Political language - and with variations this is true of all political parties, from Conservatives to Anarchists -

is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give the appearance of solidity to pure wind.

- George Orwell

Today being Good Friday I of course missed the boat by having breakfast - which I ordinarily never do - so have already blown the rule of abstinence. So instead, I am taking a cue and doing a bit of reflection. For those of you who do not observe this day, it is a mixed day of sorrow and joy; it is a day to contemplate our failures and to find ways to make amends.

There was a spirited debate last evening between Bill O'Reilly and Geraldo Rivera, firing off extreme opinions on the issue of immigration. Please take note I did not refer to this as Illegal Immigration, because I really think that given the fact we are all immigrants, even the Native Americans migrated from someplace, we are arguing a concept of national growth by applying a vilifying Adverb instead of facing the true issues at stake. My point here is not to harp my viewpoint, but rather to applaud the shouting debate that took place on the "O'Reilly Factor". It is about time we re-awoke to the fact that we are a nation of different views, and that only by expressing - even shouting - those views that we exercise the very freedom we preach to others. I think we had become pretty complacent in recent times, and thank you to these two men who sat there and spoke clearly their very different views. It is time we debated, all of us. It might just teach us how to find enlightenment amid the ashes.