"Freedom means freedom for everyone. People...ought to be free to enter into any kind of relationship they want to."
- Vice President Dick Cheney on same-sex marriage, 2004.
It is encouraging to see others, including President Obama, Vice President Biden, former President Bill Clinton (who signed DOMA into law in 1996) come around to Cheney's thinking, even if they were eight years late to the game. Cheney was ahead of his time.
Re. same-sex marriage: while ideally there should be separation of marriage and state (does anyone believe that government should be involved in meddling in/dictating to and how consenting adults should manage their personal lives?) as long as the State is determined to meddle in and legislate such activity it should endeavor to do so in an even-handed, non-discriminatory manner. If government is determined to set policy, including confering tax, entitlement, and other benefits based upon marital status it is only just that committed same-sex couples have all the rights- and the responsibilities (and here it is worth noting- while many on the Left are in favor of expanding individual rights, of which I approve, they often are less so in demanding responsbility and accountability for the exercise of those rights, often preferring the State, via tax-payer dollars, to pick up the tab for the irresponsible exercise of many rights, of which I disapprove) of their straight fellow citizens. And indeed, the march toward marital equality is picking up pace across America, in the court of public opinion as well as by the expressed will of voters; had Massachusetts allowed same-sex marriage to be on the ballot (instead of imposed by an unelected judiciary) I would have voted in favor of it. The decisions by the Supremes, and their reasonings, will be interesting to see.
Anyway... My running and cardio workouts have been more difficult the past couple of months (my strength/resistance work is still good) and I finally found out why. The current treatment regimen that I've been on the past two months (irinotecan added to cetuximab) has impacted my red blood cell counts; they've dropped noticeably in the last two months, which had not bene the case on any previous regimen I had been on. Basically it is akin to anemia, whereby I have less stamina, endurance, etc... to push thru and complete a good cardio workout or run; they have become more difficult. Which pisses me off bigtime. Obviously keeping the cancer stable/at bay is the primary consideration, and my oncologist believes, and I agree, that wringing as much benefit as we can out of this current regimen before it loses it's efficacy is the wise course of action. Ideally I'd like to do that while being able to maintain my traditional levels of stamina and endurance. It makes me feel like a quitter, a loser, not to be able to. I already take every- legal- energy supplement, etc... that I know of. But especially with the warmer weather eventually approaching I want to be able to get out and do all of the things workout-wise that I've always done.
So did any/everyone else's NCAA brackets get blown up last week?! Yikes what a lot of upsets! Fortunately all of my Final Four are still in it but yeesh... I bet this tournament does a lot for applications to Florida Gulf Coast next year! Looks just like Amherst in winter... sure!
Think spring :)
