Crazier by the day

Loonies like Glenn Beck or Sharron Angle or Sarah Palin are bad enough But when true looniness reaches the higher echelons, well, one has to fight a lot harder against depression.

The present national craziness of course covers a very wide spectrum, but immigration is always at or near the top.

Sure, US history shows us that in past economic downturns, minorities were always blamed for just about everything by an angry and frustrated majority. Blame those coarse people who have dark skin or an accent or who eat a lot of garlic or chile.

In these weeks leading up to primaries and the November elections, it seems like every other candidate is playing the fear game. You scare people. Then you tell them you're going to protect them. Then you collect their votes.

Even Sen. John McCain, once-upon-a-time partner of Sen. Ted Kennedy in working toward comprehensive immigraton reform, is telling lies about the border and migrants. (At least he's not echoing governor Jan Brewer's claim that most undocumented folks are drug runners and people are being beheaded in Arizona.)

The blatant fearmongering is bad enough. But now there's a new red herring in the pot: the babies of undocumented mothers.

Various loudmouths have been railing about these babies for ages. But now the fumes are emanating from the top floor. Senators John McCain, John Kyl, Lindsey Graham and Jeff Sessions all want to repeal the 14th Amendment.

Which is just plain nuts.

Here are the opening words of the amendment: "All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside."

Good old boys, just calm down and leave the Constitution alone.