Action at TT and an off-topic Reference

First, there was some action over at Telic Thoughts. Take a look at this comment by bFast that led to a lively discussion involving bFast, Mesk, Joy and Bradford.

Another comment by Guts involved some give and take between Guts and Bradford on one side and Daniel on the other. Check it out if you enjoy battles over ID, research and irreducible complexity.


And now for the off-topic commentary. At this site the following is in view:


"Derb—-My lovely fiance and I ran in a 10k race in Los Angeles yesterday. Also running were cadets of the LA County Sheriffs. After the race, at the little awards ceremony, the cadets marched up on stage and in military formation recited some kind of creed. In it I heard mentioned something or other about racism and homophobia.

"I thought: Were they going to protect Los Angeles from homophobes and racists, or were they just making sure that we knew that they weren't homophobes and racists? It was simultaneously creepy and depressing. Anyway, I found what they were reciting on the LA Sheriff website. It's apparently their CORE VALUES: 'As a leader in the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, I commit myself to honorably perform my duties with respect for the dignity of all people, integrity to do right and fight wrongs, wisdom to apply common sense and fairness in all I do and courage to stand against racism, sexism, anti-Semitism, homophobia and bigotry in all its forms.'

"Let's hope they can still squeeze in some courage to stand against, oh, you know, crime."

[Derb] Shame on you, Sir. Bigotry is a far greater threat to the Republic than mere crime. Crime only deprives citizens of life, limb, and property; bigotry hurts their feelings.

The reply about crimes is right on target. After all this is law enforcement is it not? But there is more. Homophobia? Is that a crime? How is it legally defined and how would it be recognized so as to be explainable in a court of law? What would be done if it were encountered?

And how about bigotry? It's unpleasant and undesireable but it is not illegal as far as I know. Again, how is it defined? Would it include the types of statements made by Richard Dawkins or is anti-religious bigotry in vogue? These looks like politically correct core values. Worse yet, rote recitation by government employees has an Orwellian look to it. This is not good news.