Dichroic Reflections

who sez?

If I were on the California Supreme Court during the Catholic Charities, I think
I'd have to write a dissenting opinion. I'm not sure whether I'd vote with the
majority or not, but I think they got their rationale all wrong. It would be just
fine with me if the state required everyone, religious or not, to provide
insurance coverage birth control, or if they wanted to leave more choice in there,
to require an employer to fund coverage for birth control if they fund coverage
for Viagra and similar drugs. (Though it's never been entirely clear why birth
control should be considered a women's issue. Last I heard, it's a two-person
process.) If they're going to provide exemptions from the rule for religious
organization, it's clear there needs to be some standard for what constitutes a
religious organization, so that people aren't claiming to be one just to reduce
their insurance responsibilities.

Where I have a problem with this is
in the decision that Catholic Charities is not a religious organization because
they help people without "forwarding religious aims". 'Scuse me? Feeding and
clothing the needy isn't a religious aim? I seem to recall something of the sort
in the Old Testament, the New Testament, and the Koran. (Admittedly, I'm
going on second-hand reports there, not having actually read the Koran.) If
Christian Charities does so without pushing dogma on people who might not be in a
position to accept or reject it, more power to them. First you keep them from
starving, then you worry about their souls.

(From a purely
theological viewpoint, this is a very Jewish point of view and not at all a
Christian one, at least not historically. From a practical standpoint, few people
can pay attention to sermons when they're ill-nourished, and even iin our legal
system an oath taken under duress doesn't count.)

It's also
interesting to note the court's other argument, that the charity hire's non-
Catholics. By that rationale, any synagogue who hires a Shabbes goy to turn off
the lights on Saturday is also non-religious.Good thing there are automatic timers
now.

On a completely different note:

src="http://images.quizilla.com/F/francescadez/1063165513_barbarians.jpg"
border="0" alt="May barbarians invade your personal space!">
Utinam barbari
spatium proprium tuum invadant!

"May barbarians invade your
personal
space!"

You are highly confrontational and possibly in a
bad
mood. You would have sworn in this quiz,
if I had made it an option.

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e%20Are%20You%3F%20/"> Which Weird Latin Phrase Are You?

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