Front Page NYT Article

[KenWittlief]

Originally Posted by Daniel_LaFleur

*sigh*
Ken, as a mentor I teach the students to follow the rules. .

yes, absolutely.

At what point did Amadou break our laws? He was left here by his mother when he was a minor. That was not his choice, that was not his action.

By the time he was 18 his only choice was to surrender himself to the immigration department and be deported, or to find a way to go back to Africa himself (self deportation). There never was a way for him to say here legally.

He had no do-the-right-thing option.

Back in the 19th century when a slave escaped from his owner he was breaking the law. If someone helped him escape he was breaking the law. Anyone who was a part of the Underground Railroad taking slaves across the border into Canada was breaking the law. Now we consider those people heros of American history.

It is absurd that, at this point in human history, if a person stands, or is born on one side of a line painted across a road, that he is treated differently, has different rights, has different opportunites.

I am not advocating that anyone should break the law to help or harbor Amadou, or anyone else. I recognize that he was left in a no-win situation, and I believe that we (the FIRST community) should do everything in our power to help him.

[anna~marie]

wow. just wow.

[falconmaster]

Originally Posted by Daniel_LaFleur

I will play devils advocate here.

We are a nation of laws. Amadou Ly has chosen to willfully break these laws to stay here when his Visa ran out. He has chosen to hide from the authorities rather than attempt to work within the system to become a citizen (or legal immigrent). It appears from the article that he has tried to become a citizen only after he got caught. This shows a deep disrespect for our laws and our culture.

I do not know Amadou Ly. I do not know what type of person he is. From the article those who know him speak well of him and, in the end, those people might be his best chance at staying in this country. It is my hope that Amadou Ly gets a fair shot at becoming a legal immigrent and that he has learned that to live within this nation of laws he must follow those laws.

FIRST teaches many lessons far away from the robot. Lets hope that Amandou and others can learn from Amandous' experience.

Yes you can follow the law, or you could do what's right. Our nation has had many laws that have been changed over time when it is apparent that the law was probably unfair and unjust. Let me ask you a question....would you turn yourself in to be deported when all you have and know is here? It is not quite that simple. What if you were brought here as an infant and all you know is the U.S.? Even less simpler.........Sometimes the heart is a better decision maker when the issues are this complicated and the law just seems heartless.

[falconmaster]

Originally Posted by Daniel_LaFleur

I will play devils advocate here.

We are a nation of laws. Amadou Ly has chosen to willfully break these laws to stay here when his Visa ran out. He has chosen to hide from the authorities rather than attempt to work within the system to become a citizen (or legal immigrent). It appears from the article that he has tried to become a citizen only after he got caught. This shows a deep disrespect for our laws and our culture.

I do not know Amadou Ly. I do not know what type of person he is. From the article those who know him speak well of him and, in the end, those people might be his best chance at staying in this country. It is my hope that Amadou Ly gets a fair shot at becoming a legal immigrent and that he has learned that to live within this nation of laws he must follow those laws.

FIRST teaches many lessons far away from the robot. Lets hope that Amandou and others can learn from Amandous' experience.

It also seems to me that Amadou is just an other victim of a bigger problem. The U.S. immigration system is broken. 12 million undocumented people in the U.S.! How could they get in but not terrorists? Oh yes, big business and such that pressure congress and the senate to not pass laws punishing them for hiring undocumented workers. 12 million people who cannot get any state or federal assistance yet pay rent, or mortgage (which pays for their public education) , some pay taxes and pay into soc. sec. yet never collect (50 million a year) , they do the jobs that the rest of us won't touch. They are here because "we" want them here. At least that is how seems to me. I don't see INS swinging by Home Depot to pick up day laborers. It seems funny that everyone else nows they are there except INS. Hmmmm!

[KenWittlief]

Originally Posted by falconmaster

How could they get in but not terrorists? Oh yes, big business and such that pressure congress and the senate to not pass laws punishing them for hiring undocumented workers. ..

good point. In most cases if you want to know the real reason why something is the way it is, follow the money.