The Head Start program for the American Establishment, the Rhodes Scholarship and its alumni deserve constant scrutiny. And not just because one of their number is president of the United States, but because 23-year- olds emerge from it with a sense of spiritual entitlement that ought to be beaten out of them.
Therefore, in the interests of full Rhodes disclosure, we offer this introductory piece of thrilling post-Balliol activity, courtesy of the June 18 Boston Globe:
“CAVENDISH, Vt. — William A. Hunter was awakened at 3 a.m. June 9 by loud knocking on the door. . . . He stumbled downstairs to find seven agents from the US Drug Enforcement Agency at his door.
“They handed Hunter, a lawyer, a search warrant that said several of his clients had been arrested that night on drug charges and the government was looking for records of their illegal business activities. . . .
“To those who know Hunter well, the charges seem preposterous. A Rhodes scholar with an undergraduate degree from Yale and a Harvard law degree, he turned down job offers from big city firms to go into private practice in Vermont, where his clients are largely indigent. He believes in the barter system, having clients mow his lawn, refinish his furniture or rebuild his fence to pay for legal services.”
Hunter has yet to be charged with a crime, but it’s not the Drug Enforcement Agency part that amuses us — we’re more interested in the yard work and furniture refinishing.
