A big tip of the hat to James Fulford for bringing to my attention a Firing Line debate which shaped my opinions on this subject, the greatest domestic and foreign policy issue of our time, during my formative years. You can view the complete episode, divided into nine parts, on Ryan Kennedy’s Youtube channel. Proving yet again that the world’s most popular video-sharing website can be put towards a more nobler purpose than consuming the latest Taylor Swift music-video.
1994 was an historic year not only because it saw the introduction of Proposition 187, which would prove to be the last major political effort to thwart the inexorable decline of the Golden State, but because it proved to be the beginning of the end for robust public debates about this subject. After the surprising success of Pat Buchanan’s second insurgent campaign for the Republican presidential nomination and the forceful prescience of Peter Brimelow’s seminal work, Alien Nation, in 1996, the voices of dissent were methodically stilled by the bien pensant gatekeepers of immigration dogma.
These days speaking uncomfortable truths about the cultural and political transformation of this country only guarantee you exile from the quarters of decision-making power, whether you be an intrepid, career journalist with impeccable liberal credentials-such as Mickey Kaus-or a dedicated civil servant and patriot like Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions. The case of Peter Brimelow himself is instructive, since it demonstrates that defying elite consensus in this arena is more injurious to your personal and professional status than holding any other perceived heterodox opinion. A respected financial/economic journalist, Mr. Brimelow today is disinvited from public forums with no connection to immigration policy simply because of his refusal to bend his principles in order to accommodate the mandarins of multiculturalism.
The public sphere in this country used to be a more robust thing. Unfortunately, those days are long past, however we can still watch what it looked like online. At least, for the time being. Kudos to Peter and Co. for hanging in there, and good riddance to Ms. Huffington!
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