Well, here’s one candidate for Man of the Year: Louis J. Barletta, the mayor of Hazleton, Pa. Read this Georgie Anne Geyer column to see why.

Hizzoner has even noticed that more “diversity” makes for less civility.

“Of the English requirement, for instance, the mayor says simply: ‘When neighbors can no longer speak to neighbors, that’s when divisions come in and a city becomes divided.’ This grandson of Italian immigrants, who proudly spoke only English except at home, angrily dismisses the popular threat from the left branding anyone who is against uncontrolled immigration as racist. ‘Illegal doesn’t have a race,’ he said, his face darkening for just a moment. ‘I embrace all legal residents.’
“Curiously, Harvard University political scientist Robert Putnam has recently published bleak findings of his research showing how the ethnic diversity passions of the pro-immigration left are breaking down the public civility that Barletta is striving to maintain. The more diverse a community is, says Putnam, author of the 2000 book on societal atomization, Bowling Alone, the more likely that its inhabitants don’t trust anyone in the community.”

[Derb] This is dog-bites-man stuff for anyone not totally brainwashed by the “diversity” rackets. For more on Prof. Putnams’s incresingly gloomy take on “diversity,” see here.