Contrary to popular opinion, Crusader Mike does know other poets besides Yeats. However, after The Wild Swans at Coole, Easter 1916, and The Second Coming, is there a lot left to say for a stoical, cynical scholar-soldier-businessman who is contemplating taking a couple of years off to study Tibetan Throat singing? Certainly not by my fellow alum Billy Collins, poet laureate of the United States and a Holy Cross grad...
But, I digress. The center does appearing to be holding with the Supreme's verdict on the Oregon Assisted Suicide case. Talk about activist judges! In a six three opinion that would probably be a 5-4 if Alito was already on the bench, the court refused to get all mushy and look at the moral issues, and stayed right in the issue of states rights versus federal rights, holding that Country Rock Singer and former Attorney General John Ashcroft exceeded his authority (surprise!surprise!surprise!) by threatening Oregon doctors with the loss of their prescription drug licenses if they prescribed drugs for suicide.
Like abortion, assisted suicide is a tough issue. My moral turmoil over each issue is probably due to my background and education -- suicide is the sin that may not be forgiven in some Catholic thought because if it works, the sinner might not have time to repent. Hence, we get into things like contending that any choice of suicide must be irrational. Well, perhaps -- so Socrates goes to hell. Well, no, he'd probably go to limbo...oh, yeah, we just got rid of limbo. What's a former Catholic altar boy to do in this confusing world?
Well, one thing to do is to stick with your business and focus on the things you do know -- the known knowns, as chief philosopher of this administation would comment. The court chose to to do so. Interestingly, the Catholic Block -- Scalia, Thomas and the new kid on the block, what's his name, oh yeah, the Chief Justice -- ruled differently. Again, surprise, surprise, surprise....
