Quick Roundup 468

Tee Ball Strikeout

With millions of Americans obviously upset with the Obama Administration for its rush towards massive increases in government control of the economy, the Republicans are carefully reassessing their goals, and wisely planning a campaign to re-take Congress in 2010 based on a return of the federal government to its proper purpose, right?

Wrong. Not if the Values Voter Summit is any indication.

[T]he emphasis at the summit, sponsored the Family Research Council, was still decidedly on issues like same-sex marriage and abortion. The crowd rose to its feet to applaud Carrie Prejean, the former Miss California who caused a furor by denouncing same-sex marriage at the Miss USA contest, as she declared that "God chose me" to make the case she made.

Even Sarah Palin, citing a scheduling conflict, may have had the sense not to show for this one, although, if that were true, I would attribute it to opportunism rather than any principled opposition to the theocratic impulse that animates this portion of the conservative movement.

This "values voter" -- whose values have nothing to do with faith (or the above agenda) and which include freedom -- sees government enforcement of religious dogma for what it is: a threat to that freedom. This group only wants to capitalize on the massive intellectual confusion in America today to substitute their form of tyranny for the one presently being attempted in Washington. No thanks. That is not a choice.

If this is what the Republicans run on in 2010 -- or if I even suspect that this is what I will get if the GOP is swept into office -- I will not just sit out of this election. I'll vote to keep the more easily-identifiable enemies of freedom in office.

Update: In the comments, Burgess Laughlin notes a website that discusses the principles of a free society.

"You Learn Something, You Learn It"

If all you do is watch Don Knotts (as Barney Fife) "reciting" the Preamble to the Constitution at this Constitution Day post over at 3 Ring Binder, the visit will be worth your while.

But the quiz on which Founding Father you are is also good. I'm James Madison. Who are you?

More important, who would Barney Fife be?

Objectivist Roundup

If you missed it over the weekend, head over to Reason Pharm.

Ramirez on Obama

Looking for one cartoon, I found the other...

This weekend, HBL transcribed a Michael Ramirez editorial cartoon on Obama's proposal for medical insurance "reform." In the cartoon, the below lines are shown being stated by the President.

Government can fix health care.

Just look at Medicare and Medicaid.

Okay, they're broke, but look at Social Security.

Okay, it's broke, but look at the U.S. Post Office.

Okay, it's broke, but look at Amtrak.

Okay, it's broke, but look at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Okay, they're broke, but look at my budget.

Okay, it's $1.6 trillion in the red, but ...

I could not easily find a link directly to that cartoon, but while I was looking, I did find one to another cartoon that was a hoot: "The Obama Health Care Plan in a Nutshell."

Update: Both Brad Harper and Flibbert emailed me later with permalinks directly to the first cartoon.

Professor Proven Right

The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education details the "Kafkaesque" -- and inexcusable -- treatment of a college professor after he correctly raised concerns about his university's sexual harassment policy.

[East Georgia College professor Thomas] Thibeault's ordeal started shortly after August 5, 2009 when, during a faculty training session regarding the college's sexual harassment policy, he presented a scenario regarding a different professor and asked, "what provision is there in the Sexual Harassment policy to protect the accused against complaints which are malicious or, in this case, ridiculous?" Vice President for Legal Affairs Mary Smith, who was conducting the session, replied that there was no such provision to protect the accused, so Thibeault responded that "the policy itself is flawed."

Two days later, Thibeault, in violation of his academic freedom and the college's due process rules, was pressured to resign under threat of being fired for a "history" of sexual harassment. A month later, the college is backpedaling and he still has not been told about the charges made against him under that policy.

Regardless of Thibeault's actual past conduct, it is clear that the policy, as it exists at his college, is ripe for abuse.

Read the whole thing.

-- CAV

Updates

Today: (1) Added updates to Values Voter and cartoon sections. (2) Corrected an attribution.