which appeals to the misrepresented imageryrnof the statue and a recitation ofrnEmma Lazarus’ sonnet would providernready answers to any and all immigrationrnpolicy questions. America, according tornthis view, should be perpetually openrnto unlimited immigration. Two, therncaveat phase, in which people would beginrnto reconsider their position, whilernfeeling obliged to voice departures fromrnorthodoxy discreetly by prefacing commentsrnwith, “Now, I’m not a racist or arnxenophobe, but I’ve been thinkingrnabout immigration and . . .” And three,rnthe free discussion phase, in which immigrationrnpolicy would finally be acknowledgedrnas a legitimate topic for publicrndebate, just like any other national issue.rnThose who engaged in the debaterncould do so without having to endure arncampaign of character assassination.rnThe raft of new titles published inrnthis country touching on the interrelatedrnissues of population, immigration,rnresources, and community and nationalrnunity—of which space permits the highlightingrnhere of only a few—is a signrnthat the debate is at long last movingrninto its mature phase. Any lingeringrnreservations one might have aboutrnforthrightly discussing concerns regardingrnimmigration and population shouldrnbe dispelled by the fact that the eminentlyrnrespectable George Kennan devotesrnthe seventh chapter of his newrnbook. Around the Cragged Hill, to thesernvery issues. Reflecting on a lifetime ofrnservice to the elements that assumedrnpower with the election of WoodrowrnWilson, Kennan contends that “there isrnan optimal balance, dependent on thernmanner of man’s life, between the densityrnof human population and the tolerancesrnof nature.” For the UnitedrnStates, this balance was surpassed byrn1970, when our population topped thern200 million mark. Whatever was ourrnpast ability to absorb waves of culturallyrndiverse immigrants, “that is water overrnthe dam.” History points to other advancedrnsocieties whose inhabitants havernbeen displaced by more fertile, if lessrncivilized, newcomers. “Surely there is arnlesson in this,” Kennan observes. Hernfears that if we refuse to reassess ourrnimmigration policies in light of new realities,rnthe migration of Third andrnFourth Worlders “will find its terminationrnonly when the levels of overpopulationrnand poverty in the United Statesrnare equal to those of the countries fromrnwhich these people are now too anxiousrnto escape. . . . [T]he inability of any societyrnto resist immigration is a seriousrnweakness, and possibly even a fatal one.”rnKeith Barrons is an agronomist whornhas played a key role in the “GreenrnRevolution,” including the engineeringrnof genetic improvements in vegetables,rnthe discovery and development of herbicidesrnused to increase grain yields, andrnThe Aspect of EternityrnB R U C E BA W E RrnIn TTif Aspect of Eternity, literary critic Bruce Bawer appraises the full bodyrnof work by such writers as WiUa Gather, Peter Matthiessen, Doris Lessing,rnFlannery O’Connor, and Graham Greene. Biting, acerbic, frequentlyrnbrilliant, and always entertaining, the fifi;een essays in this book will proverna welcome addition to the library of any serious reader.rn”Bruce Bawer is a critic of the first order, one of the best we have today.”rn(Robert Phillips, Commonweat)rn($25/aoth, 1-55597-187-3)rnAvailable from your local bookseller, or write: G R A Y W O L F PR E S Srn2402 University Avenue, Suite 203, Saint Paul, MN 55114rnthe pioneering research of “no till”rnfarming, which retards soil erosion. Thernoptimism that marked his earlier experiencesrnhas been tempered by acknowledgmentrnthat the lOO-plus countriesrncomprising the Third World are undergoingrnpopulation growth rates—a doublingrnof their numbers in 20 years—thatrnoutstrip their carrying capacity. In ArnCatastrophe in the Making, he reviewsrnmankind’s demographic past and presentrnand considers its likely future. RebuttingrnCornucopians such as Julian Simon,rnhe explains that their positions arcrnbased on assumptions about economicrnand agricultural growth that are 30 yearsrnout-of-date. Per-acre output has leveledrnoff, and the limits to solar energy andrnusable water dictate an end to the trulyrnremarkable gains of the recent past.rnNinety-six percent of future world populationrngrowth will come among the inhabitantsrnof the Third World. Thesernrates must come down, or virtually allrnof them will face increasing poverty andrnhunger and irrevocable environmentalrndegradation. As Dr. Barrons warns hisrnreaders, it is this very real population explosionrnthat creates immense pressuresrnfor migration to the United States.rnAn international demographer,rnRobert Fox, and an immigration researcher,rnIra Mehlman, have collaboratedrnto produce Crowding Out the Future:rnWorld Population Growth, U.S. Immigration,rnand Pressures on Natural Resources.rnThis excellent book, suitablernfor classroom use, combines text,rncomputer-generated graphics, satelliternimagery, and charts to explain how populationrngrowth outside of the UnitedrnStates is generating immigration pressures.rnThe authors go on to point outrnthat nearly half of America’s populationrnlives on just 10 percent of its landmass,rnwhich happens to comprise the mostrnecologically fragile areas of the country.rnAmerican population growth, fueled byrnunprecedented levels of immigration, isrnchoking the very ecosystems that supportrnhuman existence on the NorthrnAmerican continent. The book includesrnthought-provoking original essays byrnhuman ccologist Garrett Hardin andrnformer Colorado Governor RichardrnLamm, who discuss the ethics of populationrngrowth and immigration control.rnHardin counters the argument that wernhave a moral obligation to take in allrnwho wish to come by reminding hisrnreaders that “charity begins at home”rnand that “brothers and sisters in allrn32/CHRONICLESrnrnrn