Just like the American Press. Hell, even the venerable New York Times runs bogus stories.

The only real newspaper, the one that wasn’t filled with lies, was the Merv Report. No wonder it folded.

That said, I was looking for (but could not find) a quote I ran into many years ago. It basically said governments like to use the “for the children” excuse because it allows them to visit the most radical impingements on people’s liberty with their full consent. I read that in a book, so it has a greater chance of being true, but there is less of a chance of me finding it. The conundrum of the internet ;)

That Lewis quote is perfect. H. L. Menken is another great source of wisdom:

“Off goes the head of the king, and tyranny gives way to freedom. The change seems abysmal. Then, bit by bit, the face of freedom hardens, and by and by it is the old face of tyranny. Then another cycle, and another. But under the play of all these opposites there is something fundamental and permanent — the basic delusion that men may be governed and yet be free.”

or

“Civilization, in fact, grows more and more maudlin and hysterical; especially under democracy it tends to degenerate into a mere combat of crazes; the whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by an endless series of hobgoblins, most of them imaginary.”

Actually they probably do. But this type of nannyism is just the most recent, most visible type. McDonalds stopped using salt and pepper in the preparation of their burgers in the late 80′s. When a friend of mine got a part time job there, to meet women, he insisted on using the salt/pepper shaker or he’d quit. They allowed it only when he was cooking, and that’s the only time another friend and I would go to the store. These nannys don’t seem to understand that using seasoning DURING the cooking process is completely different than adding it after. And since people who can’t have salt are still a small minority in the US it doesn’t make sense to remove it from all dishes. They can request salt free dishes for themselves.

There are some people who are salt sensitive who may need to watch their salt intake. People who have high blood pressure might benefit. But most people are perfectly able to process excess salt without effect.

So this isn’t even an intervention that’s backed by science!