greedy (not sure which word best suits him – maybe consumed with greed) to get back into the white house that he is purposely destroying the opponents (even Ted Kennedy had to call and admonish him), but that is the Clinton legacy, destroying other people’s lives. Then when someone does call him on something he will point his finger at them in a threatening way and plays the victim role. It makes me ill just thinking of having someone as corrupt as both of them back in the white house. If Bill was such a great president they should bring up all the great things that happened under his presidency, but we are not hearing any of it, why? Because there is none. In my opinion he was one of the worst presidents in history. Not one thing he did was for the good of the country. And if anyone believes that she was such a “good wife” while he was out messing around with other women think again. She had her mind set on being president a long time ago. She just uses him to get what she wants. Everything she does has always been calculated. As for his presidency, I think people are forgetting….he lied under oath and he was impeached for it. Which brings me to another question…why does anyone believe anything he has to say now? Remember the phrase “that all depends on what the meaning of is, is”. Then there was Waco Texas – people were burned alive. But they called them members of a cult, so I guess that made it okay. Then let’s see…Somalia, Bosnia, Monica (and no it wasn’t just about having an affair with her or all the other women), receiving illegal contributions, Vince Foster, and the list goes on and on and on. An article I just read said it better than I can…. “The problem for Hillary Clinton is that, as usual, she wants it both ways. She wants to be judged on her own merits and not be treated as Bill's Mini-Me. But she also wants to reap the benefits of Bill's popularity, and offers voters the reassuring suggestion that if there's a crisis while she's in the White House, there will be someone around who really does have executive branch experience - namely, Bill - to lend a hand. But the Clintons are playing a dangerous game. The more they remind us of what we liked about Act I of the Bill and Hillary Show, the more they also remind us of what we hated. If you are interested in reading the whole article this is the link… http://www.courant.com/news/opinion/op_ed/hc-brooks0128.artjan28,0,7018385.story Obama He would be better than the one that has been there for 8 years. No matter who is elected, it will take a long time to fix what Bush as screwed up! <3 Obama too!! :) Obama If she keeps lying from today until November she might actually catch up with Obama! Go Obama Haven't seen any posts here for awhile. Very excited about the outcome of tonight's election. I am so glad to see that people are not buying the "gimmicks" Hillary proposed. Gas tax holiday?...give me a break! Someone needed to ask her, "So what happens when the holiday is over", you charge back up the gas price! The big joke is that Bill Clinton raised the gas tax in his first year in office. It was included in a package of tax increases that amounted to the biggest tax increase in history. It was raised by 4.3 cents. Not only did he raise the gas tax, but he wanted to raise it even higher. So you should all get this straight...Hillary is "claiming" she would give drivers 3 whole months (wow - imagine that) 18 cent a gallon cut after her husband forced drivers to pay an extra 5 cents for 15 years. Unfortunately there were some people who bought into her pandering (which by the way is another word for lying), but thank goodness enough people with an education and most important most of the with common sense could see right through her lies. Way to go North Carolina - I'm so pleased. And Indiana too. It was a close race thank goodness. Now she needs to step down. Why? Because its the right thing to do. Do the numbers. There is no way she can win and anyone who believes so needs to wake up. What we need is for her to support Barack Obama (that is if she's telling the truth about the most important thing is nominating a democrat for president). Somehow though I do not believe she has the best interest of the party or the american people in mind. Her goal is to serve herself. She needs to graciously bow out and put all her efforts into getting a democrat in the office. P.S. - Note to the "ditto heads". Maybe we should rename Limbaugh followers "dumbo heads". Not only did your little plan fail Mr. Limbo, but it failed badly. In a poll taken (and yes I know polls can be misleading), but not only did the republicans change parties to vote for a democrat but the majority of them voted for Obama. Then on top of that over 75% of republicans that voted as democrats said that Obama could be McCain (or as I am hearing him being referred to as McBush), but only around 25% said they believed Hillary could win. So not only does Hillary need to do the math, so does Mr. Limbo. Obama Is Barack Hussein Obama the Antichrist? http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=94d_1202965504 I am for Obama because... My point in fact is agreeing with the republicans in that Obama does not have a lot of experience - I think not having a lot of experience is a good thing because it means he is not "hand-in-hand" with all the people that have been in charge for so long - he can form his own opinions, make his own decisions, and not go with somebody just because they did this or that for somebody or they contributed this or that to somebody... No, Obama gets it better than many do Check out this award-winning article written by Fareed Zakaria, a foreign policy expert, right after 9/11 called "Why They Hate Us" - http://www.fareedzakaria.com/ARTICLES/newsweek/101501_why.html Most people at that time (myself included) said that question was irrelavant, but understanding why they some have those attitudes helps us understand better what the U.S. can do to help change it. The fringe extremists will never go away, but their support by the general Muslim community as a whole will diminish (and already is). Free markets and capitalism would go a long way toward this goal and I think Obama gets that. obama wants to be GOD He wants to change the structure of the U.S. and he wants to bargain with and change the structure of Europe.. He is a destroyer. obama Muslims are dedicated to destroying the US from within. Obama is Muslim. Obama.......... I think the pictures speak for themselves....although there will be plenty of Obama lovers who will sing his praises and find excuse after excuse why the flat is no longer on the plane. He could have just as easily left the flag and put his little slogan on there with it, but chose to remove the flag altogether. Speaks volumes!!!! Obama is Muslim, will always be Muslim, and it is very disturbing to me that anyone would want a Muslim president. No Muslims have ever spoken out about 9/11 which also speaks volumes!! He has learned his Muslim faith from a young child, and the little boys are taught to hate the US and anyone who isn't them...he is no different. There are too may who sing his praises but refuse to state the obvious. Just because they hate republicans sure doesn't mean you put the fox in charge of the hen house. At no time during his speeches have I ever heard him speak of his love for the United States. He just repeats over and over where he came from, who raised him, and what their faiths were, and folks better open their ears and listen up. No candidate for President of this country would so boldy make a point of getting rid of the very thing that is such a strong symbol of this country. Try doing that in another country and you will be hauled off to jail....the end!! And, I don't want to hear about this is a free country and he can do what he wants. The whole point of this "free" country is to support the US and our beliefs, not Muslim beliefs which are definitely that of hate. A lot of feathers will be ruffled with this comment, but I really don't care to sugar coat the facts just because some hate republicans or other parties to the point they will accept anything in the white house....a wolf in sheep's clothing, and there will be MANY because of their hatred for the other candidate, who will be sucked into his beliefs as well. |
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