Issue #322

Child zombies at the border? It’s the right-wing nightmare

I’ve been noting my skepticism that the GOP was going to behave like decent people on the subject of immigration for a very long time. I’m afraid that this is in the DNA of the right wing—and goes to the heart of every one of their beefs. They cannot stand the idea that people they don’t like are getting any breaks from the government. In their simple zero sum world, anything someone they disapprove of gets comes at their expense. And that includes children. In fact, all these Republicans hear on Fox or talk radio or on their Tea Party mailing lists is that the border is being overrun with diseased murderers who are coming to kill them all in the beds. They think it’s the zombie apocalypse. I’ve never seen a real study, but my guess is that it’s a reflection of fear and desperation. It’s a very frightened country. The United States is an unusually frightened country. And in such circumstances, people concoct either for escape or maybe out of relief, fears that terrible things happen. Heather Digby Parton, Hullaballoo, 8-4-14.