I’ve seen attacks on the immigration restriction in the American Spectator like this one, answered by Peter Brimelow here, or this one recently attacking Tom Tancredo, and Dr. Tanton. [Spectator readers smell a rat here.]

So I was happy to see one defending immigration restriction, and pointing out how politically popular fighting the good fight can be.

Unfortunately, they’re talking about Australia. Hal G. P. Colebatch has an excellent article about Australian PM John Howard, the Cronulla riots, and other aspects of immigration as seen from Australia, and not seen very well by the International Herald-Tribune, which did a John Howard hit piece called Australians debating immigration and national identity By Tim Johnston on January 28.

I recommend Hal Colebatch’s article. [Marauding Youth Chic, February 6, 2007 ] I also recommend similar articles closer to home.

The U.S. Constitution, in Article I, Section 10, stipulates that “No state shall …enter into any agreement or compact…with a foreign power” , but that doesn’t stop border governors from dealing directly with Mexico.

Mexico and the U.S. are becoming more enmeshed politically all the time. While Mexican congressmen are in Washington to negotiate U.S. immigration policy. , Governor Janet Napolitano of Arizona is heading to Mexico to meet with Mexican leaders. [Napolitano off to Mexico City as Ariz. booster Arizona Republic Chris Hawley and Matthew Benson , Feb. 8th, 2007]

Among the delegation accompanying the Arizona governor to Mexico City is the governor of a neighboring state, Eduardo Bours, governor of Sonora (that’s in Mexico).

According to the Arizona Republic , Governor Napolitano will meet with President Calderon among others, and that

“[Mexican]Foreign Minister Patricia Espinosa will also compare notes with the governor on efforts to push U.S. immigration reform in Washington. ”

Another member of the Napolitano delegation is Pat Quinn, president of the Arizona branch of telecom giant Qwest. Quinn says that “In these days of the communications world borders have disappeared.”

But Quinn may have ulterior motives in encouraging a borderless world, as the Arizona Republic reports,

“Qwest has been trying to get Latinos in the United States to sign up for its international calling plan and a Spanish-language television package, both launched last year. “

The Napolitano/Quinn/Bours junket is a prime example of the transnational Big Government/Big Business agenda that drives open borders.

Email Mr. Quinn here and tell him if you agree that “borders have disappeared,” and if you think that’s a good idea or not.

Rod Dreher has a post on BeliefNet about Bishop Charles V. Grahmann of Dallas, who recently said

“I often wonder if Joseph, Mary and Jesus would find a place in Farmers Branch. They would probably be told they would have to find another place.”

Farmer’s Branch, like Hazleton, PA, is trying to stop landlords from renting to illegals.

He’s talking about a story in his paper about how annoyed patriotic, law-abiding Catholics are with the Bishop who said this, pointing out that the Holy Family weren’t criminals when the fled into Egypt.
[Faith, politics cross in debate When religious leaders address immigration, some take offense February 6, 2007 By Jeffrey Weiss And Stella M. Chávez , The Dallas Morning News ]

Dreher suggests that Bishop has chosen the wrong side:

The piece takes up the question of whether or not religious leaders are right to speak out in favor of going easy on immigrants in the country illegally. My sense is that unless these migrants are fleeing persecution, religious leaders should stand up for the law, and not the lawbreakers. Are laws regulating immigration inherently unjust? If that’s what Bp. Grahmann and other believe, I understand their stance, though I disagree with it. But if immigration laws are just, and the Farmers Branch city council is simply trying to come up with a way of enforcing the law that the federal government is unwilling or unable to enforce, in what sense is their ordinance requiring renters to prove that they are in the US illegally an unjust law? I don’t get it.

I don’t see why it’s so hard for the Bishops to come out against illegal immigration, which, when you come to think of it, is after all a sin, as well as a crime, involving stealing, false witness, and coveting your neighbor’s house.. Calvin Coolidge is said, perhaps apocryphally, to have described the topic of a sermon as “Sin,” and, when asked to extend his remarks beyond a monosyllable, explained “He was against it.” It seems Bishop Grahmann is for it.

All too many greatly-appreciated blogs have closed down or suspended publication (miss you, ACSL!) . Feeding the blog monster once it is unleashed is an arduous task. At the turn of the year the Dow Blog, which has done much excellent work, was displaying distressing symptoms. Now Darrell Dow is entering the breach again.

Immigration Control is What? is a polemically-useful discussion of the common stratagem of trying to stampede biblically-oriented Christians into the Open Borders camp by citing the convenient text Leviticus 19:34

But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.

Dow Blog points out (among other things) that

Citing C. D. Ginsburg, Rushdoony says that this “’stranger’ is one who has become circumcised, fasted on the Day of Atonement, obeyed the laws of sacrifice, and has practiced the laws of chastity, as well as obeyed other moral laws.” In short, once a foreigner had become part of the community, his nationality was not to be used against him. Such passages …don’t say anything about the criteria whereby aliens gain admittance into the nation.

Dow Blog continues

The Scriptures do call for the extension of hospitality and justice, but not an open-borders re-ordering of social life…Clearly, God organizes society around groups of people: families, clans, communities, tribes, nations. Open immigration destroys such a social order, and a prudential civil government has an affirmative duty to protect the interests of its people.

Immigration Reform will need a coalition. Thinking like Dow Blog’s is a valuable component. Welcome back, Dow Blog.