Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Illegal Immigrant Sob Story: A Challenge to Our Government to Uphold the Law?

Today the New York Times posted yet another immigration sob story but this time with a new twist: the brave, heroic illegal immigrant protagonist is none other than the article’s author and employee of the New York Times! (Cue the pounding, screeching, emphatic horror music!)

It’s true, apparently this article was written by a man, a Mr. Jose Antonio Vargas, who claims he is not only an employee of the NYT but also an illegal immigrant who just happened to just wake up and decide to “come out” by admitting his status as an undocumented worker… oh yes, my pun is intended, considering he does actually narrate about his homosexuality somewhere around page 3, so correction: Mr. Vargas admits his identity as a gay undocumented, illegal immigrant working for the NYT.  My apologies.

I admit, having recently read the media’s recent debaucle involving the scammed identity of that gay, kidnapped blogger girl in Damascus, I’m still a little leery of this man’s immigration and employment status with the NYT.

If he does exist, his article is bold. It’s shocking. It’s controversial and relevant to the mainstream media’s agenda.  Beyond that though, it’s nothing more a drawn-out admission of illegal activity!  In fact, his disclosure admits his repeated failure to not only turn himself in as an illegal immigrant but also reveals his failure to rectify the situation by applying for legal status or returning to his native homeland.

I think this author is expecting a pat on the shoulder for being “brave,” but I’m pretty sure it’s just sheer stupidity. He seems intelligent enough given his multiple (supposed) encounters with the law and years spent lying about his immigration status to know that his confession should have some ramifications.

Aside from the fact that true bravery would have involved him turning himself into the local authorities (instead of just blogging about his life and waiting to see if our system isn't so broken that someone actually comes to catch him), he has now just given the Feds a perfect excuse to come after his employers under violation of Section 274 felonies under the federal Immigration and Nationality Act, INA 274A(a)(1)(A) with 5 years in jail and a fine of $250,000 dollars... Though, I’m sure we can all place solid bets on whether any federal authorities will follow up with the New York Times on the legal ramifications of their knowingly employing an illegal immigrant.

I’ve read sob stories before.  Those weepy, mopey, cry-me-a-river narratives that just drag the reader along in some sappy attempt to get the reader so misty-eyed that their reasoning skills are fogged up worse than a windshield on a rainy morning are beyond obnoxious. (Hey, that guy likes bacon cheeseburgers too; he must be just like me!) They appeal to our pity, but that line of logic just doesn’t pass when we’re dealing with solid facts on real issues… like the real, tangible problems and consequences of illegal immigration.

If I tottered over to Germany and demanded a job because I was “hard-working” and just aching to live the German dream without any paperwork (which, of course, means driving a BMW down the autobahn while trying not to get any schnitzel sauce on my lederhosen), the Germans would tell me to take a hike.

I don’t want to hear illogical sob stories woefully reminiscing about long-lost descendants who came to this country 200 years ago on a boat as *gasp* an undocumented immigrant.  That system might have been A-OK for groups of people who came here 250 years ago to literally fend for themselves with no government assistance or subsidies. Unfortunately, fast forward to the 20th and  21st centuries, and our country now has larger social obligations that require accountability.  Yes, these social obligations, when funded by the U.S. taxpayer, are beholden to regulation and documentation for the protection of the citizens of this country.

Our education, health insurance, social security and retirement and other systems - our government now is responsible for dishing out numerous free lunches, free health care, free retirement packages, free cell phones, free laptops, free educations, and any other free luxury you can think of to those citizens who can’t otherwise get them by their own means.  Furthermore, our law system is designed to protect the rights and benefits of said citizens.  It’s hard enough staying accountable to the citizens of our own country without having to worry about the stragglers wandering in from the rest of the world.

Note: when I refer to “citizens,” I refer to the actual legal, Constitutional definition, not Mr. Vargas’ loose, heartfelt, brotha’-from-anotha’-motha’ interpretation implying that anyone who believes in “hard work, self-reliance, love of [our] country” is a citizen of the U.S.

Therefore, my question is: what is Mr. Vargas’  true purpose in writing this article?

Sure, he’s managed to completely disregard all the hard-working immigrants, who spend their hard-earned resources, time, and money to obtain citizenship the legal way, but just spitting on their American Dream certainly couldn’t have been his goal.  After all, he seems so nice. So hard-working. So honest.  (Gosh darnit, I just really want to like him.) 

No, that can’t be his reason, especially considering that Mr. Vargas questions what will happen next. What will the consequences be, he wonders? In fact, he even goes out of his way to specifically mention that no names have been changed – that all information is verifiable.  He’s taken no effort to conceal either his or the identities of those around him, claiming: 
All the people mentioned in this article gave me permission to use their names. I’ve also talked to family and friends about my situation and am working with legal counsel to review my options. I don’t know what the consequences will be of telling my story.
Here’s another can of worms for you to consider: whose identity has Mr. Vargas effectively stolen for all these years if all of his documents, including his social security papers, are fake?

This article is a challenge: a challenge to the public, a challenge to authorities, and a challenge to the Department of Homeland Security.  Mr. Vargas is flaunting his illegality for the world to see.  Will the federal government take action or shirk its constitutional responsibility to the citizens of this country? Will it turn a blind eye to the laws that have been broken both by Mr. Vargas and the New York Times?

Like it or not and whether intentionally or unintentionally, laws have been broken.

Reason, justice, and the rule of law dictate that corrective action will be taken, but instinct tells me otherwise.

~Gee

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Quiz Yourself: How Informed Are You on Current Events?

Think you know what's going on in America today?

This test shows that a majority of Americans don't follow current events and don't know what's going on.  With such a high percentage of our population displaying blatant apathy toward the issues that affect their daily lives, it is no wonder that our politicians take advantage of the population's ignorance on issues.

You can test your knowledge and find out how you rate, but... the real question is:  how can we ever restore this country and return power back into the hands of the people, if the people just don't know what's going on (and don't care)? 

~Gee