In my efforts to lobby in the Montana Legislature during the last 20 years, O’Neil at times has been the lone vote on committees to stop our efforts, generally supported by Republicans, to apply state regulations on sexually oriented businesses (SOBs) and to pass more restrictive laws concerning obscenity, and to protect children from “harmful to minors” material, both defined by the U.S. Supreme Court. Montana is one of the most permissive states in the nation concerning these issues.
Recent events in Gallatin County reveal that uncontrolled SOBs, and specifically the combination of nude dancing and alcohol, often leads to traffic tragedies n let alone the divorces and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases because of the sexual conduct that goes on in these places.
The Democrats have set the standard for sticking with their platform and recognize the “big tent” theory would lead to a takeover. Central committees have a responsibility to protect their party from imposters or, in the Republican sense, “Republicans in name only” (RINOs). In Ravalli County, we were able to keep the Central Committee closely representing the people in the valley even though we picked up three good Central Committee members who support Paul.
The fact is, if you like the American Civil Liberties Union you will love Ron Paul.
Some of my friends who used to support laws concerning obscenity and to protect children from harmful pornography have denied it when I have pointed out that Ron Paul takes the classic Libertarian position that the ACLU takes. It reflects Paul’s exact positions on most of moral issues, including homosexual marriage. Paul calls the values issues “choice” or “liberty” issues.
Here’s a quote from Paul during an interview with John Stossell: “I think the government’s role should not be involved in personal habits. When you defend freedom, you defend freedom of choice, and you can’t be picking and choosing how people use those freedoms ... whether it’s personal behavior or economic behavior, I want people to have freedom of choice.”
He says that governments cannot “legislate virtue.” This is the same claim of the liberals and the ACLU supporters, that you cannot “legislate morality.” Show me a law that does not legislate someone’s morality or virtue or lack thereof. The courts legislated that abortion was OK at a time when it was against the law in every state and a vast majority of Americans were opposed to it. In this case, the courts legislated immoral behavior and now it is legal in all states and 50 percent of Americans feel it is fine to kill the unborn.
Paul is a sly fox because he knows that the people will accept the premise, that he repeats often, that laws against obscenity and child pornography should be done away with on a federal level. He says such laws are unconstitutional. (Actually those issues are addressed under the Interstate Commerce Clause of the First Amendment, which was written to be very broad by our Founding Fathers). He very seldom tells what his true Libertarian positions are because he knows full well the people in America do not support them.
The family leaders who support a presidential candidate who is opposed to laws against drugs and obscenity and homosexual marriage are not considering the devastating effect such positions would have on the family.
I hope our Republicans and our Republican Party wake up before we find our party renamed the Everything Goes Party because everything should be our “choice.” I cannot think of anything that would cause us to increase our slouch toward Gomorrah into a full gallop than such a belief.
Dallas D. Erickson is active as a precinct committeeman for the Republican Party in Ravalli County. He lives in Stevensville.
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