Immigration here and in Europe

Although the attitude of many of the pro-immigrant protestors on Monday was somewhat annoying, I am having a hard time getting worked up about it. The idea that people who sneak into the country illegally and then make all kinds of demands on the rest of us is irritating. However, I have to admit that "Si, se puede" is a pretty positive message. It sure beats "If you insult Islam, we will behead you." Even if the carrying of American flags was calculated to win support and be good PR, it was nice to see them. Generally I think it's good that our economy is creating jobs and people want to come here. There is a limit to how many people the country can handle. In addition, the people who get hurt are likely unskilled poor people whose wages will be kept down by the influx of other low skill workers. I'm not sure though with unemployment at 4.7%, it's causing much harm at the moment.

God's Own Party?

Kevin Phillips in an overheated editorial in the Washington Post claims that the Republican Party has become the first reglious party in the United States. He claims that President Bush is convinced that God intended him to be President and the religious right which believes that the end time is near has taken over the party. Andrew Sullivan keeps taking about the Christianists who control the Bush White House and the Republican party. I just don't see this. Sure, the religious right is an important part of the Republican coalition but I that's a far cry from an impending theocracy in the United States. The fact that a significant portion of the United States is influenced by religious belief is hardly new. In our founding document, Thomas Jefferson spoke of a "creator". A real theocracy is what we face in the Arab world where it is illegal to convert from Islam and there are governments like Saudi Arabia which break off relations with another country because they have a free press that allow a blasphemous cartoon. Maybe what's unusual in the United States is that there is a movement that is hostile to religion and that sees any religious belief as a threat. Seeing what's going on in the Islamic world, it is easy to become hostile to all reglions. One can see the horror of religious fanaticism. But it is a mistake to see fanaticism where there is just belief.