A close friend holds the position that massive, uncontrolled immigration is of little concern to the survival of the American nation because anyone coming to this country must enculturate if they are to succeed in this society. He argues, for example, that they should be free to speak any language they choose, but if they choose to speak one other than English they will suffer the consequences of failure. This is very much a laissez-faire approach to the question and, in the vast majority of cases, such a position is to be applauded. But he lives in a bucolic American village embedded deep in the Heartland seventeen hundred miles from the Mexican border. The Federal Recluse lives on the "crust" and is witness to an entirely different reality.

    This region is a Mexican enclave. Its population is overwhelmingly Mexican and is constantly being reinforced by a steady stream of newcomers from across the border. And this enclave is growing. What, some decades ago, were mere pockets of Mexican nationality has now engulfed an entire section of the country stretching from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico. It is spreading north and east, with only the Canadian border and the seas to stop its progress. This friend may eventually find himself squeezed into an ever-shrinking pocket of American nationalism, which grows smaller and smaller until, ultimately, it winks out of existence altogether.

    Within this enclave, the use of the English language is not only largely unnecessary, but can actually be a detriment. Its use is increasingly less an asset than a liability. The Federal Recluse has encountered members of the Mexican nation living in this country who, when asked a question in English, became irate. On one occasion, the possibility of violence was very real.

    Why this focus on language? It is an extremely accurate barometer of the power of Mexican nationalism in the United States and the concomitant decline of the American nation. Language is a powerful transmitter of culture. Those who refuse to learn English, or who feel no need to learn it, are vastly more likely to retain the culture of their homeland and to fail to adopt the culture of the country in which they are now living. This has profound implications for the United States. As discussed in earlier entries, it is the position of the Federal Recluse that Mexican culture, and, more specifically, the philosophy which underlies it, is intrinsically flawed by a deeply embedded and centuries-old element of altruism: the belief that one's highest moral duty is to sacrifice one's interests for those of some other entity in society. Over time, that entity, the recipient of sacrifice, has assumed many forms: the King, the Viceroy, the encomendero, the hacendado, or, more recently, an amorphous Mexican nation. This expectation of self-sacrifice causes a deep-seated resentment and precludes cooperation. The country's economy, its political system, and every other aspect of its functioning as a modern society, suffer as a result. A country which should be a paradise is instead mired in poverty, ignorance and hopelessness. All of this is entirely independent of race. Blonde, blue-eyed Mexicans are as likely to possess this philosophy of altruism and the resentment that accompanies it, as are the darkest Mestizos. The danger here is not unchecked immigration per se, but the societal, political and economic repercussions it brings with it. To the extent that we import the carriers of this intellectual virus, this failed philosophy, we too will fail.

    None of this would matter if the philosophy which built this country was not worth preserving. The Federal Recluse believes that it is. That philosophy, with its emphasis on self-interest—a healthy selfishness, if you will—produced the greatest, freest, wealthiest country in the history of the world. Such a jewel should not be tossed aside lightly.