In defense of Michelle Malkin

Deport All Leftists has a provocative post calling Internet maven Michelle Malkin to task over her support of enforcement first immigration legislation, and concern over the high cost of illegal immigration. Proud neo-Lib that I am I can see the D.A.L.’s point, but his attack on Malkin is personal, unfair and ultimately wrong.

I believe that hard line Conservatives made a mistake by not getting on board with a guest worker program, not just because of election strategy, but for security reasons. There’s a domino effect happening in Latin America, and a new Soviet union is forming right under us. I believe that someday soon, we will need the good will of the Mexican people, not just their corrupt government. Mexico will be our buffer state, and the willingness of the general Mexican population to ally itself with American interests could mean the difference between a proxy war in South America or a Hezbollah affiliate raining katyusha rockets on urban population centers in the southern United States.

Let us be honest, however, in saying that we’re speaking of a cruel policy. The crime and mayhem caused by illegal immigration is the trade-off for both long term security of our nation and long term victory for our party. The threat of a Chavez led military action on our boarder, in my opinion, outweighs the very real concerns of caused by illegals. Now when the guest worker program goes through, the left will be able to take credit for it and swell their numbers with those who benefit from the program and move on to become naturalized. I believe we’ve shot ourselves in the collective foot.

But I recognize that Michelle Malkin is on the moral high ground here. I recognize that even though she’s “wrong,” and that those who share her stance aren’t thinking far enough into the future for my taste, that her belief that Americans should be able to count on the government to protect them comes from a noble place in the heart. I respect her fight for the safety of her fellow Americans, and admire her moral clarity.

The author at D.A.L. and I may share a Machiavellian view of South American strategic policy, but not of inter-party politics. Machiavelli believed that it was better to be loved and respected, and the attack on Malkin shows that D.A.L. wants neither.

There are consequence to illegal immigration and to blame Michelle Malkin, or any American, for expressing their concerns is un-American. I don’t think Malkin’s right, but I do know she’s neither clueless nor contemptible and she definitely isn’t wrong in voicing her opinion or disagreeing with me, she’s just being a good American. I respectfully disagree with her, and value her opinion.

Now will Deport All Leftist do the same?