I don’t get it. I just don’t.
I was watching the late local news the other night; they had a segment apparently aimed at my heart, but it hit somewhat lower and around the back.
(Pardon the quick detour, but I have to mention that we sometimes watch the Channel 9 news at 10 p.m., especially after my wife has finished watching Castle. However, lately they’ve been doing these god-awful, 10-minute murder-mystery things instead of just giving us the news. If some suit somewhere told them that those things would be ratings grabbers during sweeps month, they need to fire that consultant, like yesterday.)
Anyway, we’re watching the Channel 13 news and they’ve got this live segment about a family taking sanctuary in a southside church. The parents have been in this country illegally for more than a decade; the dad got pinched in a traffic stop and is set for deportation. The segment had its pathos all squared away and was tugging the viewers in the prescribed direction until the man spoke, in Spanish, saying, “I pay taxes. I’m a supervisor (at work). I didn’t break the law.”
Uh, yeah, you did. You may not have done anything wrong for a long time, but claiming that you’ve done nothing wrong is where you and the sanctuary people and the immigration activists and the DREAMers lose me (and, I’m guessing, a whole lot of other people).
You can argue that the law they broke is a bad law. You can push for immigration reform and say that we, as compassionate Americans, should welcome people to our country. I’ll probably agree with all of those sentiments. Just don’t pass gas in my face and try to convince me that the wind is blowing in from the sewage treatment plant.
Put simply, “I broke the law, but it was for a really good reason” is NOT the same as “I didn’t break the law.”
I have worked construction jobs with people who were in this country illegally, and I’ve been handed way too much food through my car window by people who were in similar circumstances. They’re decent people who work hard and have hopes and dreams like everybody else. As long as they haven’t broken any laws other than coming to this country illegally, I see no reason why they should be sent back to their native countries.
A while back, I saw a young lady on TV. She’s a DREAMer, hoping to pay in-state tuition and maybe even get a scholarship to go to college. Her mom was set for deportation and the girl was understandably distraught. The girl was going on and on about how wonderful her mother is (and the mom may well be), but then the girl said, “My mom’s never broken a law in her life.”
Screeching halt. I simply don’t understand where this mentality comes from, or how people who used to argue about the unjustness of the law now claim that the law has never existed. Some may find this nitpicky, but it seriously eats away at my sense of right and wrong.
I’m far from perfect. I’ve broken rules in my lifetime and I’ve probably even broken a couple of minor laws as well. But I was brought up right. I’m not going to say, “I stole some food, but I didn’t really break the law because I was hungry.” That’s crap. And I’m damn sure not going to flat-out lie and say, “I’ve never broken the law.”
This mentality used to be confined to the inveterate knuckleheads in our midst, but is now all too pervasive throughout society. You see it in that butt-wipe rancher who claims he doesn’t have to pay grazing fees to the federal government because his cows have Nevada citizenship. And in the investment banker who steals billions from middle-class people and does so because everybody else at the office is doing it. Pretty soon, you have the Libertarian running red lights because they represent an unjust government intrusion into him getting to the liquor store in a timely manner.
I thought that we would have had immigration reform by now. Republicans want it for the cheap labor and Democrats want it for the cheap votes, perchance to turn the entire Southwest, including Texas, a deep political blue. The only real difference in the two plans (both sides want the transgressors to pay a fine and learn to speak English) is whether the people who are allowed to stay will have a path to citizenship or just permanent alien status. (The Republicans want the latter so that the Dems don’t get the cheap votes.)
The vast majority of Americans simply want what’s fair and what’s best for America. We’re neither overly punitive nor vindictive. But I’m guessing that the claim that no law was broken won’t sit well with most folks. I think people should just own up to what they did and then we can all move on.
I’d like somebody to tell that guy who was on the Channel 13 news that it’s not good to lie and that he damn sure shouldn’t lie in church. And all you sanctuary people with the pristine hearts who swear he didn’t do anything illegal, I want you to take your über-morality, climb to the top of Higher Moral Ground Peak and shove it all up your butts.
This article appears in May 22-28, 2014.
I recall a column in the Phoenix paper about a lady who was being deported, for no other reason than she came here without benefit of paperwork. It was a real tearjerker; you’da thought she only wanted to stay to help America be great. But, it turned out she had also embezzled a huge amount of money from her employer. She didn’t see what THAT would have to do with her being deported – after all, she hadn’t broken the law.
A great observation, Tom. There is one aspect to this that you might also consider. If a law is not enforced, and there is every expectation it will not be enforced, is one justified in saying it really doesn’t matter? That is the situation with regard to the influx of illegal Mexicans over the past 3 or 4 decades. ‘Since they’re not going to stop me, aren’t they actually inviting me?’ Recognizing this fact makes the Republican demands for closing the border first an important legal question.
Nice article, inspector Javert.
To think that an immigration policy would consist of illegal people identifying themselves to the government, paying a fine, and going to the back of the line is just lunacy. Good luck with that fantasy.
Don’t have to show the id of a citizen to vote as a citizen? What a mess.
I like the 10 minute murder mystery segments on KGUN 9!
I just love it when Tom get his panty hose in a bunch, but this time that wad has reached his brain.
Must have been a slow news week for things to rant about.
Your urge to appeal to people on both sides of the issue is flawed with one significant problem of convenience. We (USA) stole this land from the Mexicans. What about Mexican law back in that particular time in history? That may not necessarily justify current laws being broken, I do concede that fact. However, our government’s current (dysfunctional non-) stance regarding the border that we share with Mexico is antiquated and immoral. NAFTA effectively killed the independent farmer’s ability to create an income in Mexico and Central America. Remember people die in this desert attempting to come and work, be reunited with their families, etc. 16 people have died in the Tucson sector in April. 100 degree temperatures are coming…and no doubt that number will rise in the coming months. And, these are just the bodies that are found. Our law makers cannot come to grips with this issue due to partisan bickering. Your issue with semantics really has no argument…but the issue of immigration, life, death and desperation transcends your nit picky technicalities. This man is a good man. As were my immigrant grandparents. Equally poor, equally desperate, equally uneducated, equally without the English language when they immigrated from eastern Europe. They contributed to our society as did their offspring and grand children. They found hope and success in a country that was less xenophobic 90 years ago than it is today. Yes the man in sanctuary broke our country’s immigration law and has since been what appears to be a model citizen. People who live in glass houses should be careful about throwing stones. He’s made a contribution in the form of taxes and social security (that he will most likely never be able to collect). Our senate and house of representatives, who refuse to work together on the immigration issue in my mind have broken if not the law, our collective trust regardless of politics by evading this issue. Their chicken shit inaction while still cashing their paychecks is immoral and reprehensible. We are loosing the war on illegal immigration while spending millions of dollars on it and our militarized border. How does that fact sit with you? It may not be illegal, but I feel like i am being robbed of my tax dollars that go toward our representatives salaries. A I keep repeating, unless you are an American Indian, we are all decedents of immigrants, either legal or illegal. Where is your compassion?
I agree 100% with Tom, but I also have a problem with the fact that after 10+ years in this country, the criminal in question hasn’t assimilated enough to plead his weak case in English. This is another point where I lose sympathy. I highly doubt I could survive 10 years in Mexico using English only. Not sure where he’s from, just using Mexico as a for instance.
In other words if you want to stay, make a goddamn effort to learn the language as an item of good faith.
Bear in mind that a majority of illegal immigrants have not gone through the thorough study of United States law that is required knowledge for the Citizenship process, so their mindset while here is still largely influenced by Mexican culture and Law. In Mexico, if you drive on the wrong side of the road, you’ll maybe get a stern chewing out, not a hefty fine and the threat of deportation. I have a neighbor who is trying to go through the application process currently, and is only in possession of a green card, but is having great difficulty doing so because of several minor violations, such as sleeping in his vehicle on the side of a freeway, double parking, and the worst of which was a DUI. He only acknowledges the DUI as being anything close to a real crime because where he is from, double parking and sleeping in your car isn’t a crime.
I understand your frustration with the news report in question, however. Many publications and media outlets are increasingly diluting the quality of news by providing stories and reports that are less focused on providing facts, as they are entertainment. I’ve seen this publication fall prey to that habit more than once, so perhaps our focus should be turned to re-evaluating our standards and practices, hm?
How many of us follow every single law to the nth degree that is described above?
so you’ve never even slightly tweaked your taxes in your favor?
Ever go over the speed limit?
How about driving after that third margarita?
Tom, have you ever rolled through a stop sign?
How many of you sample the grapes without paying?
Is this article about morals or semantics?
I think he meant that, other than illegally entering the country (an obvious fact), that he had been law abiding. It’s probable that most viewers were smart enough to understand that.
I agree totally with this article, Tom. I’m also very tired of hearing illegal immigrants called “undocumented immigrants”. Like “OOPSIES!, I forgot to get my immigration documents when the coyote brought us across the border!”
Just because someone can gain illegal entry into the U.S., doesn’t automatically make them a citizen. This country needs to have an intelligent discussion about immigration reforms that recognizes the fact that there is no way to deport 1,000,000’s of people who have entered the country illegally.
These reforms should require those who’ve entered the country illegally learn English, not be engaged in felony activities and go through some process similar to the people who actually go through the process of legal immigration. The final outcome would be a modified form of legal citizenship.
“Put simply, “I broke the law, but it was for a really good reason” is NOT the same as “I didn’t break the law.””
This, I agree with 100%.
“For Tom, breaking the law is breaking the law, even if the reasons are right”
This on the other hand, is debatable…
I would like to point out that a great many natural born citizens couldn’t pass a civics test on the US. The undocumented have essentially broken a technical trespass law. They haven’t committed anything that resembles a felony. Yes, I know there’s always that one example of someone who committed a felony while here illegally, just as that one welfare queen…However, the people I have come across are hard working, tax paying people. I would trust them more than I would many US citizens. I don’t recall that lines were drawn on the planet when it was created, delineating who belonged where.
Bottom line: Millions of Mexicans and Latin Americans have sneaked into this country. Their birthrate is much higher than native Anglos. By 2050 or so Anglos will be a minority. We will become an “Hispanized USA” Immigration Reform is just another way of saying “Bend over while I put my glove on” or get used to it your country will become the same cesspool these illegals have just left. Why did we let this happen?
I cannot help but “love” the suggestion above of having those who have entered the country illegally learn English… especially when I hear the English language brutalized on a regular basis by native speakers and naturally born citizens. We want to hold immigrants up to a standard that our general public cannot seem to achieve. Perhaps after they learn the English language, they can give some of us lessons, and later teach us how to spell the word h-y-p-o-c-r-i-t-e.
Rosa Parks broke the law too. The laws of White Supremacy. I’m white, full blooded German, my people were immigrants, I don’t want to assuage 300 years of guilt by giving things away, just a reasoned discussion about the path forward. Of course this venue is not the place
Tom nailed this issue. I do not hold it against people that are unlawfully present in our country. However, the idea they did not break any law is absurd and a lie. They broke 8 USC 1325a and if it is not their first time (which for many it is not), they committed a felony 8 USC 1326.
I smoked marijuana when I was a teenager. Many people might not agree with marijuana being illegal, but it is still breaking the law in most states. I knew it was illegal and I choose to break the law anyway. If I stated to someone “I have never broken any major laws.” I would be lying. The same goes for people that are illegally present in this country and still try to say they have not “broken the law.” They need to take personal responsibility and own up to their actions.
This is an ever growing problem in our country. More and more people simply feel if they do not agree with a law, they are allowed to break it. That type of mentality causes chaos in a society. If a person does not like a law, they can write their representative. They can legally hold rallies to support a change in the law. We see this working with marijuana. If a person puts smoking a toxin for recreation as a priority in life. They can moved to Colorado. If a person is caught breaking the law by law enforcement, they can not blame the officer for arresting them. They knew the consequences.
When it comes to immigration law. That is something only the Federal Government can reform. Tom nails the problem with this issue with how the Republicans want cheap labor and the Democrats want voters. I personally do not want to give a blank pass to millions of people and give them a permanent status in our country. We should create a probation visa that allows easy revocation if the alien is found to break any serious laws. If they get convicted of murder, assault, domestic violence, drug use, DUI, child abuse, animal abuse, or any other law that could/does cause harm, they should be deported. Also, when employers hire these people, they need to pay them a wage comparable to if an American Citizen was working there. We should allow any illegal alien that joins the military, a faster track to being a citizen. However, the first thing we need to do is use the full resources of the Federal Government to secure the border. We spend hundreds of billions of dollars fighting wars 10,000 miles away, we only need a fraction of that to secure the border.
Ronko, wanting immigrants to know the dominant language of our country is not being a hypocrite. We are just preparing them to succeed. My great grandparents immigrated from Italy in the 1920s. My grandfather was born a few months after they arrived. He was allowed to speak Italian in the house. However, when they were out in public, they had to speak English. He would actually get punished if he spoke Italian outside the house. My great grandparents knew the importance to assimilate to their new country. My grandfather served in the Navy, went to college, became a engineer, and was able to provide for his family. His successes in life is directly from him learning the English language.
There are illegal aliens that have been in this country for over a decade and still can not have a simple conversation in English. I have no respect for that, and do not feel any sympathy if they are deported. They did not assimilate to our country. They did not become Americans.
“In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person’s becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American…There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn’t an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag… We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language… and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people.”
― Theodore Roosevelt
I can only imagine the hate mail and death threats you have gotten / will be getting.