Laurence: Mr. Dunlap’s example may be the sign of a transformation in thinking in our world: a father who loves his son more than he does the state! Good for him! It’s a wonderful contrast to the many fathers I heard during the Vietnam War (Oooops, was this also a “police action”?) who expressed shame that their sons had gone to Canada rather than getting blown to bits in Vietnam. Perhaps Richard Dawkins’s idea about the “selfish gene” is expressing itself!

The Best of Butler Shaffer