Modern Population Control Movement Motivated By Nativism

by Dave Bennion · 2009-08-17 11:00:00 UTC
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Andrea Nill of ThinkProgress yesterday criticized recent pieces by David Friedlander and Joseph Chamie arguing that the U.S. should "rethink its 'pro-growth immigration policies' and consider the 'demographic realities, future population projections and likely environmental costs' of immigration."

Andrea nicely takes apart the argument on its merits and highlights the rather odd statement from Chamie:

As a result [of increased non-European immigration], America will increasingly look, sound and act differently over the coming decades – which is neither good nor bad but different.

Well, I'm glad he cleared that up.  I wonder if that sentiment drove the choice of the photo he used to accompany his article, which shows a group of Latin@ migrants of indeterminate nationality (read: "Mexicans") which could have been used for any still shot or photo reel on every single Bill O'Reilly and Lou Dobbs story about immigration for the past four years.

[Image: Workers who to Chamie are "neither good nor bad but different"]

Looking at the votes for immigration restrictionist group NumbersUSA's favored nativist politicians, it's clear that the population control movement which puts these ideas out there for "respectable" figures like Chamie and Friedlander to parrot has absolutely no commitment to environmental policy, only to the messaging benefits of environmental bandwagoning.

The politicians in the House who NumbersUSA rates most highly voted against the recent climate change bill 5 to 1.  (And I am fairly certain that those who voted against didn't do so out of disappointment over an insufficiently pro-environment bill).  Based on this analysis, politicians are in favor of protecting the environment or in favor of deporting immigrants en masse, but rarely both.

I asked restrictionist leaders John Tanton, Mark Krikorian, Roy Beck, and Dan Stein to respond to this information 40 days ago, and none of them bothered to answer.  Maybe this is an issue they'd rather not get into, because if you look very closely, the shallowness of the population control movement's commitment to the environment becomes quickly apparent.  I hope someone will notify Joseph Chamie and David Friedlander.

Dave Bennion
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