| Not since the parsing of "what the meaning of is | | | | by government to someone who has committed |
| is" by President Clinton has Congress had such a | | | | a political offense or broken a law." |
| challenge. Now the solons are nit-picking "amnesty" | | | | Thus, amnesty is a virtual land mine strewn on |
| - what to do with 12 million illegal immigrants doing | | | | our borders. Instant citizenship, for example, await |
| menial labor that Americans will not. | | | | Cubans if they can "set foot" on American soil. |
| President Bush proposes to regulate the inflow of | | | | Haitians and other third-world people who sneak in |
| aliens and their drain on government social | | | | and caught are deported forthwith. |
| services. This while accommodating needed | | | | Upon a surge of illegal immigrants in 1986, |
| manual labor with a "guest worker" program and | | | | President Reagan signed the Simpson-Rodino Bill |
| ultimate citizenship. | | | | granting amnesty to 2 million Mexicans who could |
| California, New Mexico Arizona and Texas are | | | | prove continuous residence in the U.S. since 1982. |
| confused - nothing new - about what to do with | | | | Included in the program were penalties for |
| Mexicans sneaking across the border. For the | | | | employers who hired illegals. Nonetheless, the |
| most part, illegals are hard working and law | | | | surge of illegals increased with counterfeit birth |
| abiding. Though they give full value in labor, they | | | | certificates and Social Security cards. The flow of |
| cling to the culture that drove them to flee and | | | | undocumented aliens continued. |
| can not function without coddling language. | | | | Today's House bill would build 700 miles of |
| Until this year, illegals kept a low profile. Then, by | | | | triple-wire fence along the 2,000-mile border with |
| prodding from the U.S. Communist Party, they | | | | Mexico. A Senate bill would cut the fence to 350 |
| reached critical mass with street demonstrations. | | | | miles plus 190 miles of "vehicle barrier." The cost |
| Such protests promoting "immigrant rights" (a | | | | would be approximately $3.8 million per mile over |
| stunning oxymoron) are self-defeating for those | | | | three-years. |
| who steal into a country and claim squatter rights. | | | | Critics contend a partial fence is useless. However, |
| Traffic signs, ballots and public documents must | | | | as San Diego discovered, it would funnel |
| be printed in Spanish to accommodate Hispanics | | | | immigrants to places where they could be better |
| who will not, or cannot, assimilate. | | | | controlled. |
| Florida and California could become a foreign | | | | In the meantime, Congress and Bush would |
| language enclave like Quebec, Canada - equal but | | | | attempt to stop illegals, drug smugglers and |
| dysfunctional, separated by language. | | | | terrorists with 6,000 National Guardsmen while the |
| We have 12 million Muslims in the U.S. and like | | | | Big Fence is built. |
| numbers of Chinese, Asian Indians and | | | | Americans shudder at the concept of fences and |
| descendants of Europeans of many languages. If | | | | militarized borders. Yet, both are facts of life in a |
| we lose the "melting pot," we become stateless. | | | | global community laced with religious terrorists. |
| Local, state and national governments say | | | | Historically there was the Great Wall of China, |
| unrestricted infiltration of impoverished, unskilled | | | | Hadrian's Wall of England and the West Bank |
| and under-educated people is a financial burden on | | | | Fence of Israel. All were built at great expense |
| American citizen-taxpayers. | | | | and did little to stop terrorism. The Soviet Union's |
| President Bush proposes a temporary "guest | | | | Iron Curtain and Berlin Wall after World War II |
| worker" program and "a path to citizenship" for | | | | divided Europe. A "demilitarized fence" still divides |
| productive illegals after they pay a fine of some | | | | North and South Korea. |
| sort and prove long-term employment. He also | | | | Yet, there is a profound difference between the |
| would require sophisticated "biometric" identification | | | | fences by sub-human nations to keep their |
| cards - with expiration dates- to thwart fake | | | | oppressed people in - and that of the proposed |
| citizenship. | | | | American fence to keep self-centered people, |
| A majority of House members call this "amnesty" | | | | criminals and terrorists out. |
| and unfair to the thousands of skilled emigrants of | | | | Let us celebrate the difference. |
| other countries waiting for lawful entrance and | | | | May 21, 2006 |
| citizenship. These latter, incidentally, are required | | | | . |
| to speak English -the language of global economy | | | | Click here to see this article on Lindsey Williams's |
| and the glue that binds disparate cultures. | | | | website |
| Webster defines amnesty as: "a pardon granted | | | | . |