Xenophobic E-Mail Chain Letter

Someone forwarded me an e-mail chain letter yesterday, that really got to me.  It attacked several of my pet peeves at once, bad science/math, forwarding an e-mail chain, xenophobia, and a failure to check Snopes before passing something along.  This person has sent me stuff before, that I have just ignored, but I always feel bad for letting things like this go by without calling out the bad info. So this time I responded, nearly point by point, and kept is simple, didn’t even bring in any Anarchist theory, making the response more easily digestible by those who still believe in the state.

This was a rant about rising gas prices and ‘illegal’ immigration, read the e-mail, and my response, below. (I have cleaned up the original’s font size, colors, spacing, and justification to be easier to read and save space, the content remains unaltered)

George Carlin’s
Solution to Save Gasoline :
Bush wants us to cut the amount of gas we use…..
The best way to stop using so much gas is to deport 11 million illegal immigrants!

That would be 11 million less people using our gas. The price of gas would come down…..

Bring our troops home from Iraq to guard the Border….

When they catch an illegal immigrant crossing the border, hand him a canteen, rifle and some ammo and ship him to Iraq ….

Tell him if he wants to come to America then he must serve a tour in the military….

Give him a soldier’s pay while he’s there and tax him on it…..

After his tour, he will be allowed to become a citizen since he defended this country…..

He will also be registered to be taxed and be a legal patriot….. .

This option will probably deter illegal immigration and provide a solution for the troops in Iraq and the aliens trying to make a better life for themselves..

….

If they refuse to serve, ship them to Iraq anyway, without the canteen, rifle or ammo…..

Problem solved…..

If you think this is a good solution to both the problems, forward it to ALL your friends.
…………
I just did………

Here is my response, I made sure to bulk reply to everyone that received that e-mail the same time I did.

First: this isn’t George Carlin (http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/carlingas.asp)

Second, Gas prices are set on a global market. Deporting 11 Million people won’t change the demand, just shift it to other places, but the price will remain the same.  A big portion of the rise in prices here, is the increased demand in China and India.

Third – Although I fully support bringing the troops home from Iraq, Active Duty Military cannot be used as immigration enforcement because of posse comitatus.  The law forbidding the use of military forces for domestic policing.

Fourth – Conscripting/drafting people as they cross the border is nothing short of slavery, the draft is immoral for ‘citizens’ and ‘non-citizens’ as well.  It is never moral to force someone to work against their will, even if you pay them, no matter what the law.  Shipping people to Iraq to die isn’t even funny.

Fifth – We are a nation of immigrants, founded on the ideas of freedom and escaping to a better life.  The statues of liberty still has a plaque that reads “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breath free, the wretched refuse of your teaming shore.  Send these, the homeless, the tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door.”  (http://www.libertystatepark.com/emma.htm)

Some may argue that your ancestors came here legally, but it was MUCH easier then. Wanting to destroy the American Dream, to close that ‘golden door’ is cruel and nightmarish, to desire to do so for greed and protectionism is even more so.

If you hold freedom and the truth dear as I do, please send this to all your friends.

Xaq Fixx

Why did I feel the need to respond? as Edmund Burke said “The only thing needed for evil to prosper is for good men to do nothing”