Cheers and Jeers: Bush wants fences, Limbaugh insults Fox
Cheer: The New Jersey Supreme Court ruled this week that the state’s laws prohibiting homosexual marriage defy the state’s constitution and must be changed. Although the implications have yet to be seen, we applaud the state for tackling this issue head-on, and the court for its progressive ruling. Sadly, gay couples will have to visit New Jersey if they intend to take advantage of the changes.
Jeer: President Bush signed a bill on Thursday that approved construction of a 700-mile fence along the United States – Mexico border. If it were actually important, odds are Bush wouldn’t have ignored the bill for four weeks before mysteriously signing it 12 days before midterm elections as a transparent political maneuver. A source of funding for the estimated $2.2 billion project wasn’t even specified. Maybe they could levee tolls on the gaps that already exist in border protection to finance the project.
Jeer: Rush Limbaugh ripped into Michael J. Fox on Wednesday, claiming that Fox exaggerated his symptoms or skipped his medication before filming a campaign ad supporting stem cell research. Limbaugh crossed the line with his personal attack on Fox, which wasn’t even factually justified, given the nature of Parkinson’s medication. Good move, Rush; Fox is never going to share his meds with you now.
Jeer: The Unlawful Gambling Enforcement Act effectively shut down online gambling in the United States when it was passed earlier this month. Although gambling addiction can be a serious problem, it is unlikely that forcing gamblers to quit cold turkey was the best way to handle it, especially when other forms of betting such as horse racing and casinos are abundant and available legally. The ban hurts the young demographic the most – lazy college kids everywhere are going to have to find a new plot to pay for their hot tubs and stripper poles.
