Sen. Rand Paul's Son William Paul Arrested for Underage Drinking

That's all??

I don't like Rand Paul... or pretty much any Libertarians, for their socio-political (and often theological, too) views, at least. But, honestly, why is this a big story?

Paul's office's statement say it all: "Senator Paul is a national public figure and subject to scrutiny in the public arena, however, as many parents with teenagers would understand, his family should be afforded the privacy and respect they deserve in a situation such as this."

Even the best parents can end-up with a son or daughter doing something stupid related to the combination of alcohold, and being young and stupid. So what? Paul and his family deserve, indeed, to just handle the situation in the best way it can, just like any other family; and to be able to concentrate, without distraction from the press, on seeing to it that something ultimately good -- some kind of learning experience, perhaps -- coming from it.

And shame on Michael Allen for this interpretation of Paul's office's statement: "Bagley did not elaborate on why a criminal arrest deserves "respect."

Bagley didn't say it did. She said, as no one who hasn't fallen on his/her head too many times in life could easily see, that the family deserved privacy and respect (as in, the kind of respect which should motivate the press to leave said family alone), not that the crime did.

Paul's got quite enough on his plate, now, having to deal with all this. The press -- including and especially Michael Allen, it would seem -- and public needs to get its collective knee up of his and his family's chest regarding this very private matter.