Two wrongs don’t make a right.
It’s simple but true. And, as a corollary, let me add that using the power of the federal government to harass individuals or groups one happens to dislike or disagree with is wrong.
You might recall that our Declaration of Independence rebuked King George for sending “hither swarms of Officers to harass our people.” Or consider the recent civil-rights-violating behavior of the IRS against conservative groups during President Obama’s administration.
Yesterday, I proposed to end all taxpayer subsidies to Planned Parenthood. Obviously, I’m not a fan of the organization. And neither are the Republican presidential candidates — especially Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal.
“Planned Parenthood had better hope that Hillary Clinton wins this election,” Jindal boasted at last week’s JV presidential debate hosted by Fox News, “because I guarantee you that under President Jindal, January 2017, the Department of Justice and the IRS and everybody else that we can send from the federal government will be [looking] into Planned Parenthood.”
Speaking with reporters after the debate, Mr. Jindal doubled down, suggesting there might also be a role for the Environmental Protection Agency and perhaps other tentacles of the federal Leviathan.
Jindal has removed Planned Parenthood from Louisiana’s Medicaid program. That’s within his legitimate power. But directing an assault against anyone using the IRS and other federal agencies is both wrong and . . . against the law.
It promises not change but the same rotten, rights-robbing, goon-squad government we have now. Just with a different color shirt.
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.
8 replies on “Swarms of Officers to Harass”
Power corrupts, but it does seem that turning the corrupted government arms against each other might be a not illegitimate use of the existing system.
Efficient policing sometimes waits until a fight is nearly over and the combatants have exhausted themselves before arresting both.
“Planned Parenthood had better hope that Hillary Clinton wins this election,” Jindal boasted at last week’s JV presidential debate hosted by Fox News, “because I guarantee you that under President Jindal, January 2017, the Department of Justice and the IRS and everybody else that we can send from the federal government will be [looking] into Planned Parenthood.”
When has a politician ever kept a promise? When have the Republicans been any different from Democrats in eliminating programs or lowing subsidies?
You are of course 100% correct about Jindal. He is following a straight line from Nixon and Obama. But what caused me to comment is the great graphic on the story! That is an awesome image.
M
Thanks, Mike. The fellow doing the artwork is superb. I think he’s made for a big improvement in our presentation.
Agreed Paul.
M
Well, I suppose it all depends on how you look at it. When Planned Parenthood is violating federal law in many ways- from using public funds with fungible means for abortions, to selling human infant body parts, to possible tax law violations and maybe even RICO criminality, what should a President Jindal or any other do? Send in the Keystone Cops? The action Jindal calls for seems more than justified. The libertarian mindset sometimes tends towards extreme lenience towards grotesque criminal behavior, and this is a classic example from Paul. Nice twisting of historical fact to apply to a fictional parallel.
Investigate and prosecute their criminal behavior. PLEASE. Via real police, not the Keystone Cops.
There is nothing I’ve ever written that even hints that we should pull any punches when it comes to holding PP to account for any illegal behavior. Gee whiz, don’t just smear me because someone else who you deem to have the same basic libertarian political philosophy as me has said or written something.
It simply is not OK for anyone wielding govt power — R or D or L or whatever — to decide without charge or trial that a person or group is guilty of a crime. And then, instead of prosecuting them under the law, to sic a bunch of agencies on them to harass them ILLEGALLY. What Jindal suggested he would do is against the law. Using the EPA to go after Planned Parenthood? It does put him, in this instance, in the same boat as Lois Lerner at the IRS.
Classic case? Give me a break.
And I can appreciate that Jindal is trying to show how serious he is. Great. But actually BE SERIOUS. Prosecute them!!!
Instead, by over-reaching in an illegitimate way, he gives Obama and other future wannabe tyrants the ability to say that what they are doing “is no different” than what Republicans do.
Two wrongs don’t make a right AND, when our side (against abortion and PP, etc) does the second wrong, we undercut our ability to address the first wrong.