Saturday is Valley Voices day on the Opinion pages, a day reserved for commentaries by local writers. This week, we've got Clifford Garoupa of Fresno City College sounding a warning that the Legislature and the community are ignoring the methamphetamine problem. Wayne Steffen of Fresno Pacific University writes about public officials getting their egos confused with their jobs and Paul Kaser of Reedley College discusses "The Da Vinci Code."
The Vision section cover, coming up Sunday, looks at cameras in the courtroom. This is not "Judge Joe Brown" we're talking about but the highest court in the land. Justice David Souter says there's little chance he'll become the high court's answer to Judge Judy any time soon. Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, howevers says the Supremes preside over one of the most important in our government, a government that prides itself on being open and accessible. Cameras would help people understand what justice really means. People weigh the pros and cons of this debate. Victor Davis Hanson comes down hard on the CIA, suggesting that if there isn't a drastic change in its arrogant culture, it may be time to just lock the doors up for good.
On the Opinion page, we present our traditional recommendations on all the races in a handy little box, very convenient for those family debates. Our letter witer of the week feature, compiled by Pam Rowse, is Lee Webster Sr., "a conservative Republican with empathy for the less fortunate" in his own words. Jim Boren has a tender and informative column on Alzheimer's disease, which recently took the life of a dear friend. Paul K. Harral of the Fort Worth paper's editorial pages, says Christians are needlessly overreacting to the "Da Vinci Code." Jim Jenkins warns parents not to sound like dorks when they are out shopping for colleges with their kids.
Look for the Word for Word column of quotes on the back page of Vision, and a new feature, the Valley's Top 10 List. This week, it's the Top 10 reasons for video policing in Fresno. It's fun -- and there is an opportunity for you to join in. We'd love folks to come up with their own lists. Don't miss Maureen Dowd comparing the popularity of Ally McBeal in the past to the new "Grey's Anatomy." The networks are after women viewers and women characters and dreamy guys are one way to capture our attention.
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