The immigration bills being considered in the House and Senate have been the buzz about the Internet and talk radio this week. I've kept a fairly moderate temperament about the whole thing. My main observation is this; if your first action upon entering a country is to break its laws, you are not really in a strong position to demand "rights" and lecture others about moral behavior. That, and Cardinal Mahoney is not my favorite churchman.
Then I stumble upon a picture of protesters raising the Mexican flag above an inverted American flag. That is too much for me. Just who in the HELL do these people think they are? I will admit that I am unusual in that from time to time I read the Flag Code and try to follow what it prescribes. But you needn't be a former Boy Scout to see there is something really wrong with what these people are trying to accomplish. Moreover, there is something doubly sinister in elected officials pandering to them in the hopes of returning to the majority party (or to appear "moderate").
Well, now my own bishop has issued a statement(links to a pdf) about the immigration issue.
ReplyDeleteBishop Pilla writes,
"I strongly urge our U.S. Senators and our Congress to pass a bill that...respects the human dignity of our sisters and brothers who risk their lives to support their families."
Isn't that a bit of a hyperbole? I'll continue to argue that we ARE called to compassion for our brothers and sisters. I will also argue that this does not give every person who is acting in his or her own economic self interest any right to justify illegal actions. Are these individuals respecting the human dignity of those who are willing to play by the rules?
Let us be honest. Part of the risking of life going on here is because individuals are unwilling to work within the system that is in place. The economic system they flee is the result of massive corruption and lack of respect of human dignity in their nation of origin.