'Transnationalists' Don't Take Immigration Reform Seriously

Real Clear Politics ^ | April 02, 2006 | John Leo

[kellynla]

In his 1995 book "The Revolt of the Elites and the Betrayal of Democracy," the late Christopher Lasch argued that America's political and cultural elites had opened up a gap between themselves and ordinary Americans. "Many of them have ceased to think of themselves as Americans in any important sense, implicated in America's destiny for better or worse," he wrote. They are increasingly detached from their fellow citizens and drawn to an international culture, Lasch said, or what we would today call a transnational culture.

Consider the current immigration debate in this light. In the transnational view, patriotism, assimilation and cultural cohesion are obsolete concerns. Borders and the nation-state are on the way out. Transnational flows of populations are inevitable. Workers will move in response to markets, not old-fashioned national policies on immigration. Norms set by internationalists will gradually replace national laws and standards. The world is becoming a single place. Trying to impede this unifying process is folly.

The term "transnationals" specifically refers to those working in and around international organizations and multinational corporations. More broadly, it indicates a cosmopolitan elite with a declining allegiance to the place where they live and work, and a feeling that nationalism and patriotism are part of the past.

To some extent, their worldview cuts across Democratic-Republican and liberal-conservative lines, and reinforces the other concerns that prevent immigration control: the desire for cheap labor and Hispanic votes. Old-line one-worlders and enthusiastic supporters of the United Nations hear the siren call. So do many academics, judges and journalists who attend international conferences and tend to adopt a common consciousness and world outlook.

[wardaddy]

Que tu dices....ese Rokke is un zombie payaso

[wardaddy]

Hey Joe


Why so many damned traitors on this forum?

[thackney]

You insult him and are surprised he doesn't respond in an engaged debate?

You look like an idiot. And I have no idea...

Well, someone looks like an idiot. I'm just not picking Travis McGee for that role.

[Joe Brower]

Well, wd, some are, some aren't. I think most just don't perceive the threat that these internationally-minded, "global governance" types present.

Problem is, by the time the true ramifications of that agenda are so apparent that they finally register, it's too late. Thusly, their ignorance sinks not just them, but us as well. Hey, there's a reason that history is hardly taught any more in the classrooms.

You know, a one world government might actually be a good thing -- if it held up to the bar that the United States has set in terms of individual liberties and all of that old-fashioned, slowly-dying stuff. Unfortunately, with the U.N. via its myriad agencies running the show, it's going to be more like Zimbabwe.

[Liberator]

"Why so many damned traitors on this forum?"

A combination of "Party over Principle," the "Emperor DOES SO wear clothing," and "Zeil Heil" I presume.

[vrwc0915]

Tratior BTT

[Liberator]

"You know, a one world government might actually be a good thing -- if it held up to the bar that the United States has set in terms of individual liberties and all of that old-fashioned, slowly-dying stuff."

In other words, IF the rest of the world abided in the priciples set forth by the American Founders??

Our OWN pols aren't even living up to that standard.

[Rokke]

Read the thread. He hasn't engaged in anything resembling a debate. All he posts is his spam and insults. That he has reverted to posting Spanish obscenities is just more of the same. Apparently that type of dialog appeals to you.

[Liberator]

"Que tu dices....ese Rokke is un zombie payaso"

Aye caramba -- Seguro aparece esa manera.

[John Filson]

I think most just don't perceive the threat that these internationally-minded, "global governance" types present.

It's easier to look the other way.

Watching CSPAN tonight to see the the senate debating the Hagel-Martinez bill, I could see the end of America looming in front of us while sniveling senators like McCain, Graham, Frist, and Reid argued about procedure. It hardly mattered what party they called their own.

Doing nothing has damned us. I saw the Senate chambers defiled today by the spittle of men who shouldn't dare to set foot in its hallowed halls. But doing nothing is more comfortable than noticing we've taken a one way detour to hell.

For those who say we haven't read the material, here are some verbatim quotes.

This material sounds a lot like our elected officials in their debate about what to do about borders. You will be cataloged, injected, inspected, transported, and comported by these rules.

WHAT WE SHOULD DO BY 2010

• Lay the groundwork for the freer flow of people within North America.
• Law Enforcement and Military Cooperation.
• Expand NORAD into a multiservice Defense Command.
• Increase information and intelligence-sharing at the local and national levels in both law enforcement and military organizations.
• Spread the Benefits of Economic Development.
• Establish a North American investment fund for infrastructure and human capital.
• Establish a Seamless North American Market for Trade.
• Open skies and open roads.
• ‘‘Tested once’’ for biotechnology and pharmaceuticals.
• Increase Labor Mobility within North America.
• Expand temporary migrant worker programs.
• Implement the Social Security Totalization Agreement negotiated between the United States and Mexico.
• Create a major scholarship fund for undergraduate and graduate students to study in the other NorthAmerican countries and to learn the region’s three languages.
• Strengthen government structures.

The end of our republic is now. This material merely suggests the details about how it will occur. Senators are listening, reading, and following many of these suggestions. They make perfect sense to the transnationalist. They're an utter anathema to the patriot.

[wardaddy]

Then let him engage, right here on an even playing-field

Amen brother.

[hedgetrimmer]

The world badly needs enlightened immigration policies and best practices to be spread and codified. A World Migration Organization would begin to do that by juxtaposing each nation's entry, exit, and residence policies toward migrants, whether legal or illegal, economic or political, skilled or unskilled. Such a project is well worth putting at the center of policymakers' concerns.

--Andre Meyer Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.

FOREIGN AFFAIRS ARTICLES

Articles by CFR Fellows and experts in Foreign Affairs.

[John Filson]

bump

[Rokke]

Your excerpt is from an article written by a guy named Jagdish Bhagwati. He is a professor at Columbia University. He is not a member of the CFR. But hey, I'm just glad to see a post in English.

[wardaddy]

He is not a member of the CFR

Really pendejo?

Toca Aqui Payasito

[John Filson]

And they said we didn't read! The dissolution of America will be published -- on the Internet.

[Rokke]

Really. He is a senior fellow. That is not a member. Look up what the difference is sometime. You might learn something.

I'd respond in Spanish, but I don't know anything other than Taco and Taquilla.

[wardaddy]

Jorge...no damn wonder

[Clemenza]

I'm extremely depressed. I thought going to the pistol range after I got my work done would make me feel better.

It hasn't.

[John Filson]

Isn't your argument basically that CFR doesn't pull any real strings, so therefore it should be considered harmless? Why do you rush to its defense when its ideas are so poisonous? It hardly matters whether the CFR can harm America directly or not. Its ideas deserve to be attacked either way. It hardly matters if its members are powerful or not, or if its associates are influential on the CFR itself or just using it on their curriculum vitae. Some ideas -- and the people who defend them, deserve to be described in the harshest of terms. It's just a thought for you. Good luck!