This Letter to the Editor in today's Washington Post seems to have created mostly agreement among commenters that lawbreaking is bad, even though these "lawbreakers" are trying to work within our democratic system.
The Problem Is Lawbreaking
But why shouldn't illegal aliens break the law and then lobby for amnesty after the fact? President Bush did the same thing with illegal wiretapping. I guess enforcing the law only applies to those who aren't white men in positions of power.
Speaking of white men in positions of power, at least I presume Thompson adviser Phillip Martin is white, being a convicted lawbreaker isn't always a hindrance, at least not in politics.
Thompson Adviser Has Criminal Past
The problem with the coverage, and my snarky reference to the relationship between lawbreaking and politics, is that there is no way to know if Phillip Martin still thinks and acts like a lawbreaker. The story, while not explicitly saying so, seems to presume that past actions are the best predictor of present and future actions. Maybe, but our system of justice accepts punishment as payment to society for criminal activity, and presumes innocence for current accusations of lawbreaking. And as far as the story goes, no current accusations have been leveled.
One more potential problem with the story: Two of the sources quoted are ex-wives of some of the people mentioned in the story. Reliable sources? Hard to say.
One last note. In case it seems otherwise, I am not supporting any current candidate for president, but Fred Thompson is not even under consideration. He is one of the last people I would like to see elected president. Maybe he could play president on TV instead.
More later,
Russ
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