{"id":3856,"date":"2016-02-09T09:05:58","date_gmt":"2016-02-09T15:05:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/janetheactuary\/?p=3856"},"modified":"2016-02-10T08:53:23","modified_gmt":"2016-02-10T14:53:23","slug":"chicago-officials-enact-amnesty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/janetheactuary\/2016\/02\/chicago-officials-enact-amnesty.html","title":{"rendered":"Chicago officials enact amnesty!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Library officials, that is.<\/p>\n

As announced by the Chicago Tribune<\/a> (paywall) and eNews Park Forest<\/a> (non-paywall), the Chicago Public Libarary is offering a fine amnesty. \u00a0For a two-week period, borrowers may return their overdue items with no fines, and library staff hope that, as a side benefit, people who\u2019d stayed away from the library will renew their library cards and become regular users.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll note that no one is proposing that an amnesty means that people simply get to keep their library materials, with or without paying their fines.<\/p>\n

In other everyday uses of the word \u201camnesty,\u201d the issue is likewise a matter of cancelling fines, not granting new benefits. \u00a0A \u201cparking fine amnesty\u201d for scofflaws who have been parking in prohibited places doesn\u2019t grant them the right to access those parking spots \u2014 it just takes away the fines.<\/p>\n

An amnesty for pot smokers? \u00a0It would take away fines, but certainly wouldn\u2019t be equivalent to the legalization of pot.<\/p>\n

What about \u201camnesty\u201d in its usage when a civil war is ended, say, somewhere in Africa, for instance, with South Africa\u2019s Truth and Reconciliation Commission? \u00a0I would assume that, even then, if an individual were guilty of property theft (as opposed to crimes of murder, torture, etc.), he would be required to return the stolen property to the victim.<\/p>\n

All of which means that, when we speak of a mass legalization program for individuals who crossed the border illegally or overstayed visas, and who worked under the table or with false identification, we are not really speaking of amnesty. \u00a0And, yes, I know that the terminology is a legacy from the 1986 \u201camnesty.\u201d \u00a0But I was in high school then, and not in a position to object to calling it \u201camnesty.\u201d<\/p>\n

A true amnesty program would actually be a just and right action to take, and would be limited in scope: \u00a0it would offer certain groups of people who came illegally but now, for various reasons would be eligible for legal residency but for the penalties that apply to them from their initial illegal actions. \u00a0This would include spouses of Americans, in s0-called \u201cmixed status\u201d marriages, as well as students eligible for student visas, and educated workers who would be able to find employment as H1-B applicants. \u00a0And from what I learned when I last wrote about this<\/a>, legislation to remove existing penalties has in the past been held hostage to wider legalization programs, which is not just.<\/p>\n

So (in the category of \u201cwishful thinking\u201d) I\u2019d like to see a few politicians, or pundits at least, change the conversation by saying, \u201cyes, I support amnesty. \u00a0I would back a bill that would waive penalties for people who came illegally but now have grounds to apply for legal status, as spouses, students, or skilled workers. \u00a0What I don\u2019t support is a mass legalization program.\u201d \u00a0 Repeat, repeat, repeat.<\/p>\n

Why? \u00a0Because our discussion around the topic of illegal immigration has turned Orwellian, with politicians swearing up and down, \u201cI don\u2019t support amnesty,\u201d then later on admitting that\u2019s because (in the political variation of lying with fingers crossed) they\u2019ve defined \u201camnesty\u201d to mean \u201cgranting of legal residency without preconditions\u201d and they\u2019re willing to attach a precondition, such a promise to attend an English class, to their legalization program.
\n
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Library officials, that is. As announced by the Chicago Tribune (paywall) and eNews Park Forest (non-paywall), the Chicago Public Libarary is offering a fine amnesty. \u00a0For a two-week period, borrowers may return their overdue items with no fines, and library staff hope that, as a side benefit, people who\u2019d stayed away from the library will […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2209,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[260,139],"class_list":["post-3856","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-amnesty","tag-illegal-immigrants"],"yoast_head":"\nChicago officials enact amnesty!<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Library officials, that is. 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