A new over the counter diet drug appears to be on its way, additional testing apparently not protected. You want a way to lose weight? Allow Plan B, which William Saletan reminds us* is usually not even likely to act on fertilized eggs -- it is probably more likely to stop fertilization in the first place! That FDA approval apparently is not enough. But, the double standard continues.
Talking about things affecting women, there is a good opinion piece concerning the fact that less than half black women marry -- it speaks of marriage being for white people. This is not news, of course, since many a social commentator is concerned with the marriage issue among black people. The article underlines that marriage is a cost/benefit matter, always has been, just has somewhat different criteria of late. Simply put, even if marriage is an economic benefit (not always the case anyway, even among whites -- marriage penalty and all that), it might not be a personal one. The conversation must address this fact.
Meanwhile, Bush's personal lawyer ... oh I mean the Attorney General ... let it out that he doesn't want to say that domestic warrant tapping is off the table in respect to the NSA taps.** Not that he is "able" to talk about things that much. This is a basic threat not only to congressional power but personal liberty -- judicial oversight is obviously important in the Fourth Amendment context, but so is congressional oversight. The rights of "the people" are broadly drawn out; the legislature often spell out the details. Details that can help determine "reasonableness."
Anyway, with the Libby disclosures and all, I again say, "when is enough, enough?"
---
* Saletan ruins a generally good article by suggesting pro-choice advocates who do not want to allow the use of the term "abortion" in this context are playing with semantics. Since most people do not think stopping implantation is "abortion," and even that often does not occur in this context, who is playing with words here?
** It was in answer to a question by a former prosecutor by the name of Adam Schiff ... federal prosecutor, but yes, that's the DA on Law & Order.