oh come on.....the "devil".....yes, the Great Satan told you to go to Niagra Falls.....well, if you had just sent enough money to Jimmy Swaggart or Jerry Falwell, none of this would have happened.....is it absolutely impossible for any illegal alien or deported illegal to EVER own up to the fact that they are responsibile for their circumstances after they violated US laws?
Matt: Being a person of sound mind and body, it occurs to me that if I was from another country and had a USC girlfriend/fiancee or soon-to-be-wife and had designs on living in the US, I would certainly want to make sure that I did all the paperwork legally without any realistic possibility of a mistake and certainly NOT to violate any laws of the US during that process. You however, apparently thought that just because you were in love, that fact superceded our laws. But, as you discovered, it did not. Again, the "devil" didn't make you do it, Matt made you do it.
I really enjoy reading the comments here as everyone must be the ideal citizen that has never broken a law. I bet you're also the person that happily receives a traffic citation as well. I bet you don't even try to make an excuse for your mistakes. Mistakes? Wait, you DON'T make mistakes. You're perfect. But that's not the issue here.
The issue is that the penalty is WAY too harsh. He could have killed someone in the US and probably found a way back in eventually. All he did was make a mistake that DID not harm anyone. He was already married to a USC and didn't take care of his sh1t. He broke a Law. Yes he did. He got caught, yup. Is he paying the price, YUP. Was the law intended for people like him? I would say not. Does it matter? Nope. That's why we have the court system right? You must think OJ was innocent too huh?
So please don't go around scolding like you're his mother/father.
Maybe I'm just upset, because I'm in his same situation and took it as if you were talking to me. I was naive thinking the same as him and went across the border (mexican) for a few hours. I took my EID with me thinking it was sufficient enough. Hell, all I needed was an advance parole to come back (which is pretty quick and easy to get, had i known). BUT, it didn't matter. I met a crooked Border Agent.
Now please don't tell me that all Border Agents do their job like they are supposed to. Some do and some don't, just like the rest of the US/World population. I was stuck in Mexico for 3 weeks by myself not knowing anyone there. It ****ed! I did have friends and my wife come visit me weekly to bring me clothes and money. I met a lot of locals and talking to them I found out that a # of cops take bribes late at night and probably wanted one from me that night. Hell, that's how some of the border people get across. Apparently, I didn't know the system at all or the laws. Stupid me.
Now, should we forgive people like Matt or me? In our case, sure. If there was no room for forgiveness, then NONE of the inmates in the US should ever be released. We should treat them like Sadam did. Just torture them and never let'em free. When students in High School cheat on an Exam, they should NEVER be allowed to goto school again and no college for you either buddy. Go flip burgers for the rest of your life. If your dog takes a sh1t on the carpet, you should throw him out onto the streets. Martha Stewart should stay in jail forever! No parole, No probation! You shouldn't even let their families visit them in jail. Let'em rott! Right? I don't know. All I'm saying is that the punishment is way too harsh and he should be allowed to visit his family at least. I would go as far as calling it "cruel and unusual punishment".
I do understand the point that if we forgive everyone then they will keep trying to come across the border day after day. I'm not saying Don't punish at all. Give them fines, throw'em in jail. Let us pay the price, but ****, don't PERMANENTLY ban us. That's like cutting your arm off for stealing. CAN'T STEAL AGAIN NOW, CAN YOU? I don't even have another place I can call home or goto. I came from a British Colony when I was 11! Let's see, that would make it....hmmm....14 years that I've been in the US. I've done a lot more volunteer work (eg. Hostpitals, Senior Citizen Centers, etc..) then most USC's. I have NEVER taken fromt he US Govt., welfare whatever and food stamps whatever. **** I've even paid for quite a few cops salaries with my traffic citations How can you NOT speed on these huge highways? So, are all foreigners taking advantage of the American people/sytem? Am I stealing your job, or are we just trying for the American Dream and 'most' Americans are?
Am I saying forgive me right away? No, BUT let me have a fair fight. Make the border agents prove me guilty in the court. Why am I having to prove my innocence which is NOT possible in anyway since it was a verbal charge. Let me show the govt my credentials. Let my family, friends, the community, and teachers vouch for me. The system itself is corrupted, and that's why we have an illegal immigration problem. I'm here right now and would be filing income taxes, but instead since I'm NOT legal I can't even do that. It's not even like I just got here or something. 14 years and counting. Why didn't I take care of my status when I first got to the US? I don't know, ask my folks. I only knew about school and baseball at that age.
But seriously Matt, there was a valid point made eariler. Goto school or something and learn some proper English. You just don't move into a country if you can't communicate there. Plus English IS a very commonly used language throughout the world.
Anyhow, but I will agree on another point though. There is NO solution as of now for him to come back legally or me to legalize.
I've already consulted many attorneys from different areas and got the same answer. Personally, I could have gone to court and fought my charges, but that would have been the cops word VS the normal joes. The normal joe rarely wins unless he has serious political influence/$$$. And I can assure you that there were no video/recordings that would have been presented to court to prove me guilty.
I was charged guilty and had to prove my innocence. Juuuusssst Great. Just like a traffic citation. At least with the citation I can pay the fines, do defensive driving, go on probation, and get it off my record and keep driving.
Laws in general have their purposes, but they do get abused daily by civilians and the govt. This is the USA, here you gotta learn to beat the system or you're getting screwed. Yes, innocent people can get screwed as well. Just ask my american friend with 2 daughters who got setup by her friend, so he could walk the streets (deal made with the cops if he turned 5 people in, he walks, so he gets a ride from a friend and leaves drugs under her car seat, then calls the cops, and now he's still dealing).
Matt, every system has corruption. If anyone disagrees, then you probably haven't seen the 'behind the scenes' part yet. Anyhow, don't give up man. I'm sure sooner or later there will be a loophole. In the meantime, hang in there man.
This message has been edited. Last edited by: matchpointz,
I think it must be very hard to learn English if you were not raised in an English speaking home. I think you do well with English for the few years you have studied the language.
I am sorry you broke the rules. You would probably have been a good citizen if you had come to the US the right way. You are no better than the people ahead of you in the line to come to the US who are following the law. You can not be a citizen now. We do not want people here who break our immigration laws. There are to many who have broke these laws I would like to see all of the illegal immigrants go back where they came from.
You can work hard in your own country and try to make it a better place. Make a good home in your country and have your family join you. DO NOT try to sneak back in the US because if you are caught after you have been deported you will go to prison for 8-10 years.
It isn't about just you or Matt - it's the fact that there are what? 12 million or so ILLEGALS here! And all of you have a story.
I think I've seen what is happening now happen before. An issue makes it to the front burner of the government stove and then WHAM things that were okay or overlooked in the past suddenly become the focus.
Some examples:
Smoking - there was a time when there were commercials on television for the best cigarette. Doctors and actors both had ads for their favorite cigarettes. Everybody smoked, it was cool.
When cancer became linked to smoking you can see what happened.
Drinking and Driving - there was a time where people who had to much to drink (as long as there was no accident or fights) were thrown in the drunk tank or someone was called to come and get them from the police station. People could continue getting stopped for Drinking and Driving and be fined but there was no ticket limit. Then we saw more andmore deaths from drunk driving. Groups formed like MADD (mothers against drunk drivers) and started getting laws changed. It went from no big deal to a serious crime.
I guess the rule is when things hurt enough of the people in our culture the rules change. Now a focus is illegal immigration. Things that were okay at one time are now crimes. Most polls show that over 70% of Americans are against illlegals being in the country. It's a front burner issue and things will probably get worse for illegals as more money is being put into homeland security. As people found they were negatively affected by the illegals, citizen groups formed and began fighting for change.
I understand your situation but like I said there are 12 million or so who feel they should get to stay too, meanwhile we have people trying to immigrate the right way facing a hostile welcome because we are already over-run with foriegners.
first of all,this guy matt doesn't speak good english if he studied it, like u said for a few years,MY GOD, It's either this guy's pulling your leg or he needs some serious mental help, and for the fact that u would like to see all the immigrants who broke the laW go home, stop and think for a moment, an immigrant who's been living in the US for so long and i'm not talking about ur money hugry get a store keep the cash stay home love back home hate america type of immigraants, those types don't get in trouble ever cause they don't interact whith anybody by theirs,it's someone who usually loves the states to the point that he forgets that he is still an alien, goes out, gets an american girlfriend, not a fat one for the green card neither, becomes one of ur best friend, watches and loves the NFL,seinfeld reruns,friends...and then one day cause he loves the states so much and acts like every other young american gets into a jam..then reality hits him...anyway, u get my point.and that guy could've been ur best friend..
I understand and it is tragic. I recently read about a guy who was a permanent resident from the UK. He has been in the USA since he was 2 years old. He never became a citizen. He was convicted for grand larceny at 33 and now after 32 years in the US he is being deported back to Scotland (which he has never seen). He wasn't even here illegally!
12 million illegals Shakil, it's not fair to those trying to come over here legally. My anscestors/family have fought in every war ever fought for this country. If we legalize all of these people we will give them a voting bloc that can out weigh the wants/needs of the normal Americans. I don't want them voting and I don't want my taxes carrying them. I also resent the way they refuse to assimilate and demand we provide everything in their language. I hate what they have done to the schools. They want to change the culture not join it or work to know the history and people who made this country great. We have always had a generous immigration policy and people need to earn citizenship not be given the right to be here because they cheated. In your example, my best friend would have to become my penpal. I think if we sent these people back in mass number they could take what they have learned here and build their own countries up.
I will address your comment on Matt's English later. Yes, I still think he does very well and I'll tell you why.
Read these words and note how they sound the same but are spelled different. pare, pair, pear (the first is to peel fruit (not peal a bell, which by the way you don't pill a bell) the second is a set of two (but not set as in set the table) the third is a fruit.
There are hundreds of similiar words. Think of the word to, too, or the word two.
He read a book sitting at a red light.
I am blue because she blew blue bubbles.
You brake for traffic but break dishes. You tear up paper but shed a tear in sad movies.
I could go on and on, and then their is the many accents in the USA (talk to a southerner then talk to someone from Boston or Minnesota).
It's fascinating stuff if your inclined to do some searches on the web. I may be against illegal immigration but I do understand how hard English is to learn and appreciate Matt's trying.
Last but not least the following was sent to me. Enjoy.
The English Language
Let's face it -- English is a crazy language. There is no egg in eggplant nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple. English ****ins weren't invented in England or French fries in France. Sweetmeats are candies while sweetbreads, which aren't sweet, are meat.
We take English for granted. But if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.
And why is it that writers write but fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce and hammers don't ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn't the plural of booth beeth? One goose, 2 geese. So one moose, 2 meese? One index, 2 indices?
Doesn't it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend, that you comb thru annals of history but not a single annal? If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it?
If teachers taught, why didn't preacher praught? If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?
Sometimes I think all the English speakers should be committed to an asylum for the verbally insane. In what language do people recite at a play and play at a recital? Ship by truck and send cargo by ship? Have noses that run and feet that smell?
How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and wise guy are opposites? How can overlook and oversee be opposites, while quite a lot and quite a few are alike? How can the weather be hot as hell one day and cold as hell another?
Have you noticed that we talk about certain things only when they are absent? Have you ever seen a horseful carriage or a strapful gown? Met a sung hero or experienced requited love? Have you ever run into someone who was combobulated, gruntled, ruly or peccable? And where are all those people who ARE spring chickens or who would ACTUALLY hurt a fly?
You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which your house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out and in which an alarm clock goes off by going on.
English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the creativity of the human race (which, of course, isn't a race at all). That is why, when the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible. And why, when I wind up my watch, I start it, but when I wind up this essay, I end it.
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How can you NOT speed on these huge highways? So, are all foreigners taking advantage of the American people/sytem? Am I stealing your job, or are we just trying for the American Dream and 'most' Americans are?
