Here's To Their Health

I would like Supreme Court Justices John Roberts, Samuel Alito, Anthony Kennedy, Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas to all go to the doctor today. In fact, I would like doctors assigned to monitor those five Justices as all times for the next two years because we need them to stay healthy and lucid enough to stay on the Supreme Court.

Those Justices make up the slim 5-4 majority that yesterday ruled that the Second Amendment of the Constitution does actually apply everywhere in the United States. By that one narrow "vote", law-abiding people living in the cities of Chicago and Washington DC just won back their right to bear arms--as local ordinances banning the ownership of handguns were struck down as an infringement on one of our most basic Constitutional rights.

While the handgun bans did a great job of keeping weapons out of the hands of people who were not looking to commit crimes--they didn't do such a good job at keeping handguns away from people who were looking to commit crimes. Just last weekend, 54 people were shot in the city of Chicago. 175-people have been killed so far this year there in gun-related violence. The perpetrators apparently didn't have much problem arming themselves--likely with guns stolen from shops outside the Chicago city limits--maybe even from the Fox Valley. I'd be willing to bet that few if any of those stolen guns ended up in the hands of Chicago residents hoping to own them for personal security or sportshooting.

To put this ruling in perspective, one of the first press releases we got in the Newsroom yesterday was from Wisconsin Senator Russ Feingold applauding the Supreme Court ruling:

"I am pleased that the Supreme Court has held that the Second Amendment applies equally to the states. Although not unexpected, the ruling is welcome confirmation that the right to bear arms is a fundamental right enjoyed by all Americans that cannot be infringed by the federal or state governments."

So let's take a look at the political spectrum if the four dissenting Justices are put in relation to Senator Feingold:

FARTHEST LEFT->->-> WAY LEFT->->->SANE
Four Members of the Supreme Court->->->Senator Russ Feingold->->->95% of all Americans

So here's to the health of the five Justices who believe the words written in the Constitution are to be taken as the law of the land. Maybe Jillian Michaels can move in with them and make sure they lower the blood pressure, the cholesterol levels and eat all their veggies. America needs them now more than ever.