Douglas Whaley

.   Well, not yet, but the Court is close to producing that headline.   One more vote is all it’ll take and the Court could simply say that abortion is not a federal matter, leaving its regulation or prohibition up to the individual states.   The Republicans are completely for that (see the party platform) and the Tea Party is in a frenzy at the delightful possibility. All that’s needed is for Mitt Romney to win the coming presidential election.   In deciding who to vote for it’s common for voters to forget that the president has enormous influence over the future direction of the country merely by the exclusive power to nominate federal judges.   These judges, once appointed, serve for life and thus on carry the president’s policies long after the president leaves office and is busy building his library. The current United States Supreme Court is divided into four liberals, four conservatives, and then there’s Justice Anthony Kennedy right in the middle, which (as I’ve

. In January of this year The Columbus Dispatch ran an article in the sports section stating that newly hired Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer would be conducting bible study and chapel services for his players.   It included this quote: “Meyer said the optional services he’ll offer players at Ohio State will be nondenominational Christian. But he said he would tell the young men that if they want to worship a different way, he’ll ‘certainly cater to that as well.’”   This caused some comment, including my blog post of February 19 th entitled “Urban Meyer and the Christian Buckeye Football Team” (which gathered 500 hits almost immediately and came to the attention of the players), http://douglaswhaley.blogspot.com/2012/02/urban-meyer-and-christian-buckeye.html .   I was accused of trying to bring down the football program Meyer was building, when the truth is that I’ve always been a rabid Buckeye football (and basketball) fan, having season tickets to the games for decades

. When should you touch another person, and when is doing so a mistake?   It’s a matter of some consequence because doing it right can lead to one of life’s greatest joys, and doing it wrong will get you labelled as a fool who can’t be trusted without guards nearby.   What a difference!   What to do? In 1888 the English playwright William S. Gilbert penned the following words that were then set to music with a lovely melody by the composter Arthur Sullivan in an opera called “The Yeomen of the Guard” [see http://math.boisestate.edu/gas/yeomen/html/index.html ]:                                         A man who would woo a fair maid,                                         Should ’prentice himself to the trade;                                              And study all day,                                              In methodical way,                                         How to flatter, cajole, and persuade. . . .                                        

. Our bedrock opinions and beliefs are hard to change.   We have so much time invested in them that we look for facts and reasons to support these adopted ideas, but reject things that might challenge or disprove them.   This process is called “confirmation bias,” and it affects us all.   Thus our positions harden over time and it is a rare thing for someone to change a fundamental belief. If you want to win an argument with someone about his/her fundamental beliefs, recognize ahead of time that it’s not likely to happen, particularly without a well planned campaign.   Given the unlikelihood of success, consider first of all whether it’s smart to even try.   Having an argument you are not likely to win is just wheel-spinning, and will likely make the other person more intransigent.   Perhaps it would be best to drop the matter, live with the disagreement, or figure out ways to get around the problem without a confrontation.    Ask yourself “Is this fight worth winning?”   Y ou