Democracy & Diversity: Not In the Constitution

Originally posted July 16, 2014

Nope, neither concept was on the minds of the Founders. And neither concept shared a place in the Constitution.

Pat Buchanan writes here that in Federalist No. 2., John Jay wrote, “Providence has been pleased to give this one connected country to one united people—a people descended from the same ancestors, speaking the same language, professing the same religion, attached to the same principles of government, very similar in their manners and customs…”

Pat continues, “We were not a nation of immigrants in 1789.”

Pat writes that we are no longer that “band of brethren. …. Nearly 4 in 10 Americans trace their ancestry to Asia, Africa and Latin America. We are a multiracial, multilingual, multicultural society in a world being torn apart over race, religion and riots.”

France, as Debbie and I have found first hand in recent trips, is way ahead of the United States in moving to reform immigration and return to a “France for the French” policy. For a number of years, we have observed the fast-building power of the far right Front National party that recently, in the European elections, kicked the teeth out of the Socialist party of Francois Hollande.

Pat Buchanan asks, “If a country is a land of defined and defended borders, within which resides a people of common ancestry, history, language, faith, culture and traditions, in what sense are we Americans one nation and one people today?”

FN is forming a base to shut off the immigration spigot aiming at Eastern Europe, the Muslim countries, and Africa. FN wants to ship out all immigrants who are not seen as making a substantial contribution to France.