“Freindly Fire Zone”

Supporters of the proposed immigration reform bill say that it does not provide amnesty to the 12 million illegal aliens currently residing in the United States.

Not being all that smart, I decided to look up the definition of "amnesty."

New Webster's Dictionary defines it as "a general pardon of offenses against a government."

Great. Now everything makes perfect sense. At least in Bizarro World.

Under the proposed system, illegals will be allowed to stay in America indefinitely, and they would be eligible to receive Medicare and Social Security benefits (even though they have paid no taxes into the system).

Oh, and of course, they would be immune from deportation, since they would be here - let me stress this - legally.

How was it possible for a country to grant legal status to illegal aliens (who willfully broke United States law), yet not call that "amnesty"? Perhaps more disturbing, how is it that any high school civics student can see the inherent contradictions therein, but presidential contender John McCain cannot?

If one broke the law of this country, that would be classified as an "offense against a government." If said lawbreaker was then given rights and privileges (legal status) with no fear of reprisal for breaking the law, that would be considered a "pardon" by the offended government.

In other words, "amnesty".

So there we have it - it is an amnesty bill, by any reasonable definition. Note: Geraldo Rivera's opinion doesn't count, given that he continually refers to illegals as "law-abiding people." Geraldo, I love you, but some day you're going to have to realize that you're a complete moron, not to mention a coward.

The preposterous bill does not end its damage with simple amnesty, however. It gets worse.

As stated, it allows the former illegals to automatically be eligible for Medicare and Social Security benefits, which is quite interesting given that they haven't paid taxes in the past, and would not be required to pay any back taxes. It's bad enough that both of these systems are already on the verge of bankruptcy, but when the newly legalized workers are factored in, the additional cost becomes an incomprehensible $2.5 trillion (that's trillion with a "tr").

These individuals will have walloped American citizens with a triple whammy. First, their numbers in the workforce have already driven down American worker wages and benefits, and that downward pressure will increase exponentially with this bill. Second, virtually all state governments will provide education, medical and welfare benefits to the newly-minted 12 million, not just the current states that currently administer such insane policies. Last, the American taxpayer will be forced to pay mammoth tax increases to cover the federal systems once the former illegals start retiring. That makes sense - the newest beneficiaries will have contributed squat, but will collect benefits, while hardworking Americans will be forced to postpone retirement, and live perilously close to the edge when they do. And forget the future for young Americans entering the workforce now - they are contributing to a system that simply won't exist when they want to retire.

This bill is so off the mark that those who wrote it should be thrown into an asylum for stupidity. Perhaps the most ludicrous provision is the one requiring illegal immigrants to pay a $5,000 fine as part of the amnesty deal. $5,000? In many cases, this amounts to more than half an illegal's yearly income. If they can't afford to pay that now, they certainly won't be able to do so once they become part of America's onerous tax system. Given this knowledge, how many illegals will actually register?

Unless you're a U.S. senator, you intrinsically know the answer is "very, very few."

What about enforcement of the new regulations? The United States can't even enforce the laws on the books now, yet we expect the government bureaucracy to efficiently process 12 to 20 million more people?

How about efficiency? Congress approved funding for a wall along the southern border, yet it has not been built. Two years ago, the Border Patrol was authorized to expand to 20,000 agents, yet it continues to languish, hopelessly overworked, at only 60 percent of that goal. The government has absolutely no idea who is actually in this country because it violates political correctness if we ask.

And as far as requiring English proficiency, and English being declared the official language, forget it. What's the point when we have already accommodated illegals by becoming a bilingual country, with even voting ballots being printed in English and Spanish. What a fantastic way to assimilate immigrants into the English-speaking American society!

The biggest travesty of all is the body blow to all the individuals who, seeking a new life in America, chose the lawful and moral path to legal immigration and citizenship. All of their blood, sweat and tears will be effectively wiped out by granting avowed law-breakers amnesty.

The message is plain and simple: if you are loud enough in crying "victimhood," bold enough in breaking U.S. law and disrespectful enough regarding the sovereignty of America, you will get what you want. Law-abiding legal immigrants be damned!

At some point, a country that refuses to protect its borders ceases being a sovereign nation. America's clock is ticking.