Q: How many immigration enthusiasts does it take to write a meaningful contribution to the immigration debate?

A: More than two, apparently.

Facts, not fear, should guide U.S. immigration [Kathleen Moccio and Katherine Fennelly – Minneapolis Star Tribune, April 27 2005- access requires free registration], although only 485 words, was co-authored by two educated women who have made careers in the field.

It would be polite to dismiss it as a tedious collection of the usual long-refuted platitudes. But unfortunately it displays more ominous tendencies.

Starting by snarling with outrage that Republicans in the Third District of Minnesota should have the temerity to have U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo speak to them -

"We were appalled to learn that U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo of Colorado was invited to make a keynote speech at a Republican fundraising breakfast in Minnesota's Third Congressional District …His brand of fear-mongering about illegal immigration and his active encouragement of vigilantes should have no place in Minnesota politics"

- M&F go on to make an assertion about The Minuteman project that is totally dishonest:

Among these so-called heroes are white supremacists from the neo-Nazi National Alliance. Members of the Alliance were at the project's kickoff, and some carried assault weapons in their trucks and boasted that they were scouting "sniper positions."

Clearly, a Pulitzer Prize was already packaged for any journalist who could have demonstrated any significant involvement in the Minutemen by serious extremists (who, however, remain - so far - entitled to their opinions). The non-award of this prize evidently did not register in Minnesota – or the authors thought it would not be noticed.

Clearly, there is a strong desire here to ban free discussion on immigration altogether.

The ladies then go on to engage in some fear-mongering of their own:

The fact is that the American economy is dependent upon immigrant labor…Our rapidly "graying" nation relies upon immigrant workers to fill the gap.

Get it, Boomers? Your retirement is dependent on flooding the country with Hispanic immigrants!

This, of course, is utter rubbish. Without their competitive situation being destroyed by imported labor (and outsourcing) the next, smaller, generation will command a higher proportion of the National Income pie – which can then be redistributed via taxes. As it is, the current generation's ability to save is being destroyed by the competitive pressure of immigration depressing wages, and (for the middle class particularly) the explosion of non- reimbursable health care costs caused by the theft of health services by illegals via the ERMs.

The gaping hole in the M & F discussion, of course, is their ignoring of the abandonment of immigration control enforcement on the part of the Federal government.

This is what enabled unscrupulous and irresponsible employers to shatter their local labor markets - and communities - with free-loading illegals.

What animosity caused these apparently liberal women to abandon the normal leftist sympathy for workers? – even given these workers had the poor taste to be born in the U.S.A?  

Ask them: Kathleen Moccio; Katherine Fennelly