I give up!

[AndyG43]

http://reason.com/blog/2011/09/26/the-clear-and-present-danger-p

 

[Astoroth]

Oh for cryin' out loud....

 

[yank51]

A little common sense can go a long, long way, eh??

 

[stansdds]

A little common sense can go a long, long way, eh??

Oh, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Common Sense died some time ago. Here is the obituary.

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend by the name of Common Sense who has been with us for many years.
No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.
He will be remembered as having cultivated such value lessons as
knowing when to come in out of the rain,
why the early bird gets the worm,
and that life isn't always fair.​

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you earn)
and reliable parenting strategies (adults, not kids, are in charge).​

His health began to rapidly deteriorate when well intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place.
Reports of a six-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate,
teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch,
and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer aspirin to a student,
but could not inform the parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.​

Finally, Common Sense lost the will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband;
churches became businesses;
and criminals received better treatment than their victims.

Common Sense finally gave up the ghost after a woman failed to realize
that a steaming cup of coffee was hot, she spilled a bit on her lap,
and was awarded a huge settlement.​

Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust;
his wife, Discretion;
his daughter, Responsibility;
and his son, Reason.​

He is survived by two stepbrothers, My Rights and Ima Whiner.

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone.
If you still know him pass this on. If not, join the majority and do nothing.
​

 

[lazarus]

I derailed at 'schools chief of police' and never made it back on the tracks. But this sort of thing is inevitable. Robert Heinlein remarked that(paraphrased)
' ...we set out to protect liberty, not long after you cannot find liberty.'
This effect is also governed by Pournell's Iron Law of Bureaucracy
' In any bureacratic organization there are those who work to further the actual goals of the organization, and those who work for the organization itself. Examples in education would be teachers who work and sacrifice to teach children, vs. union representatives who work to protect any teacher including the most incompetent. The Iron Law states that in all cases, the second type of person will always gain control of the organization, and will always write the rules under which the organization functions.'

 

[TeaSea]

Clear case of confusion of the general versus the specific. Mr. Miller's poster is a general statement concerning the use of force. It's actually a little more than that, being nothing more than a parody of a philosophy. All clearly within his rights.

Now, had Mr. Miller Emailed that statement directly to another staff member or student, with no reference to the parody underlying it, and no further explanation, then it could easily be seen as a specific threat and harassment, not covered under his free speech rights.

Context is all important, and unfortunately bureaucracies cannot discern context. In the case of force they will default to the most conservative position....simply restrict all expression. Hence, the "friendly fascism" that we are all becoming so familiar with. So no, "common sense" will never prevail. Common sense is also somewhat subjective and subject to the winds of the day.

Alternate Firefly quote:

Mal: "If anyone gets nosy, just...you know... shoot 'em. "​

Zoe: "Shoot 'em?"​

Mal: "Politely."

The University would simply plunge into a whovian time vortex if they saw that on Miller's wall.....

​