If you are one of the many people who are packing a few extra pounds, be thankful you live in the US. If you lived in Japan, you’d be running on the treadmill or running for cover. A law that took effect in April requires companies and governments to measure the waistlines of people ages 40 to 74. The government limits are 33.5” waists for men and 35.4” waists for women. If you exceed that, you are given dieting guidance if you do not lose the weight within three months. You are given further education if you still are above the limits after six months.

The government will impose financial penalties on companies and governments that don’t meet their targets.

If you’re wondering how this compares to America (Proud home of the all you can eat buffet), the average American male has a 39” waist, and the average American woman has a 36.5” waist.

While the US isn’t as bad as Japan yet regarding government intrusion into their waistlines, we’re not as far behind as you think. Insurance companies have won the right to charge people different rates depending on their weight and health. As a consequence, numerous US companies are actively pushing their employees to get healthier and to lose weight. On one hand, that’s a good thing. On the other hand, it is one more step in our progression to a “Mommy” state, where the government professes it knows what’s best for you. Given the dysfunctional operation of most local, state, and national governments, it’s ironic to see how they are becoming busybodies poking their noses into the private lives of their citizens.

A little over a week ago, the California State Supreme Court enabled gay marriages to proceed. In contrast to a few years ago, there was less uproar and agitation. Some of this was probably due to Massachusetts already allowing this, and some due to it already being performed a year or two ago in San Francisco. Like similar events in the history of the US, such as rights for women and civil rights, there has been an amazing amount and hand wringing initially, with people forecasting the end of the world. Then as time goes on, things settle down and it becomes much less of an issue.

A recent poll of Californians found that a majority (51%) now approved gay marriage. The interesting statistics were based on age, however. Over 68% of those ages 18 to 29 approved gay marriage, whereas only 45% of those aged 65 and older did. It appears that the young don’t see this as a big deal, whereas the old do. So as the population ages, gay marriage appears to be headed toward society’s approval. It was also interesting to see that the approval rate that now is 51% was only 44% in 2006 and 30% in 1985. I think as more gays come out, and people are more used to having gays as friends, co-workers, acquaintances, neighbors, etc, there is less resistance.

Despite this gradual progress toward common sense, there still are those who oppose it, and the arguments cited by them are sometimes a bit bizarre. The SF Chronicle recently had an opinion piece by Douglas Kmiec, who apparently is a devout Catholic, right wing Republican, ex Justice Dept lawyer, and a Pepperdine professor. The link to the article is here:

Douglas Kmiec

He links gay marriage to eugenics and infers it benefits mostly the very affluent, it threatens democratic equality, and harms the children. Yet he provides no evidence to back up his claims. I’m surprised that he didn’t also claim all homosexuals are sexual predators coming to attack us. He also cites procreation as a reason to discriminate, yet does not address the up to 50% or so failure rate of heterosexual marriages or the number of heterosexual marriages that do not produce children. A Pepperdine professor should be a bit more educated about the facts and a little less hysterical about non-existent threats to our society. (one interesting side note is that Kmiec was recently denied Communion at a dinner for some businessmen, apparently because of his support for Barrack Obama).

The other source of resistance that amazes me are the black churches. After having fought so hard in the past and with all the discrimination that blacks have faced in the past, you’d think they’d be the first ones out in front to support they gays and end that discrimination. Unfortunately, homosexuality is still kept quiet in many parts of the black community.

So for now, limited but still significant progress toward a more just society. I must tip my hand toward SF mayor Gavin Newsome, who helped push this forward. Even though he has done some other bonehead things, this is one thing that he can rightly take some pride in.

The State of California reversed course yesterday and said they would not proceed with spraying of pesticides over urban areas. In one interview, the spokesman for the California Dept of Agriculture said this was due to "a very recent scientific breakthrough". When asked what that breakthrough was, he said, "I'm going to have to get back to you on that."

In other words, there is no breakthrough. Just a policy decision to try and head off some of the lawsuits and the bad press from their previously announced decision to spray over urban areas with pesticides that had not been tested for their effects on humans. They presented the idea that they would now use sterile moth releases among other things, glossing over the fact that this technique has been around for decades.

There still may be aerial spraying over forested and agricultural areas, so we'll see if lawsuits stop that nonsense as well. It's embarrassing that we have such a lack of common sense and scientific facts in Arnold's administration.

If you remember the joke line about “I’m from the government, and I’m here to help you”...., then you’ll feel right at home with the War on Drugs. I have a few other articles buried in the pile, but will share one story today.

Richard Paey is a paraplegic with multiple sclerosis, and a father of three. After complications from the multiple sclerosis, a car accident, and botched back surgery, he required high dose opiate therapy to manage the constant and severe pain. Due to threats and intimidation by the authorities, many doctors are reluctant to prescribe too much pain medication for patients. So Paey was forced to do what he could, and consequently ran afoul of some of the eager beaver drug agents in Florida.

Despite having no evidence that the medications were anything but for personal use, the state of Florida tried him three times for drug trafficking. Part of their vendetta was driven by his refusal to accept a plea bargain. His doctor in New Jersey that prescribed much of the medication was threatened with a 25 to life sentence if he didn’t implicate Paey, so the doctor was forced to say that Paey forged the prescriptions.

In 2004, Paey was thrown into prison. Ironically the state hooked him up to a morphine IV that was stronger than what he was accused of trafficking in. In 2007, after Paey did an interview with a NY Times reporter, the state retaliated by shipping him out to a prison over two hours further away from his family, and threatening to withhold the morphine IV. Only after some additional media coverage and a new governor replacing Jeb Bush did Paey get released from prison.

The details on this story should make the authorities involved ashamed. Links are below:

CBS News Story:
CBS News Story

Wikipedia:
Wikipedia Richard Paey

A friend sent me the following joke:

A husband and wife came for counseling after 20 years of marriage.
When asked what the problem was, the wife went into a passionate,
painful tirade listing every problem they had ever had in the 20 years
they had been married.

She went on and on and on: neglect, lack of intimacy, emptiness,
loneliness, feeling unloved and unlovable, an entire laundry list
of unmet needs she had endured over the course of their marriage.

Finally, after allowing this to go on for a sufficient length of time,
the male therapist got up, walked around the desk, and after asking
the wife to stand, embraced and kissed her passionately as her husband
watched with a raised eyebrow. The woman shut up and quietly sat down
as though in a daze.

The therapist turned to the husband and said, 'This is what your wife
needs at least three times a week. Can you do this?'

The husband thought for a moment and replied, 'Well, I can drop her
off here on Mondays and Wednesdays, but on Fridays, I fish.'