You guys cannot compare your grand father's immigration experience, with today's immmigration experience.
Frenchy continues to a good case for immigration REFORM, but we still cannot accept rationalization for breaking the Law. Inconvenience is simply not good enough. While maybe a bit too roughly, several others make a valid point that no where else do people literally invade another country, then demand that country change immediately to suit them.
You've suggested that it's somehow different today than a couple generations ago...in that today the process is cumbersome and demeaning and time-consuming and rife with abuse. With respect, I must adamantly disagree. It might be nice to imagine the "salad days" of US immigration, but it's a myth. Investigate it...people did not enjoy the process, were hassled all the time, paid wild sums to runners and ticket agents to get them a berth on a ship, waited in internment for months, etc...It sucked then, and it sucks now.
But, my grandfathers DID put up with it. Legally.
If somebody burglarizes your home, is it OK because they found real work to be too burdensome and demeaning? Do you mind being mugged by someone whose excuse is "you owe it to me"?. Come on, folks.
It's just way beyond reasonable. Anybody look at the video of those demonstrations? I suggest you just count foreign flags vs. American flags and tell me why I should think these people want anything to do with being American? All I saw was a very well-planned excuse for a Mexican Day parade.
Those demonstrations did not convince me of the error of my ways, did not raise my sympathies, did not cause me to rethink my position. What they DID succeed in doing was cementing my opinion that these people are NOT interested in become Americans. They ARE interested in exploiting my country, because thier own is intolerable. They want to wave a foreign flag in my backyard, declare it their own, and have me and mine completely restructure my culture to accomodate theirs.
No.
Somebody told me once that retiring to the Bahamas was a really difficult thing to do. Lots of time spent convincing the government that you would not be a burden to the (very delicate) island economy, that you had the means to care for yourself, and contribute to the betterment of the community. Tons of stuff. If not, you can't go.
I don't see a problem with that.
Do I have the right to go anyway, wave an American flag in a British (colony, territory, possession? not sure) and demand that I be given a place to live, and give me a regular supplemental government income, cause I've got no money and no job. Oh, and I'm bringing my family, too.
Why will all those foreign nationals commit time, money and energy to converting my country to suit them, rather than converting their own country into something that's worth living in? If the population of a country is running to the borders to escape, what's wrong with that society? If living in Mexico (or anywhere else) is so horrible, whose fault is that? Why do I have to carry the burden of another country's inability to manage it's own issues?
We all keep circling the same facts...Immigration is a good and necessary thing. No arguement for ILLEGAL immigration will ever, EVER hold water. Just 'cause someone wants to come here, doesn't mean the answer should always be yes. No one can justify criminal behavior in this scenario. The current system is terrible, and counter-productive. The current system needs major reform. That STILL isn't a good enough reason to unilaterally dismiss the laws of a soveriegn nation, which is NOT your own, and then demand equal access to THAT WHICH IS NOT YOURS. Or, how about the inescapable fact that no system can carry an infinite burden?
No escaping that hard, but simple, reality.
And we haven't even begun to talk about the quality of these folks. Do we imagine that every batch of border-runners is a well-meaning, hard-working family seeking a better life and freedom from oppression? I'm sure that an open, uncontrolled border holds no interest for criminals, thugs, dealers, car thieves, incorrigibles, the unstable, the lunatic fringe, etc...
This uncontrolled flux across the borders is inherently dangerous. While we *****foot around, not wanting to lose a vote, not wanting to offend sensibilities, we leave the gates of the castle flapping in the breeze. When some monster uses this as cover for transporting an attack through the Mexican or Canadian border, those self-same people will howl for blood from those who "didn't do anything".
We can sympathize with those who have an honest desire to become Americans. We should welcome them, as we are all the same in that regard. We should work to make LEGAL immigration a smoother, more easily navigated, more welcoming process. We should keep limits and requirements reasonable, safe and healthy.
We CANNOT get so caught up in misplaced, unqualified sympathy that we smile and shine our halos while we're run into the ground.
(PS..FYI, I noticed that I said "you" alot. It's really not directed at Frenchy personally, but rather that I drifted over into a generic 'you'. No offense meant.)
