Unprincipled Thinking Yields Arbitrary Results

And when the unprincipled thinking gives rise to non-objective laws, the arbitrary results can be quite harmful.

Here are just two more stories I came across today regarding unprincipled thinking in the construction and enforcement of laws: The first regards a women who was told that she was suddenly no longer an American citizen; the second is about the arrest of a twelve year-old girl for doodling on her desk.

There is a very strong correlation between arbitrary laws and the loss of ability to think in principles.

Words “Matter”

On Friday, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court overturned the conviction of man who enticed a 13 year-old girl to meet with him so he “would teach [her] everything’’ after a series of sexually explicit emails.  The girl turned out to be a policewoman, and the man was charged and convicted with intent to disseminate harmful materials to minors, which is a crime in Massachusetts under MGL ch.272, CHAPTER 272. CRIMES AGAINST CHASTITY, MORALITY, DECENCY AND GOOD ORDER.

Section 28 of that law, Matter harmful to minors, dissemination; possession; defenses, specifically states:

Whoever disseminates to a minor any matter harmful to minors, as defined in section thirty-one, knowing it to be harmful to minors, or has in his possession any such matter with the intent to disseminate the same to minors, shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for not more than five years or in a jail or house of correction for not more than two and one-half years, or by a fine of not less than one thousand nor more than ten thousand dollars for the first offense, not less than five thousand nor more than twenty thousand dollars for the second offense, or not less than ten thousand nor more than thirty thousand dollars for the third and subsequent offenses, or by both such fine and imprisonment.

Section 31 of the law, Definitions, helps clarify that confusing term, “Matter”.

“Matter”, any handwritten or printed material, visual representation, live performance or sound recording including but not limited to, books, magazines, motion picture films, pamphlets, phonographic records, pictures, photographs, figures, statues, plays, dances.

That’s right, folks. Promoting dirty dancing is against the law in the fine state of Massachusetts.  But a 41 year-old can entice 13 year-old girls into sexual encounters via text messages because those messages were not “handwritten or printed.”  Yes. That’s why the court overturned his conviction.

                                                                                                                                 

It is not my intent here to rail against the questionable objectivity of this law:  children should be protected from predators, sexual or otherwise.  But given that there is a law on the books that relates to the dissemination of lewd materials as harmful to children, shouldn’t the court be able to interpret it based on principle?  Are not the ideas represented by the words themselves the harmful part, rather than the method of dissemination?

Personally, I’m waiting for the test case on words that matter in Section 14, Adultery, God help me, Section 36, Blashphemy, or God help us all, Section 18, Fornication - all of which are still codified offenses within this chapter of the Massachusetts General Law.

Ladies, science has done all right by you!

Beauty science, that is.



Aah. The science of beauty.

As one of those unfortunate ladies who has to wear spectacles, not for the pictures, but for actual vision, I appreciate the beauty tips.

Don’t worry about the shape of your actual lips – just make sure you color them in the right way for you face shape.

Is it just me, or do all the eyeglass variations presented look the exactly same?

I love the slide accompanying the magical transformation from “dos” to “don’ts” and back again.

My sincere appreciation to anyone who can tell me what in the hell that guy has on his head (around the 2:50 mark). It looks like it may have snuck in from a B horror film, but I just don’t know. I may need such a get-up soon.

To Lucasta, Going to the Wars

Richard Lovelace (1618-1657)

TELL me not, Sweet, I am unkind,
  That from the nunnery
Of thy chaste breast and quiet mind
  To war and arms I fly.

True, a new mistress now I chase,
  The first foe in the field;
And with a stronger faith embrace
  A sword, a horse, a shield.

Yet this inconstancy is such
  As thou too shalt adore;
I could not love thee, Dear, so much,
  Loved I not Honour more.



----------------------------------------------------------------------

The reading of the poem reminded me of this excellent story about Richard Burton as told by Dick Cavett in the New York Times.  Not that this reader's voice is as hypnotic as Mr. Burton's, but that there is something about a deep, crisp, and clear British accent that makes me swoon, almost, no matter what it is saying.

You're Motorin'

The beauty of being the family taxi driver is that every once in a while during your 6 minute trek from drop-off or to pick-up while you're all alone jammin' to the oldies, you hit upon one that makes you laugh as intensely as you need to sing it.  This is quite a skill and not to be attempted unless you are wicked old such as myself.

This afternoon, my oldies gift to you is "Sister Christian" by Night Ranger.



Did anyone else have this album?  I seriously think mine was an 8-track (I warned you about the wicked old) and there was some part of a scene from Poltergeist at the beginning or end of it.  Weird.

Objectivist Round Up #134

Where sky and water meet,
Where the waves grow sweet,
Doubt not, Reepicheep,
To find all you seek,
There is the utter East.

C.S. Lewis, Voyage of the Dawn Treader

Find all you seek regarding this week's Objectivist Round Up, as hosted by Kelly, at Reepicheep's Coracle. 

For those of you who, like me, are not well versed in all that is C.S. Lewis, a little background info: Reepicheep, coracle.

3 Good Things (quotations edition)

1.  In questions of science, the authority of a thousand is not worth the humble reasoning of a single individual.

– Galileo Galilei, physicist and astronomer (1564-1642)

2.  What is that caterwauling?

– my 11 year-old upon hearing an audio playback of her own violin practice.

3. Today, when a concerted effort is made to obliterate this point, it cannot be repeated too often that the Constitution is a limitation on the government, not on private individuals—that it does not prescribe the conduct of private individuals, only the conduct of the government—that it is not a charter for government power, but a charter of the citizens’ protection against the government.

– Ayn Rand in “The Nature of Government”