Over Playing Their Hand

Tomorrow is the day it seems. A festering issue since 9/11, the implications for what it means to be an American and the public safety issues raised by our porous borders will all come to a head on May Day. Formerly a communist holiday, the deeply misguided movement for "immigrant's rights" will turn it up to "11" on Monday, and in my view destroy whatever goodwill it previously had in fell swoop.

It's extraordinary really. When you think about it, very few people could have cared much about the illegal problem prior to these demonstrations. The truth was that we all new that we had some issue, but for each of us illegal aliens had a face, a personality. We didn't know exactly who was illegal, and we really didn't want to know. In our everyday lives these were the good people that we encountered in restaurants, at construction sites. They mowed our lawns, helped watch our kids, and provided other critical services that helped us get through our everyday lives. In return, we looked the other way. Yes, we knew that they might not be here legally, but we also knew that they were here for the same reasons that our parents and grandparents came here; they wanted a better life for their children.

Who could argue with that? We had a need, and our need was the basis for their entry into this country. Whether they were from Mexico, South America or Eastern Europe our arms were open and our hearts welcomed them to a better life. The thing of it is, that individually we knew these folks. They may have worked for us, but they were noble, hard working people and we respected what they were trying to accomplish.

There but for the grace of God and all that.

Suddenly though this image has been radically changed. People for whom we had compassion and for whom we bent the rules are now demanding more. Our country is at war and we see the need to tighten our borders for protection and to ensure that we know who is entering. It is time for our goodwill to be returned, and for America's gracious welcome to be honored by those who have benefited.

Sadly, in an all too predictable turn of events, those who have been the beneficiaries of our largesse demand more. It seems that we haven't been generous enough in allowing them supra-legal entry into the U.S. As it turns out, according to them, we should be offering more. Already we provide full rights of citizenship to their children who are born here, we pay for their emergency room visits, we educate their kids in are schools. This isn't enough?

Nope, it seems that we need to re-write our national anthem, the anthem that those before us died to defend against the worst horrors of the 20th century. It seems we're wrong to enforce our laws in an era when we have enemies that desire our end. Worse yet, they choose to insult us with a demonstration on the holiday of our most recently defeated enemy.

It took a lot for folks like me to get upset about this issue, but this my friends, this, is a line too far. It is my sincere hope that good Americans, yes real Americans, who need a job are also out in force tomorrow. I hope they'll take driver's license in hand and go and take some of those good paying jobs that will be abandoned by the protesters.

I also hope the police are checking IDs at the marches. This certainly seems like the best opportunity so far to identify illegals and send them back to the countries from which they've come.