Aliens and Strangers

Aliens and Strangers
Genesis 17: 7-8

There is a world of difference between being an alien and being a citizen. The New York Times has an ethical agony page where the columnist discusses some dilemma. Last week a reader was taking his family on vacation in Holland, where smoking pot is legal. Would it be okay to let his son do so there when it is illegal in the United States? he asked. Is it okay to smoke pot illegally in the United States if you think the ban on pot is a silly law? If I were looking at that question as an alien, a big consideration would be, “What would happen if I were found out?” A citizen risks a fine or imprisonment; I might risk deportation. I am in the United States only on sufferance. Taxation without representation is fine; as long as I behave, I am secure. But I do not have the security of a citizen. Aliens in the United States (or anywhere else) have even less security if they lack the right papers, and/or if citizens stop needing aliens to pick their lettuce or blow their leaves...