Xenophobes R Us

Somewhere along the line, I've become a lot more liberal on certain issues than I ever imagined I'd be. A case in point is my kneejerk antipathy of the so-called Minuteman phenomenon.

Undocumented immigration is an intractible problem without any good solutions. There are good reasons not to simply open the borders and have the free-flow of human capital among nations -- even if I support globalism generally. Nevertheless, I can't read a story about these self-appointed anti-Hispanic vigilantes without cringing. The glee with which these busybodies harass poor working class immigrants is despicable. I was able to ignore their antics up until recently, when chapters began forming in Northern Virginia, championed by the usual voices of the right wing like the WashTimes. Their protests even became a hot topic for a period of time in the Virginia governor's race.

Anti-immigrant muckracking has a history almost as long as American politics. It's nice to see that the xenophobic view did not win the governor's mansion for Jerry Kilgore.