By Arturo Mora, Kansas City Star Midwest Voices columnist 2009

American Hispanics are not exactly shocked that the hard right is using swine flu to once again demonize illegal aliens.

People like Glenn Beck, Michael Savage, and Neal Boortz, having failed to stir up sufficient xenophobia during the 2008 campaign, are pointing to the outbreak as proof that they were right all along about the immigration issue.

Close the borders, keep out those illegals, and swine flu will not ravage our nation.

Never mind that the globalization many on the right also champion means disease will spread as easily as economic activity.

Never mind that American tourists and businesspeople returning from Mexican visits are as likely carriers of the virus as any illegals. They're instant epidemiologists and know better.

Never mind that the Mexican government recognized the danger relatively quickly and warned the world, despite the horrendous resulting damage to its own economy. Let's blame Mexico anyway.

You'd think the defection of Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter to the Democrats would remind the right of the dangers of conservative extremism to their party's fortunes.

These people are focused on conservative "purity" and conservative "principles" (Xenophobia bordering on racism? Really? Great principles!).

It doesn't matter to them that Republicans lost the entire Southwest in 2008 (except for home-stater John McCain's Arizona), in large part due to Hispanic voters turned off by immigration histrionics.

Ironically, before the hard right attack on illegal immigrants began American Hispanics were by no means monolithic on the issue. They have helped unite Hispanic voters against what they perceive as thinly disguised racism.

I'm not sure what people like Beck achieve for their party, except to help marginalize it and polarize America.

Immigration is a legitimate issue worthy of debate, as is border security and our relationship with Mexico.

Are extreme conservatives so bereft of logic and arguments that their only refuge is scapegoating?