January 14, 2008 5:34 AM

Well...it was either those folks or Governor Goodhair, right?

DALLAS ‚Äö√Ñ√Æ When editorial writers at The Dallas Morning News chose the illegal immigrant as the newspaper’s Texan of the Year, they expected some criticism. But not this: 800 blog postings and more than 150 letters to the editor blasting the decision. Some of the critics threatened to cancel subscriptions or pressure advertisers to stop doing business with the paper…. The Texan of the Year designation, announced in Sunday’s paper, has been an annual year-end editorial page feature since 2003. It recognizes _ without passing judgment _ someone who has had a major impact or effected change in Texas during the past year. Previous recipients included the city of Houston for its response to Hurricane Katrina and a former police officer whose two sons died in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as George W. Bush and Karl Rove.

So the Dallas Morning News actually had the cojones to do something guaranteed to spark a spirited dialogue. Well, my hat’s off to ‘em…because here’s the thing- they’re right. Anyone with even a shred of intellectual honesty would have to admit that there are few other issues that have been so thoroughly discussed, debated, and propagandized as the issue of illegal immigration. This is a discussion that we as a nation should be having. Unfortunately, it would seem that the debate has devolved into shouting, name-calling, and acrimony. Ya gotta LOVE democracy, no??

Yes, DMN picked the illegal immigrant as it’s Texan of the Year. How many other people have the potential to bring out the truly ugly side of the American sheeple as the illegal immigrant?

In its editorial, the News noted that illegal immigration directly affects Texas because of its proximity to the border and reviewed how policies aimed at curbing it have played out across the state.

For example, it cited efforts by Irving police to identify suspected illegal immigrants arrested for minor infractions, even traffic offenses, and turn them over to immigration agents.

The newspaper also mentioned Farmers Branch, another Dallas suburb, where residents and leaders marched into the immigration debate by requiring landlords to make sure renters are U.S. citizens or legal residents before leasing to them. And, the Morning News noted, a planned border fence has riled officials throughout the Rio Grande Valley.

Whether we choose to admit it or not, immigration- legal or otherwise- is an issue that speaks to the very core of who we are as a nation. Who we let in and who we refuse entry is as much about us as the immigrants in question. Except for Native Americans, ALL of us can trace our lineage to places outside our borders. From where I sit, it seems that far too many Americans have conveniently managed to forget their own heritage in the rush to demonize those who dream of opportunity and freedom.

I’m not about to get all weepy about illegal immigration, because the very fact of illegality renders any debate moot. What does concern me is the wedge that the issue of immigration is driving into this country. As time goes by, the debate has become less about rationally discussing the issue than it has been about talking at those with whom we disagree.

We can wall off the entire southern border, put up moats, barbed wire, booby traps, and electrified barriers…and we will still be no closer to solving the conundrum that is illegal immigration. Part of the reason is that while billions upon billions of our tax dollars are being wasted walling off our border with Mexico, we’ve conveniently managed to forget that the Canadian border is the longest undefended border in the world. What good is shutting the front door if the back door is left wide open?

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This page contains a single entry by Jack Cluth published on January 14, 2008 5:34 AM.

Greetings from Pleasantville...now quit your whining, willya? was the previous entry in this blog.

When you have no ideas of your own, misogyny and sexism start to look pretty good is the next entry in this blog.

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