Debate blogging will not take place, because neither candidate said anything interesting.[See transcript.] Nothing about immigration, affirmative action, or the causes of the “Diversity Recession.” Just some boring stuff about the Prime Minister of Russia, fledgling democracies too close to Prime Minister of Russia for comfort, and similar overseas matters.

Matthew Richer gives an interesting overview of patriotic Americans’ efforts to keep Rhode Island American. Richer notes the deleterious effect current mass immigration is having on the Ocean State . He also notes the “incestuous political culture” and “political corruption” that pervades Rhode Island.

Richer does not link that culture of political corruption to immigration, but reading between the lines I wonder if we don’t get a hint that the mass immigration of the Great Wave was not an unmixed blessing and has a whole lot to do with Rhode Island’s corrupt politics. Was political corruption so rampant among Colonial and Federal Rhode Islanders, before immigration on a large scale into the state? A look at the names Richer links with Rhode Island corruption (Edward DiPrete, Vincent “Buddy” Cianci, David Cicilline) and illegal alien-abetting (Bishop Thomas Tobin) makes me think, probably not.

On the other hand, immigration seems to have given Rhode Island at least one loyal patriot: Governor Don Carcieri.

If, by any chance, McCain gets even more erratic and drops out of the race (which seems like a low probability, but not out of the range of possibility) and the GOP needs a replacement in a hurry, they already have an experienced, reasonable, respected steady hand who is totally on top of current national security issues, and would probably do about as well with economic issues as anybody else they’ve got: Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

I’m just tossing that name out there to go along with the Romneys and Powells.

Thanks to a commenter, here’s the last press release from the nation’s 6th largest bank on the day before it finally went under:

WaMu Recognized as Top Diverse Employer—Again Company ranks in top ten of Hispanic Business’ Diversity Elite and earns perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index

SEATTLE, WA (September 24, 2008) – Washington Mutual, Inc. (NYSE:WM), one of the nation’s leading banks for consumers and small businesses, has once again been recognized as a top employer by Hispanic Business magazine and the Human Rights Campaign.

Hispanic Business magazine recently ranked WaMu sixth in its annual Diversity Elite list, which names the top 60 companies for Hispanics. The company was honored specifically for its efforts to recruit Hispanic employees, reach out to Hispanic consumers and support Hispanic communities and organizations.

The Human Rights Campaign, the largest national gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) civil rights organization, also awarded WaMu its second consecutive 100 percent score in the organization’s 2009 Corporate Equality Index (CEI), which measures progress in attaining equal rights for GLBT employees and consumers. WaMu joins the ranks of 259 other major U.S. businesses that also received top marks in the annual survey. The CEI rated a total of 583 businesses on GLBT-related policies and practices, including non-discrimination policies and domestic partner benefits.

In both surveys, WaMu earned points for competitive diversity policies and programs, including the recently established Latino, African American and GLBT employee network groups, all of which have a corporate executive sponsor and champion.

(more…)

John McCain, who either will or won’t debate Barack Obama on Friday night, announced Thursday evening that he has accepted the resignation of campaign manager Rick Davis, after revelations that Davis was accepting payola from Freddie Mac, and that his campaign tactics this week have been masterminded by Don King and the ghost of Bobby Fischer.

According to a wire service story in the Montgomery Advertiser, Alabama’s board of education has voted, 4 - 0, to exclude illegal aliens from attending the state’s two-year colleges, starting with the spring 2009 semester [New policy denying illegal immigrants admission to Alabama's two-year colleges, September 25, 2008 (probably a short-lived link)]

Note that this wasn’t a decision about whether or not to let illegal aliens attend at in-state tuition rates. Instead, it keeps them out of publicly-funded community colleges, period. Yay!!!

It seems like that vote was resounding, but there was one abstention, and four board members were absent, including Bob Riley, Alabama’s weasel of a Republican governor. So it’s conceivable that this excellent vote could be undone by the unheard-from five. Alabama readers should, please, keep their antennae and guards up.

(Riley earned his weasel-credentials from his chicanery regarding Alabama driver’s license exams in languages other than English. Go here and scroll down to “Court sets date for Alabama driver’s license case arguments.”)

An earlier Advertiser article [cached link], from before the vote, reported:

Two-year chancellor Bradley Byrne said [the proposed measure to exclude illegal alliens] comes while the system is reviewing all of its policies and he doesn’t believe enrollment of illegal immigrants is a big problem among the colleges.

Opponents say the policy is unnecessary and board members should discuss it more before casting their votes.

Why would the nameless “opponents” object to instituting a solution for a non-existent problem? Why would having such a measure in place concern them?

The answer, presumably, is that the opponents anticipated large growth in the numbers of illegal-alien students. And, of course, once it got to that stage, they would argue that it’s “too disruptive” to expel all those students — their attendance would be a fait accompli.

Alabama is wise to forestall being held over a barrel in that manner.