Ethics

Protecting the Children

By Ed Brayton

When you hear someone shriek that we need to "protect the children" (like Maude Flanders or was it Rev. Lovejoy's wife?) as justification for a law or policy, you can be pretty sure that liberty is about to be impinged. After all, what was Socrates executed for? Corrupting the minds of the children. With that in mind, check out my Positive Liberty co-bloggers' discussion on children and libertarianism. See DA Ridgely's, Jason Kuznicki's, James Hanley's (who yes, is guest blogging here with me as well) and Jim Babka's.

Me? I'm tempted to take a WC Fields attitude about children, but I can't since I've just become an uncle. For a post-modern version of WC Fields, see Bruce M who often comments at the Volokh Conspiracy. In particular his first comment on this thread.

And to see Fields'/Bruce M's nightmare, check out this kid. Personally, I think the kid has comedic style in an Andy Kaufman, Neil Hamburger sense.

Full post as published by Dispatches from the Culture Wars on January 16, 2009 (boomark / email).