Positive Liberty

Slate says so, and it seems pretty solidly confirmed. Best line from the Slate article:

The Rehnquist story deserves a third airing today if only to illustrate the ugly double standards that excuse extreme drug use by the powerful, especially if their connection is a prescribing doctor, and condemns to draconian prison terms the guy who purchases his drugs on the street.

(c/o Liberty Log).

Update: I think Pseudo-Polymath (understandably) misses the point. It’s true that we have lately seen too many alleged historians substituting a list of personal shortcomings for the real work of biography, and that’s bad. But I don’t think that’s the point here. The point here is that our government looks the other way, and gives light slaps on the wrist, to people in positions of power and notoriety for the sort of drug “crimes” that ought not to be crimes to begin with, and that bring substantial punishments when committed by the underclass. That is the sort of hypocrisy that really does do damage to a society’s moral standing, and serious damage. To Rehnquist’s credit, however, he did not partake of that hypocrisy in the Raich case, where he had the courage to join the dissenters. I’m not a big Rehnquist fan, but he deserves props for that one.

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