By Brett Pharo (Michigan)
BPharo@elkrapidsnet.com
The Olympics are in session. That's some good stuff. The competition is amazing. Some of the personal stories are even more amazing. And the Americans are doing quite well. It's great. Of course I'm still pouting about the Olympics cutting out women's softball.
Maybe someone else would rather watch synchronized diving, or whatever, but not me. Chicken anybody? I'd sure love to own a Chick-Fil-A right about now. Folks are lining up down the block at Chick-Fil-A's all around the country. Good for them. This isn't about homosexuality or your or my opinion about it. This is not about gay rights. This is about the right of free speech. This is about government trying to censor a business because of the stated opinion of an officer of that company. There is no excuse for this, and it's good to see that "we the people" are letting it be known they are not pleased.
Of course, in New York City, the mayor thinks it is the government's place to decide how large of a soft drink citizens, or should I say subjects, should be allowed to buy. Again, the issue is not whether a person should buy a monster drink, or how that large drink might affect their health. The issue is nanny government trying to control every little aspect of our lives. In a noted reversal of that trend, here in Michigan, motorcyclists can now ride without a helmet. Don't get me wrong, I think anyone riding a motorcycle would be fool to ride without a helmet, but adults should have the option to be stupid and not wear one. Of course, I believe insurance companies should also have the right to require that helmets be worn before they pay medical/death claims.
Another example is that here in Michigan, as in many states, it is illegal to buy or sell raw milk. That's ridiculous. As long as a person is aware that the milk has not been processed there is no reason they shouldn't be allowed to buy it. Personally, I think we have over sterilized our lives. I don't have proof, but I suspect that many of our chronic illnesses are a result of immune systems that haven't been challenged enough to be strong. I think kids should have raw milk to drink. You gotta wash down those mud pies with something. And besides that, it just plain tastes better. Like many people, we are getting milk from a small local dairy, but to do so legally we have to "own" the cow, or a part of a cow. So we are the proud owners of 1/10 of a Jersey cow who we pay to feed and pick up milk once a week. It's ridiculous that we have to jump through these stupid hoops just to satisfy the nanny state.
And don't even get me started on the "drug war." Have we reduced drug use? Maybe, but I doubt it's changed much. I know there is a huge problem locally, especially with heroin, but also other drugs. The result of the drug war is that we have more of our people locked up than almost any other country. Our judicial/penal system is overwhelmed dealing with "criminals" who often weren't hurting anyone but themselves. Oh, another result, of course is having removed lots of assets such as money, labor, and ingenuity from the nation's economy. Good grief. Enough is enough. Unfortunately, it's not just governments that stick their noses into places they don't belong.
The NCAA has handed down extremely harsh penalties to Penn State. The penalties are not for things like recruiting violations, cheating, or other issue over which they would logically have jurisdiction. The Jerry Sandusky situation is absolutely tragic, but that is a matter for the criminal justice system, not for the NCAA.
As seen on PCC email blast
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