Andrew Dessler writes:

I recently found myself added to America’s growing list of “enemies.” As a climate scientist at Texas A&M, I’m both a government employee, part of the “Deep State,” as well as someone perpetuating the so-called “hoax of global warming.”

In being on this list, I join a diverse group of Americans who have been branded as threats: immigrants, civil servants, transgender Americans, librarians, journalists and many others who serve vital roles in our lives.

I can assure you that professors are not America’s enemy. We are the lifeblood of our higher education system, whose research generates technological breakthroughs that make America an economic powerhouse. We also train the workforce that will keep America competitive in the high-tech world of the future.

In fact, the entire enemies list is just a calculated campaign of division, distrust, misrepresentation and fearmongering.

Let’s look at immigration. The data tell us that immigrants contributed over $2 trillion per year — nearly 10% — to U.S. gross domestic product in recent years. More than half of America’s billion-dollar startups were founded by immigrants, many of whom began as international students in university labs. [Continue reading…]