Thread: Taking issue with the word 'illegal'

looks like shit, smells like shit, tastes like shit...must be shit. cheech and chong

If I fail to send in my auto or home insurance annual premium, I can just say it's an "undocumented house and/or auto."

They'll still pay my claim, if I have one, won't they? Surely they will!

Since "illegal" is such a bad word that means the police can no longer write anymore tickets for making illegal turns or lane changes. It might hurt your feelings or self esteem being told you did something illegal.

I would like to mention that my above post is in the wrong thread. It should have been in the thread about the CNN show last night, 360. That's what happens when "senior" moments collide with late night posting.

But at least it was not an Illegal Senior Moment, besides it does happen.. :P :P :P

Originally Posted by gofer

I would like to mention that my above post is in the wrong thread. It should have been in the thread about the CNN show last night, 360. That's what happens when "senior" moments collide with late night posting.

You could copy and paste the post into the proper thread and I could delete this one later if you wanted. Believe me it is easy to make a post in the wrong discussion if you have several browser windows open and are reading multiple threads at the same time. I've done it a few times myself.

OK, Brian. Thanks!!

http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/ne ... 113124.php

Friday, April 21, 2006

Reaction shows free speech far from illegal


By ANH DO
The Orange County Register

I expected frustration, even anger.

I also expected readers sending me definitions from the dictionary. But I was not prepared for the hundreds of e-mails that came after I wrote a column critical of the term "illegal," when connected with immigrants, saying actions can be labeled "illegal," but not human beings. I also was surprised where their messages came from: Nevada, Texas, Ohio and Orange County, of course.

Well, I had my say, so I figure it's only fair to allow others their turn. Here's a sampling:

From Richard Doczy of Orange: "If 'illegals' is so offensive would you rather have these persons called 'criminals?'... I am an immigrant who came to America after years and years of jumping through all kinds of hoops. ... Perhaps the law needs to be changed, and I could be all for that. But still, it is now illegal to enter without going through all those bureaucratic obstacles the rest of us had to go through."

From Gary Zaremba of Mission Viejo: "Firstly, I can't understand WHY the Register continues to allow newspaper reporters to express their own views when those views are anywhere other than the editorial section.

"Secondly, if a person commits a burglary, we call them burglars," Zaremba continued. "If they commit rape, they are rapists. If they commit murder, they are murderers. Basically, if they commit any type of a crime, they are associated with the crime ... THEREFORE, people who steal into our country ILLEGALLY are ILLEGAL ALIENS and no amount of 'whitewashing' to make them feel better about their crime is going to help the situation."

Rather than illegal immigrant, I called for using the term "undocumented," endorsed by several journalist associations. This prompted Chad Wanke of Placentia to write: "An immigrant that is here in violation of the law is committing an illegal act by their very presence. Every second of every day of their life while here is an illegal act.

"Using 'undocumented' makes it sound as though the immigrant has merely lost their paperwork," Wanke said. "What about illegal immigrants with forged documents, or documents that were obtained through fraud or identity theft?" asked the real estate broker who is the first in his family, with roots in Panama, to be born in the United States. "What about immigrants whose entry to the U.S. was documented but still illegal?"

Yi Doo of Irvine suggested "maybe Ms. Do should try to become an 'unfiled taxpayer' and see how she would be viewed by IRS?"

George Turk of Newport Beach said: "We certainly wouldn't want to be insensitive to a bunch of nitwits that demonstrate carrying an upside-down American flag and parade their loyalty to another country as a means of convincing us that they are valuable Americans.

"So someone who does not want to be assimilated, shouts demands to its host country, shows extreme disrespect to our national symbol and, by the way, isn't supposed to be here in the first place, is ... what? Illegal? An alien? An illegal alien? Of course he/she is."

In saying that the I-word does not need to be shunned, Harmon Ward, an Anaheim member of the Knights of Columbus, noted, "Without using the right words there can be no debate." He cited an example, noting his organization raises money to benefit the "mentally retarded," a medical term referring to a diagnosis. But after successful campaigns to replace it with "mentally challenged," he found donations dropping dramatically and potential donors confused about what the organization was supporting.

"The truth and accuracy need to be faced and dealt with, however unpleasant that may be." Ward's verdict: "Illegal is not a bad word if it is accurate."

Yet I still feel it is dehumanizing.

Sifting through my pile, in the midst of answering my mail, I found a note from Marilyn Moir of Santa Ana, a longtime reader, asking why I would tackle the topic: "I thought you only focused on the Asian perspective."

And that is exactly what this column is about. So let's keep all our opinions in perspective and thank our Constitution for allowing us free speech.