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With so much going on right now in the worlds of politics and journalism, I couldn't decide the subject on which I wanted to opine in this piece.
So how about some rapid-fire tidbits on at least a few of them?
Here we go:
REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE
Eight people who are not Donald Trump debated Wednesday night in Milwaukee, each hoping to make a dent in Trump's runaway lead for the Republican presidential nomination and to separate themselves from the pack of also-rans.
Trump decided to skip the debate.
I don't know if anyone won the debate or singled themselves out as the clear alternative to Trump. The media put a bright light on tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy for taking some verbal punches from the other candidates, giving him the attention he needs to rise out of a low-number third place in the polls. But I thought former Vice President Mike Pence and former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley got in some good zingers on Ramaswamy.
In my mind, each of the candidates had at least one good moment talking about their policies and what they would do if voters made them president. Also, former New Jersey governor Chris Christie deserves credit for bad-mouthing Trump to boos from the crowd. Agree with him or not, you have to admit that takes guts.
Fox News moderators Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum did a reasonably good job keeping control of the debate and asked some good, solid questions on policy.
It seemed to me Trump won the night. He got to avoid having to talk policy. The few shots taken at him from the candidates at the debate probably won't move any needles. And he even got plenty of love, with most candidates saying they'd support him if he becomes the nominee, even if he's convicted on any of the 91 criminal charges he faces. Ramaswamy even called Trump "the best president of the 21st century." Which makes me wonder: Why is he running against him, then?
RAIDS ON KANSAS NEWSPAPER
On Aug. 11, police raided the office of a Marion, Kansas newspaper and the home of the newspaper's publisher, seizing computers and smartphones.
A prosecutor has since said police lacked sufficient evidence to justify the raid. The police chief claimed he had probable cause to believe the newspaper's staff had broken state law in obtaining a document showing the status of a local restaurant owner's license. The publisher says the paper received the document from a source but never asked for it.
A state police agency is investigating the newspaper's actions. The newspaper hadn't published anything about the document.
Police also seized the phone and computer of a reporter who was not involved with that document but was investigating the police chief's background.
Reporters cannot break the law to get their stories. The law grants them no special privileges to access information the public cannot legally access. Reporters can and have gone to jail for refusing to give up sources who provided government secrets.
That said, police cannot attack the press for investigating the police. If it turns out that was the police chief's motivation here, he should be fired.
There's a right way and a wrong way for police to do things, and the Marion police chief did things the wrong way.
Typically, police or prosecutors use subpoenas, not raids, so a judge, not law enforcement, decides what information law enforcement can extract from the press. That ensures the government does not violate the First Amendment's protections against government intrusion on the media.
That's what should have happened in Kansas.
CONGRESS AND THE LOOMING GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN
Overshadowed by Trump's indictments and the GOP debate and the Maui wildfires and everything else is the fact that Congress has until the end of September to pass a government spending plan or the government shuts down -- again.
The conservative House Freedom Caucus has issued a list of demands -- including lower spending, restrictions on asylum-seekers at the southern border, and opposition to "blank check" spending for Ukraine -- that the Democrats who control the Senate simply won't accept.
Congressional leaders are now talking about passing a short-term spending plan -- again -- to give negotiators more time to iron out a longer-term deal.
Brinkmanship must end in Washington. It rattles the markets, frustrates the American people, and makes the rest of the world laugh at us.
It's time for lawmakers to realize Congress collectively represents all Americans, with all their diverse ideologies, and not just the farthest right and left. It's time for lawmakers to start making offers instead of demands so they can negotiate in good faith toward bipartisan legislation.
That's what real leadership looks like.
Justin A. Hinkley can be reached at 989-354-3112 or jhinkley@thealpenanews.com. Follow him on Twitter @JustinHinkley.