Immigration

I rarely touch political topics anymore, but I was reading BBC News when I came across this article about Cardinal Mahoney's support of illegal immigrants. I strongly disagreed with this op ed (I found on Google News--yeah, ok, it's rather a straw man publication) claiming that Mahoney should merely think his disapproval and not actively break the law by aiding immigrants. I guess the people on the Underground Railroad, Martin Luther King, and Rosa Parks should have all just "thought" their disapproval as well.

I also (for once!) approve of Bush's push to allow immigrants to remain. I don't think immigrants should receive special government aid programs. Most of them want to work (more of them would if we stopped all gov't benefits), and if, in spite of a language barrier and a great deal of prejudice, they are able to find jobs that too-lazy -to-even-reach-for -the-bottom-rung- of-the- corporate-ladder Americans can't or won't procure (4.7% unemployment rate, oh my!), then bully for them! Perhaps it was my ex-pat childhood, but don't have a bit more empathy for Americans than for anyone else. In fact, given U.S. natives' inherited benefits, maybe less.

It all boils down to racial bias, folks. Most Americans are uncomfortable with a group of people who listen to Ricky Martin instead of Green Day, and who may temporarily bring down the living standards in their neighborhoods until they get their feet on the ground.

Making some sort of moral distinction between "illegal" and "legal" immigrants is ludicrous. Illegal immigrants are not the criminals and pond-scum of Mexico--they're just people who failed to win the immigration lottery but still want to earn sustinence-level wages by picking lettuce or working at McDs.

Abraza la diferencia, amigo.