Two Reasons Why The Word 'Liberty' Shouldn't Be Overused

First of all, on this issue, let me put my own thoughts out there. Is it really that big of a deal for a girl to wear a tuxedo to the prom? Especially such a big deal that lawsuits and the canceling of senior prom are what follows? I think not. The school board should have made an amendment to their rules and avoided this whole stupid ordeal. HOWEVER, those are the rules, and a school board that was elected by the people in that town made the rules. It is NOT a civil liberty to wear a suit or tuxedo to prom. It is NOT a civil liberty to have a prom at ALL! Yet these two so called "liberties" are going to the courts to establish them as so. The ACLU is getting involved, of course (surprise); and today they are scheduled in federal court to force the district to hold the prom. No, I'm not making this up. Your rights include your right to remain silent, your right to bear arms, and your right to a fancy and magical night during prom (in which case I'm filing my law suit, because both of my proms sucked). Now, the adult thing that Constance McMillen could have and in fact should have done is to go ahead and go to prom in a dress with her date. After that, find some school board candidates that were pro-tux and use this national issue to draw exposure and monies to get them elected. Boom. Would she have missed out on the joys of suiting up for a night? Sure, but she would have shown class and signs of being an adult by going about things the right way so that lesbian couples down the road could go to prom in a tux. Instead, she has national exposure that she's a sue happy brat and a fresh cut check from Ellen DeGeneres so that she won't have to pay for her college. How's that for rewarding bad behavior?

This next supposed "liberty" is just as bad. Catherine Pierce thinks that her first amendment rights are being violated because she enjoys gardening in the nude, which is of course frowned upon. According to the AP out of Boulder, Colorado, all she had on was a yellow thong and pink gloves. While I'm certain it was an amusing sight, and yes, she has her first amendment rights, the other people in the town ALSO have their rights. And included in those rights is a right to not have to give "the talk" to their 12 year old son a couple years early because of Catherine Pierces love of all natural gardening. The fact that she and her husband took a picture of them with duct tape over their mouths, as if they are being wronged somehow, is both amusing and horrifying. Now mind you, I'm not saying horrifying because of the substance of the article (after all, I don't know what she looks like naked) but because of she truly believes that she has a right to public nudity.

There you have it. In one of our soon to be rights the issue is about what clothes are ON the body, and the other the issue is what clothes AREN'T on the body. What country is this that we live in, where these two issues are taken more seriously than, say, how old the milk is in the fridge?