It’s no secret that I’m not a fan of Sen. Zell Miller (D-Georgia). But in his latest rant, a combination sermon and Limbaugh-esque namecalling fest, he manages to:
-declare his support for Judge Roy “10 Commandments” Moore of Alabama
-extensively quote the Old Testament on the Senate floor
-claim there is no concept of separation of church and state in the Constitution
-blast the idea of gay marriage
-advocate that Kid Rock be tarred and feathered
-compare the “culture of far left America” with running over a skunk
Memo to Zell Miller: Bite my shiny metal ass.
I’ll admit that Zell Miller is a Class-A loon. But tarring and feathering Kid Rock? That’s an idea I could get behind. Being from Michigan originally, I’m embarrassed to see the once-proud musical legacy of Motown replaced by the likes of Kid Rock, Insane Clown Posse and the ever-homophobic Eminem. Truly, truly lame acts. At least the White Stripes have restored a little dignity…
My God do I ever love Insane Clown Posse. Can’t help it. Don’t want to.
But Zell Miller is a complete idiot and a poor historian if he thinks that legislation and governmental dictums have any effect whatsoever upon the mores of a free society. Unless we descend into Communism or Fascism (where desires deemed immoral simply trickle into a lucrative Black Market that almost certainly benefits those in power), the government cannot tell us what is moral — only what is legal. Legislating morality isn’t merely a distasteful idea — it’s an epistemological impossibility. Morals cannot be imposed, only chosen. Values cannot be dictated, only discovered.
The saddest part here is that Miller thinks that what he’s trying to do is something new, that we’re at some unique moral crisis, that such times have never been faced by America before. The only thing unique is his particular age and life experience, which has disconnected him from the country he thinks of so highly that he would destroy it.
Here are a few things that might help “elevate” morals in this country:
1. If Americans stopped watching racy television shows.
2. If Americans stopped consuming pornography.
3. If Americans stopped liking sex.
4. If Americans demanded the economic conditions that would make stable family life a reality instead of an unattainable ideal that politicians use to demonize people who have nothing to do with family instability in the first place.
The government does not tell us what is moral. The government does not lead our national conscience. They’re our pool boys, our bell hops, and our security guards. We pay them to do our business, not to tell us what our business is.