Immigrants Need A John Galt Moment:

A peaceful proposal

We are on strike against self-immolation. We are on strike against the creed of unearned rewards and unrewarded duties. We are on strike against the dogma that the pursuit of one's happiness is evil. We are on strike against the doctrine that life is guilt.

—John Galt, from Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged

My first instinct is to offer advice that would be more emotional than rational and not at all productive. It would be to prepare for battle, to resist, to fight. The way of violence might be initially satisfying and even justifiable, but it would be ultimately destructive to the cause.

So rather than unsheathing one's sword, turn the other cheek.

The demand is that immigrants are undesired. So I say immigrants should shrug.

Immigrants should strike. They should walk away. Both those legally and illegally here should give Caesar what he seeks.

Leave the fields and the factories. Walk off post.

For those brave enough to dare it, self deport.

Not just those who are here by moral but not technically legal right (so-called illegal immigrants), but all those who are in this immigrant nation without the false claim of “original” citizenship—whatever that might mean—should uproot and remove their services and their loyalties.

And not just the poor and middle class, but also the affluent and the wildly affluent should shrug.

Elon Musk should resign from his companies if not remove himself physically from the country. Do not cheer for this as his opponent but as his admirer for all the truly great things he has accomplished and great benefits to mankind he has brought while being an immigrant American.

So too should the CEOs Sundar Pichai (Alphabet/Google), Jensen Huang (NVIDIA), David Solomon (Goldman Sachs), et al. and the many, many people at all American companies.

So too should actors Keanu Reeves, Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, et al., filmmakers Ang Lee, M. Night Shyamalan, et al., and singers/musicians Rihanna, Yo-Yo Ma, et al. as well as the many, many people who work in support of all the entertainment we joyfully consume.

Watch as the 65,000 active-duty military who are immigrants depart from duty as conscientious objectors.

See as a quarter of professional basketball and baseball players no longer stand with their fans at the playing of The Star-Spangled Banner before dazzling millions with the demonstration of their skills.

Let the empty shelves and barren fields and the plummeting stock market show what has been lost.

Let the accelerated demise of social security give a glimpse of what has been silently asked and accepted by the natives.

Witness the grinding halt of the amazing world we enjoy as the lubricating oil, essential gears, and binding glue are suddenly absent.

As friends and neighbors disappear, perhaps then the human impact can be fully felt . . .

Obviously this is a near impossible request made selfishly and easily in this thought experiment. Yet it makes the point. After gaining so much from the toil and effort of those who simply dared to dream of a better life for themselves and their families, we natives, we supposedly more American Americans, should face the consequences full on for the ends our rulers are pursuing.

PS: Any Rand was of course herself an immigrant.