Dylan Hales

March 15, 2009

The American Spectator has an interesting article up on the man who turned me into an opponent of mass immigration, Edward Abbey.  Entitled “Conservative Anarchist,” the essay by Bill Croke is a pretty good overview of Abbey’s career, though it fails to delve into the details of Abbey’s philosophy. 

Despite the fact that the piece lacks any real analysis, I was overjoyed to see it. Those of us that worry about the environmental consequences of immigration are rarely seen as part of the broader “restrictionist” coalition and “Cactus Ed” was our “Pitchfork Pat.”  Perhaps more importantly, the fact that The American Spectator would publish a largely sympathetic portrait of such a radically anti-statist figure can only be seen as a good sign. 

I’m not one for unrealistically optimistic appraisals, but here’s hoping that Ed Abbey becomes more relevant to the current debate on immigration – and that AmSpec continues to publish articles that challenge the conventional wisdom of the “conservative establishment.”