Oddly enough, as a reformed multi-culturalist, I mostly agree. I came to multi-culturalism through two paths, both of which I still belive in. The first was political. As a libertarian, with slight Randian leanings, I believe in individuals not groups. The mass is irrelevat, its the person that matters. The second principle, and ironically the one that saved me from multiculturalism, was my academic, lense. There are many ways to look at at political anthropology, or why humans make the political choices they do. One is a neo-marxist/post-modernist perspective. In plain English that means that while human nature is fixed, its malleable. We are shaped by our material and cultural surroundings, but only within limits. We all want honor yes. But do we defend it by taking up a gun or hiring a lawyer? Human nature says what cannot work, culture says HOW it works. Initially this lead me to think that we can make multi-cultualism work and keep our basic identity. Then Aristotle (the bastard) kicked in with his non-contradiction priniple. If we are shaped by a culture, and many cultures compete, assimilation can't happen. Assimiliation is required for a nation held toghther by ideas. Thus multi-culturalism is suicide. So FQ, while still buying his libertarian politics and neo-marxist and post modern anthropology (using these in a purely technical, not political or theological sense, since, Christian individualist here) has come to echo Pat Buchannan on immigration. Enough. Or, if you prefer, Bastante (the Quaker does not prefer). Come here legally and assimilate or be Canada's problem.
A child of immigrants can grow up surrounded by pressure to assimilate to succeed. Or she can grow up surrounded by pressure not to "sell out" and avoid American culture. Guess which is stronger? In a non-trivial and non-racial, example I'm from Florida. We have been swamped by immigrants. They want the weather, the low taxes and easy bankruptcy laws. They put pressure on the state to provide them with infra-structure, social services and yet squeal like stuck pigs when asked to pay for the natives education. They disdain the culture, the food, the political and religious sensibilties of those born here. They go out of their way to erradicadicate our culture by attacking hunting, guns, keeping a truck or a boat in your drive way or owning more than one dog. They block off access to our beaches with their condos and openly laugh at us. Who are these aliens? Yankees. The ones who refuse to acknowledge that by moving to what was, and God willing, will again be the South, you accept Southren culture or stay home in New Jersey. Its a very true example. I've seen my state turned into something I don't recognize by arrogant immigrants who feel they have no duty to adapt to local customs. I fear for the nation if we suffer Florida's fate at the hands of illegal immigration.
FQ13 who is no one's liberal on this issue,