Marion Barry Robbed ... Of Reason

Former DC mayor Marion Barry was robbed Monday night by two youths he had just paid to help him with his groceries. His injuries were to the psyche, according to the WashTimes:

"I was really kind of hurt," Mr. Barry, a Democrat, said at a press conference yesterday at City Hall. "There's sort of an unwritten code in Washington among the underworld, the hustlers, and these other guys that I'm their friend.

"I don't advocate what they do, but I advocate the conditions to change what they do," he said.

What foolishness. Conditions don't dictate behavior, character does. Society has proven, reproven and proven again that money and programs that change conditions don't change character. But Barry doesn't get it. He doesn't want authorities to prosecute the perps because "he loves them."

As so often happens with liberals, Barry thinks his foregiveness covers their responsibility. It doesn't. He can forgive them, and it's good and fine that he should. Then he should testify against them in court, so the system can process their crime.

And in the process, the two perps will learn something about the nature of character.