Sad to say an Irish American legislator originally from New York named John Kavanagh appears to be a major figure in stirring up race hatred of Mexicans in Arizona.

He is leading the latest argument over anchor babies which will be upped a notch this week when senior figures in the Republican Party mount an effort to turn back the 14th amendment which states that everyone born on American soil is a U.S. citizen.

The opponents will not try and bring about a constitutional amendment, rather they see themselves passing laws in border states that disallow American-born children their citizenship if their parents are illegal.

They hope that somehow the courts will find in their favor which appears a long shot to say the least. Even this Supreme Court which is markedly conservative, would surely see through this paper-thin device to bypass the constitution.

The entire rumpus speaks to a naked strain of nativism that is apparent on the American right. This attempt to make aliens out of Mexicans flies in the face of history and reality.

For centuries Mexico owned California, most of Arizona, Texas, New Mexico and parts of other border states. They lost them in the Mexican-American wars.

Incidentally, part of the reason that American settlers fought for Texas was to keep slavery which Mexico opposed -- not that you would read that in too many stories about the heroic battle for the state of Texas.

So there are centuries of contact between Mexicans and Americans, centuries of land disputes, foot traffic, wars, and living cheek by jowl.

The nativists would have us believe that instead the Mexican is some form of alien, who appeared out of nowhere.

The fact is that millions of Mexicans have gone and back and forth over the artificial borders between the U.S. and Mexico for generations

And it is still occurring now and likely always will.

Their language is not an alien language,but the tongue that was spoken in those territories for centuries.

The people are not alien,but the descendants of the original people who settled those lands but who were driven off by American armies.

That is the truth of the matter when we examine it.

So this latest attempt to somehow paint the Mexicans as aliens who have no history or heritage in those border states is patently ridiculous.

Perhaps Kavanagh should read his own history to discover what race hatred is all about.

America is too steeped in constitutional tradition and noble intent to let this latest nativist nonsense go anywhere.

At least I hope it is.