The new Arizona immigration law continues to resonate around the country and now figures to become a tipping point for advocates on all sides of this issue and a level of activism that has now risen to a fever pitch. In a recent edition of The Houston Chronicle, my friend Bill King wrote an insightful […]
And Then There is Arizona
Apropos Peggy Noonan’s “The Big Alienation”, the recently adopted immigration law in Arizona is a monument to the dysfunction of Washington and a perfect illustration of the “systematic misunderstanding” that exists between our government and the people it purportedly serves. Remember the definition of systematic misunderstanding? This is a condition wherein the frame of reference […]
The Immigration Debate Isn’t Going Away
A couple of recent items indicate that the immigration debate could be shifting. Who knows why–maybe because of the pressure on employment from the recession, maybe the increasing fears about the drug war in Mexico, possibly because of heightened fear of terrorism–all legitimate concerns. Item one: In the wake of the Texas legislative session which […]
When is Enough Really Enough?
The execution-style schoolyard murders of three college students in New Jersey should have once and for all convinced all clear-thinking Americans that the “don’t ask, don’t tell” sanctuary policies we tolerate in our cities should end now. There should be no bail ever for an illegal immigrant and every judge and district attorney should be […]
The True Immigration Divide
David Brooks is one of the more talented and perceptive observers on the scene today, but I am disappointed in his analysis of the configuration of the conflict over immigration policy. His take on it in a recent essay is that the conflict begins with the explosion of higher education over the past forty years […]
Houston, We Have a Problem
The tragic murder of a Houston police officer by an illegal immigrant who previously had been deported has lifted to high relief the city’s shameful “sanctuary” policy for dealing with illegal immigrants. The incident and the resulting outrage have forced the police department to revise the policy slightly, but arrests solely on the basis of […]
What Multiculturalism Hath Wrought
At this point, there is not much to add to the cacophony of voices currently very loudly expressing themselves on the immigration reform issue, nor to my views on the matter previously expressed in these pages. So, for openers, I will repeat some thoughts, and then add a few new ones:It seems to me that […]
The Minutemen Should Be Heeded
Of all the current national policy issues, the one on which I find myself most at odds with the President is immigration, and I believe that those who dismiss the sentiments embodied by the “Minutemen” on the Arizona border do so at their political peril. The issue is often expressed in terms of its implications […]
Some Borrowed Thoughts On Immigration
Thanks to Bethel Nathan for passing along the remarks of former Colorado Governor Richard D. Lamm from a recent immigration-overpopulation conference in Washington, D. C., which I paraphrase as follows: “Arnold Toynbee observed that all great civilizations rise and fall and ultimately commit suicide, and so, to destroy America, here is how we do it. […]
Thoughts On Immigration Policy
There will be much more to say later as it plays out in Congressional deliberation and the election campaigns, but for now President Bush deserves credit for putting into play the thorny problem of illegal immigration. There is much not to like about his proposal, but what better time to debate it than during an […]