Descent into Madness

The collective insanity of right-wing minds grows more pronounced with every passing day. First it was the birthers, then the Tenthers, then the Thirteenthers and Fourteenthers. Anchor babies! Socialism! Fascism! Each time I hear one of these batshit crazy ideas I think it has to be the nadir of delusional witlessness. Then they come up with something new.

Here we have Texas Congresswoman (yes, duly elected by the People) Debbie Riddle (R-Far Side of the Moon), who contends that pregnant terrorists are sneaking across the US border to have American citizen "anchor babies" who are raised in their home countries for the express purpose of returning to the US 20-30 years later to mount terrorist attacks from inside the country.

ANDERSON COOPER: Representative Riddle, you told my producer that pregnant women are coming here as tourists, having babies, and then going back home -- quote -- "with the nefarious purpose of turning them into little terrorists, who will then come back to the U.S. and do us harm." You said it's part of an organized terrorist element and could cost us lives. Where did you hear that?

DEBBIE RIDDLE (R), TEXAS STATE REPRESENTATIVE: That is information that is coming to my office from former FBI officials.

COOPER: What former FBI officials -- I mean, what evidence is there of some sort of long-term plot to have American babies born here and then become terrorists -- raised as terrorists overseas and then come back here?

RIDDLE: Well, at this point, I don't have the hard evidence right here in front of me.

The fact that anyone takes these people seriously (let alone believes them) is the real crime here, but I suppose we have to be aware that such lunacy exists. My only question is, how do we "refudiate" such paranoid nonsense?