Leo Morris
Im so old that I remember when the Establishment set the rules and rebels tried to break them. Now, we seem to be embarked on a great experiment in which the former rebels are in charge and determined to get rid of all the rules.
Sometimes, I think the experiment is to see how outrageous the elimination of norms can get before the public stops going along and says, Enough!
It makes me wonder what the next big push will be for. A few come to mind:
Plural marriage. This is the easiest one to predict because were already so close. Loving vs. Virginia merely extended the traditional right of marriage to mixed-race couples. Obergefell vs. Hodges nullified the traditional definition of one man, one woman by extending the right to same-sex couples. Since that limitation was removed, there is nothing to prevent marriage from being expanded to cover almost any living arrangement. Using the logic and language of Obergefell, try to argue against, for example, the right of a bisexual to enter into a marriage with both a man and a woman. It cant be done.
The right to die. To avoid the perception that this is an attempt to clear the decks of aging baby boomers with their costly medical needs, we will be instructed not to use the terms euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide since they have acquired such negative connotations. Instead, we will be treated to essays on such topics as personal autonomy and the right to say goodbye with dignity.
So long to the First Amendment. This part of the Bill of Rights is clearly too problematic in a modern, pluralistic and diverse society. The so-called right to free speech fosters hateful and hurtful commentary, and the free exercise of religion clause is too often used to justify actions obviously designed to thwart the majoritys needs.
The end of federalism. Speaking of the majority, the limitations placed on the will of the people by the Constitutions misguided efforts to limit power have to be eliminated. Federalism must be replaced by a pure democracy in which a vote of 51 percent always carries the day. Also needed will be the removal of confusing edicts coming from different levels of government. One set of rules from the central authority will suffice.
Redefinition of crime. The reason this country has so many lawbreakers is that it has too many laws. First, we must scrap all victimless crimes, such as prostitution and the use of all drugs (not just marijuana). Then, any so-called property crimes must be examined for the root causes that might lead the victimized to strike back at the privileged. This movement might well be accompanied by a call for the:
Elimination of prisons. Incarceration is clearly an archaic practice that does not work just check out the recidivism rates. Once we have reduced the number of criminals to a manageable few, it should be possible to place them in halfway houses scattered throughout various suburban enclaves. The neighborhoods used for these rehabilitation units will be chosen by lottery.
The citizenship faade. It is finally time to examine this barrier to full participation in all that America has to offer. It is not enough to erase the artificial borders that surround America and lobby for giving voting rights to anyone residing in the country. A human being is a human being, and each one should have the same universal rights as any other. Once we set the example, the rest of the world will surely follow.
What is child abuse? The only reason children are traumatized by loving relationships with adults is that we treat it as something shameful instead of a learning experience on the way to adulthood. We should follow the wisdom of the ancient Greeks, whose open approach to this dynamic was so much more civilized than modern societys attempts to vilify it.
This is by no means an exhaustive list. In fact, the Next Big Thing might be something weve never even dreamed of. The only certainty is that, once it appears, it will almost overnight become the most important topic on the agenda and to oppose it would be to risk being shunned as a reactionary enemy of all that is good and decent.
And if you think this whole exercise is preposterous, overly cynical or a misguided attempt to be humorous, you have not been paying attention.
Leo Morris, columnist for The Indiana Policy Review, is winner of the Hoosier Press Associations award for Best Editorial Writer. Morris, as opinion editor of the Fort Wayne News-Sentinel, was named a finalist in editorial writing by the Pulitzer Prize committee. Send comments to [emailprotected].
Here is the original post:
OPINION: Beware 'The Next Big Thing' - Daily Journal
- Ipswich Man given suspended sentence for burglary offences - Suffolk Constabulary - September 29th, 2023 [September 29th, 2023]
- Miller: Hey, Steve Rogers take a hike with your cronies! - The Observer Online - September 29th, 2023 [September 29th, 2023]
- Crime in Prison Referral Agreement - GOV.UK - September 29th, 2023 [September 29th, 2023]
- Reducing public defender workloads across the nation | Behind the ... - Missoulian - September 29th, 2023 [September 29th, 2023]
- The SIPT Judgement - Turks and Caicos Weekly News - September 29th, 2023 [September 29th, 2023]
- Two biotech CEOs charged with defrauding investors - UPI.com - December 26th, 2022 [December 26th, 2022]
- Most Free States 2022 - worldpopulationreview.com - December 26th, 2022 [December 26th, 2022]
- Economic and Social Effects of Crime | Encyclopedia.com - December 18th, 2022 [December 18th, 2022]
- What are Some Examples of Victimless Crimes? - eLawTalk.com - November 5th, 2022 [November 5th, 2022]
- Want to save Metro? Dare to re-criminalize fare beating - Washington Examiner - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Police: Catalytic converter thefts on the rise | Police and Fire | kokomotribune.com - Kokomo Tribune - October 8th, 2022 [October 8th, 2022]
- Holy See: Human dignity should be at the core of crime policies' - vaticannews.va - October 8th, 2022 [October 8th, 2022]
- Why bike theft needs to be re-criminalised, urgently - CyclingWeekly - October 8th, 2022 [October 8th, 2022]
- Outrageous raging inflation, and the distortion of CPI - City A.M. - October 8th, 2022 [October 8th, 2022]
- Quickly: Readers sound off on the issues of the day - Chicago Tribune - October 8th, 2022 [October 8th, 2022]
- Fortnum and Mason 'gives up on police catching shoplifters' - The Telegraph - September 27th, 2022 [September 27th, 2022]
- Asylum, Migration And US Foreign Policy OpEd - Eurasia Review - September 27th, 2022 [September 27th, 2022]
- The Victims of a Victimless Crime: The Future of Organized Retail Crime - Loss Prevention Magazine - September 14th, 2022 [September 14th, 2022]
- 2 people identified as human trafficking victims in Polk County | wtsp.com - September 11th, 2022 [September 11th, 2022]
- Parents of fentanyl victims rally in San Francisco - CBS San Francisco - August 22nd, 2022 [August 22nd, 2022]
- Retail Industry Joins With Law Enforcement to Keep Communities Safe - CSNews Online - August 22nd, 2022 [August 22nd, 2022]
- The boots on the ground stomping out insurance fraud - ITIJ - July 31st, 2022 [July 31st, 2022]
- Shoplifting rises 21% year-on-year | Features and Analysis - Convenience Store - July 25th, 2022 [July 25th, 2022]
- Retail Theft a National Crisis: What Must be Done to Help Businesses and Consumers - ABC Action News Tampa Bay - July 25th, 2022 [July 25th, 2022]
- Sex offender caught with vile image hoard avoids prison term - The Dumbarton and Vale of Leven Reporter - July 25th, 2022 [July 25th, 2022]
- Top Sheffield judge highlights sickening treatment of children who are sexually abused for content shared online - The Star - July 25th, 2022 [July 25th, 2022]
- Resident Evil: Netflix's eight-part adaptation's very different from the movies - Stuff - July 25th, 2022 [July 25th, 2022]
- The Consequences Of Justice Not Seen To Be Done: The Case Of Najib Razak Analysis - Eurasia Review - July 17th, 2022 [July 17th, 2022]
- Dad's weed grow 'to fund son's treatment' - Kent Online - July 13th, 2022 [July 13th, 2022]
- Reward to catch cable thieves as hundreds without internet - Kent Online - June 30th, 2022 [June 30th, 2022]
- Claim fraud on the rise: insurance firms hard-hit - Bizcommunity.com - June 30th, 2022 [June 30th, 2022]
- Smash-and-Grab Hits Calif. Macy's; NY Plans to Target Repeat Offenders - Sourcing Journal - June 30th, 2022 [June 30th, 2022]
- Human trafficking probe in Winnipeg nets three-year sentence | CTV News - CTV News Winnipeg - June 30th, 2022 [June 30th, 2022]
- Guest opinion: Clarity amid confusion in the county attorney's race - Daily Herald - June 22nd, 2022 [June 22nd, 2022]
- Fraudster jailed after trying to scam taxpayer out of 70000 with bogus claims - Shropshire Star - June 22nd, 2022 [June 22nd, 2022]
- Hack Me If You Can, Part 1: The Making of a Russian Hacker - The Journal. - WSJ Podcasts - The Wall Street Journal - June 15th, 2022 [June 15th, 2022]
- Crimes Against Morality: Definition & Examples - Study.com - June 11th, 2022 [June 11th, 2022]
- Britain's first police shoplifting squad catches twice as many thieves - The Telegraph - June 11th, 2022 [June 11th, 2022]
- Integrated assessment team to be involved in Narcotics Law revision - ANTARA English - June 11th, 2022 [June 11th, 2022]
- Soft Review: Young Black Men, Gently Pointed Toward Liberation - The New York Times - June 11th, 2022 [June 11th, 2022]
- Lubbock Woman Has Her Pot Stolen And Refuses To Call Police - KFMX-FM - June 11th, 2022 [June 11th, 2022]
- Teens held in spree of SF smash-and-grab thefts - KTVU FOX 2 San Francisco - June 11th, 2022 [June 11th, 2022]
- Michael Moynihan: Why is it that noisy people show no consideration for others? - Irish Examiner - June 11th, 2022 [June 11th, 2022]
- Sheriff Marceno: "We are taking the streets back" in reference to narcotics investigations - FOX 4 News Fort Myers WFTX - June 5th, 2022 [June 5th, 2022]
- Opinion: Are we fooling ourselves to say we're a nation of laws? - Yakima Herald-Republic - June 3rd, 2022 [June 3rd, 2022]
- He Owns This City: How Jon Bernthal Gave the Performance of the Year - Decider - June 3rd, 2022 [June 3rd, 2022]
- Guest Commentary: The Truth about Reisig - The Peoples Vanguard of Davis - June 3rd, 2022 [June 3rd, 2022]
- Matthew in the Middle | The war on drugs and crime - Eureka Times-Standard - May 3rd, 2022 [May 3rd, 2022]
- Police operation targets prostitution at Fishkill hotel - Mid Hudson News Website - May 3rd, 2022 [May 3rd, 2022]
- California State Senate Public Safety Committee Votes 4-0 to Pass SB 1472: Ryan's Law - Redefines Gross Negligence to Include Driving Over 100 MPH,... - May 3rd, 2022 [May 3rd, 2022]
- The Secret History of the War on Weed #1 - Multiversity Comics - April 25th, 2022 [April 25th, 2022]
- War has never been a reason not to replace a UK Prime Minister - The National - April 20th, 2022 [April 20th, 2022]
- Method 4 How to make $1k-$3k without any carding ... - reddit - April 11th, 2022 [April 11th, 2022]
- Meeting the challenge of organized retail crime - NRF News - April 11th, 2022 [April 11th, 2022]
- Industry Perspectives Op-Ed: When contractors engage in tax fraud they are stealing from the rest of us - constructconnect.com - Daily Commercial News - April 11th, 2022 [April 11th, 2022]
- A Woman's Take On the Men's Rights Movement | Hannah Cox - Foundation for Economic Education - April 11th, 2022 [April 11th, 2022]
- Sunnyside caf hit by theft and damages in second incident - LiveWire Calgary - March 27th, 2022 [March 27th, 2022]
- Fuel thefts might be 'low-level' crimes but they aren't victimless - Daily Record - March 21st, 2022 [March 21st, 2022]
- The false fantasy of funding the police - TheGrio - March 21st, 2022 [March 21st, 2022]
- Pandemic Relief Fraud- A Focus And Priority For The Department Of Justice - JD Supra - March 21st, 2022 [March 21st, 2022]
- Taraji P. Henson Uses Emmett Till As An Example To Demand Jussie Smolletts Release From Prison - Majic 102.1 - March 21st, 2022 [March 21st, 2022]
- Eight arrested as Sheriff's Office conducts prostitution sting - Palm Coast Observer - March 8th, 2022 [March 8th, 2022]
- The Rise Of Online Fraud: How To Stay Safe When iGaming - Euro Weekly News - March 8th, 2022 [March 8th, 2022]
- Brutal double murderer and school worker paedophile among the men jailed in February - Grimsby Live - March 8th, 2022 [March 8th, 2022]
- House Bill 672 Fish and game, violations - Idaho Freedom - idahofreedom.org - February 24th, 2022 [February 24th, 2022]
- Drugs and 150,000 illegal cigarettes found stashed behind wall in Hessle Road - Hull Live - February 24th, 2022 [February 24th, 2022]
- A RI city and judge start new approach for petty offenses driven by addiction. Here's why - The Providence Journal - February 17th, 2022 [February 17th, 2022]
- Police slap down suggestion they should 'focus on real crime' after cannabis bust in Coalville - Leicestershire Live - February 17th, 2022 [February 17th, 2022]
- Netflix's 'Inventing Anna' and the 'girlboss-ification' of Anna Delvey - MSNBC - February 17th, 2022 [February 17th, 2022]
- Bus lane fines rocket by more than 60 per cent in a year in Edinburgh as number cameras shot up during lockdown - Edinburgh News - February 17th, 2022 [February 17th, 2022]
- Two men involved in laundering 15 million have been sentenced to a total of 12 years in jail UKNIP - UK News in Pictures - February 17th, 2022 [February 17th, 2022]
- Judge in warning to people who view child abuse images as he jails dad who downloaded hundreds of vile pictures - The Star - February 11th, 2022 [February 11th, 2022]
- Tacarre Harper, Alleged Leader Of Smash-And-Grab Burglars That Targeted Stores On Mag Mile And Around City, Arrested And Charged - CBS Chicago - February 9th, 2022 [February 9th, 2022]
- What Homeland Security Will Be on Prowl for at Super Bowl - Newsweek - February 9th, 2022 [February 9th, 2022]
- Republicans Call For Tougher Penalties For Car Thefts, Hit-And-Runs - NBC Connecticut - February 7th, 2022 [February 7th, 2022]
- Gov. Bill Lee plays politics by failing to mention Tennessee's 22,000 COVID dead | Opinion - Tennessean - February 7th, 2022 [February 7th, 2022]
- Guelph police investigated almost 200 vehicle thefts in 2021 - GuelphToday - February 7th, 2022 [February 7th, 2022]
- How Do We Reconcile the Olympics and China's Human Rights Crisis? - Bleacher Report - February 7th, 2022 [February 7th, 2022]
- Car enthusiasts speak out about reckless driving as new bill is proposed to rev up penalties | News Channel 3-12 - KEYT - February 1st, 2022 [February 1st, 2022]
- Vandalism reported at Tiffin city parks - TiffinOhio.net - February 1st, 2022 [February 1st, 2022]