My new book, The [Un]documented Mark Steyn, takes its title from a throwaway line that kinda stuck when I was guest-hosting for Rush Limbaugh a few years ago: Rush calls himself America's anchorman, so I said I was an undocumented anchorman. When the left (in an example of the linguistic audacity I spoke about on TV and radio last week) declared the term "illegal immigrant" no longer acceptable in polite society and replaced it with the absurd "undocumented", I scoffed, being one of nature's scoffers. So I started referring to "fine upstanding members of the Undocumented-American community". I intended it as a joke, but I'd reckoned without Harry Reid:
About five years or so back, I started making references in columns to "fine upstanding members of the Undocumented-American community." But from the lame Steyn joke of yesteryear to the reality of tomorrow is a mere hop and a skip. A few days ago, Harry Reid, the Senate majority leader, declared:
"This week we will vote on cloture and final passage of a comprehensive bill that will strengthen border security, bring the 12 million undocumented Americans out of the shadows, and keep our economy strong."
Talk about "a fast track to citizenship"! Never mind probationary visas, Z-visas and Green Cards, in the eyes of the Democrat steering "comprehensive immigration reform" through Congress these guys are already "undocumented Americans."
But whaddayaknow? Today, the "illegal" immigrant is back - albeit only in a sitcom. ABC has announced a new show called "Totally Illegal", about an actual illegal alien. No way, José! Actually, make that, no way, Hoser! Because the "Totally Illegal" immigrant is Canadian! No way, eh? And, better yet, he's taken in by a family of totally legal Mexican-Americans!
This is what I was referring to all last week when I said the right needed to get back in the pop-culture biz, especially when the left's popular culture isn't necessarily that popular, merely effective propaganda. On the other hand, I should have taken my own advice and pitched The [Un]documented Mark Steyn as a sitcom about an illegal Canadian guest-host living in Rush's basement.
~After last week's events in Ottawa, I wasn't in the mood for the usual no-Islam-to-see-here drivel, but this piece at least takes it to the next level:
CBC Ideas: Is Islam the 'green' religion?
Scholar Seyyed Hossein Nasr makes the case for Islam's environmental credentials
As I usually say on these occasions: Behead me with a tree ring. But Professor Nasr has a point. Once the six billion non-Muslims have been bombed, shot, decapitated, hatcheted or run over, humanity's carbon footprint will be significantly lower.
~If you missed me discussing the murderous "recent convert" in Ottawa with Hugh Hewitt, you can hear part of our conversation in Townhall's Weekend Journal. Another week of TV and radio appearances begins today, Monday. This morning, I'll join Sam Malone on AM1070 in Houston just after 7.30am Central, followed by Peter Boyles on 710 KNUS Denver at 7am Mountain, Greg Knapp at KCMO Kansas City at 8.30am Central, Bryan Nichols on WTAD in Illinois, and Bill Cunningham on WLW The Big Talker in Ohio. Then it's telly time with Glenn Beck on The Blaze at 5pm Eastern/2pm Pacific, and Sean Hannity on Fox News coast to coast at 10pm Eastern. For full details of my media schedule each day, please check our On The Air box in the right-hand sidebar.
~As for The [Un]documented Mark Steyn, you can buy it now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Books-A-Million in America, or Indigo-Chapters, Amazon and McNally-Robinson in Canada. Or, for instant gratification, get it in eBook - in Kindle, Kobo, Nook and iBooks. It's currently Canada's Number One bestseller in "Literary Essays", whatever that means. But at any rate I'm outselling that loser Nietzsche.