Dispatches from the new culture war: Is Karl Rove listening?

Although only 25 miles from the White House, Herndon is a world away from the one our president lives in. The crisis that has not yet reached the president's desk is not solely about demographics. Herndon may be

...a town with the highest proportion of foreign-born residents of any locality in the Washington area. According to census data, its Latino community grew 264 percent during the 1990s, while the percentage of white residents dropped from 78 percent to 58 percent.

...but the problem is not centered on ethnicity. It is about behavior and the sheer number of people entering this country illegally. And it is sure not limited to Herndon:

The Maryland chapter of the Minutemen started the first week of January. But while the organization is based in Montgomery County and Baltimore, Schreiman said the group would soon be making its way into other parts of the county.

"Wherever CASA or the immigration problem goes, we will go," he said. "It may take us time to get there but we will get there."

Schreiman said, "The people CASA is trying to help are actually causing problems of prostitution, murders, decreased living conditions, increased gang activity, influx of diseases which cost millions and millions of taxpayers’ money."

While not implicating all illegal aliens, Schreiman said the vast majority is causing problems because they are not conforming to the standards in the community.

More on the local situation here and here.

As Aubrey Stokes of HSH said on Lou Dobbs today:

There are at least 12 million illegal aliens in the United States right now and local governments such as Herndon and up to the federal government seems to be turning a blind eye to the fact that these people are here breaking law.

Stokes also noted:

the outcome was "in part due to outrage over events that have happened in the last 10 days." Those events included, Stokes said, a Monday rally of immigrants at a supermarket parking lot in Herndon, where Salvadoran flags were displayed.

More on Monday's rally here.

A local immigrant said:

The marches made it worse...There is more fear in the North Americans because they know we are here.

Note an interesting point in that statement: "they know we are here."

A mildly humorous indication of the intensity of the issue in Herndon was the bizarre propaganda circulated during the campaign:

Candidates and residents have received a series of anonymous, idiosyncratic postcards. One, addressed to "Pizza Lover," uses the famous photograph of 1988 Democratic presidential candidate Michael S. Dukakis riding a tank. It says: "Angry candidates look downright foolish pretending to be 'Guardians of the Gate.' Choose your Herndon Town Council candidates wisely."

Ultimately, there's nothing funny about the scenario, however, as evidenced by the continuing series of unfortunate events:

Federal authorities late last week detained and later released eight illegal aliens from Mexico who authorities said were acting suspiciously near a gate at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.

Officials said the illegals were detained Saturday morning near Gate D3, a Northwest Airlines gate, after federal air marshals noticed them gathered in the area with no carry-on luggage.

Not to worry, folks: At least they were released.

Herndon should serve as a bellweather for the 2006 and, especially, 2008 national elections. Illegal immigration is the most galvanizing issue in American politics today. If the national GOP is not listening, they will share the same fate as the Herndon city council.

The bad news is, right now there is no anti-illegal immigration slate of candidates available to take their place. There's only the prospect of Democrats winning by default, sort of like America having to take a step backwards first in order to move ahead.

UPDATE: Samples of the controversial postcards circulated during the Herndon campaign here.