Posted on 03/19/2006 1:28:22 PM PST by Crackingham
It used to be that protesters took to the streets to build public support for their cause. Now they do it to show their strength. Instead of moving you to join them, now they want you to know that they won't be moved. That's especially true when the issue is illegal immigration. Around the country, immigrant-rights activists, illegal-immigration apologists and open-border advocates are protesting immigration reform efforts in Congress.
In Chicago, nearly 100,000 people clogged the streets recently in support of immigrants and looser immigration laws. Clearly offended by efforts to criminalize the undocumented, many protesters carried signs with slogans such as: ``No somos criminales.'' (We're not criminals.) Not to be overly technical, but if the person holding the sign came into the United States illegally, then he or she most certainly is a lawbreaker. This part isn't complicated. There are federal immigration laws on the books governing the proper way for one to enter the United States, and, every year, more than a million people break those laws by entering the wrong way. Ergo, these people should be considered criminals.
Those who believe otherwise have one leg to stand on. For the time being, the fact that one is in the United States without the proper documents is only a civil violation. That's a technicality that deserves to be changed. The Border Protection, Anti-Terrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act -- co-sponsored by James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., and Peter King, R-N.Y., and passed by the House in December -- would do that. Don't misunderstand. The bill is deeply flawed. It ducks the tough question of what to do with the 12 million illegal immigrants already here, and it makes clergy, charities and social workers into criminals by expanding the definition of ``smuggling'' to include anyone who ``assists'' an illegal immigrant. But the part about making unlawful presence a crime seems like a reasonable concession. It's also the part that many in the immigrant-rights movement are angry about.
It's fascinating. Many illegal immigrants and their advocates really seem to believe that if you enter the country illegally but then keep your nose clean and never break another law, it's like you never entered illegally in the first place. You're the equivalent of an upstanding citizen.
There's the problem. Everyone has an opinion on illegal immigration. But on both sides, whether you're talking about immigration restrictionists or open-border advocates, no one wants to be honest and admit the obvious.
On the right, they'll never admit that younger Americans in particular have lost their work ethic, or that much of the angst over illegal immigration comes from the clash of cultures. On the left, they'll never admit that the undocumented did anything wrong in coming here, or that the United States has the right to protect the sovereignty of its borders.
I may catch some flack for this, but so be it. If an army conquers a land and puts it under the authority of a government, it belongs to that government. Period. That's the way it has worked throughout history. Unless someone else takes it back or the people rise against it, that's the way it has always and will always be. No amount of wimpering from reparationists is going to change that. If our nation is ever overtaken by the Islamic hord, then we'll be a people under their authority.
That's why it's important to have a military and a national defense system to protect a people. It's also why a land that does not defend its borders is no nation at all.
As for racism, the jacklegs in the photograph above brought it up. Not the Minute Men. At least as far as the few that I've spoken with, most support some form of legal immigration. Just not this tidal wave of illegal line-jumpers.
Amazing isn't it? This is the one issue in my lifetime that I've seen the left and right agree on by 80% of our population and yet we can't get representation on it in our government. That is what should be alarming everyone.
If only the liberals were nervous about that. Nope the liberals welcome such sentiments.
You mean liberal politians..don't you? Most Liberal voters would vote "no" to illegal immigration just like conservative voters.They're in the percentages against illegals too.
This true with me too Kozak.People tend to think illegal as a Mexican problem we have butthere are many nationalities that are illegal here.
I thought this was a movement for Security measures,but somewhere the lawmakers took a turn and said.."hey people calm down now,this was just a Party strategy move,we're not serious about this".
PING
Illegals are ready and willing to fight a people who do nothing to combat them. Want to bet how many citizens will organize to stop the destruction of our society by illegals who rape, murder, bring drugs, use our schools and hospitals for free, increase disease, etc....... Answer None - because we all know that not only would the liberal media and dems attack us as racist but the backstabbing GOP would also run and hide.
We are alone on this, the time is now to confront Bush and the Bushies - this is the issue that will break the party.
We need to remind these mexicans about their racist purging and killing of the native Aztecs in mexico that happen today.
OMG you just ruined my day.
Apparently, I must have to pay someone on FR to show them, as well.
They were pulled.
How?
I don't believe them when they claim this anyway. If they'll scoff at the law to get in, then they scoff at the law any other time it serves their purpose. But then, I guess welfare fraud isn't really a crime either, or tax cheating, or document fraud, or money laundering, or skipping out on medical bills, etc.
Where are you going to go?
Yup, they've figgered out that as long as neither party will talk about it they don't have to care what the people think. Bush & Kerry did this in 04. It's repugnant.
We also know that, perversely, the LEOs and military would come down on us like a box o'bricks while simultaneously letting the illegals pick our cold, dead bodies. They don't want an uppity, edumacated, in-your-face citizenry, they want peasants and serfs.
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