By the way, on the immigration issue...

...did you catch this? It appeared in a New York Times editorial on the proposed immigration bill (the one that went down to defeat in the senate not long ago). What caught my eye was wheen the Times' editors wrote this: "It is the nation’s duty to welcome immigrants, to treat them decently and give them the opportunity to assimilate."

Hmmm. Really? Even illegal immigrants? We have a "duty" to unquestioningly welcome all of them, too?
And is there no limit to this "duty" to welcome immigrants? Will our living space, our housing, our health and educational resources, be unlimited? I don't think so. But it's remarkable that the NY Times' editors (and others) think differently.

Al-Jazeera/English wants your input...

...and they say so themselves, right here. They want input from Americans on how they can make their channel better, and they invite YouTubers to make 30-second-or-less videos as a response.

Well, don't let them down. Tell 'em what you think--and don't forget to include some constructive criticism. For example, note that even many in the Middle East find something to criticize when it comes to Al Jazeera...

Nine good ways to be a goo-goo.

Back in the late 19th century, those concerned about corruption and inefficiency within our national political culture were called "goo-goos"--good government types. (Some may have also wanted to paint them as weenies.) I try not to be a goo-goo; the endless tut-tutting gets boring. But I do think we need a more informed electorate; who doesn't. In political campaigns, I think we need more discussion of issues. Who doesn't.

So, that having been said, Marvin Kalb a couple of months ago wrote an interesting piece for the NY Times. In it he calls, for the 2008 election, for TV time to be set aside each Sunday evening for the 9 Sundays between Labor Day and Election Day---time for serious candidate debates on the issues. If you count the 3 major over-the-air TV networks, plus all the cable news networks existing now---CNN, FoxNews, MSNBC, etc---there are really 9 major news networks. You could have a debate on each one. It could be done. It could be good. Kalb's piece deserved more attention than it received.

"The Imperiled Presidency Inside the Bunker"...

Yes, folks, the above is a news headline above what sorta kinda purports to be a news story, on the front page of the Washington Post. Talk about loaded!