As much as we'd love for the law to be more black and white, the presence of jury's and legal review boards (like the Supreme Court) proves the fact that perspective turns all things gray. Today's ruling by the court has left many scratching their heads over what comes of this.
You can call it gray area or slippery slope. You might even think the Hobby Lobby ruling represents a pandoras box. I have no fancy analogy for this one. This is judicial politics in its purest form. What does judicial politics look like?
It looks like a ruling so narrowly written, that it may as well have said, this exemption is for Hobby Lobby, and Hobby Lobby only. Apparently, that is close to the truth. About 50 to 60 existing companies meet this narrow, 40 page ruling. So if the exemption is so narrow, then why so many pages to write it? Because of one word. FAMILY . The ACA already has religious exemptions built in so that it could not be attacked under religious grounds alone anymore.
This exemption is intended for "family" owned, religious organizations. You know, like the Colorado Rockies. The brothers Monfort not only own my hometown baseball team, they refuse to fire the guy who runs the team, Bible thumper, Dan O'Dowd. Now, I call him a bible thumper only to make a bigger point. I myself will thump the hell out of the bible to any one who cares to listen.
O'Dowd is well documented as a Christian, and even stated that his values are driving the character evaluation of would be players. During the lone Rockies World Series defeat, O'Dowd all but creditted God for the chemistry to nearly win it all, pointing to the like minded spirit amongst the team. The "family" environment is the cornerstone of this family owned organization, let Dan tell it. If Dan declared a demonic curse came to my snake bitten team as a result of God's anger over abortion, do the Monfort's finally fire him or fight for the Hobby Lobby exemption?
Since we haven't returned to the big dance, I am inclined to trumpet Dan's divine intervention talk, even though I am mad that God switched teams in the World Series. Our absence from glory may have altered our moral fiber a bit because O'Dowd hasn't sold that family crap in years. The best family example he's given us recently was how loyal and internal they remained when Todd Helton was arrested for drunk driving. Helton certainly didn't display Christian family ethics, but O'Dowd was exact in his Mafia family silence on the matter.
Two paragraphs later you might not remember if I was critiquing the word family or religion. Neither. My only hope is to show you how impossible it is to define family corporation's...even harder than defining religious family corporation's. Add the extra demand of separating large corporations (owned by families) from small family owned companies and you can imagine where this is headed.
If you have no clue where this is headed, read the (2) dissents (yes two). Even though the females of the Supreme Court are divided politically, no female justice joined in this decision. Sexism allowed for this 5-4 decision just as it has influenced many historical directions. However, women are not a silent partner anymore. Just as the female justice's united, America's women WILL unite. After all, more women use these contraceptives than do not, as reproduction and contraception is as universal as healthcare is now.
Therein lies the problem. Universal healthcare has begun. Now you must remove the dog food bowl after the puppies started eating already. Do this at the risk of losing a finger.......or losing something. Not that I am suggesting anything (okay, I'm suggesting it), but consumers could have the final say on whether or not WE do business with individuals using their corporations to further the abortion debate.
If there existence in the American business marketplace is tested will integrity or pragmatism rule the day? Stay tuned on that issue alone.
If there's a remote chance that 50-60 company owners stay awake at night because hundreds of their female employees gave up on condoms due to ObamaCare, this ruling gets them some much needed rest. Otherwise, this is nothing more than step 937 in the ongoing war to destroy Obama for achieving the impossible, universal healthcare.
Women of both parties now have better control of life choices when they decide on when is the right time to have kids. Women of both parties have always had knuckle headed men that they may not want to be stuck with forever. The right contraception gives women power, and a voice that will not be silenced. That was my final notice to Hobby Lobby, bible thumpers and everyone who celebrated this political misstep by the court.
You've ignited women who use contraception, and the men who give them cause to need it......of both parties. Good luck with that.
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