[rrpjr]

A really pernicious form of political correctness grips LA. One cannot even engage a debate on this issue, or any "sensitive" issue related to the city's civic health, at least in anything but mincing and meaningless platitudes. No amount of evidence of social decay matters. In fact, it is considered bad form to raise such evidence. To wit: a reporter asked one of the candidates for mayor, Antonio Villargosa (sp?), an apologist for illegal immigration, if it was in the public interest to ignore the real possibility that 75% of Latino gang members were illegally in this country. He responded by calling the question "inflammatory." Predictably, he refused to answer. That is it in a nutshell -- denial and affected indignation. The local media are useless: they are either racist-phobic liberals terrified of any honest social discourse and where it might logically lead, or sensationalizing airheads interested only in mudslides, high-speed police pursuits and showbiz gossip. I'm afraid nothing will change -- except perhaps in the event of a major terrorist event related to a border crossing.