Here’s an interestingly bad email:

Mr. Goldberg,
I am a regular reader of National Review and have agreed with your articles in the past. This time though you show a very ignorant line of thinking. I am a Hispanic (Spaniard/Dominican) Libertarian-Republican whose 1st vote was in the 1994 Republican revolution. However your argument over immigration is starting to turn me off to the G.O.P. In you case you’re a hypocrite. I see your last name is Jewish, do you like it when wackos of the right and left accuse your community of dubious loyalty to this country? No I don’t think so. That what your doing with us Hispanics in your racist article. We come to this country like all immigrants before to improve our lives. It’s Xenophobes like you that create a militant Hispanic ideology in self defense. Those Mexican radicals are fanatics and shouldn’t be given credence. That would be like saying the KKK speaks for all whites. Since you’re Jewish are still mad over the Spanish inquisition? If that’s the case get over it, that was 500 years ago. By the way I’m pro-Israel and have Spanish Jewish blood in me so don’t even think of calling me Anti-Semitic.
So congratulate yourself, you just cost the G.O.P a vote. I’m switching to the Libertarian party and never will vote Republican again. By the way can you reproduce your ancestor’s immigration documents? If you can’t stop your bigoted arguments and keep quiet. I’ll tell you this, if Racists like you continue with this junk, us Hispanics will have no choice but to prepare to defend ourselves. So if you really love this country respect our community, if God forbid your ilk achieves power and begin attempted deportations of Latinos, you’ll have a civil war on your hands. It’s so ironic, a Jew whose people have been persecuted over the centuries advocating the persecution of others. What hypocrisy. If you want it, I say bring it on!

Me: Obviously, it’s not worth rebutting all of this. But as a big supporter of legal immigration — which I said in my column — to call me a xenophobe only makes sense if you don’t know what the word means.