An Explosive News Day

Rubin “Hurricane” Carter, OJ Simpson, Rae Carruth, Oscar Pistorius and now Aaron Hernandez. Professional athletes charged with murder.  Hernandez is the latest on that list and he surely won’t be the last. 

After a day in which he was arrested, charged with murder and released by the New England Patriots Hernandez remains jailed without bail in connection with the murder of a former friend.  While he is innocent until proven guilty it would appear Hernandez is another pro athlete who has blown a lucrative career and traded in a fancy uniform with number 81 on it for a drab one with a different number.

Of course sports is not the only profession with its share of unsavory characters…it just happens to contain more headliners than others.

Most of us are aware that swimming in the ocean this summer comes with a warning.  Much of the damage done by Superstorm Sandy is evident in the form of homes destroyed, trees uprooted and the like.  However we can’t see the bottom of the ocean but we know that Sandy has left her mark there was well.

This week’s discovery and eventual detonation of a World War II mine just off the beach in Bay Head was the latest proof that eight months after the storm our waterways have been disturbed.  Several objects have been discovered and removed on area beaches already so a word to the wise. Just be extra careful because what you can’t see can hurt you.

Those opposed can fight it all they want buy gay marriage is likely coming to New Jersey.  The Supreme Court’s decision to strike down the law which denied federal benefits to married same-sex couples was a huge victory for proponents Wednesday and in a separate ruling the court cleared the way for gay marriages to resume in California.

However it stopped short of giving gays the same constitutional rights to marry as heterosexuals and did not include language that would apply to civil unions as gay marriage itself is only legal in 12 states.  Now battles will take place on a state-wide basis and New Jersey will be among them.

Governor Christie vetoed a bill last year that would allow same-sex marriages and Democrats will seek an override.  There will be much debate and it won’t be pretty at times but eventually gay marriage is coming and its time we accept it. It’s the right time and the right thing to do.