Supreme Court makes Republicans stick to what they believe

Earlier this week the Washington Post reported that the U.S. Supreme Court made the Republicans actually stick to their beliefs when they upheld Oregon's assisted suicide law. Republicans had been trying to invalidate the law by taking away the medical licenses of doctors that help patients with their medical choice to end their lives when they have terminal illnesses. The Republicans are the party of state rights remember.

The ruling reminded me of something that happened when I was a legislative aid in DC to Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR) during the time Congress started this efforts to get rid of Oregon's right to set their own laws. The Chairman of the Judiciary Committee at the time was Rep. Henry 'Youthful Indiscretion' Hyde (R-IL). One day my boss got onto the elevator with him and asked him why someone who champions state rights would be holding a hearing for a bill to basically do away with a law the people of Oregon had voted for not once, but twice in a statewide referendum.

My boss said, "I thought you were for state rights Henry." And Rep. Hyde yelled at my boss, "Only when they're right" and got off the elevator.