The Herald’s Proposed Ban on Government Bans Doesn’t Go Very Far

AP

Boston Herald columnist and radio host Adriana Cohen has gained notice of late because for pieces that resemble a magnetic poetry set of Drudge Report headlines, mixing and matching various conservative watchwords into the shape of a newspaper article. This has led to some either frustrating or enlightening arguments, depending on your persuasion. But in this morning’s Herald, she stumbles on a radical new philosophy. When it comes to government laws, “it’s time to ban bans,” she says:

We’ve reached a nationwide breaking point where big government, aka “The Nanny State,” has overstepped its bounds as elected officials engage in mass stripping of our collective freedoms and consumer choice.

She argues for a government ban on government bans by pointing to several overreaching local-level proposals: a ban on charity car-washes in Virginia, the ban on large sodas in New York City, a water bottle ban in Concord. “We need to stop being sheep,” she concludes.

Voices in the Herald, of course, have supported bans on a lot of things: same-sex marriage, correction columns…so having a radical libertarian in their ranks—a non-“sheep” who doesn’t follow anyone’s party line—would be fun. But alas, Cohen forgot the subject of another recent column she wrote:

Why are states around the country, including Massachusetts, legalizing marijuana when it’s considered a gateway drug to harder drugs and even addiction?

Ah yes, her support for a ban on legal marijuana. She argues that because it leads to the use of harder drugs, it is not, as President Obama alleged, just as safe a alcohol (because drinking has never led to drug use). It should be banned.

Cohen’s more supportive commenters chimed in on this morning’s piece with notes like, “Liberals ban what they dislike,” and “If a liberal doesn’t like it, they wanna ban it.” But conservatives have their pet bans, too. And unfortunately, the Herald doesn’t have a Ron Swanson in their ranks, but you might have thought they did from today’s column. Its a shame because it would have been fun to watch.