Double Shot Tuesday

Pardon the lame classic rock radio reference.

We keep a tight eye on what's going on with Pennsylvania media, including the editorials of our state newspapers. PA editorial boards are often on the side of freedom, but it's relatively rare to see one knock out two base hits in a day. The Patriot News of Harrisburg did that on Tuesday.

First on immigration...

While polls suggest that most Americans oppose "amnesty" for illegal immigrants, the reality is that the country and these hard-working individuals who do much of the dirty work in this country would be far better off if the government's policy were directed at bringing these individuals in out of the shadows.

And then on the detainees at Guantanamo Bay...

The treatment of these detainees, who have been accorded neither the protection of the Geneva Conventions for prisoners of war nor the traditional law-based justice of American courts, represents one of the more egregious manifestations of the conduct of the war on terror. It has particularly inflamed our allies.

While the War on Terror is novel in many respects, America deeply tarnishes its own reputation as a country of laws and justice by consigning these individuals to legal limbo. The high court needs to rescue the country from the government's woefully mishandled treatment of prisoners.

No media outlet wants to be seen as favoring one side or another in the political arena, and the Patriot News at times annoys those on both the left and right, which probably means they're doing their job well. But there is one side that all newspapers should be on, and that's the side of freedom.

Andy in Harrisburg