Is Phelps no longer God?

If you haven't read the news recently, Michael Phelps was pictured in haling some sort of smoke out a long glass object...to most that smoke is a drug, and that glass object is a bong...what that drug is remains the question but you can only guess what it was.

So Phelps was an icon to everybody. He won eight Olympic gold medals, has plenty of sponsorships and is loved by almost everybody until that picture was released. Now Kelloggs dropped him as a sponsor and Subway took his picture off of their website and is suing to get their money back.

Seriously, with everything else going on in the world or more specifically in the United States why should this be a big deal? Bank CEO's spending TARP funds for planes and vacations, Maddoff investors lose millions and Phelps smoking pot is making the front page of major newspapers.

Phelps is only human and I feel what he does on his time off is his own business. It could be worse, he could be like Barry Bonds, A-Rod and countless other professional sports players taking steroids or horse tranquilizers. I'm glad Phelps was smoking. The life he leads is not only stressful but you're always in the spotlight. The decision he made wasn't the brightest decision, but the person taking the picture should be the one getting crap from the papers.

I don't think Phelps is the type of person to just go to a random party at a college just to make an appearance and get some tail. Someone of his stature wouldn't allow that. One of his associates at that party violated the the trust. Trust is hard to obtain and Trust from Phelps is a sacred item to get.

Back off Phelps.

Assistant Suicide A Crime or Savior?

Recently I read an article on ABC News about a son helped his parents take their life due to an illness that they would have died from. John West helped his parents take their live in 1999 because the father had cancer with six months to live and his mother had Alzheimer disease. He revealed this dark secret in a book titled "The Last Goodnights". My question is, take out the laws and think about if you were in the shoes of John West or his parents. What you ask the same question to your family members or help carry out the task that your loved ones ask of you?

So now we get to the lines of religion and all that stuff about taking a life is bad etc. I feel Mr. West made a choice that was right for the family. I would do the same thing. If I was his father with only six months to live, I would ask of the same thing. With a disease that is going to take my life, I would live it to the fullest until the pain is unbearable. Grant it I could do chemotherapy and take meds to help, but what good would it do?

Now imagine if your in the hospital on life support. Your brain cannot function without help from a machine. The doctor asks you to make a choice if you want to pull the plug. What do you do? How is this different than what Mr. West did?

Grant it the question I asked previously was asked by a professional who understands life of medicine, but again, how is this different? A doctor wouldn't allow a life to be taken if he/she had cancer or Alzheimer. I feel the decision is just. Pain is suffering.