Andy Griffith, RIP

     Andy Griffith passed away this week, and naturally I thought back to the old Andy Griffith shows where he and Don Knotts represented "law and order" in Mayberry, North Carolina.  Honestly, I like their idea of law and order.  At least, it beats the law and order that we've actually got.

     Then I thought -- here goes -- what if we could find a way to make sure that Andy Griffith re-runs were continuously showing on the TVs in all the lounges at all the police headquarters in the country?  (Instead of all the rogue cop crap.)   Maybe put them into the curriculum at the police academies? Maybe arrange to have them running in all the doughnut shops?

     Who knows, it might be one small step to that kinder and gentler America that Bush-the-First said he envisioned, right before he took us into Panama for a drug deal gone bad, right before he took us into Kuwait for an oil deal gone bad.  Or at least, a kinder and gentler New World Order.

     And then I thought, slapping my forehead, of course, how could we have overlooked this national treasure during his lifetime?  Why wasn't Andy Griffith made the head of the Department of Homeland Security instead of those hopeless and changeless apparatchiks Michael Chertoff and Janet Napolitano?

     We could have had Andy at DHS, and Don Knotts running TSA.  Now that would have been an improvement I could have believed in.

     I mean, seriously.  Can you imagine Andy explaining to Opie why they are mobilizing SWAT teams and flying drones all over Mayberry to defend our freedoms?  It couldn't happen, could it?

     Can you see Barney Fife trying to pat down Aunt Bea at the airport?  That wouldn't happen, either, would it?  She'd smack him with her purse.

     Which is my point.  What is happening wouldn't be happening, if we had better people in charge of government operations.  Or better government employees.  Or more Aunt Bea's at the airport.

     Oh, well.  I can think about it, can't I? 

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     I think I'll dedicate this to Will Grigg at Pro Libertate, if he doesn't mind!