Educating Ezra Klein
A left whippersnapper tutored by his readers about teachers' unions.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
"Anchor Baby Power": From La Voz de Aztlan. "These babies are destined to transform America. ... La Voz de Aztlan believes that the number is approximately 500,000 'Anchor Babies' born every year." ... Update: Readers from all sides suggest La Voz de Aztlan is a wacky fringe site. There is, for example, this odious page. But sometimes wacky fringe sites say things that are worth bringing into the open. ... More: The non-wacky pro-border-control Center for Immigration Studies estimates there were 383,000 births to illegal-alien mothers in 2002,
constituting 9.5 percent of all births in the country. ... 6:21 P.M.
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Conglomeration + Womanizing = Trouble! Will L.A. Mayor Villaraigosa hold up NBC-Universal's giant $3 billion development plan if it doesn't reinstate his honey at its Telemundo subsidiary? If NBC does take care of Mirthala Salinas, does that mean Villaraigosa owes the company? At last, some irresponsible bloggish speculation from the Los Angeles Times. ... P.S.: Much more irresponsible speculation here and here. ... Update: Womanizing = Traffic Congestion! Bill Bradley notes that while Villaraigosa was distracted by the Mirthala scandal, the state legislature cut $336 million in transit funds "earmarked for Los Angeles and imperiling the long-promised Expo Line to the Westside." Since the Mayor is planning a big increase in housing density in the city, lack of a rail line should make the traffic jams even more brutal than they currently are. [via LAO ] ... 5:56 P.M.
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Missouri's Secretary of State is getting cute, mucking around with the wording of the proposed anti-preference Missouri Civil Rights Initiative to make it seem as unappealing as possible, John Rosenberg charges. ...Update: Press release from the anti-preference camp. ... 5:29 P.M.
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Margaret Carlson: "In fact, Obama is the only candidate who gets under Clinton's skin. ..." [via HuffPo] 3:43 P.M.
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Did Giuliani cut crime--or did the removal of lead from gasoline? A discussion, including why the last sentence of this WaPo piece gives the game away. ... 3:27 P.M.
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The Never-Before-Seen Memoir of a Guantánamo Detainee
How the United States Kept Mohamedou Ould Slahi Silent for 12 Years
Who Said It: Toronto Mayor Rob Ford or Simpsons Mayor Diamond Joe Quimby?
Photograph of Ann Coulter on Slate's home page by Brad Barket/Getty. Photograph of a wedding cake with two grooms on Slate's home page by Hector Mata/AFP Photo. Photograph of Princess Diana on Slate's home page by Georges De Keerle/Getty Images.