In an essay recently posted on ACLU PA's blog site by an anonymous poster, Lawrence Auster warns us that we are at war! Well... of course we are at war. Not a day goes by without our troops being imperiled by AK-47 fire, rocket propelled grenades, and IED's. People are being shot up, blown up, maimed, injured and killed. So, we all know we are at war, right?
Not that war! Auster is warning us that we are at war with Mexico. Oh! Right! Got it! Huh?
That's right, Mexico. According Auster "the big picture" is that "the Mexican government is promoting and carrying out an attack on the United States." "Mexico," he states bluntly, "is waging war on the U.S."
The means? "Mexico is waging war on the U.S. through mass immigration." Now, according to reports that I've read some of the activities the foot soldiers have been up to include:
- Picking and Packing Tomatoes. No AK-47 required.
- Butchering Hogs. Leave your RPG at home.
- Hanging drywall. OSHA does not allow IED's on the work site.
No one is being shot up, blown up, maimed, injured or killed. Unless, of course, you include carpel tunnel syndrome.
Since this is not a real war, just what is the nature of the threat? Maybe economic? Nope. The question of whether or not illegal immigration’s costs outweigh its benefits is merely "obfuscation" on the part of the media. It is much, much more important that mere economics; it is about one nation "moving into our nation’s land, in order to reproduce on it their own nation and people and push ours aside." It is "cultural imperialism and national vengeance combined in one great volkish movement."
It is, in other words, yet more right-wing, xenophobic , ethnic paranoia. Those of us who expect America to fully respect the rights of all human beings, including economic migrants, are often accused of "playing the race card". That card isn't up our sleeve.
Obviously we want to address any national problem in a rational, humane manner that respects social, economic and geo-political reality. To the extent that economic migration is a problem, what stands in the way of doing so? The nativist activists whose only reality is their ethnic identity, and who have found a publicly acceptable outlet for their hate. So, take them out of the debate, and we can focus on a reasonable solution to what probably isn't too big of a problem.
