Definitely not intended as a gotcha diary.
The grandson of former presidential candidate Ron Paul and son of U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., is charged with assaulting a flight attendant during a U.S. Airways flight from Lexington, Ky., to Charlotte last weekend.
William Paul, 19, was arrested Jan. 5 at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport after his flight landed. The Bowling Green, Ky., resident, also was charged with consuming beer/wine underage, disorderly conduct and being intoxicated and disruptive.
Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/...
Later in the article the Senator makes the standard request for privacy during a difficult family time.
The issue in my mind isn't whether this was a standard teenage misbehavior. (Having raised two teenagers I can certainly understand the challenges of adolescent parenting.) What I think this really represents is the core disrespect towards others who share space with you in a public place. One of the measures of character is how a person treats others who are in a position of roviding service to you. Young master Paul failed this test miserably on the flight.
What I have to ask is How and where he got the message that it was ever permissible to act out in this manner towards another person. Frankly I think we can attribute this to a question of nurture. Having worked with my share of physicians over the years I have met a fair number of bullies and generally obnoxious people. Some of this can be attributed to medical training but I think that in this case we are seeing the results of Objectivism as practiced by the Paul family. The most controversial comment he made during his senate run was his opposition to the civil rights act based on "property rights.
RAND PAUL: There are things that people were concerned about that were unintended consequences [of the Civil Rights Act], for example, people who believe very fervently in people having equal protection under the law, and are against segregation and all that, still worried about the loss of property rights… . [...] The point is that its not all about that. It’s not all about race relations, it’s about controlling property, ultimately.
“But why should you care what people will say? All you have to do is please yourself.”
Don't consider the consequences of your actions on the health and well being of others.
What I think we are seeing is the product of an upbringing where William Paul was taught through word and deed that employees are property who can be abused at will by others whether it is managers or customers.