It Shoulda Been in B!

I still don't understand why the Houston Chronicle puts Leonard Pitts, Jr's editorial column in the 'Star' section. Hard news and 'real' op-ed pieces go in Section B along with the other political pundits, don't they? HARUMPH!! Leonard Pitts belongs in Section B!!!!!

I just read his column in today's Chronicle and it's powerful, eye-opening stuff. That is, if you've been wearing blinders and need to take the darned things off. I've said all along that if we give in to the fear being generated about 9/11, then Al-Qaeda's won. The more freedom the average American is willing to give up, the more like Al-Qaeda we become. (I may get clobbered for saying that by some, but my fear is that unless more people stand up and say 'You, the government, have no right to ....', then that's where we're headed.) Their victory comes when we choose to let others make decisions for us and poke into our lives and tell us what we can and cannot do. It vindicates their own values when it comes to freedom to make decisions. If the Great Satan turns around and controls the thoughts and actions of its own citizens, then, of course, it was the right thing for the religious fundamentalists to do all along.

There is so much that technology can do in this day and age. When used in its most benign intentions, this is a good thing. Got lost? GPS assistance programs can help you find your way. (a really good thing for one directionally challenged like me!) Yet I refuse to get such a system because it can be so easily misused. I actually hated giving up my old, but less reliable, cellphone because of the locator components that are required to be installed in newer phones. The potential for abuse is too great. Not that I'm particularly likely to be targeted, but the whole Big Brother concept makes me quite uneasy. And there are so many other potential intrusions, if we do not take a stand and point out where our freedom is being so rapidly eroded.

That's why Pitts' column should have been on the op-ed page today, rather than buried in section E. It's scary stuff when, under the guise of 'Homeland Security', two officials can attempt to dictate what can and cannot be read in a public library. I'm not against putting library computers with access to internet porn in a place where children cannot have access, but, as distasteful and disgusting as I find porn to be, I cannot expect my own freedoms to be honored if I do not honor the rights of others. When it comes to porn, the place where it steps over the line is when adults and children are coerced (either economically or through force) and abused and harmed in the making of it. If adults voluntarily participate in its production, then that is the decision of consenting adults. I can choose whether to watch or not, and so can others.

It's also scary stuff when a newspaper relegates editorial commentary to the 'fluff' section. I'll admit that the comics have some powerful commentary on today's society, on both sides of the political equation. But it is often the case that people expect the real, hard-hitting commentary to be found in section B, and don't go looking for it elsewhere. Shame on you, Houston Chronicle! And hoorah!! Leonard Pitts, Jr for a well-written and powerful editorial!!!!!