Every once in a while, a writer comes along and puts into print the things that irritate you, that are "behind the curtain".
In this case the big issue (the forest) is Illegal Immigration. The point that he has burned me for about 30 years is contained in Mr. Garnica's composition. That is, defining down issues and violations. Thirty years ago, scientific people knew that marijuana is not healty, is more carcinogenic than tobacco, and an escape from reality. Possession was a felony.
As time went along, the hippy Liberals who used it said "It doesn't hurt you" , and "It just mellows you out, Man!". Liberal lawmakers made possession of less than an ounce an "Infraction", meaning they could only get a ticket for having it, and the penalty was a fine.
Californians went another step, and as good Liberals always do, they over-emphasized "Compassion" and "Understanding". It was placed on the ballot and a simple majority of Californians voted for it. NOw, if an Officer stops you and finds marijuana, you can say:" It's for medicinal purposes", and the officer has to release you with your dope.
At any rate, the author is an attorney, and this is his "Right-ON!" piece.
http://users.adelphia.net/~thofab/garnica.htm
PARDON ME, EXCUSE ME, BUT COULD YOU PLEASE RESPECT THE LAW?
In case you have not noticed, liberal relativism and political correctness have now reached code red on the imbecile meter. It is bad enough that we have been slowly but surely sliding down the murky slope toward the title of most wimpy society. Now we can see just how steep that pathetic slide will be.
REPLACING THE RULE OF LAW WITH THE RULE OF THUMB
There was a time when the rule of law meant something in this society. The phrase “strong arm of the law� came out of that time. The sides were clear then. On one side you had those who wanted to obey the law, fulfill their dreams, raise a family and appreciate the wonderful country they lived in. On the other side you had those who did not give a rodent’s posterior about the law, whose dreams involved a getaway car, who only wanted to raise their rap sheet and whose appreciation did not go beyond their nose. You chose which side you were on, which team you belonged to, and then you played hardball. More often than not, crime did not pay, and so we got another one of those familiar phrases reminding us of that.
The rules were simple then. Break the rules and you will be on the run, you will be hiding out and you will have to sneak around a lot. Follow the rules and you will at least be able to walk in the sunlight without wondering if someone is going to report you or throw you in jail. Sure there has always been injustice of some kind, prejudice of some kind and unfairness of some kind. Of course racism and most of the other isms are wrong and need to be constantly fought against. Nobody is saying that this society was perfect then or did not need improvement. What is being said here is that I will take that society with its ills anytime over what passes for a society now.
This society is drowning in moral relativism and political correctness. It has replaced the rule of law with the rule of thumb. Its conscience is a joke and its moral compass only points to self. Instead of creating and maintaining solid laws and applications of those laws based on common sense, common decency and common respect, it is now engaged in a systematic destruction of just those things. Good and bad, right and wrong, just and unjust and proper and improper are now judged by holding one’s thumb in the air and judging which way the wind is blowing. To make matters worse, that thumb belongs to a society which increasingly does not know its conscience from its posterior area.
THE ELEVENTH COMMANDMENT
It is ironic that a society which increasingly thumbs its nose at The Ten Commandments has now given birth to its own Eleventh Commandment now so universally worshipped that it has replaced the other ten. That new and all-pervasive rule of thumb is Thou Shalt Not Offend. What matters now is that we do not offend anyone, no matter what the circumstances or who that someone is. I mean, what kind of society would be so low as to offend thieves, rapists, child molesters or anyone participating in any illegal conduct? How dare this society even think of attempting to judge anyone! I mean, is it not offensive to be judged or seen as breaking the law? No, we have to be sensitive to those of us who might find themselves on the wrong side of the law. They have feelings and families, you know.
If a guy breaks into a store or robs from a bank, we should think about what horrible things caused him to do such a thing and blame those really responsible for his acts. Maybe his parents, teachers, pets or perhaps right-wing radicals are to blame. Certainly we do no good by judging or blaming him for his actions. Rape and murder and you will have Hollywood celebrities pleading your cause because you have changed since those crimes. All we have to know about this society is how the media and celebrities will run to defend a convicted murderer before they will ever rush to defend an unborn child.
In our rush to avoid offending almost anyone we are now permanently offending common sense, common decency and common respect. I say “almost anyone� because it is obviously acceptable to offend Christians and conservatives. It is the height of imbecilic irony that this society which is so consumed in not offending has become offensive in and of itself to anyone with an ounce of brains, conscience, sense and integrity.
THE ULTIMATE TRICKLE DOWN EFFECT
Only a fool would believe for a second that a society’s attitudes would not eventually seep into its educational system. I have personally witnessed what passes for a public school education these days, and the spectacle would be laughable if it were not so tragic. Dante must have had a vision of the typical urban public school when he created his Inferno, but most likely he edited his vision somewhat so as to make his work more palatable to the public.
Schools are so afraid to offend troublemakers that they offend good students by failing to provide them with a solid, disciplined learning environment. Teachers are so afraid to offend students that they are unable to instill order and respect. The curriculum is so afraid to offend liberal agendas that it offends history and sound educational principles. Unions are so afraid to lose credibility and political power that they offend common sense and a true focus on their supposed mission of educating future generations with sound and unbiased methods. Anyone wondering what this golden society has spawned need only look to most of its urban public schools, where the inmates are not only running the asylum but also creating its rules. The recent examples of radical teachers preaching liberal propaganda rather than history, geography or math should not surprise anyone with a brain, two ears and two eyes. Increasingly, we see a public education system that demands more taxpayer dollars which it claims will be used to educate our young but which ends up merely exposing them to blatant liberal agendas. It is the height of arrogance and absurdity that liberals not only want to brainwash our young with their spin on sin but even want us to pay for the procedure!
CONCLUSION
It has been said that once you lose touch with common sense, common decency and common respect, all bets are off as to how you will spin toward oblivion. This society is so lost that it does not know up from down and its declarations, observations and judgments now bear no resemblance to anything worth a moment of thought. The evils of abortion and euthanasia, attacks on the traditional family, and growing disdain for absolute moral principles are evidence of a societal Titanic already taking in water.
Do not be surprised if you see a special lane for criminals on the highways so that they will not be offended by the traffic laws that law abiding citizens are forced to follow. Now that I think about it, you better get used to not being surprised by anything you might see on the horizon or just around the bend. Pardon me, excuse me, and I am sorry for anything I have said that offends the sensitive liberal bashing another set of conservative values.
