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["Cristobal Palmer" <cristobalpalmer AT gmail.com>]

On 1/27/07, Tony Spencer <tony AT tonyspencer.com> wrote:
> Illegal aliens is not an insult
> but rather an accurate description no different than referring to
> someone in jail as a convict.

Is it? It's really easy to identify people who are in jail. Someone on
the street isn't in jail. Identifying "illegal aliens" is a good bit
harder. What about somebody whose Visa has lapsed, but began the
application process for political asylum before that Visa lapsed? That
person is in limbo, waiting on the completion of an application. That
person _has_ _no_ _legal_ _status_. That person could potentially be
removed from the country and have zero legal recourse. I personally
know multiple people who have been either removed from the country or
denied re-entry because of such limbo niceties. Hell, even Mark
Shuttleworth has to go through crazyness:

http://www.markshuttleworth.com/archives/43

There's also the small problem that a significant percentage of the
people I engage in conversation on this topic seem to conflate
"illegal alien" and "Mexican" very readily. I've explained that my
first name is Spanish to innumerable people only to have them ask,
"Oh, are you Mexican?" No, I'm not Mexican. I was born in Kentucky,
thanks. But why the hell does that _matter_?

So sure, I'll lighten up. Thanks. You made me feel much better about
our wonderfully sane immigration system.

> This is nothing like making a joke
> about gay people or a minority.

Oh? Why not?

Cheers,

--
Cristóbal M. Palmer
UNC-CH SILS Student -- ils.unc.edu/~cmpalmer
TriLUG Vice Chair
"There are many roads to enlightenment, and thus many roads back to
the One True Debian" --crimsun