Entertainer Andy Griffith Dead at 86; Video: Sheriff Andy Taylor vs. The Patriot Act

Entertainer Andy Griffith Dead at 86; Video: Sheriff Andy Taylor vs. The Patriot Act
Published: 03 Jul, 2012
1 min read

The Huffington Post reports the death of a folksy American TV icon:

Actor Andy Griffith died on Tuesday morning in Dare County, North Carolina, reports WITN.com.Dare County Sheriff Doug Doughtie confirmed to the website that an ambulance went to the 86-year-old's home at 7 a.m. this morning.Griffith's good friend and former President of the University of North Carolina, Bill Friday, told WITN that the actor had passed away. The AP and CNN also confirmed the news. Details surrounding the actor's cause of death have not been released at this time.Griffith was best known for his role as Sheriff Andy Taylor in “The Andy Griffith Show,” which ran from 1960 to 1968, and later known for his role as a criminal defense lawyer on "Matlock," which ran from 1986 to 1995. The actor was honored with the the TV Land Legend Award in 2004, and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by George W. Bush in 2005. Griffith was also a singer and musician, and his 1996 album "I Love to Tell the Story: 25 Timeless Hymns" went platinum.

Did you know that Sheriff Andy Taylor was a big Fourth Amendment proponent?

Watch this:

http://youtu.be/0wL9Li0f1Po

Now who's going to call Andy Griffith unpatriotic or un-American in the intemperate language of post-9-11 scare rhetoric? He's as American as apple pie.

Rest peacefully, Andy! America will miss you.

You Might Also Like

Why Neither Side Wants the Truth About Voter ID
Why Neither Side Wants the Truth About Voter ID
Voter ID is treated like a five-alarm fire in American politics. That reaction says more about our dysfunctional political system than it does about voter ID itself. ...
06 Feb, 2026
-
3 min read
Oklahoma Independents Drive Massive Push to Open Primaries With State Question 836
Oklahoma Independents Drive Massive Push to Open Primaries With State Question 836
While much of the U.S. was slammed with severe winter weather over the weekend, volunteers for Oklahoma State Question 836 – which would end the use of taxpayer-funded closed primaries – made a final push to get their campaign to over 200,000 petition signatures....
27 Jan, 2026
-
3 min read
NEW POLL: California Governor’s Race Sees “None of the Above” Beat the Entire Democratic Field
NEW POLL: California Governor’s Race Sees “None of the Above” Beat the Entire Democratic Field
A new statewide poll conducted by the Independent Voter Project finds California’s independent voters overwhelmingly support the state’s nonpartisan primary system and express broad dissatisfaction with the direction of state politics....
12 Jan, 2026
-
4 min read