Something To Talk About

There’s an e-mail going around the Internet that includes pictures of some California high school students protesting the Immigration Reform Bill by hauling down the Stars and Stripes at their school, turning it upside down and hoisting it below the Mexican flag.  The e-mail suggests that recipients of the e-mail should help defend America’s sovereignty by forwarding the e-mail and the pictures to “every English speaking person” in their address book.

I submit that doing so only broadens the audience of the original “protesters”, and inflames emotions…something that we ought to avoid.

I've never found the practice of Free Speech disgusting or objectionable, even when I find the method or content of a message to be repugnant.  Make no mistake, I think that displaying Old Glory upside down for any other reason than as a distress signal is disrespectful.  Burning one that has not been soiled is repugnant.  But I also think that such things are protected under the First Amendment, and that anyone who resorts to such means of protest is only reaffirming the true meaning and value of the flag.  

Of course, that’s just my opinion, and I fully respect the right of every American to disagree.  
 
I’ll get back to my point.

At my daughter's high school, students walked out of class to protest the Immigration Bill, prompting the school administration to put together a formal discussion of the issues at stake, and two teachers volunteered their time to facilitate the discussion.  Very few students attended; as my daughter pointed out, it's more fun to practice civil disobedience with your friends than it is to learn the facts about the issue.

A wise young woman, she is.  I agree.  I’m continually amazed by the number of people who will argue someone else’s point as though it was their own, without taking the time or trouble to form their own opinion.
 
So, to help foster an educated debate, here’s the summary of the bill.

If you'd like to know more about the current policies of the US Government regarding citizenship and immigration, go here: http://uscis.gov/graphics/index.htm
 
Now, armed with some understanding, I'd like to ask these questions of those who oppose measures to reform our immigration law:
 
1) What do you suggest as an alternate method to prevent identity theft by undocumented immigrants?  Or by those seeking to profit from undocumented immigrants?
 
2) If you're opposed to stiffer penalties for the smuggling of human beings, what do you suggest as an alternate method to curtail the exploitation of economically disadvantaged aliens seeking a better life here?
 
For those in favor of immigration reform, I have these questions:
 
1) Are you comfortable with being required to keep (and possibly carry) a machine-readable identity card that proves your citizenship?
 
2) Are you ready to be required to present proof of employment eligibility every time you apply for a new job?
 
3) Is it okay with you that this bill offers no restrictions against the use of any information gathered for the national employment eligibility verification system by anyone, including the government itself? 
 
Free Speech is a good thing, and always has been.  It's what we, as a nation, are all about.  

Wouldn’t it be nice if we knew what we were talking about?