Eye on the Watcher’s Council

As you may know the members of the Watcher’s Council each nominate one of his or her own posts and one non-Council post for consideration by the whole Council. The complete list of this week’s Council nominations is here. Here’s what the Council members nominated this week.

Dr. Sanity, “THE NARCISSISTIC SYNTHESIS—Sometimes, You Get What You Need”

Pat Santy continues her application of psychological principles to current events, this time concentrating on the dialectic between the thesis of the infantile self and the antithesis of the idealized mother figure.

The Glittering Eye, “Assessing the Threat On Our Southern Border”

You frequently read assertions of the severity of the security threat on our southern border or denials that there’s any threat whatever there. In my submission for this week I attempted to provide some high-quality documentation of the threat that actually exists. Just to be clear: I believe that there are security problems at our northern border, our southern border, and all other ports of entry into the country. The challenge before us is applying the appropriate resources addressing the threats in a prudent manner.

Joshuapundit, “ Saudi Textbooks (After the Intolerance Was Removed!)”

Freedom Fighter comments on the Saudi textbook story from last week. I agree that, whether due to malice or sincere belief or bureaucratic inertia, the continuing use of the materials in question is indefensible. And I continue to be extremely uncomfortable with how cozy the Bushes are with the Saud family and how little revelations of this sort seem to influence that intimacy.

As I’ve written elsewhere, the Sauds are in a tricky situation: they are performing a balancing act to retain power and it’s just a matter of time before the whole thing blows up in their (and our) faces. The question is whether the pace of reforms there can be as fast as it needs to be and I just don’t know the answer to that.

New World Man, “When Government Gives You a Culture of Corruption, Make Culture of corruption-ade”

I wish I could be as sanguine about the political situation as Matt Barr is. Perhaps I’m missing his point but he appears to look at the, as the Jefferson story reveals, apparently bipartisan corruption in our political system as a motivator for reform. I don’t know about the rest of the country but here in Illinois for practical purposes all Congressional districts are either safe Republican or safe Democratic seats and there are substantial barriers placed in the way of third parties. The notion that anyone other than a regular party candidate will be elected to anything whatever is vanishingly small. And so the system self-perpetuates.

The Strata-Sphere, “Stop Fooling Around and Make Progress”

I couldn’t agree more with AJ Strata about immigration policy reform: we need real, substantial immigration reform, we need it now, and that means some level of compromise. AJ, you’re playing my song.

Right Wing Nut House, “Looking for Middle Ground in the Immigration Debate”

Rick Moran’s submission for this week is about immigration policy reform, too. Not being a Republican I’m not as concerned about the implications of Republican disunity on this issue as Rick is and I’m not quite as concerned about assimilation as he is (I do think we should remove some of the impediments to assimilation). Otherwise, I’m in substantial agreement with him. My suggestion for producing a workable bill that achieves the goals we absolutely need to achieve now is use the time-hallowed Washington formula: put strengthening border security, employer sanctions (and enforcement), and the biometric “Green Card” into the next year budget; defer the guest worker program to the off-years.

ShrinkWrapped, “Citizens of the World”

ShrinkWrapped posts on Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s commencement address at Boston College and the letters written in opposition to it. The gist of the letters appears to be that any country (but, particularly the United States since this country is a public utility) acting in its own best interests is ipso facto immoral.

Done With Mirrors, “EU: Monkey at Fault in Monkey-Eating Incident”

Callimachus’s submission this week is his wry take on a small story from last week’s news.

The Education Wonks, “Drilling To Prevent Columbine”

EdWonk notes a bill making its way through the Michigan legislature that would require schools to have regular lockdown drills. This sort of thing was pretty commonplace in the Chicago area as part of the security crackdown following the Laurie Dann shooting incident. They’ve sloughed off at this point and I’ve walked into any number of public and private schools unannounced, unnoticed, and unremarked upon. Sad but sign of the times.

Rhymes With Right, “An Unacceptable Mandate”

Greg writes on the proposal to make vaccination for against HPV mandatory for young women for admission to public schools. I honestly don’t know what to think about this issue and can see both sides of the argument. I also wonder about the equal protection aspects of this. Comments?

Gates of Vienna, “Let Us Make Them All Welcome”

Dymphna posts about the prospective emigration of Ayaan Hirsi Ali and others in fear of Islamist violence to the United States. And, yes, this is an eerie echoing of the 1930’s. “History doesn’t repeat itself but it does rhyme”. Let’s hope there’s less to this than meets the eye.

The Sundries Shack, “Yeesh.”

Jimmie Bise comments on the kerfuffle about Tony Snow’s use of the expression “tar-baby”.  The implication that the expression is itself racist is absurd.

Well, I’ve made my decision about which posts to vote for this week.  How about you?

2 comments… add one
  • “bipartisan corruption in our political system as a motivator for reform.”

    Actually, it’s proof the system’s in good shape. Or in as good shape as a representative republic is likely to get. The last place you want good, conscientious, productive people is in Washington. If Congress were scandal-free I’d be worried they were getting too much done.

  • The Dutch Zoo incident provided me with great amusement, including the actual bizarre harmony comment from the zoo.

    The satire is less convincing.

    The Hirsi Ali post … yet more chicken littlish hysteria. Sad really, but then up to the standards of your council.

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