September 19, 2006
MAKE ROOM AT GUANTANAMO:
Police question Blair's wife for "slapping" boy (Reuters, 9/19/06)
The wife of British Prime Minister Tony Blair only pretended to slap a cheeky teenager, but child protection officials reported her to the police and officers questioned her before dismissing the incident.Cherie Blair was being photographed with teenager Miles Gandolfi at the UK Schools Games sports event in Glasgow, Scotland, when the 17-year-old jokingly raised his hand behind her head to make a "bunny ears" gesture.
In response, Blair, a prominent human rights lawyer and mother of four children, took it in good humor and pretended to slap Gandolfi, telling him he was cheeky. Newspaper pictures then showed them laughing and hugging each other.
Political correctness has contributed mightily to all humor being conservative. Posted by Orrin Judd at September 19, 2006 1:10 PM
Wrong. Much humor is inherently libertarian.
Posted by: Jeff Guinn at September 19, 2006 2:14 PMincluding the hilarious idea that there is such a thing as a "libertarian".
Posted by: Shelton at September 19, 2006 2:20 PMHumor can't be libertarian because it requires our recognition of disorder, where libertarians deny the existence of order. Of course, that makes libertarians hilarious.
Posted by: oj at September 19, 2006 2:20 PMQuite right, Jeff. I first heard of the non-aggression axiom a few years ago, and I still haven't stopped laughing.
Posted by: Alex Zeka at September 19, 2006 3:44 PMSo if you are going to make the punishment for pretending to do something the same or worse than actually doing it, why pretend?
The ponderous clumsiness of the government attempting to raise kids is the point of your excerpt and thus Jeff is completely correct that a libertarian issue is being highlighted.....(but jeff it's not exactly a knee slapper though)
Posted by: h-man at September 19, 2006 4:29 PMYes, this case of PC run amok violates that old libertarian axiom: Spare the rod, spoil the child.
Posted by: oj at September 19, 2006 4:39 PMReading the headline on this entry, I can't help but think of Middle Easterner Uncle Tonoose being locked up in Cuba.
Posted by: John at September 19, 2006 9:19 PMI didn't like Danny Thomas all that much, but watched his show occasionally because it featured two of my all time favorites, Hans Conried and Sheldon Leonard. My adolescent self had a huge crush on both of them, especially Sheldon.
Posted by: erp at September 20, 2006 6:10 PM