NRO’s Corner, Jason Lee Steorts.

I have strong misgivings about proposals, such as those that my esteemed colleague Ian Tuttle presents today, to restrict the number of Muslim immigrants and refugees in the United States. My root objection is that excluding people on the specific basis of their religion is illiberal and inconsistent with the spirit of the founding principles of this country. (Some readers will object that the Founders thought of themselves as establishing a Christian nation. This is a vexed question the plausible answer to which varies with the identity of the Founder. What I find dispositive is that the founding documents themselves eschew any endorsement of or preference toward a particular religion or creed. And apart from this textual matter, I do not think the political principles enshrined in those documents require justification in specifically Judeo-Christian terms.)

Well goodness, if Jason Lee Steorts thinks I’m being illiberal, then perhaps I should rethink my positions.  Actually, most of the original 13 colonies had a formally endorsed denomination of the Christian faith embedded into state law at the time of ratification of the constitution.  I’ve written extensively on the foundation of liberty using men far more learned that Mr. Steorts, such as R. J. Rushdoony and Douglas Kelly, so I won’t rehearse that here.  What Steorts said was short, cryptic, flighty and trivial.  It deserves no more response than I’m giving it here.

But I will point out one thing in particular concerning Muslim migration.  I am under no obligation – legal or moral – to invite people into my country.  I am under no obligation – legal or moral – to allow people into my country and give them the right to vote to take away my liberties.  I am under no obligation – legal or moral – to support and provide for any Muslim anywhere, including this country.  And finally (and I took a beating in comments on this a while back when it came up and I weighed in over other blogs), I am under no obligation – legal or moral – to allow people in this country to have weapons when I don’t think they should be allowed to be here anyway.

This country doesn’t just have a welfare problem (as if I would be more supportive of immigration if only I didn’t have to support the immigrants out of my paycheck).  This country’s religious, cultural, and historical heritage is precious property and earned by blood, sweat and tears, and should not be subject to the vote of men and women who have been raised to hate those ideals.  This country is my property, and I consider all illegal immigrants (and most legal immigrants) to be trespassers who need to be evicted from this property.  Put that in your liberal pipe and smoke it.