Given the general anger and angst over the whole immigration issue, it seems to me that Congress may be overlooking a potentially devastating consequence of a pro-amnesty result.
The Minuteman Civil Defense Corps have approached the issue in a very productive, peaceful, and organized manner, setting a great example, and demonstrating an effective solution. They're running all the legal and political channels, and doing a darn good job of it. But they're banking on Congress eventually coming around.
Folks are worked up enough that, if Congress refuses to secure the border--if they don't come around--the American people are likely to take the "better safe than sorry" approach and simply assume anyone who looks Hispanic or Arabic, or anyone sneaking around anywhere near the border, is probably an illegal alien, and possibly dangerous--and take matters into their own hands. Folks who normally eschew bigotry will become bigots for the sake of national security. That's a knee-jerk backlash situation, and I'm not suggesting that it would be a good thing at all (in fact it could get downright ugly), but it's a likely scenario if Congress fails to do the right thing. People are mad, and mad people do irrational things.
In other words, the border will be secured, one way or another--the question is, will Congress do it in an organized, peaceful, effective manner--a la the Minutemen--or will they further tempt the American people to take it on vigilante-style? If that were to happen, the Fed would end up having to send National Guard troops against their own countrymen, and we could end up with riots of one sort or another--talk about a PR nightmare!
I don't think Congress wants to go there. I sure hope they don't.
Posted by jon at June 20, 2007 12:31 AM