"A Whiter Shade of Pale": Sense and Nonsense — The Pursuit of Perfection in Law and Politics

The Constitution Society ^ | April 20, 2000 | Janice Rogers Brown

[Sudetenland]

"A Whiter Shade of Pale": Sense and Nonsense —
The Pursuit of Perfection in Law and Politics

Speech of Janice Rogers Brown,
Associate Justice, California Supreme Court

The Federalist Society
University of Chicago Law School
April 20, 2000, Thursday 12:15 p.m.

...The great innovation of this millennium was equality before the law. The greatest fiasco — the attempt to guarantee equal outcomes for all people. Tom Bethell notes that the security of property — a security our Constitution sought to ensure — had to be devalued in order for collectivism to come of age. The founders viewed private property as "the guardian of every other right."9 But, "by 1890 we find Alfred Marshall, the teacher of John Maynard Keynes making the astounding claim that the need for private property reaches no deeper than the qualities of human nature."10 A hundred years later came Milton Friedman's laconic reply: " 'I would say that goes pretty deep.'"11 In between, came the reign of socialism. "Starting with the formation of the Fabian Society and ending with the fall of the Berlin Wall, its ambitious project was the reformation of human nature. Intellectuals visualized a planned life without private property, mediated by the New Man."12 He never arrived...As Edward O. Wilson, the world's foremost expert on ants, remarked about Marxism, 'Wonderful theory. Wrong species.'"13

-----------snip------------

Democracy and capitalism seem to have triumphed. But, appearances can be deceiving. Instead of celebrating capitalism's virtues, we offer it grudging acceptance, contemptuous tolerance but only for its capacity to feed the insatiable maw of socialism. We do not conclude that socialism suffers from a fundamental and profound flaw. We conclude instead that its ends are worthy of any sacrifice — including our freedom.

[Sudetenland]

I thought that this wonderful speech by one of our now D.C. Circuit Court Judges (thank-you G.W. Bush) needed to be revisited considering the choices we now face.

Rather than posting the entire speech, I decided to provide just this snippet as a teaser.

Enjoy!

[Sudetenland]

I sure wish she had been one of Bush’s Supreme Court nominees.

[A_perfect_lady]

Skip the light fandango and get to the point.

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

This speech is forever cogent and timely.

[dr_lew]

We find ourselves, like the captain, in a situation that is hopeless but not yet desperate

You had me and then you lost me. The expression is, "Situation desperate but not serious." Well, there is an Adam Ant song which alludes to this, but I can't find anything with Google that cites the archetype for this phrase. Anybody?

[sergeantdave]

Our entire Constitution is designed to ensure our individual property rights. And it’s been ripped apart by the fat pigs we send to congress.

I’d vote for Janice Rogers Brown.