RC>All of which are a result of that individual's personal
RC>choice - no one else's. 
 
MA>      A choice to starve and live in a perpetual state of poverty, or
MA>to take risks, struggle against seemingly unsurmountable odds, and do
MA>all that can be done to have a better life.  
 MA> I am remined of those who aided escaping slaves along the
 MA> underground railroad talking to those given the task of
 MA> returning them to their owners. I can well imagine such
 MA> words being said. 
RC>Oh? Which illegal aliens were brought to this country in
RC>chains and against their will?
MA>  
MA>          No not brought in in chains, just as fleeing slaves did not
MA>flee to free states in chains, but, like we once captured fleeing
MA>slaves, chained them, and forced them back into the chains of slavery,
MA>we are now capturing those fleeing hopelessness, chaining them, and
MA>forcing them back into the chains of hopelessness.  In both cases,
MA>those seeking hope and liberty, followed the nothern star in hopes of
MA>realizing their dreams.  In both cases, those who wrap themselves in
MA>unjust and inhumane law, armed and deadly, stand in their way.
RC>Your hyperbole has exceeded the bounds of rationality on
RC>this subject. 
MA>         From the perspective of the bounty hunter I suppose it does.
MA>From the perspective of the man, woman, or child, being tracked by
MA>armed men with dogs as they desperately seek refuge from the torment
MA>that has been their life in the lands of the north where liberty is
MA>said to flourish, I suggest the differences are insignifigant.
I hate to weigh into this but I feel I must.
Mike, I agree with Robert. In this one area of discussion, your personal 
experiences have influenced your thought process to the point where your 
rationality is at a loss.
With the sole exceptions of Mexicans and Canadians, any other alien who 
enters the United States without inspection (ie. they come across the land 
border surreptitiously) had to do so either THRU Mexico or Canada.
If they are seeking refuge from political turmoil, why is it that they 
didn't stop at the first country they came to rather than continue to the 
United States? Could it be that they are using the claim of asylum as an 
excuse?
I've had the experience of interviewing thousands of people from around the 
world who have filed for asylum only to be told that they did so ONLY 
because it gave them an opportunity to get an employment authorization 
document for a period of time and that their asylum application was 
frivilous and therefore perjurious. 
I find it disconcerting that there are people who believe that the only way 
to get ahead is to abandon their homeland and come here rather than trying 
to improve conditions at home. Where would we be now if the original 
settlers of this country decided that it was too tough to stand up to the 
British and instead, just fled to another patch of ground?
Lastly, the defense of justification that you are raising, ie. "it's OK for 
these people to violate our law because their intent is to merely make a 
better life for themselves" is fraught with problems. Do we extend this 
defense to someone who steals, if the reason for stealing is to "make a 
better life" for themselves?
What about foricble theft, ie robbery? What about embezzlement? At what 
point do we say that a person is responsible for their actions?
I can understand the reason why someone would do this, come to this country 
illegally. However, unlike you, I don't have the luxury of condoning it. 
Nor would I even if I didn't work for INS. As I said, I understand the 
reason, I just don't accept it as a justification. 
Besides, a quick census of the Federal and State prisons show that the 
inmate population is somewhere around 35% foreign born, ie. alien. All they 
were trying to do Mike is "make a better life for themselves". By selling 
drugs or committing some other crime. 
May I remind you that entering this country illegally, and now under the 
new law, remaining beyond a period of authorized stay, is a CRIME. A 
federal crime. This isn't a matter of morality. It is a matter of legality. 
 
John , jnsampson@ibm.net 
 "To find reasonable doubt, one must first be capable of reason."
___
 * WR 1.33 [NR] * UNREGISTERED EVALUATION COPY
--- Maximus/2 3.01
---------------