DEATH'S MARCH: Kentucky's supreme court has decided that the life of a retarded black man, Matthew Woods, should have been terminated. The 54-year-old went on a ventilator after having a heart attack, and the state wanted to remove Woods' life support. "Although Woods died of natural causes during the litigation process, the court agreed to rule on the legality of the state's request because of the legal questions involved," reported the Thomas More Law Center on September 1. "Prior to his natural death, Woods had never expressed whether he wanted life-supporting measures removed." Observed the More Center's Chief Counsel Richard Thompson, "This decision is another step down the slippery slope toward a culture of death where the government decides which lives are worthy to be lived. Kentucky should protect the welfare and rights of all of its citizens, especially those who are most vulnerable. The state supreme court has now declared that the lives of some of its citizens are not worthy of protection." Woods had the intellectual capacity of a 9-year-old. SCHLAFLY STRIKES AGAIN: Ever since defeating the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), Phyllis Schlafly, founder of Eagle Forum, has been a one-woman political force. This year, the Republican Party platform remained solid on abortion and marriage, although many conservatives were disappointed with its endorsement of President Bush's compromise on embryonic stem-cell research. AP conceded Schlafly's influence in a story last week. "Schlafly has been to every Republican convention since 1952, including 11 times as a delegate or alternate," reported David A. Lieb. "Her mission is to defend the Republicans' socially conservative platform. She typically prevails. . . . After failing as a congressional candidate at age 28, she skyrocketed to Republican prominence in 1964 with her self-published book, A Choice Not an Echo, in support of GOP presidential candidate Barry Goldwater." MARRIAGE VOTE: Democrats in more than one state are working furiously to get pro-marriage voter initiatives off the ballot because they know that the issue will bring out conservative voters likely to support socially conservative Republicans from President Bush on down. Even in Louisiana, which John Kerry has a chance of winning and which is hosting a tight Senate race this year, opponents are trying to stop a vote even though it's scheduled for September 18 instead of Election Day. On August 30, the state 4th Circuit Court of Appeal reversed an earlier decision by a lower court halting the vote. Shreveport attorney Mike Johnson, associated with the Alliance Defense Fund, said, "The people pushing for same-sex 'marriage' don't want the voters to decide the issue. No matter how hard they try, opponents of this amendment keep failing in their attempt to use the courts to circumvent the will of the people." The case has been appealed to the Louisiana supreme court. THOMPSON'S GAMBIT: Former Wisconsin governor and Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson, who has a mostly pro-life record, showed up at the Republican Majority for Choice party in New York City on the second night of the Republican convention. "When he strode into Manhattan's Sky Club and shook the hand of the Salon reporter rather intimately, we were so sure it must be a look-alike-or someone we knew but couldn't place-that we let him pass without interrogation," reported Salon.com on September 1. Later, Thompson told Salon, "I think it's important to send the message that this is a big-tent party. I'm here to make sure that everyone knows that President Bush is a compassionate conservative and that we are going to do our part to reach out to everyone in this party." THEY'RE COMING: Most Americans don't smoke and thus may not have cared much about the decimation of the tobacco industry and the huge price hikes imposed on smokers through the courts a few years ago. But everyone eats and all those whose tastes range beyond tofu and lettuce should be concerned. "'There are hordes of lawyers' looking to sue food makers for causing obesity, nutrition nag Marion Nestle told the New York Times this week. Meanwhile, the Associated Press reports that more legislatures are considering bills-already passed by a dozen states-to prevent frivolous obesity lawsuits from clogging up the courts," said the Center for Consumer Freedom last week. "The AP quotes litigation ringleader John 'Sue the Bastards' Banzhaf saying that trial lawyers will keep trying until they find the right 'victim.'"
