Penn State recently decided to take a bold step to end music piracy on its campus.  Instead of enforcing the rules by blocking downloads, tracking the use of its own network, or punishing offenders, Penn State has decided to allow Penn State students to download all they want from the new legal version of Napster.  The school is paying Roxio, which owns Napster, an undisclosed fee.  So the way to stop illegal music downloads is to simply make it legal, and the school will absorb the cost.

Is it just me, or does this sound like an eery echo of the plan to eliminate illegal immigration not by increasing border control, tracking down illegal immigrants or punishing offenders, but by simply declaring illegal immigration... legal?  The problem with that scenario is, the government would absorb the cost... and the government is us. So what does this teach the Penn State students or immigrants about following our rules and obeying our laws?  Not too much, I'm thinking.

The proposed Border Security and Immigration Improvement Act (BSIIA) would basically function as an amnesty for, as stated in section 4, almost any alien who entered the country illegally before 1 August 2003.  It would grant them the status of "non-immigrant alien" as long as they haven't been convicted of any felonies, and either have a job, or are the spouse or child of anyone with a job.  It's pretty much a cold slap in the face of all the legal immigrants who've ever entered the country by filling out the proper forms, obeying the laws, following the rules, and becoming law-abiding citizens.  It sends a clear message: there is no criminal act we cannot ignore.  The most shocking thing about it is that it was proposed by Senator John McCain (R-Az), a man not normally known for endorsing either criminal acts or Liberal ideas.

We can further reduce the number of criminals in this country overnight by simply declaring their crimes legal!  If only we'd declared shoplifting legal, for instance, we wouldn't have been subjected to months of riveting footage of Winona Ryder sitting in a courtroom while talking heads and pundits discussed her outfits.  We can declare murder legal, and never have to hear about Scott Peterson again... it won't matter who killed his wife and son.  And as soon as rape is declared legal, Kobe Bryant can go back to shooting hoops without fear of being accused of anything... or having entire web pages devoted to his trial coverage.

What is the point of even having laws if, when people disobey them, you simply change those laws to accomodate them?  And don't tell me that illegal immigration is a "victimless" crime... every taxpaying American is a victim.