#7: Philosophy

While the Clinton administration's primary contribution to the field of philosophy was in the metaphysical realm, (challenging our ontological notions of "is"), the Bush Administration's contributions have been much more wide-ranging, challenging the relationships between truth, belief and justification; our morality and conceptions of ethical truth; our logic; our use of language; and our concepts of aesthetics.  And, as if that weren't enough, the Administration invited us, often without our permission, to reconsider our precepts of justice, law and the rights of citizens.

It is in this last area that the Bush Administration has sparked the greatest debates.  Pundits, the Supreme Court and a host of artists, educators and writers have taken up the challenges, producing many works of art in the process.

Today, I'd like to recognize Mary Beth Buchanan and her able sidekick Mary Houghton for their roles in forwarding the American notion of justice and personal responsibility to realms heretofore unimagined by any artist, legislator, author, or filmmaker.

The short form is that Tommy Chong (yes, him) was arrested for and pleaded guilty to being on the board of a bong-making company that was caught up in the DEA crackdown on drug paraphernalia retailers called "Operation Pipe Dreams".  

Mary Beth Buchanan and Mary Houghton prosecuted the cooperative Chong, and managed to  persuade a judge to incarcerate the evil genius for 9 months.  And the reason he was singled out for special attention among all the 55 individuals swept up in the sting?  Apparently unclear on the difference between an actor and the character he plays, our fearless government crusaders thought he should be taught a lesson for impersonating a stoner.

Chong, Houghton contended, had become wealthy by “glamorizing the illegal use and distribution of marijuana and trivializing law-enforcement efforts to combat drug use.” http://www.laweekly.com/2003-12-04/news/chong-family-values "

Tommy Chong, inspired by the life-altering and utterly surreal artistic potential in his situation, graced us with a remarkable work of philosophical discourse, and our #7  -- The I Chong: Meditations from the Joint.  From Amazon:

The I Chong is at once a memoir, a spiritual exploration of his time in prison, and a political indictment of the eroding civil liberties in post-9/11 American society.

Heady reading.