metalkingdom:
Yes, illegal does mean against the law. And if we define law, then illegal means against a rule of conduct or procedure established by custom, agreement, or authority, against a piece of enacted legislation, etc. But this does not mean that laws do not, or cannot, change to reflect reality on the ground. It does not that all residents and citizens are behaving lawfully all the time. And, it does not mean that illegal individuals will not respect the law if given that opportunity. Additionally, a nation of laws is also a nation of different interpretations of the laws because, after all, laws are there to be interpreted, and typically, the more money you have, the more interpretations you can afford. So, while law-abiding citizens are running around trying to find tax lawyers wholl introduce them to some grey areas of the law so that Uncle Sam gets less, legal immigrants are filling in their taxes properly as they know that irregular filing or (inadvertent) misuse of the system could cost them their citizenship.
To your question, what makes me think that we the people of the US are responsible for providing you with a safe and comfortable life?, I can say this: be assured that you personally didnt provide me with such commodities, and if I enjoy such a life, I earned it by fighting honestly on my own as many other people have done.
I appreciate your sharing that you put your life on the line for the country and what it stands for, but that act alone does not give you or anyone else the right to imply that you fought and bled for me, that I do not respect the countrys values, that my mind is somehow distorted, and that all of our struggles are comparable, because they are not. I never talked bullshit about Americans, as you put it, but rather, I expressed strong disagreement with a particular set of views and beliefs held by some members of this forum. My problem is not with life and human nature but with indifference. I dont need to meet a single illegal person in my life to know that many of them left their countries of origin because of some terrible shit thats been going on. For why else would someone risk getting caught, injured, or killed at the border or suffocated in a shipping container (as some have)? Why would we think that no such person gives a shit about America? I also wonder what happened to that respect for democracy and human rights, which were exporting so generously these days
