Timothy Shanahan was surprised to learn that Elaine Garan and Steven Krashen had written yet two more critiques of the National Reading Panel (NRP) report. Each already has more NRP-related publications than any member of the panel, and both have been issuing their complaints over a longer period than the panel worked on the eight studies that make up the report. He was also surprised that the Kappan was publishing these critiques, given that, for the most part, no new points are made here. Most of these claims have been refuted, with no discernible effect on the critics. Of greater concern was his trepidation about entering once more into this unfortunate arena. Critical exchanges of this type can be unpleasant, unproductive, and--more worrisome--misleading. The author's main concern with criticisms of the NRP report is that--whether they are legitimate or not--they distract from the essential work of giving children the most effective reading instruction possible. His feelings and beliefs are expressed in this article.