Seeing a better future because of the form of government that’s changed

The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that it was okay for a high school principal to rip down a student’s “Bong Hits 4 Jesus” banner. Roberts wrote in the majority opinion that schools have a compelling interest in deterring drug use (he’s assuming the verb-free banner is pro-drug use). He cited the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act of 1994, which required schools to “convey a clear and consistent message that ... the illegal use of drugs [is] wrong and harmful.” In other words, Congress authorized censoring the expression of any opinion that contradicts the legally mandated official line. So that’s okay then. Roberts says that “failing to act would send a powerful message to the students in her charge, including Frederick, about how serious the school was about the dangers of illegal drug use.” This is the First Amendment under the Roberts court: state censorship is a protected form of expression (“sending a powerful message”), but a banner is not.

This morning Bush met with the president of Estonia, which Bush described as “a country which has emerged from some really dark days. And having been in Estonia, I can report to my fellow citizens that people now see the light of day, and see a better future because of the form of government that’s changed.” So if I understand him correctly, the sun did not shine in Estonia, possibly because of a spell cast by an evil witch, until George went there. Yes, I’m pretty sure that’s what he was saying.

I’ve decided I was wrong in a previous post to call him Herman Munster. Actually, he looks like the actor Edward Herrmann.

Speaking of the form of government that’s changed, off to the side during this meeting was none other than Dick Cheney, glumly contemplating his liminal status, neither in the executive branch nor in the legislative, not fully man nor wholly machine...