Earlier this month it was Flint, Michigan. Last week? Riviera Beach, Florida. Two days ago, the latest nanny-state trend – outlawing saggy pants – made its way to Lynwood, Illinois, a suburb about 30 miles south of Chicago.
If mere existence of the law weren’t enough, many of its detractors – too boneheaded to understand that it is a lifestyle, not a skin color, that the ban ultimately seeks to root out (which, of course, it never will) – want to make this into a race issue.
Why? To provide some (much-needed) common sense to a dialogue that has otherwise been dominated by MEA propaganda, scare tactics, tantrums at board meetings, and–if that weren’t enough–the opening of their own crisis center.
As you can guess, negotiations between the school board and the employee union haven’t gone too smoothly. Which is generally a good thing in my book…
But a crisis center? Haha. To quote Police Chief Bruce Grady (think Super Troopers), “desperation is a stinky cologne”. Yes, especially when it’s coming from the MEA.
[B]illboards were recently posted in the Gladstone community to paint a fuller picture of the school board’s situation there. The union has been using particularly over-the-top tactics…
The school board and larger community seem to have taken notice. To get a better understanding of what’s going on, check out the EAG video below.
If elected, the right-to-die advocate will (predictably) focus on changing the Ninth Amendment to allow for assisted-suicide; he has also expressed opposition to the U.S. war in Iraq. I’m ignorant to the rest of his platform but–if those issues are in anyway representative–if given the chance, I would totally vote for him! Fo’ sure.
Of course, my political views are rarely mainstream, which this comparison–found in an Oakland Press story–makes quite clear:
Oakland County Prosecutor Dave Gorcyca, whose office was responsible for sending Kevorkian to prison, was dismissive of Kevorkian’s candidacy.
“I would place Jack Kevorkian’s candidacy in the same ranking with (Texas U.S. Rep.) Ron Paul’s (presidential run),” Gorcyca said.
My poor heart…
Self-ownership. To own one’s life. To live on one’s own terms. The ability to end one’s life when it is no longer of value is a logical and necessary component to this conceptual framework.
I’m really interested in what Kevorkian’s overall personal and political philosophy is. If anyone knows of a good book or insightful resource to this end, send it my way. I’ll definitely be following this.
