Top of the morning

In the spirit of Chris Fitzsimon’s “Friday Follies,” this morning we highlight the certifiably mad rants of the anti-immigrant fringe group, ALIPAC offered in response to President Obama’s rather tepid speech yesterday on the subject of immigration.

Here’s the New York Times’ assessment:

President Obama’s first major speech on immigration had the eloquence and clarity we have come to expect when he engages a wrenching national debate….Mr. Obama appealed to middle of the debate, to Americans who crave lawfulness but reject the cruelty symbolized by Arizona’s new law.”

Here’s ALIPAC’s:

‘Obama’s speech was the same old tricks, since he confused legal immigrants with illegal aliens, and offered the false choice of blanket amnesty vs. mass deportations,’ said William Gheen. ‘Obama is trying to trick the American public by confusing legal and illegal and offering false choices, instead of doing his job properly.’ Obama’s speech was made at American University, which is where Dr. Robert Pastor has advocated the formation of a North American Community, which has been called a North American Union by those opposed to the components of the plan that calls for a path to citizenship for illegal aliens. Obama also used the words ‘Security and Prosperity’ in his speech to convey his support for the Pastor plan, which was manifest during the Bush administration as the Security and Prosperity Partnership or SPP.”

Got that? Obama is really part of a secret plot to establish a “North American Union.” For those who might be unfamiliar with far-right conspiracy theory rhetoric, this “North American Union” stuff is used as a dog whistle to fringe groups that believe in an international conspiracy to create a one-world government. Their movement is a haven for anti-Semites and a wide variety of troubled and confused souls.

Hopefully, the spouting of such absurd drivel will serve to marginalize ALIPAC even further onto the fringes of the debate than it already is.