First, let’s review some basic rules regarding honesty and fairness. Under the law (with which I think most people agree), a law officer may not “plant” evidence to try to win a “guilty” verdict, nor knowingly lie about any evidence that was obtained lawfully. Not even if the suspect is genuinely a Very Bad Person who is only out of jail because he or his boss can afford the very best crooked lawyers. No matter how much you despise this guy, you cannot lie about him (or her) to a judge or jury. A fair trial is absolutely required, no matter how much it may hurt to stay within the rules.
Second, let’s stipulate that Speaker Mike Johnson is a Very Bad Person, for a variety of reasons. I personally tend to focus on his espousing of Christian Nationalism. I.e., he claims to be a Bible-believing Christian, and yet holds very strongly to positions that the Bible is vague about or even flatly contradicts, but is very vague about things that the Bible is crystal clear about. Then there’s Johnson’s personal loyalty to a certain decidedly not Christian former President. Put those together, and you have a guy who should never be allowed anywhere near the levers that operate the federal government. Yet there he stands, poised to do who knows how much damage to the United States. It’s very upsetting, no doubt about it.
But when he gets accused of “sharing” pornography with his teenaged son, that was a mistake, because the accusation is simply not true. No matter whether you approve or disapprove of the idea behind internet surveillance programs such as Covenant Eyes, they are not intended for the “sharing” of pornography. They are intended to help people avoid pornography.
Now let’s also stipulate that people have differing opinions regarding pornography. Some dislike the word itself, because they feel it places a stigma on nudity, which they believe is entirely normal, natural, and positive. Others dislike what the word typically stands for, because they feel it encourages bad behavior by men. Others dislike it because it encourages the objectification of women. Still others believe strongly that opposition to pornography is itself more harmful than the pictures are. So, we start with a wide variety of opinions about “pornography” to begin with.
Mike Johnson and his son clearly belong to the camp that believes that pornography is bad. You may agree or disagree with their belief, but we all know the truism about disagreeing with what another person says, but defending to the death their right to say it. (Apparently it was Evelyn Beatrice Hall who first placed those words in Voltaire’s mouth.) Therefore, their shared use of the program “Covenant Eyes” seems to be a good faith attempt to hold each other accountable so that they can avoid pornography, in exactly the same way as members of Alcoholics Anonymous will pair off and hold their own partners accountable. They believe that, for them personally at least, the consumption of alcohol in any amount is bad, but the temptation can be very strong. But having a friend to confide in can either help a person to more easily avoid that temptation, or provide an extra measure of strength to withstand the temptation if it threatens to overpower one’s self-control. “Covenant Eyes” is meant to do the exact same thing. Therefore, while I may have plenty to complain about concerning Mike Johnson, I am going to restrict my complaining to things that are actually, demonstrably wrong (which still leaves an abundance of legitimate gripes), and I will refrain from jumping to mistaken conclusions about actions that are not necessarily wrong, even though many of us might have differing opinions about the subject. Mike Johnson’s personal opinions about pornography, and how he teaches his own son, do not do me any harm. If he tries to get any laws passed on the subject to reflect his personal views, that is an entirely different subject, and fair game for criticism. But his opinions must be treated with fairness—beginning with an accurate and honest portrayal of what those opinions are—no matter how much we may dislike him as a person. If we say we stand for truth, honesty, and fairness, we have to show our beliefs by our actions.