family values and strip searches
June 25, 2009
This week has been another interesting one for the "family values" crowd, in the Republican Party. Another of their leaders has fallen, a victim of his lack of such values. This time it is the Governor of South Carolina, who some had hoped might run for President, after he refused to accept Federal "bailout" money for his State. He was, after a tough legislative session and fight over the bailouts, taking a few days to wander off and just "hike", away from society. Instead, he was in South America visiting his mistress.
Last month it was Senator Ensign of Nevada, another great champion of "Family Values". What is it with these guys? They want the world to know that they are more virtuous than the rest of us; and yet they think nobody will find out that they are living a lie. I feel bad for wives who are shocked by the news of the infidelity; but I also feel bad for the voters who actually believed this baloney, and elected them to carry the banner of virtue into the "culture wars". Once again I note that Libertarians do not necessarily expect our leaders to be more virtuous than anyone else. Perhaps if everyone was a little more honest about who and what they are, there would more of us and fewer of them.
And, on another note, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled today that a school may not strip search a student in an attempt to find pills that she is claimed (by another student) to be carrying (in this case it was ibuprofen). A blow for freedom and a little less intrusion into a person's privacy. Justice Thomas, the lone dissenter, suggested that this will just result in those who carry illegal substances hiding them in their underwear to avoid detection. Yes, Justice Thomas, it just might mean that a few students who carry headache tablets to school will not be found out; and that just doesn't bother me much. The government just does not get to know everything we are doing; and that is alright with me. Even most of the conservatives on the Court got the idea that the right to check inside underwear for suspected medications is beyond the power we have given our government.
The day was also marked by the deaths of Farrah Faucett and Michael Jackson, two people who will be missed for the good they have done (even if at least Michael may have had his dark side). Farrah was one of my generation's great heartthrobs; and check out "USA for Africa" to be reminded of the good that Michael did to help the less fortunate. May they both rest in peace.
This week has been another interesting one for the "family values" crowd, in the Republican Party. Another of their leaders has fallen, a victim of his lack of such values. This time it is the Governor of South Carolina, who some had hoped might run for President, after he refused to accept Federal "bailout" money for his State. He was, after a tough legislative session and fight over the bailouts, taking a few days to wander off and just "hike", away from society. Instead, he was in South America visiting his mistress.
Last month it was Senator Ensign of Nevada, another great champion of "Family Values". What is it with these guys? They want the world to know that they are more virtuous than the rest of us; and yet they think nobody will find out that they are living a lie. I feel bad for wives who are shocked by the news of the infidelity; but I also feel bad for the voters who actually believed this baloney, and elected them to carry the banner of virtue into the "culture wars". Once again I note that Libertarians do not necessarily expect our leaders to be more virtuous than anyone else. Perhaps if everyone was a little more honest about who and what they are, there would more of us and fewer of them.
And, on another note, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled today that a school may not strip search a student in an attempt to find pills that she is claimed (by another student) to be carrying (in this case it was ibuprofen). A blow for freedom and a little less intrusion into a person's privacy. Justice Thomas, the lone dissenter, suggested that this will just result in those who carry illegal substances hiding them in their underwear to avoid detection. Yes, Justice Thomas, it just might mean that a few students who carry headache tablets to school will not be found out; and that just doesn't bother me much. The government just does not get to know everything we are doing; and that is alright with me. Even most of the conservatives on the Court got the idea that the right to check inside underwear for suspected medications is beyond the power we have given our government.
The day was also marked by the deaths of Farrah Faucett and Michael Jackson, two people who will be missed for the good they have done (even if at least Michael may have had his dark side). Farrah was one of my generation's great heartthrobs; and check out "USA for Africa" to be reminded of the good that Michael did to help the less fortunate. May they both rest in peace.
posted by Andrew McCullough @ 7:56 PM
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