So, if say, a light-hued person, such as myself, was walking down the street in Phoenix, a police officer could suspect that I am in this country illegally, having fled Sweden for the economic opportunities and political freedoms unavailable in my native land, intent upon stealing jobs assembling Ikea furniture from deserving American citizens. Upon this eminently reasonable suspicion, he could demand my “papers” (as they say in the movies), and if I failed to provide him sufficient proof, he could arrest me for that very fact. Not for being in the country illegally, necessarily, but merely for having the temerity to appear in public, flaunting my lily-white skin, without proper identification.

Is that how it works?

“Each congressman will be required to wear those NASCAR suits which prominently display the names of the corporate sponsors. So the typical congressthing might have Big Pharma on his chest and Exxon on his ass, with the big banks running up and down his arms. Each politician would be required to begin and end each speech with the statement ‘This message brought to you by …’ and list the names of his three top contributors. And each bill will be required to bear the logos of its corporate sponsors. This won’t make politics any more democratic, but it will make it a lot more fun. And a lot more honest. We can dispense with the fictions of ‘liberal’ and ‘conservative’ and go directly to the real issues: ‘I favor the big banks’ or ‘I favor the manufacturers,’ and such like.”

So, the Republicans get to shaft illegal immigrants, and the Democrats get to impose a “let me see your papers” scheme that will make all of us less free.

So, the Democrats get to shaft illegal immigrants, and the Republicans get to impose a “let me see your papers” scheme that will make all of us less free.

Funny how that sentence works both ways.

Well, me neither, but that’s what the stereotypes and rhetoric have always insisted was the reality. No more.

When I read the headline “Senate Reviewing How College Football Picks No. 1″, I assumed, in a knee-jerk (but not unfair) reaction, that it must be Democrats leading the charge. Au contraire.

The two leaders mentioned in the article were Senator Orrin Hatch and Representative Joe Barton, both Republicans.

Two points need to be made here: first, any politician who assumes that the federal government has or should have the authority to regulate how the NCAA picks their football champion needs to resign or be impeached. It is ludicrous and despicable that the idea even comes up in serious conversation. Such arrogance demonstrates complete and utter disrespect for the principles of limited, constitutional government.

And, before you ask, yes, I have basic understanding of both antitrust law and the commerce clause.

Putting that aside for the moment, it’s not even as if either house of congress has any business telling any organization how to govern themselves. Is it going too far to assert that not many people associate the United States Congress with concepts of good sense and fairness?

The second point: Republicans, if you’re going to insist on the nationalization of NCAA Division 1 football, do us the courtesy of changing your name to something other than Republican. “Republic” is an honorable word as well as a worthy goal; you really shouldn’t be so shameless as to drag it through the mud. The football thing is just the straw that broke the  camel’s back – your party hasn’t been true to it’s principles in a generation. Quit pretending.

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He was kind of vague about who “they” are, exactly, but I’m going to venture a guess:

They = Just about everybody.

Now if he’d just listen to the voice of the people.

And shut up.

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Today I’m serious.

Last week in Salt Lake City (which, last I heard was still part of the Union) there was a soccer match between Real Salt Lake (an American professional soccer team for those of you who don’t follow the sport) and the National Team of The People’s Republic of China (a team representing the most repressive dictatorial government on the face of the earth).

The outrage isn’t the fact that there was a soccer match (I know some of you were thinking that), nor that the dirty lousy Commies team from the PRC were taking part. No, the outrage was this (quoting from the Deseret news article):

Several Real Salt Lake fans say their right to free speech was violated when stadium and team officials kicked out fans who had refused to stop waving Tibetan flags during Thursday’s exhibition game against the Chinese National Team.

“I was really, really shocked. I couldn’t believe this was happening in this country,” fan Colin Coker said.

Coker said he and several others, including five Tibetan men, were escorted out of the University of Utah’s Rice-Eccles Stadium by about 10 officials, including stadium personnel and Real Salt Lake representatives, because they had been waving Tibetan flags and had refused to put them away when the officials told them to do so.

The controversy began shortly after halftime, when Chinese players complained about fans displaying Taiwanese and Tibetan flags and a sign that said “6-4,” written in Chinese. That sign referred to June 4, 1989, the date of the Chinese government’s attack on protesters in Tiananmen Square in Beijing

The guys who were exercising free speech had to go, but the representatives of the brutal repressive Communist regime got to stay. The world has truly been turned upside down.

And, yes, I am aware of the arguments about the stadium being private property (though if public funds were used in its construction, this may not be the case), and having a ticket to an event being a revocable license and all that garbage. That doesn’t make the actions of the organizers any less reprehensible.

I like the irony here. The party that most often attacks “Hollywood” runs an actor for the White House. Sweet.

It also reeks of déjà vu, doesn’t it? The Republicans turn to an actor to save the world from liberalism? Wait, I’ve seen this one before . . .

Of course, unlike Ronald Reagan, Fred Thompson was a politician before he was an actor, and actually has some serious credentials. Did you know he was instrumental in the downfall of Richard Nixon, as counsel to the Senate Watergate Committee? Did you know he’s never won an election by less than 2-1 margin? Did you know he was in “Days of Thunder” with Tom Cruise?

Okay, so nobody’s perfect. But still, this is the only potential candidate so far, from any party, that I could conceivably support. He doesn’t need, nor particularly want, the gig; this alone makes him electable. He has a common sense approach to public policy, as opposed to the ugly pragmatism that seems to drive everyone else in politics these days.

And, maybe he could get Sam Waterston to be Attorney General.