Kennedy's Culturist Legacy

As he is mourned we must also remember that Ted Kennedy was behind the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act. This revoked the 1924 Immigration Act. The 1924 Act largely excluded Jews and Italians. This was not racist. There was a lot of unrest at this time. Terrorism and strikes were widespread. There was truth in the perception that immigrants were behind many of these upsets. Quotas after the 1924 Act were keyed to the demographics of 1890. That is, if the nation was 70 % British in 1890, 70 % of the immigration slots went to British nationals. The 1924 Act recognized and targeted cultural differences. It was culturist.

Arguing for the 1965 Immigration Act, Ted Kennedy assured America, "First our cities will not be flooded with a million immigrants annually. Under the proposed bill, the present level of immigration remains substantially the same. . . Secondly, the ethic mix of this country will not be upset." Kennedy was wrong on both counts. His law ended up completely remaking the cultural and ethnic make-up of our nation. Changing America's demographics was Kennedy's largest legacy by far.

In 1965 California led the nation in education. Now it lies near the bottom. Much of the school system focuses on remedial education. We also have a concern in that Saudi Arabia is cultivating radical Islamic populations on our soil. If a large terrorist attack comes from one of these centers, Kennedy will be to blame. Just as with Chappaquiddick, Kennedy never admitted he was wrong about his prized 1965 Act. Our ever increasing, diverse population boom is Kennedy's largest legacy by far.

Kennedy would have been the first to call this article racist. He, after all, took us from a regime that recognized the importance of culture to one forbidden to mention it. If you now say we do not like certain groups because they tend towards racism or polygamy or terrorism you are called racist. People should note that the 1924 Immigration Act only restricted white people, it was culturist, not racist. It recognized that cultural diversity was real.

Only when we recognize the importance of culture by adopting the word 'culturism' can we address the damage done by Ted Kennedy. Only then can we again ask for some level of assimilation and choose people based on our nation's needs and safety. Until then we must ignore truths, and smear those who mention them as racist. Until then we will not be able to address the damage done by Kennedy's legacy.