[Luis Gonzalez]

am·nes·ty
(click to hear the word) (mn-st)
n. pl. am·nes·ties

A general pardon granted by a government, especially for political offenses.

par·don
(click to hear the word) (pärdn)
tr.v. par·doned, par·don·ing, par·dons

1. To release (a person) from punishment; exempt from penalty: a convicted criminal who was pardoned by the governor.
2. To let (an offense) pass without punishment.

Words have meaning, which is why you consider it so important to distort the Bush plan.

There is no amnesty, because there is no pardon.

There is however, a change in the penalty attached with being in the country illegally.

A change, not an amnesty, because for it to be an amnesty, there would have to be no fines imposed.

Bush proposes a fine for the act of being in the country illegally, and further, a change in the mechanics used to obtain legal status after the fact while remaining in the country. The old way was to leave the US, and apply from your country of origin, the proposed change would eliminate the need to return home to petition for legal status.

If the law is changed in regards to murder, capital punishment outlawed and replaced with life in prison, that would never be considered an amnesty.

Keep spinning, maybe Kerry will address the issue more to your satisfaction.

[Bikers4Bush]

"Bush proposes a fine for the act of being in the country illegally, and further, a change in the mechanics used to obtain legal status after the fact while remaining in the country."

So let me get this straight. We're going to fine those already here as opposed to deporting them but then we're going to go back to a more aggressive stance of keeping illegals out and deporting those we find after that?

And what is that called?

And since we're on the subject of law doesn't the punishment at the time of the crime apply or are we just washing all that down the drain as well? Because when they came in the punishment was deportation so the punishment that should be applied would be the same.

Unless you're going to pardon them for that crime but then charge them under the new crime.

[looscnnn]

par·don
(click to hear the word) (pärdn)
tr.v. par·doned, par·don·ing, par·dons

To release (a person) from punishment; exempt from penalty: a convicted criminal who was pardoned by the governor.
To let (an offense) pass without punishment.


The Thanksgiving turkey is pardoned, what was it convicted of?

[american spirit]

Just wondering if you have a word that describes the act(s) of an illegal who: breaks federal law by entering this country, works under the table for an employer who's broken federal law by hiring him (and evading numerous payroll tax laws), obtains numerous welfare style services at taxpayer expense and more often than not can commit a murder and if he can make it back to Mexico there's a good chance he'll be home free. Any operative word that best describes this scenario?

[looscnnn]

Also, Ford pardoned Nixon before there was any convition. So therefore you can have a pardon of crimes without a conviction.

How about this, just enforce the laws we have. That is what is asked when new gun laws are proposed, why not the same here?

[William Terrell]

Amnesty.

A sovereign act of forgiveness for past acts, granted by a government to all persons (or to certain classes of persons) who have been guilty of crime or delict, generally political offenses, - treason, sedition, rebellion, draft evasion, - and often conditioned upon their return to obedience and duty within a prescribed time. The 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act provided amnesty for many undocumented aliens already present in the country.

Included in the concept of pardon is "amnesty," which is similar in all respects to a full pardon, insofar as when it is granted both the crime and punishment are abrogated; however, unlike pardons, an amnesty usually refers to a class of individuals irrespective of individual situations. State v. Morris, 55 Ohio St.2d 101, 9 O.O.3d 92, 378 N.E.2d 708, 711.