This is the VDARE.COM edition of Alien Nation: Common Sense About Americas Immigration Disaster.

For more information or to make a tax deductible contribution, contact the VDare Foundation: Mailing address: VDare Foundation, PO Box 1195, Washington, CT 06793 Web address: http://www.vdare.com/asp/donate.asp Grateful acknowledgment is made to the following for permission to reprint previously published material: RAOUL LOWERY CONTRERAS: Excerpt from Racists Wish to Turn America as It Had Evolved in 1965, by Raoul Lowery Contreras, from the August 11, 1993, issue of El Hispano. Copyright 1993 by Raoul Lowery Contreras. Reprinted by permission. HENRY HOLT & COMPANY, INC. : Two lines from Epitaph on an Army of Mercenaries, from The Collected Poems of A. E. Housman. Copyright 1950 by Barclays Bank Ltd. Copyright 1962, 1965 by Henry Holt & Company, Inc. Reprinted by permission. MACMILLAN CANADA AND HUGH MACLENNAN ESTATES: Excerpt from Two Solitudes, by Hugh MacLennan. Copyright 1972. Rights throughout the United States are controlled by Hugh MacLennan Estates and administered by McGill-Queens University Press, Montreal, Canada. Reprinted by permission. NATIONAL REVIEW: Excerpt from The Natives Are Restless, by Joseph Sobran, from the February 22, 1985, issue and from a letter from the August 3, 1992, issue. Copyright 1985,1992 by National Review, Inc. Reprinted by permission. THE NEW REPUBLIC: Excerpt from an article by Michael Kinsley, from the December 28, 1992, issue. Copyright 1992 by The New Republic, Inc. Reprinted by permission of The New Republic. THE NEW YORK TIMES: Excerpt from A Haitian Father, by A. M. Rosenthal, from the December 3, 1991, issue. Copyright 1991 by The New York Times Company. Reprinted by permission. This book was originally published in 1995 by Random House, Inc. It is here reprinted by arrangement with Random House. First HarperPerennial edition published 1996 ALIEN NATION. Copyright 1995, 1996 by Peter Brimelow. Charts and maps copyright 1995 by John Grimwade. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. N o part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For information address, VDare Foundation, PO Box 1195, Washington CT 06793 www.vdare.com office@vdare.com Designed by Beth Tondreau Design I Robin Bentz ISBN 0-06-097691-8 96 97 98 99 00 RRD 10 98765432 1

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so WHAT?

federal governments based solely on their support have been elected very rarely, although they have comprised around three quarters of Canada's population. To some extent, this sort of ethnic rotation has happened before, in many of America's cities. Arguably, it began with the Irish dis placement of the Colonial-stock Yankees in New York and Boston, confirmed when the first Irish Catholic mayors were elected in 1881 and 1885 respectively. But the ethnic differences the United States confronts now are exceptionally deep-perhaps unbridgeable. Here, too, previous American experience might be suggestive. No transfer of power at City Hall from one European immigrant group to another ever pro duced anything equivalent to the "white flight" that has followed the election of black mayors in cities like Detroit and Newark. And now the prize is so much larger-the whole country. This time, moreover, there will be no suburban enclaves to which to flee. All of which leads us to a follow-up question for immigration en thusiasts:
While explaining why they want to transform America, supporters of current immigration policy should also explain just exactly what makes them think multiracial societies work.

WELL-DO MULTIRACIAL SOCIETIES WORK?

Over three years after I first met Julian Simon, I was having dinner with him to debate our differences. We got on to the question of whether multiethnic and multiracial societies can work. "Yugoslavia ... ," I began, thinking of the Serbo-Croatian Bosnian war that had exploded into the headlines. "Yes! Yugoslavia!" he interrupted gleefully. "That supports my case, doesn't it?" I was so surprised that I felt my jaw drop-something that really happens, I find, and not just in cartoons. It took me several seconds to realize what he meant:
The fonner Yugoslavs are fighting despite the fact that they are all the same race (white). Indeed, they are all members of the same

PETER BR1MELOW

124

general ethnic group (South Slav). Even the language spoken by the two major contestants (Serbs and Croats) is basically the same (although written, respectively, in Cyrillic and Roman script).

So-Simon is saying-you can't blame all civil conflict on the di visive results on nontraditional immigration. Homogeneity is no guarantee against strife. All right, all right! For the record, let me admit (in fact, assert): you can't blame everything on immigration or on racial differences. But who said you could? The fact remains that the Yugoslav spectacle can only be seen as chilling-and as a Horrid Warning about current U.S. immigration policy. The differences between the Yugoslavs are indeed relatively minor-<:ertainly compared to the differences between the American nation of 1965 and the immi grants who are now arriving. And that's the point. Those minor dif ferences were still enough to tear the country apart. I've never doubted Simon's debating skills, and this episode left me with even greater respect for his ingenuity. I just worry about whether he's right.

MULTIRACIAL SOCIETIES: THE EVIDENCE

Of course, our follow-up question, about whether multiracial socie ties work, is a fairly shocking one. It's actually much more shocking than the original question why do the immigration enthusiasts want to transform America? No one ever thinks to ask that. But asking about whether multira cial societies work is quite obviously a direct challenge to America's recently established religion. And, since America has been biracial since Colonial times, it appears to imply a pessimistic view of the prospects for black-white harmony-the greatest problem of Amer ican life (until the post-1965 immigration). But there's a plain fact to be considered: the evidence that multi racial societies work is-what shall we say?-not very encouraging. There have, of course, been multiracial societies (strictly speak ing, usually multiethnic) in the past. Famous examples are the Roman Empire, or the Arab Caliphate, which briefly ruled from

PETER BRIMELOW

12 4

12 5

general ethnic group (South Slav). Even the language spoken by the two major contestants (Serbs and Croats) is basically the same (although written, respectively, in Cyrillic and Roman script). So-Simon is saying-you can't blame all civil conflict on the di visive results on nontraditional immigration. Homogeneity is no guarantee against strife. All right, all right! For the record, let me admit (in fact, assert): you can't blame everything on immigration or on racial differences. But who said you could? The fact remains that the Yugoslav spectacle can only be seen as chilling-and as a Horrid Warning about current U.S. immigration policy. The differences between the Yugoslavs are indeed relatively rninor---(:ertainly compared to the differences between the American nation of 1965 and the immi grants who are now arriving. And that's the point. Those minor dif ferences were still enough to tear the country apart. I've never doubted Simon's debating skills, and this episode left me with even greater respect for his ingenuity. Ijust worry about whether he's right.

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components, 1993

MULTIRACIAL SOCIETIES: THE EVIDENCE

Of course, our follow-up question, about whether multiracial socie ties work, is a fairly shocking one. It's actually much more shocking than the original question why do the immigration enthusiasts want to transform America? No one ever thinks to ask that. But asking about whether multira cial societies work is quite obviously a direct challenge to America's recently established religion. And, since America has been biracial since Colonial times, it appears to imply a pessimistic view of the prospects for black-white harmony-the greatest problem of Amer ican life (until the post-1965 immigration). But there's a plain fact to be considered: the evidence that multi racial societies work is-what shall we say?-not very encouraging. There have, of course, been multiracial societies (strictly speak ing, usually multiethnic) in the past. Famous examples are the Roman Empire, or the Arab Caliphate, which briefly ruled from

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12 3

so WHAT?

federal governments based solely on their support have been elected very rarely, although they have comprised around three quarters of Canada's population. To some extent, this sort of ethnic rotation has happened before, in many of America's cities. Arguably, it began with the Irish dis placement of the Colonial-stock Yankees in New York and Boston, confirmed when the first Irish Catholic mayors were elected in 1881 and 1885 respectively. But the ethnic differences the United States confronts now are exceptionally deep-perhaps unbridgeable. Here, too, previous American experience might be suggestive. No transfer of power at City Hall from one European immigrant group to another ever pro duced anything equivalent to the "white flight" that has followed the election of black mayors in cities like Detroit and Newark. And now the prize is so much larger-the whole country. This time, moreover, there will be no suburban enclaves to which to flee. All of which leads us to a follow-up question for immigration en thusiasts:
While explaining why they want to transform America, supporters of current immigration policy should also explain just exactly what makes them think multiracial societies work.

WELL-DO MULTIRACIAL SOCIETIES WORK?

Over three years after I first met Julian Simon, I was having dinner with him to debate our differences. We got on to the question of whether multiethnic and multiracial societies can work. "Yugoslavia ... ," I began, thinking of the Serbo-Croatian Bosnian war that had exploded into the headlines. "Yes! Yugoslavia!" he interrupted gleefully. "That supports my case, doesn't it?" I was so surprised that I felt my jaw drop-something that really happens, I find, and not just in cartoons. It took me several seconds to realize what he meant:
The fonner Yugoslavs are fighting despite the fact that they are all the same race (white). Indeed, they are all members of the same

PETER BR1MELOW

124

general ethnic group (South Slav). Even the language spoken by the two major contestants (Serbs and Croats) is basically the same (although written, respectively, in Cyrillic and Roman script).

So-Simon is saying-you can't blame all civil conflict on the di visive results on nontraditional immigration. Homogeneity is no guarantee against strife. All right, all right! For the record, let me admit (in fact, assert): you can't blame everything on immigration or on racial differences. But who said you could? The fact remains that the Yugoslav spectacle can only be seen as chilling-and as a Horrid Warning about current U.S. immigration policy. The differences between the Yugoslavs are indeed relatively minor-<:ertainly compared to the differences between the American nation of 1965 and the immi grants who are now arriving. And that's the point. Those minor dif ferences were still enough to tear the country apart. I've never doubted Simon's debating skills, and this episode left me with even greater respect for his ingenuity. I just worry about whether he's right.

MULTIRACIAL SOCIETIES: THE EVIDENCE

Of course, our follow-up question, about whether multiracial socie ties work, is a fairly shocking one. It's actually much more shocking than the original question why do the immigration enthusiasts want to transform America? No one ever thinks to ask that. But asking about whether multira cial societies work is quite obviously a direct challenge to America's recently established religion. And, since America has been biracial since Colonial times, it appears to imply a pessimistic view of the prospects for black-white harmony-the greatest problem of Amer ican life (until the post-1965 immigration). But there's a plain fact to be considered: the evidence that multi racial societies work is-what shall we say?-not very encouraging. There have, of course, been multiracial societies (strictly speak ing, usually multiethnic) in the past. Famous examples are the Roman Empire, or the Arab Caliphate, which briefly ruled from