The site HotAir is running a banner ad encouraging their visitors to click to sign a petition against amnesty. It leads to a page (pictured below) at their sister site Townhall.

Calling it a scam is being overly generous:

1. Unless very, very large numbers of people signed it, the petition will have no effect. A petition such as the one I proposed would have a great effect, if I could get any help with it. But, Townhall's petition won't because they won't get that many signatures and everyone already knows that's what many or most of their readers think. Their petition wouldn't be a newsflash to any politician.

2. At least two HotAir authors - Ed Morrissey and Erika Johnsen - have already come out for comprehensive immigration reform, aka amnesty. Allahpundit is skeptical of it, but not a strong opponent. Mary Katharine Ham will most likely do whatever the GOP says. Jazz Shaw doesn't appear to be intelligent enough to have a position on it. Is the Townhall anti-amnesty petition directed at their pro-amnesty authors?

3. Both preceding points assume good faith on behalf of HotAir/Townhall, when commonsense says otherwise. The petition is just a way for HotAir to increase their mailing list; it says at the bottom that's what they'll be doing. I wouldn't have an objection to building up an anti-amnesty mailing list, but that's not what HotAir/Townhall is after. Not only will signatories not be opposing amnesty, they'll be receiving "special offers" in their inbox.

If you want to oppose amnesty for real, support this site, not HotAir's mailing list.

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