Quick note that that the oracle of the anti-immigration lobby, James R. Edwards, has given us another brilliant contribution to his “blame the immigrants” cannon. This time it’s immigrants screwing up health reform, but don’t be fooled: there’s plenty more bashing where that came from.
See, Edwards is the principal of an outfit called the “Man in the Arena Group” (no joke) and fellow at the Center for Immigration Studies, the anti-immigrant lobby’s “we think so” tank. Edwards’ opinions on, well, just about everything, have manifested themselves into the intellectual foundation of the conspiracy-driven, email-forwarding, anti-immigrant echo chamber. He is a consultant to the largest anti-immigrant internet advocacy group, Numbers USA, and writes for the more radical and white nationalist Social Contract Press.
Reverend Edwards?
As I’ve noted before, after leaders of just about every major religious denomination in America called for fair treatment of immigrants and real immigration reform, the anti-immigrant lobby hired Edwards to write a paper. The paper, in essence, reminded us how the Pope missed that part in the bible where it says that loving thy neighbor is conditional on American citizenship. Reverend Edwards was likely cheering the Salvation Army’s controversial “show-us-your-papers-first-and-get-your-toys-for-tots-later” stance. (Now reversed, due to an outpouring of criticism!).