Wednesday, April 08, 2009

The fruitcakes are coming

If you've ever participated in an online discussion, you know what happens: the nuts take over. (Ask me how I know ... :)

What I don't understand is the obsession some folks have with certain issues. Our local newspaper is an example. Almost every topic discussed online is somehow brought around to illegal immigration.

I think that immigration should be very open. I think it's good for our country, not to mention good for the folks who come in. I understand that folks differ from me, both in the mechanics of the situation (how we deal with newly-immigrated folks) as well as with the broader issue of immigration itself.

But the near-hysteria escapes me. Why is it people are so terrified of immigrants, legal or otherwise? I know it's not a recent trend -- the nativist bent in American thought is an old one. But I'm still baffled by where it comes from.

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