Actually I did read it thank you very much. Please refrain from the ad hominem attacks targeting the person and not the topic at hand. Diversionary tactics irritate me and anyone else interested in rational discussion.
Oh, puh-leese! I didn't call you a fool or an idiot, or other words that Simon might object to. There was no ad hominem attack. Pardon me for concluding that you hadn't read the article, after seeing you state as fact that the ones arrested were, in fact, American citizens, when the article clearly said that they were not. Or because you stated that they had been arrested simply because they were of Arab descent, when the article clearly stated that they had violated the law. OK, you read the article. I can therefore come to one of only two possible conclusions: either you are lacking in reading comprehension skills, or you deliberately distorted what the article said in order to make your point. Which is it?
The fact is, these immigrants demonstrate a willingness to cooperate by complying and registering and are subsequently detained and thrown in a prison cell?
So, the fact that they willingly cooperated with one area of the law means that they should not be penalized for breaking another part of it? If you go to the police station to pay a parking ticket, and while you're there, they discover that there's an outstanding warrant on you, you will certainly be arrested. Your willingness to cooperate by paying the ticket won't weigh in your favor with regard to the other issue. These people had broken the law. Some of them were actually wanted for crimes. Others - like some of the 9/11 terrorists - had overstayed their visas. All were from countries known to support terrorism, and none have a right to be in the United States.
I find it ironic that thusfar it has been reported that this has only happened to those of Arabic descent.
Why do you find it ironic? Virtually every terrorist act directed against our country has been carried out by persons of Arabic descent. Should we start watching them now, or after they inflict even more damage? If the terrorist acts were being carried out by Norwegians, I'd want them watched instead - but they aren't. I'm not saying that we should find all the Arab-Americans and lock them away, only that the government should increase scrutiny and be very careful about foreign nationals from countries known to support terrorism who are in our country and breaking its laws.
Why are those of Hispanic, Irish, Japanese, African, and every other ethnicity who decide to move to America not treated this way on such a wide scale?
Perhaps because people of their nationality aren't engaging in widespread acts of terrorism against our country? Perhaps because thay haven't destroyed any of our buildings or killed large numbers of our citizens?
the public is afraid, much like the general public was afraid of the Japanese-Americans who were detained during WWII simply because they were Japanese. Yet you seem to condone this racist behavior.
Frankly, if there were Japanese nationals in the USA during World War II who were here illegally, or who were committing crimes while they were here, I'd have said, yeah, lock 'em up! But I find what really did happen - which was in no way similar to the recent events that you are complaining about - to be appalling. Citizens of the United States were locked up simply because of their ancestry. That is unacceptable. If law-abiding Arab-Americans, citizens of the United States, were being detained simply because of their ethnicity, I'd be screaming just as loudly as you are.
I might add that I find it interesting that you consider my concluding - on the basis of what you wrote - that you had not read the article before posting to be an ad hominem attack, but that your directly accusing me of "condoning racist behavior" is not.
Suburbanite white males attack America = why aren't young white males being rounded up?
I think it would be just great if all young white males who are in our country illegally and committing crimes were rounded up. As far as I know, it is the government's policy to arrest such persons as they are found. In building your case, you were able to name exactly two white suburban males who engaged in terrorism or related acts. Of the two, one was a young man so sympathetic to the cause of our enemies that he converted to their religion, joined their terrorist cell, moved to their country, and ultimately took up arms against fellow Americans. Are you saying that persons who do that should not be punished?
Again, we do not have a situation here in which all persons of Arabic descent are being rounded up into internment camps - as much as you would seem to like to make it look that way. These people are not Citizens. They do not have a right to be here. They hail from countries known to support terrorism against us. And they are violating our laws. They ought to be arrested, and they have been. To say that we shouldn't do that unless we can also round up everybody else from every racial or ethnic group who is also here illegally or is violating the laws, is like saying that unless we can give tickets to everybody who speeds on the highway, we shouldn't give out any tickets at all. The government's resources are limited, and they are wisely being focused on the groups who have demonstrated the most potential to do us harm.
Another related topic, this course of action may well backfire. As joanna brought out, rounding up Muslims like this will serve to only rally more people to their cause. This could easily be used as a propaganda tool to support the claim of jihad against the infidels who mistreat Muslims. (not that I agree with this, but undoubtedly it will happen)
While I think your point may have some validity, it seems to me that the groups bent on our destruction have already decided that they hate us and want us dead. I think we need to focus on defending ourselves against them, not on wringing our hands about whether we might make them even madder.
