One of America’s most beloved entertainers, Andy Griffith, died earlier this week on Tuesday morning at the age of 86. Funny, moving, charming, a great singer, and with a persona as American as apple pie, his leading role as Sheriff Andy Taylor in the classic 1960s “Andy Griffith Show” made him an American pop icon.
As a television program about a small town heriff, The Andy Griffith Show afforded a ton of opportunities for commentary and lessons about civics. Check out this very appropriately named YouTube video, entitled by its uploader, “Andy Griffith vs. The Patriot Act,” in which Sheriff Andy’s son, Opie, secretly records a suspect saying incriminating things and excitedly brings the audio to his “Pa,” the sheriff. Over his son’s objections, Andy refuses to listen, erases the tape, and gives his son a lecture on due process and the right of privacy:
on this at The Silver Underground.
Wes Messamore,
Editor in Chief, THL
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