Friday
(0)The New York Times startles today with an editorial that is all in favor of personal responsibility rather than legal diktat. The topic: speed limits.
With the conviction Monday of Representative Bill Janklow of South Dakota for vehicular manslaughter, the West's fondness for fast driving is again in the news, this time as part of a tragedy. Mr. Janklow sped through a stop sign near his hometown, Flandreau, S.D., last August and killed a motorcyclist. He has resigned from the House and faces up to 11 years in prison.Mr. Janklow's very conviction is proof that Westerners' love of speed has its limits. But the limits are those dictated by duty and personal responsibility, not by law.
Western attitudes about speed limits have always been misconstrued: we do not encourage deviant behavior so much as personal responsibility. It's an antiquated stance, this resistance to limiting individual freedom, and it is often used as evidence of our irresponsibility.
We can hold individuals accountable for bad choices without limiting everyone's freedom.
Needless to say, the author is not a regular staff writer for the NYT, but nonetheless, the publication of these thoughts without a single sneer of condescension by the panjandrums of the Upper West Side is worth recognizing. It is almost impossible to find criticism of the nanny state in the Times, but here it is.
Hat tip to Samizdata reader Mr. Haas for the pointer.
I'd be more impressed with this if the author didn't conflate driving fast with the reason for the accident, which was ignoring a stop sign. Janklows speed, whether 90 mph or 20 is irrelevant to the accident. The motorcyclist broadsided Janklows Caddie because Janklow blew through the stop just as the poor guy entered the intersection, not because Janklow was driving fast. If he slows from 90 to a full stop, there is no accident. Speed had nothing to do with it.
Posted by Gary Stratton at December 12, 2003 05:58 PM
Speed had nothing to do with it.
Neither did being in the "West." Flandreau, SD? "West" my arse. You might as well be in Minnesota! Does Blume know how to use a simple road atlas? East River SD is pretty much midwest through and through (which makes Janklow's driving even less excusable). Once you cross the Missouri, things get a little more open. OK I'll cut her some slack since she teaches english....
Plus Missoula, MT, college town mentality sometimes makes it further "east" than Hoboken.... (Bozeman is better).
Posted by kev at December 12, 2003 06:20 PM
what grade would this get?
Winning the Hearts & Minds While Taking No Prisoners
U.S. Marines execute an Iraqi to the cheers of fellow marines
-:WARNING:-
This video should only be viewed by a mature audience
(I hope he was an evil-doer!!!)
Posted by scoooby at December 12, 2003 07:59 PM
"We can hold individuals accountable for bad choices without limiting everyone's freedom."
If only we had more people in this country who were prepared to step up in public and say things like this. Instead, it's more like: "We can hold individuals accountable for bad choices, give them some therapy, then limit everyone's freedom. Hallelujah! Praise the Lord (Blair)!"
Posted by Steven Chapman at December 12, 2003 08:12 PM
Hey Scoooby,
Thats what Marines do, we fuckin' kill things.
Semper Fi,
1992-1998
Posted by JACITELLI at December 12, 2003 09:40 PM
