Speaking of civil liberties ironies,
the ACLU has filed an amicus brief on behalf of Rush Limbaugh's suit to seal his medical records. I'm with Rush on this one -- even though there's probable cause to believe he committed a crime, the government can't be allowed to go on fishing expeditions through a person's private medical records in an attempt to incriminate him, most especially when he has not been charged with a crime. It certainly violates both the Fourth and Fifth amendments, and will be corrosive to the fundamentals of an effective medical system by additionally discouraging any persons with substance abuse problems from seeking treatment.
But on the other hand, certain conservative talk show hosts have whined that the ACLU defends drug dealers on technicalities, so who am I to argue? Good thing I let my membership expire.
Nah, that's the hard part. Even hypocrites deserve their rights. That's the essential problem with liberalism in this country: it's so damned reasonable and rational, egalitarian and sympathetic, while extremism on both ends of the political spectrum is so cut and dry. I'm under no illusions the experience is going to change Limbaugh, but I hope the dittoheads out there start to think a little more about how rights and responsibilities cut both ways.
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