[acb-hsp] A Visit to Paulsville

Tue May 10 21:10:58 GMT 2011

There are all kinds of articles that show up on this list. I am really not
sure if there is a real leaning to one side, but some of the ideas in the
article made me think.

From: acb-hsp-bounces at acb.org [mailto:acb-hsp-bounces at acb.org] On Behalf Of
Jennifer Harnish
Sent: Tuesday, May 10, 2011 12:18 PM
To: 'Discussion list for ACB human service professionals'
Subject: Re: [acb-hsp] A Visit to Paulsville

I  am relatively new to this list. While I  have appreciated the content of
most articles that have been distributed, such as the most recent together
counts article, I  am wondering if this list has a  particular political
leaning of which those signing on to it should be aware? While the editorial
below certainly presents a  number of points of view that might be of use to
a  service provider, I  am uncertain as to whether its clearly politically
biased nature makes it the appropriate content for this list. Surely there
are well researched articles that would be of use on topics such as drug
abuse prevention and treatment that would serve the readers of this list far
more usefully in their professional work? Or if politically motivated
editorials are presented, should all sides be represented in order to
promote informed discussion on the list?
Thank you,
Jennifer Harnish
Clinical Psychologist
Boston area
-----Original Message-----
From: acb-hsp-bounces at acb.org [mailto:acb-hsp-bounces at acb.org] On Behalf Of
peter altschul
Sent: Tuesday, May 10, 2011 10:49 AM
To: Acbhsp
Subject: [acb-hsp] A Visit to Paulsville

A Visit to Paulsville
  Michael Gerson
  WASHINGTON -- Before last week's South Carolina Republican debate, Ron
Paul supporters complained that their candidate was not getting the
first-tier attention his polling and fundraising should bring.  It is true
that Paul has often been overlooked and dismissed, as one might treat a
slightly dotty uncle.  But perhaps some first-tier scrutiny is deserved.
  Paul was the only candidate at the debate to make news, calling for the
repeal of laws against prostitution, cocaine and heroin. 
The freedom to use drugs, he argued, is equivalent to the freedom of people
to "practice their religion and say their prayers."
Liberty must be defended "across the board." "It is amazing that we want
freedom to pick our future in a spiritual way," he said, "but not when it
comes to our personal habits."
  This argument is strangely framed: If you tolerate Zoroastrianism, you
must be able to buy heroin at the quickie mart.  But it is an authentic
application of libertarianism, which reduces the whole of political
philosophy to a single
slogan: Do what you will -- pray or inject or turn a trick -- as long as no
one else gets hurt.
  Even by this permissive standard, drug legalization fails.  The de facto
decriminalization of drugs in some neighborhoods -- say, in Washington, D.C.
-- has encouraged widespread addiction. 
Children, freed from the care of their addicted parents, have the liberty to
play in parks decorated by used needles.
  Addicts are liberated into lives of prostitution and homelessness.
Welcome to Paulsville, where people are free to take soul-destroying
substances and debase their bodies to support their "personal habits." But
Paul had an answer to this criticism.  "How many people here would use
heroin if it were legal? I bet nobody would," he said to applause and
laughter. 
Paul was claiming that good people -- people like the Republicans in the
room -- would not abuse their freedom, unlike those others who don't deserve
our sympathy.
  The problem, of course, is that even people in the room may have had sons
or daughters who struggled with addiction.  Or maybe even have personal
experience with the freedom that comes from alcohol and drug abuse.  One
imagines they did not laugh or cheer.
  Libertarians often cover their views with a powdered wig of
18th- and 19th-century philosophy.  They cite Locke, Smith and Mill as
advocates of a peaceable kingdom -- a utopia of cooperation and spontaneous
order.  But the reality of libertarianism was on display in South Carolina.
Paul concluded his answer by doing a jeering rendition of an addict's voice:
"Oh yeah, I need the government to take care of me.  I don't want to use
heroin, so I need these laws."
  Paul is not content to condemn a portion of his fellow citizens to
self-destruction; he must mock them in their decline.  Such are the manners
found in Paulsville.
  This is not "The Wealth of Nations" or the "Second Treatise on
Government." It is Social Darwinism.  It is the arrogance of the strong.  It
is contempt for the vulnerable and suffering.
  The conservative alternative to libertarianism is necessarily more
complex.  It is the teaching of classical political philosophy and the
Jewish and Christian traditions that true liberty must be appropriate to
human nature.  The freedom to enslave oneself with drugs is the freedom of
the fish to live on land, or the freedom of birds to inhabit the ocean --
which is to say, it is not freedom at all.  Responsible, self-governing
citizens do not grow wild like blackberries.  They are cultivated in
institutions -- families, religious communities and decent, orderly
neighborhoods.  And government has a limited but important role in
reinforcing social norms and expectations -- including laws against drugs
and against the exploitation of men and women in the sex trade.
  It was just 12 years ago -- though it seems like a political lifetime --
that a Republican presidential candidate visited a rural drug treatment
center outside Des Moines, Iowa.  Moved by the stories of recovering young
addicts, Texas Gov.  George W. 
Bush talked of his own struggles with alcohol.  "I'm on a walk. 
And it's a never-ending walk as far as I'm concerned. ...  I want you to
know that your life's walk is shared by a lot of other people, even some who
wear suits."
  In determining who is a "major" candidate for president, let's begin here.
Those who support the legalization of heroin while mocking addicts are
marginal.  It is difficult to be a first-tier candidate while holding
second-rate values.
  Michael Gerson writes a twice-weekly column for The Post on issues that
include politics, global health, development, religion and foreign policy.
Michael Gerson is the author of the book "Heroic Conservatism" and a
contributor to Newsweek magazine.
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