Interesting word, “eclectic.” The WaPo has thusly labeled Mr. Ranier, Maryland. The “city” of 9,000 (not even a small town in my book) is now considering doing what “eclectic” places do: attempt to legislate feel-good, leftist measures. This time, it’s declaring itself a “sanctuary city.” From the WaPo article:
The tiny city of Mount Rainier is considering whether to declare itself a sanctuary for illegal immigrants, entering a regional and national debate over enforcement of immigration law.
If the City Council approves the proposal, the eclectic city of 9,000 in Prince George’s County will join nearby Takoma Park in prohibiting police officers and city workers from checking the immigration status of residents or reporting those who lack legal residency documents to federal immigration authorities. Takoma Park has been a “sanctuary” city since 1985.
So, what is an “eclectic city?” From the WaPo, as good a definition as any:
Mount Rainier is known as a funky, left-leaning community. The city has a cooperative swimming pool, vegetarian food store, cooperative bicycle shop and community tool shed for residents to borrow lawn mowers and chain saws. Signs calling for the repeal of Maryland’s death penalty and the impeachment of President Bush dot many residential lawns like colorful flags at a political convention.
Sounds about right. A bunch of birkenstock-wearing, Volvo-driving, affluent and self-righteous idiotarians. About the only thing that is likely missing from Mt. Ranier is any sizable intellectual diversity. I’d guess that conservative Republicans are rather scarce there.
I get the same feeling from this gesture as from some communities declaring themselves to be “nuclear free zones,” so that no part of our nuclear weapons complex would sully their pristine borders. Should communities be allowed to, in effect, secede from the United States? Or, in the case of the Mt. Raniers, those parts of our laws they don’t agree with?
The only correct answer is a resounding “is this a trick question?” Of course we don’t have the luxury of not obeying laws we don’t like. But we always have open to us civil disobedience — if we accept the penalties for not obeying the law.
Good luck to the self-righteous burghers of Mt. Ranier. Chances are that no jack-booted federal thugs are going to come from the sky to throw your sorry asses in the lockup. But some advice to those who truly don’t like our immigration (or any other) laws: work to change them; challenge them in court by getting yourselves arrested for aiding and abetting illegal immigrants.
What you are doing is spineless and spiteful; a poke in the eye to the rest of us.
