by Smitty
Newton’s Fourth Law:
For every tragic action, there is a correspondingly idiotic, bureaucratic jerk of the knee, whose only real effects are to throw liberty further off balance, and make it a still easier prey for lawyers.
From Volokh:
The recent controversial acquittal of Casey Anthony has stimulated efforts in many states to enact “Caylee’s Law” as a response. The law would require parents to report a missing child to the authorities within 24 hours, and the death of a child within 1 hour. If they fail to do either, they would be guilty of a felony (a federal one if the law is enacted by Congress).
Let this be a campaign point. Let a thousand attack ads flourish against any politician sponsoring legislation that is pure emotional pandering, and which is more despicable than the evil act which spawned the legislation.