Do not miss Eugene Kontorovich's Washington Post blog piece on Belgium's decision to permit doctors to help children commit suicide, and its relevance to the Supreme Court's ruling in Roper v. Simmons that (explicitly based on European concepts of justice) children under 18 cannot be executed for their crimes:

"So it comes out that the juveniles cannot really make accountable decisions when it comes to killing people, unless it is themselves. Or to put it differently, Belgium will not hold children responsible when they hurt others, but gives them free license to hurt themselves."

This is a razor-sharp mind at work, and we can be very grateful that the Washington Post has seen fit to feature the excellent Volokh Conspiracy blog in its pages. But we can be even more grateful to Kontorovich for coining a remarkably concise and accurate definition of modern-day liberalism:

"A system that permits the euthanasia of innocent 12 year-olds but not the punishment of guilty 17-year-olds is one that exalts autonomy without culpability."

"Autonomy without culpability" -- "autonomy without responsibility" -- in other words, do whatever you feel like doing, and an increasingly unlimited government will do all it can to make sure you never experience the consequences of your self- or otherwise-destructive behavior. Think of that definition as you consider abortion rights, Obamacare, extended unemployment followed by disability benefits, or the latest liberal proposal, and see if it does not explain it to a "t."