Ted Barlow, who is unknown to me other than that he posts at Crooked Timber, professes moral indignation at the fact that “Focus on the Family,” a nice group of aspiring theocrats, has sent out an e-mail to its membership with Michael Moore’s home address in it. Here is Mr. Barlow’s expression of indignation:

“What legitimate purpose could this possibly serve? What have Moore’s neighbors, wife and daughter [emphasis added] done to merit the danger that FOTF have foolishly put them in? Simply disgusting.”

But what has Moore himself done that merits putting him in danger? Is the cost now of mocking the President of the United States that the “brown shirts” may come calling? I assume Mr. Barlow did not mean to imply as much, but this way of putting his moral objection is strikingly odd.