Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D.

Here.

More proof that George Will is senile: He thinks Donald Trump is as likely as Hillary Clinton to appoint nonconservative Supreme Court justices.

Compare this reasoning:

Many or most teenagers are going to have sex whether we want them to or not, so, given the adverse consequences of ignorant or unprotected sex, we may as well (1) teach them about sex and (2) provide them with condoms.

With this reasoning:

Many or most teenagers are going to own guns eventually, so, given the adverse consequences of ignorant or careless gun usage, we may as well (1) teach them how to handle and shoot guns and (2) provide them with guns (so that they may become familiar with them).

The reasoning is analogous, so why do progressives have different attitudes toward sex education and gun education?

I'm curious. Which of the following (if any) is it inappropriate to tip?

• A hotel concierge.
• A mowing service.
• A bellhop.
• A manicurist.
• A grocery-store carry-out.
• A baker of a birthday cake.
• A dental hygienist.
• A nurse.
• A city bus driver.
• A flight attendant.

Thanks.

On Through the Night (1980). A great first album.

Richard Posner is widely hailed as a genius (I have done so myself), but he's really a highly educated dolt (and provocateur). He says judges shouldn't bother studying the United States Constitution because it's technologically and culturally outmoded and (therefore) irrelevant to contemporary concerns. Here are his words:

I see absolutely no value to a judge of spending decades, years, months, weeks, day, hours, minutes, or seconds studying the Constitution, the history of its enactment, its amendments, and its implementation (across the centuries—well, just a little more than two centuries, and of course less for many of the amendments). Eighteenth-century guys, however smart, could not foresee the culture, technology, etc., of the 21st century. Which means that the original Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the post–Civil War amendments (including the 14th), do not speak to today.

This misunderstands and misrepresents the nature of the document. It's not a statute or a set of policies that are designed to govern contemporary affairs; it's an articulation of principles. These principles, such as limited government and checks and balances, are timeless (and therefore never irrelevant, however much things change technologically and culturally). Judge Posner has had his day in the sun. At 77 years of age, he needs to retire and make room for someone who understands and respects our form of government.

Addendum: Posner has always fancied himself a philosopher-king (though he has no philosophical credentials). It frustrates and angers him, evidently, that he was never elevated to the United States Supreme Court. For all his "genius," he has had little effect on American law. (Believe me, few are persuaded by his opinions, most of which are unmoored from constitutional text and history.) Posner thinks judging is legislating. It's not. It has nothing to do with legislating. That someone could conflate the two roles is prima facie evidence of unfitness for office. And so I say, with a tincture of regret, farewell to Posner. In slang terms, he has jumped the shark.

This afternoon, at a Shell station in Fort Worth, Texas, I paid $2.199 per gallon for regular unleaded gasoline. With my Kroger card, it came to $2.099. What're y'all payin' in your neck o' the woods?

To the Editor:

It was wonderful to read about Vassar’s success in creating a more diverse and affordable educational experience during Catharine Bond Hill’s term as president (“A Focus on Diversity,” Education Innovation, special section, June 23).

But under her watch, Vassar has also developed quite the reputation for its hostile campus climate characterized by intellectual bullying and profound narrow-mindedness—a kind of tyranny of the majority.

As an alumnus (class of 1983), I think that it is a real shame that Vassar, like so many other ultraprogressive liberal arts colleges, seems to value the kind of diversity that can be seen but not the kind that can be heard.

PAUL E. GREENBERG

Brookline, Mass.

After church today, Katherine and I had lunch at La Madeleine. When we finished, I took my Martin acoustic guitar to Guitar Center (across the street) to have new strings put on it. (I played the original strings for more than a year and a half!) The young man helping me told me that it needed to be "set up" as well. I didn't know what this meant. He explained that the strings appeared to be too far from the fretboard. He could and would adjust the guitar for me. I was happy to hear this and more than happy to pay for it, because the guitar was starting to sound tinny to me and to hurt my fingers (because of the additional pressure needed to bend the strings). Before we left the store, I went into the soundproof guitar room to play some expensive guitars. Katherine snapped this picture of me (click to enlarge) as I played a $3,300 guitar. Earlier, I had played a $2,400 guitar. Needless to say, both guitars sounded much better than my $500 guitar, so I may be due for an upgrade. Watch out, Neil Young!

Here.