I absolutely and wholeheartedly agree with everythingzen2's post above. First and foremost, I voted for John Kerry, and I am slightly left of the dial on most social issues. I am okay with gay marriage, pretty much pro-abortion(in the sense that it's people's decision, although I don't support it myself--in other words, I am pro-choice), pro affirmative action(however, I only support affirmative action for blacks), pro stem-cell research, and the list goes on and on. I will have to rehash what I said earlier since I have repeated this point ad nauseum, but let me do it one more time anyway. Most polls suggest that Americans, whether liberal or conservative, are predominantly against illegal immigration for the simple reason that many illegal immigrants have partaken in criminal activities like drug trafficking, prostitution, robbery,etc. Child prostitution is also a cause for concern. Drugs are smuggled across the border on a daily basis as well, no doubt. The second main concern is assimilation. People of all stripes have come to America, assimilated and have become a part of the mainstream American culture. Another problem here is that never in the history of America has the volume of influx of immigrants been as high as it has been in the last few decades. Thus the problem arises that these immigrants may never assimilate in America. Only on friday, this one congressman from California seemed to suggest on Real Time with Bill Maher that there are millions of Americans of working age who don't have jobs. My other beef with illegal immigration is that these jobs might as well alleviate the unemployment problem by a lot. Furthermore, if you are a humanitarian, listen to this one point. Hundreds of thousands of Mexicans die when crossing the border due to starvation, thirst and hunger. To nip this problem in the bud, the most humanitarian act is to ensure that Mexicans don't try to cross the borders in the first place by securing our borders. Now as to the media, my personal observation is that the media is softballing the immigration issue. Unless by the term "media" the reference is only to right-wing outlets like Fox News and the Washington Times, and people like Lou Dobbs and Bill O'Reilly, one cannot, by any stretch of the imagination, conclude that the media as an aggregate is taking the anti-immigration stance. Dare I suggest that the media is slightly on the liberal side on most issues? Why exactly is Fox News so popular? Might it be because there is a dearth of rightwing media outlets in America? PBS, the public channel, has been pretty much liberal in the past. NPR is pretty liberal as well. Sure, there are talk shows that are right wing, but aside from that I think the media is pretty much liberal. Hey, I have no problem with that, as I don't see myself voting for Republicans unless they nominate John McCain, Rudy Guiliani or Condoleeza Rice(I don't like her, but I'll definitely vote her because I would love to see a black president at the helm). Now I have been pondering about the amnesty question for a while, and this is what I believe. People thought that the 1980's amnesty would do magic on the illegal immigration issue. It turns out that the problem only worsened and the stream of illegal immigration has never been higher as it has been in the past few years. However, I am FOR AMNESTY, ONLY IF the government is going to do the following: 1. Erect a huge wall that would serve as a barrier against illegal immigration. 2. The military should keep an eye on the borders to put illegal immigration to a halt. 3. Illegal immigration is made a felony. As it is now, it is a civil offense. They need to make it a criminal offense. 4. Expedite the deportation of illegal immigration. Get rid of red tapes and government beauracracies. And what about the Al Qaeda??? Does that not concern you? What if organizations like these decide to sneak dirty bombs from South of the border? I live in the District of Columbia. Why would I want such a thing to happen? I do not want a wakeup call to come in the form of a mushroom cloud. The Bush administration's supposed strength is security. If so is the case, they need to prove it. 90% of goods coming to our ports aren't checked. The American borders are virtually open. This is a concern for people living in the DC area, which is always a prime target for criminals.