Germany considers the implementation of Integration Contract
While, as a good ACLU member, the thought of having to sign something like a loyalty oath makes me want to recoil in horror, I think there might be some merit to this new program that they’re considering in Germany. Given the current difficulty they’re having in assimilating immigrants, they’re considering the use of an “integration contract,” which aspiring immigrants would have to sign before entering the country. The contract would serve to affirm that the individual seeking residency shared some baseline of common values, such as a belief in “freedom of speech” and “wome

The status of Obamacare
I don’t have time to write a coherent piece this evening on the current status of the healthcare legislation winding its way through the Senate, but I did want to pass along a few links that I think you might find of interest. First, there’s a good piece in the Washington Post about the fracturing alliance of Senate Democrats… Here’s a clip: Democrats had little time to savor their weekend Senate health-care victory, as two of the lawmakers who voted to move the debate forward Saturday night indicated Sunday that they will not vote to pass

I have a dream… and it involves undoing someone else’s dream
I had been concerned that the upcoming anniversary of Martin Luther King’s brilliant, uplifting “I have a dream” speech might go by unmarked in any significant way, given that we’re fighting multiple wars in the Middle East, and trying to sort out healthcare and the economy here at home, but it looks like someone is stepping up to make sure that King’s legacy is honored. And that someone is Glenn Beck. That’s right - Glenn Beck, the media whirlwind known for, among other things, bravely accusing Barack Obama of being a racist

Where does the beauty of Ann Arbor stop, and the Ypsi Ugly begin?
When you’re traveling down Washtenaw Avenue, heading toward Ypsilanti from Ann Arbor, at what point do you feel overwhelmed by the ugliness? At what point does it become clear to you that you’re no longer among the sophisticated intellectuals of Ann Arbor? Is there perhaps a particular house or storefront that, every time you see it, makes you think, “There is no beauty from here on out”? Is there a point at which you just lock your doors and begin to weep like a baby? These questions have been on my mind since earlier today, when I read the following comment on AnnArbor.com, in a thread about

Palin supporters in Columbus, Ohio
I know it’s easy to make people look bad through editing, and I imagine that you could interview 100 random Obama supporters and get some uneducated responses, but, with that said, I do believe these interviews are telling.