Immigration

Before civilization would know the world, there wasworld belongs to you as much as it does to any
no slavery, there was barely any property, and theother person. To go forth, to that magical land that
most destructive form of war was a simple,pulls your heart, with the ideal that everything you
aggressive feud. Before organized society was bornsee is the common property of mankind and the
on this planet, life was simple, there was noworld's animals. I must confess... I can honestly think
authority, no authority to abuse, and the land wasof no other action that is more indicative of freedom
the common property of all living creatures. Oncethan this.Among the desire to test the liberty of will,
men organized themselves into hierarchies, givingthere are so many other reasons. One might be
certain occupations, giving certain authorities, requiringattracted to the ideal of travelling either by economic
obedience, punishing dissent, then the flame ofopportunity, family and friends living at a distance, or
cruelty would begin to burn in the hearts of men, asin hopes to escape political or religious persecution. If
it would end in scorching the lives of the innocent.you were to meet a man of another country desiring
Before mankind decided to turn family into society,to enter yours, for the sake of living a life with his
to turn villages into cities, to turn government intofamily with a higher quality of life, would you honestly
empire, all of the world was the property of all mentell him no? If he had been living in a nation where to
and all creatures. When it came to movement, therebe a child meant to be homeless, where the crime
was no restrictions, no embargos. The imaginary linesrate and the unemployment rate were enormous,
we call borders today would only be able to exist inwhere the constant cry for the hunger pains echoed
the nightmare of primitive man. There was nothrough the ghettos, would you say to him, that you
obstruction, no limitations. When a person decided tocannot let him into this country, and then plead with
travel south to the warmth, or north to theus that you had defended justice? Perhaps he
temperate, or west to the ocean, or east to thespeaks another language, perhaps his skin tone is
forest, there were no impositions. There were nolighter or darker, perhaps he worships a different
walls. These men and women of the primitive worldgod. As a tolerant people, we would reject all of
never had to fear for customs checks, never had tothese things as elements that could make us regard
worry about search and seizures. There was nothis man differently. He is a human being, with
authority, there was no fear. The world was ownedpassions, and desires, and hopes, and emotions, like
by every man, and this was the greatest comfort toany of us. It would be for the sake of justice, not
every individual.As society grew and civilization tookany emotionalism, that we were to let him into our
root in the history of mankind, borders would benation. If our own economic policy was effective,
arranged by both law and custom. Individuals wouldthen it must be accepted that this man would create
be prohibited from travelling to certain spots. In somehis own wealth, and add to the riches of everyone
cases, it was the land the individual left that wouldelse.Think of what mankind has done in order to
hold them back. In others, it was the land thekeep these borders alive. There are politicians who
individual was entering that put up walls. For a law toexist right now that are bent on making sure these
designate one region from another was not enough.borders are recognized. They want to see a certain
Fences would be erected, and in place of theseand unflinching duty in the guards who patrol these
fences, soon walls would rise, and watch towersborders. They want these soldiers to believe that
would be created, with the aid of soldiers patrollingpoverty was caused by something besides borders
and scowering. All of this would be created by theand Capitalism. Asside from the soldiers, they want
authorities of the world, enforced by the greatestto see every person in another country look to
armies and the most threatening warriors. It almostthese borders and feel fear, sense pain... Our
seemed as though people would be boxed in, forcedpoliticians would have it so that our nation was
to stand in area of land and refused to go anywhere.completely locked up from the rest of the world if
When we listen to our great demagogues andtheir will was unchecked power. As children are
rabblerousers, our most thoughtful lecturers andstarving to death in foreign nations, as men and
speakers, we discover always a love of liberty. Therewomen are still burned at the stake for religious
is always a praise of freedom: that a man can dopersecution, as disease infects and destroys these
what he wants, what he desires, without obstructionalready crumbling bodies of children, as the vices of
from an outter source, so long as he harms no othermankind spread at a rate equal to war, the first
person. It has been this ethic, this creed, that haswords of the politician will be, "Innocent or guilty, just
been woven in the fabric of every revolution aimingor unjust, those people cannot come in to our
to overturn an injustice. Without this love of liberty,country." Whether looking for the long lost touch of
society would be a dreary and thoughtlesstheir family, their lovers, their friends, or whether
musing.With this love of liberty, there is no doubtseeking to escape emminent persecution for ideals,
that we want to be able to walk where we may, orthere are some cases where a person will accept the
to travel to whatever lands that capture our heart'sstatus of "refugee" when it means escaping.We look
desire. The fact of the prehistory man, that all of theto the freedom to explore ideas, thoughts, and
world is the common property of mankind, this is thephilosophies as perhaps one of the greatest of all
ethic that we wish to uphold. When we findfreedoms. It is the liberty that stands as the
ourselves surrounded with borders, threatened withgreatest guardian against tyranny. To deny it would
punishment if we should violate one of thesebe to advance arguments on behalf of every unjust
borders, we feel that liberty is needed, that thegovernment. And yet, while this right is upheld by Civil
people must be allowed to have freedom. When weRights groups and active citizen meetings, the
read the history of the Soviet Union, we are appalled.freedom to explore the world is hindered. We find
We find that people were not allowed to emigrate.borders, lined with armed towers and walls, circulating
Similarly, when we read the history of the Unitedguards; and the man who is trying to escape the
States, we are also appalled. We find that peoplepersecution of his own land comes only to find this.
were not allowed to immigrate. It almost seems asAs I said earlier, the world was once the common
though a gross, unjust restriction is necessary to anyproperty of mankind. In that era, one that almost
government. Why should people be held, chained,reached complete bliss, there was never a war
shackled, by their governments? It will only create aspawned from property conflicts, never an argument
state of oppressed versus oppressor.Why would abased on borders or imaginary lines. Everything
man, or a woman, ever desire to move about?belonged to everyone, and as this idea flowed
Above all things, there is the desire to test the limitsthrough the minds of these early tribesmen, they
of freedom. We have read poetry by greatwould never think for a moment that their ancestors
individuals, who talked about the struggle theywould forget. They did not have the vision to imagine
championed for their rights. We have heard music,great towers and great walls; they never saw their
with lyrics that discussed hardship and unity. We havekin murdering each other, the victimizer motivated by
solemnly reread those poems in our head, quietlya paycheck and threats from superiors, the victim
hummed the tune of those songs, and have alwaysmotivated at an honest chance of life. The early
held those authors, those poets, those musicians,tribesmen never saw this, their shamen conjuring up
those creators and cultivators in adoration. Weunreliable spirits and mystical beings could not predict
wanted to test this freedom! I want to be able toanything like this.It was called a crime by the United
climb any mountain, as high as I can. I want to beStates government when the Soviets put up the
dance in praries, sing songs in caves, sleep on theBerlin Wall and separated families and friends. Many of
beach, write poetry on a grassy hill! These people,them died trying to reach their children, their lovers,
truly the best citizens of the world, who havetheir brethren. They were gunned down by the
desired to travel to test the limits of freedom --soldiers of a Totalitarian regime. If it is true that the
what do you think would happen if they came to aSoviet government committed a crime in separating
"No Trespassing!" sing? What would do you thinkan entire city, then we must all agree that the United
would have happened if they came to fence withStates government is equally guilty of committing a
barbed wire? Or, what if they came to a toweringcrime. Nay, we are more guilty! The Soviets divided a
wall, armed with violent guards and soldiers, whocity, we divide a continent! Whatever the amount of
have been taught all their life that you are a part ofEast Berliners that have been shot down by their
the criminal element? The only humane and logicalown soldiers, I imagine that American soldiers are
answer is this: you would think that a great breach ofguilty for having shot down ten times as many! It is a
justice had been committed.We are not discussingcrime, and these walls, these barriers, these borders
here the right to read what you want, or the right toall must come down... Life,Punkerslut (or Andy
think as you may, or the right to say what isCarloff) has been writing essays and poetry on social
troubling your mind. This is not a matter ofissues which have caught his attention for several
censorship of opinions. It is not a matter of gunyears. His website provides a complete list of all of
control, or abortion, or leftist versus rightist ideologythese writings. His life experience includes
in economics. No. This is a simple matter of freedom.homelessness, squating in New Orleans and LA,
Among these great freedoms, it is the freedom todropping out of high school, getting expelled from
walk and go anywhere that you please, and to do socollege for "subversive activities," and a myriad of
with that admirable thought in your heart, that thisother revolutionary actions.