Fox News' John Stossel defends Rand Paul:
Totally. I'm in total agreement with Rand Paul. You can call it public accommodation, and it is, but it's a private business and if a private business wants to say we don't want any blonde anchorwomen or mustached guys, it ought to be their right.
I think there are few things more irritating than the false courage of people who posit how bravely they would bear the necessary suffering and sacrifice in hypothetical situations they know they will never have to face. Rather than showcase his commitment to ideological principles, Stossel's statement just highlights how indifferent he is to the actual consequences of what he's advocating. The reason Stossel can say I'd be fine if we lived in a country where restaurants didn't serve people with mustaches is because he knows we'll never live in one. He might as well declare his intent to fight with the resistance in the event that Earth is invaded by aliens.
Stossel's childish scenario is also undermined by reality. As Charles Lane explains, a "business owner's discriminatory edict is meaningless unless some public authority enforces it."
-- A. Serwer
