As I posted earlier today, a judge will rule as to whether or not Montgomery County Clerk, D. Bruce Hanes, was acting illegally by issuing marriage licenses to same sex couples.
A judge promised to rule as quickly as possible after hearing arguments Wednesday about whether a suburban Philadelphia court clerk should be forced to stop issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
Commonwealth Court Judge Dan Pellegrini said a central issue is "how power is allocated in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania."
"What's before us today is generally, 'Who decides?'" Pellegrini told the full courtroom in Harrisburg at the start of oral arguments.
Pennsylvania is the only northeastern state that does not allow gay marriage or civil unions. A 1996 state law says a marriage must be between a man and a woman, and it says same-sex marriages performed elsewhere cannot be recognized in Pennsylvania.
D. Bruce Hanes, the elected register of wills in Montgomery County, defied the ban in late July by issuing licenses to same-sex couples, as part of his duties as the orphan's court clerk. His action followed the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to throw out part of the federal Defense of Marriage Act, and a statement by state Attorney General Kathleen Kane that the same-sex marriage ban was unconstitutional.
I think the important thing to remember here, along with the laws, is who will go down on the right side of history. And it's moments in time like this that tend to define people in more ways than one.
Valerie Harper Dancing with Stars
When I read and reviewed an autobiography by actress, Valerie Harper, last winter, I posted it, along with other information about a cancer diagnosis that only gave her a few months to live. Since then, Harper has gone into remission, has become a huge inspiration to all of us, and she's going to be part of next season's Dancing with the Stars.
"I said, 'Give me one good reason,' " Harper recalled. "He said, 'You have cancer! Get up there, and show people that you can dance and do -- and the doctors said it's fine to exercise. Encourage people to move, to exercise, to do all the things that will be good for them, and mainly not to sit in the house and glower and worry and feel sorry for yourself because you have this disease and anything else.'"
Exercise is generally encouraged for patients, according to the American Cancer Society.
"At one time, patients with cancer, especially in the advanced stages, were often told by their doctor to rest and limit their exercise," the organization's website says. "But newer research has shown that exercise is not only safe and possible during cancer treatment, but that it also can reduce symptoms and improve quality of life."
It's not always easy to exercise. I know how hard it is because I have been doing a three to five mile run early every single morning of my life for the past twenty years. At this point, I don't know how I would live without that morning run. I can't even imagine.
And if I couldn't run, I'd walk.
0 comments:
Post a Comment