News and views from the award-winning author of the novels The Skinny Years, America Libre, House Divided and Pancho Land

Wednesday, June 6, 2007

"Time to lock and load"

Anyone who doubts that the immigration issue has dredged up the festering muck of U.S. extremism need only read the hate being spewed by nativist these days. A prime example is the June 2nd column by radical-right hobgoblin Pat Buchanan titled “Time to lock and load.”

In this nasty missive, Buchanan threatens George W. Bush that the radical right will withdraw its support of the president on the war in Iraq if he doesn’t come around to the nativist side of the immigration debate, namely: send all the filthy cucarachas back where they came from. Not to be outdone, Buchanan’s inflammatory title has spawned an even more chilling response from one the minions of the hate brigade.

In response to Buchanan’s “Time to lock and load” article, one nativist blogger wrote:

“We here at the PC Apostate encourage our readers to always have a weapon closely at hand and make sure its [sic] loaded. One never knows when the time will come to use it.”

I’m certain this guy means it. And that’s the grim part of the immigration controversy. It has unearthed a vein of hatred and bigotry that threatens to pollute the nation.

Raul Ramos y Sanchez