Eugene Volokh is a hard-right Republican "law and order" (his phrase) conservative who poses as a moderate, by using moderation of language to disguise radical thought. But credit where credit is due, in this post he points out a story about a North Carolina prosecutor who is using a state anti-terrorism law against manufacturing "chemical weapons" to prosecute a methamphetamine maker. Volokh is against using the law this way.
So he's a principled libertarian, right? Sadly, no. His concern isn't the rule of law, it's that such cases will expose the real agenda - um, excuse me, give the misleading impression that such laws' "lowered protections" will be misused. In other words, he likes the PATRIOT Act and doesn't want anything to jeopardize it. This is a selective concern. If the situation were reversed, and a terrorist were being charged with making illegal drugs - because making a chemical weapon technically fit the definition - you wouldn't hear a peep from Volokh.
Still, I'd rather the wing-nuts were right for the wrong reason than wrong for the wrong reason.
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