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Originally Posted by JAlpert
The reality of the situation, however, is that a balance must be struck. When a law is unjust, blindly following it is just as bad as breaking it. Teach your kids to follow the rules, but also teach them to think about why they're following them. Teach them to make their own decisions.
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Originally Posted by Daniel_LaFleur
We need to either obey the laws/system, or work to to change the laws/system. We need to avoid breaking the laws because they are currently inconvienient.
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Never have I said to blindly follow the laws either. Working to change the laws while NOT breaking the laws is the ideal here.
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Originally Posted by JAlpert
People immigrate to America illegally because a demand exists for them. Illegal immigrants fill a void - they fill jobs and opportunities that we need them to. If there was no demand, people wouldn't come here. If you want to stop immigration, you have to stop the demand. The government does this by passing laws making it illegal for unapproved immigrants to fill those voids.
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And that is exactly the laws that Amadou broke
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Originally Posted by JAlpert
Now I understand you propose "If the laws are injust [sic], then we need to work to change the laws, not break them." Do you really believe that the primary engine for rectifying bad policy is to sit back and wait until the government changes it for us?
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Absolutely not! Activism is a large part of being a citizen in a republic like America.
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Originally Posted by JAlpert
That's why this country has a rich history of civil disobedience and protest, as pointed out by artdutra. [As a corollary, it turns out your 'overweight robot' argument does not apply here. The rule is cut and dry, and there exists no demand to break it.]
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Peaceful protest has always been the best, most effective, way to work towards change. Look at 2 days ago. There were more than a million immigrants around the country peacefully protesting our immigration laws. That is America at its best.
And as for the 'overweight robot' argument, ask the team that weighed in, got thier inspection sticker, then got weighed just before the elimination rounds and was found 13 pounds overweight
. Do you still think there is no demand to break the rules? How do you think the teams that lost to this team feel?
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Originally Posted by JAlpert
The point is, it's obvious something needs to change. Yet, you continue to respond dogmatically.
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Here I agree, but allowing someone to break the laws without repercussion is not the way. Without consequence there is no rule.
Being in America requires advanced citizenship. It is our responsibility to question our leaders and the laws that they make. The Ballot Box and Soap box are excellent vehicles for this, while the Ammo box is a poor choice. Unfortunately, too many are unwilling to do the real work that the 1st 2 require.