February 14^th

 

Today is Valentine’s Day and today we have two conservatives telling us that the current measles epidemic is due in large part to those pesky undocumented aliens. Mo Brooks (R. AL) tells us that every problem from enteroviruses to measles “might” be caused by illegal aliens. Representative Brooks has used ranting against illegal aliens as his own personal hobby horse. He claims that the white race is under attack from all sides.

What about this enterovirus accusation? The center for disease control claims that there is little risk of children from Latin America spreading enteroviruses. They know this because they can track the various types of enteroviruses. (The rhinoviruses of which there are a great many and which cause the common cold are a variety of enterovirus.) As to measles vaccination Leelanau County Michigan where I live has a lower rate of measles vaccination than Honduras, the home country of many undocumented children.

Congressman Brooks’ fulminations against the Democrats’  “war on white people” which he pushed in an interview on Laura Ingraham’s radio program had even this flamingly dedicated conservative taking issue with him. “Don’t you think that characterization is a bit out there…?” said host Laura. No, indeed he didn’t. I assume that Brooks wants to change the constitution and revoke the citizenship of children of undocumented immigrants born in this country. He really wants to expel about six million people. (That’s a statement not a question.) The Democratic Party should contribute to his campaign. Dick Armey said, “We’ve chased the Hispanic voter out of his natural home.” I don’t think he’ll be coming back and that is certainly good news for Democrats. It should be hard to lose national elections as long as conservatives keep people like Brooks in office.

Brooks is joined in his view of illegal aliens as germ sources by Dr. Ben Carson. Carson is a retired pediatric neurosurgeon. He claims that we are admitting “undocumented people who perhaps have diseases that we had under control.” Notice the weasel words used by both men: “perhaps have diseases” by Carson and “might” be caused by illegal aliens by Brooks. Neither man is willing to suggest that there are conservative states like Mississippi where 99% of the children are vaccinated and that this “might” be the answer to the measles problem.