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You know what I couldn't help but think while watching the coverage of the immigration protests over the weekend? I bet the anti-war movement wishes they could turn out these kinds of numbers.
A week after unified anti-war rallies garnered perhaps 25,000 protesters nation wide, protesters turning out for illegal immigrant "rights" numbered over 500,000.
It almost brings a tear to your eye, until you realize the protests over the weekend were no different than if all the bank robbers and tax cheats in the nation got together and rallied for less regulation on theft and fraud.
Half-a-million people were in the streets screaming about the rights of criminals to remain criminals.
These people came into the country illegally, they were hired illegally, and they're working illegally - hence the term "illegal immigrant."
Now I am the first one to embrace this as proof that America is the greatest place to live in the world, but come on. This is ridiculous.
Perhaps even more disgusting, the movement is trying to cloak itself in the garb of the old civil rights movement.
They claim racism and xenophobia are behind calls to strengthen immigration laws.
They claim, "We make this country work."
Wrong.
The people that make this county work are law-abiding American citizens of all colors, creeds, and backgrounds who go about their business every day.
They're people like the group of newly normalized citizens President Bush spoke to on Monday.
"When I came in this room this morning, I was the president of another county. Now I'm your president," he said.
Protesters claim that this is actually a movement by disaffected people who should have all the rights that a normalized citizen has.
Funny, I saw an awful lot of Mexican flags flying during that rally. (Note to protesters: if you're going to claim that you just want to be productive Americans, wave a few more American flags next time.)
Another one of my personal favorites is, "We take the jobs Americans won't do!"
Speaking personally as someone who has washed dishes, mowed lawns, and moved furniture, I'm kind of offended. But you don't have to have my example to see how bogus this claim is.
We've got thousands of American citizens in the Middle East right now, trading bullets and mortars with crazy terrorists, and you're telling me if we kicked out all the illegal immigrants we couldn't find someone to harvest the tomatoes?
Here's the bottom line.
Do many illegal immigrants work hard in this country and provide many basic services while they're here? Yes, they do. But they are also an enormous strain on our education system, our health care system, and our police.
In a time when terrorists seek to cross our boarders and violent gang members regularly do, immigration reform is long overdue.
America is a nation of immigrants - legal immigrants - who worked through the system and became members of a community.
If you wish to become an American citizen, there is a process.
It is lengthy, it is strict, it is a downright pain in the ass, and in these times in which we live, as an American citizen, I expect no less.
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