"Otherwise Law Abiding"

Fresno State University student body president and would-be DREAM Act poster boy, Pedro Ramirez, put himself back in the news this weekend when he wrapped a pick-up truck around a tree (Article about the incident: http://tinyurl.com/4mp3nvk). And although we're confident it wasn't what he intended, he has demonstrated the emptiness of a commonly peddled lie.

The material falsehood in question is the asserted omnipresence of the "otherwise law abiding" illegal alien.  It is the people who fall inside the parameters of this description, we are urged, who must be considered for "a path to citizenship."  These folks are, allegedly, the ones who have violated no laws other than being in the U.S. without permission and taking jobs that "Americans won't do."

Naturally, like most propaganda, this notion is largely nonsense.  Think about it. To perpetuate unlawful presence in California, over a period of years, practically necessitates multiple violations of state and federal laws beyond illegally working and residing in the U.S.

Ask yourself this:  If you were one of our undocumented neighbors, and were determined to stay in Fresno, Oakland or San Diego for at least a few years, how many of these actions would it be tough to avoid?

- Driving without a license
- Creating or buying forged identity documents (Green card, drivers license, Soc. Sec. card, etc.)
- Using someone else's birth certificate for border crossings
- Using someone else's Social Security number

Is Pedro Ramirez the worst person in California?  Hardly.  Is he a valuable asset without whom the State of California will be demonstrably poorer, as DREAM Act advocates would have you believe?  Please.  Pedro is neither of those things.  Like most people occupying his position, he falls somewhere in the middle.  Essentially, he's "all about" Pedro.  He ignores laws he doesn't want to follow. He was raised by law breakers who have done the same thing during their time here in California, has been cheered on by thousands recently, and advised that he is courageous and commendable. Resultingly, he's not likely to stop violating federal and state statutes he deems inconvenient, any time soon.

The solution to this problem is simple, according to proponents of "comprehensive immigration reform."

Just change the laws to accommodate him.

That makes sense, right?