Imperious Lenten Post

Fasting, Almsgiving and Prayer. The 3 buzzwords every Catholic knows (or should know) about Lent. We received the Ashes on our foreheads yesterday reminding us that God created us from dust and to dust we will return. Besides not eating meat on Friday (which of course is really the only day of the week I'll crave it), a lot of Catholics give up something else as well, something they enjoy but is not really necessary like going out to eat, chocolate, smoking. I usually try to come up with a penance I will be able to stick with by Sexagesima, Quinquagesmia by the latest. Not this year. No, I finally came up with something after a long discussion with a friend yesterday. And it seems an odd sort of penance at first. Being the good little ana that I am, I hop on the scale about 8-10 times a day. It's really become a habit I hardly think about. After lamenting about a 1.5 pound gain, she told me "Get off the damn scale!" (her exact words). She suggested I not get on the scale all during Lent. Knowing this is impossible I thought, "well, how about once a week?" This I can do. So I went in there once last time, weighed myself and wrote the number down (no, I'm not going to tell). But, it being a habit and all, I hopped on it late last night. And wouldn't you know, the scale didn't work. Just nothing. Battery must have died.

Nanny State Strikes Again

The Mississippi Legislature, in its infinite Wisdom, wants fat people banned from restaurants. It has introduced a law that would prohibit restaurants from serving anyone considered "obese". Who determines what is "obese"? Why, the State of course. Here is the Bill in it's entirety:

MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE

2008 Regular Session

To: Public Health and Human Services; Judiciary B

By: Representative Mayhall, Read, Shows

House Bill 282

AN ACT TO PROHIBIT CERTAIN FOOD ESTABLISHMENTS FROM SERVING FOOD TO ANY PERSON WHO IS OBESE, BASED ON CRITERIA PRESCRIBED BY THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH; TO DIRECT THE DEPARTMENT TO PREPARE WRITTEN MATERIALS THAT DESCRIBE AND EXPLAIN THE CRITERIA FOR DETERMINING WHETHER A PERSON IS OBESE AND TO PROVIDE THOSE MATERIALS TO THE FOOD ESTABLISHMENTS; TO DIRECT THE DEPARTMENT TO MONITOR THE FOOD ESTABLISHMENTS FOR COMPLIANCE WITH THE PROVISIONS OF THIS ACT; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:

SECTION 1. (1) The provisions of this section shall apply to any food establishment that is required to obtain a permit from the State Department of Health under Section 41-3-15(4)(f), that operates primarily in an enclosed facility and that has five (5) or more seats for customers.

(2) Any food establishment to which this section applies shall not be allowed to serve food to any person who is obese, based on criteria prescribed by the State Department of Health after consultation with the Mississippi Council on Obesity Prevention and Management established under Section 41-101-1 or its successor. The State Department of Health shall prepare written materials that describe and explain the criteria for determining whether a person is obese, and shall provide those materials to all food establishments to which this section applies. A food establishment shall be entitled to rely on the criteria for obesity in those written materials when determining whether or not it is allowed to serve food to any person.

(3) The State Department of Health shall monitor the food establishments to which this section applies for compliance with the provisions of this section, and may revoke the permit of any food establishment that repeatedly violates the provisions of this section.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2008.

Keep kissing your rights good-bye America.