Reason.com - Free Minds and Free Markets
Reason logo Reason logo
  • Latest
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Subscribe
    • Crossword
  • Video
  • Podcasts
    • All Shows
    • The Reason Roundtable
    • The Reason Interview With Nick Gillespie
    • The Soho Forum Debates
    • Just Asking Questions
    • The Best of Reason Magazine
    • Why We Can't Have Nice Things
  • Volokh
  • Newsletters
  • Donate
    • Donate Online
    • Donate Crypto
    • Ways To Give To Reason Foundation
    • Torchbearer Society
    • Planned Giving
  • Subscribe
    • Reason Plus Subscription
    • Print Subscription
    • Gift Subscriptions
    • Subscriber Support

Login Form

Create new account
Forgot password

FAC: Terrorists Breathe Air, Just Like Humans!

David Weigel | 5.17.2007 9:42 AM

Share on FacebookShare on XShare on RedditShare by emailPrint friendly versionCopy page URL
Media Contact & Reprint Requests

Isaac Chotiner's post about the looming immigration compromise is short enough to quote:

I did enjoy Mark Krikorian's take on the issue:

If the Senate is going to repeat the 1986 "grand bargain" (amnesty up front for promises of enforcement in the future), every senator needs to understand that he is voting to give legal status to terrorists.

The logic behind this claim is simple: If we legalize a lot of people, some of them will likely be terrorists. Anyway, I think Krikorian's logic should be extended to all sorts of public policies. For instance, lawmakers who support clean air laws should realize that they are really just voting for terrorists to breathe clean air!

I'd add that Krikorian's theory was beaten with lead pipes and tossed in an unmarked grave by the two GOP frontrunners at the last debate. John McCain:

My friend, the people that came -- that almost attacked us at Fort Dix -- thank God they did not -- those people didn't come here across our borders, they came with visas that were expired. So we've got to enforce our border. That's our first and foremost priority. But we also have to have a comprehensive solution and it has to be bipartisan.

Rudy Giuliani:

The reality is, we've got to be sensible about immigration. If we do the kinds of things that some of the people here are talking about, this country's going to be in greater danger; it is going to be more insecure; we're going to face a situation in which terrorists like the Fort Dix people, three of whom were illegal, can find a big underground to hide in.

Farewell, "terrorists will sneak across the Rio Grande an' nuke us!" theory. We hardly knew ye.

Start your day with Reason. Get a daily brief of the most important stories and trends every weekday morning when you subscribe to Reason Roundup.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

NEXT: Border Patrol Finishes in Middle of Pack

David Weigel is a contributing editor at Reason.

Share on FacebookShare on XShare on RedditShare by emailPrint friendly versionCopy page URL
Media Contact & Reprint Requests

Hide Comments (26)

Editor's Note: As of February 29, 2024, commenting privileges on reason.com posts are limited to Reason Plus subscribers. Past commenters are grandfathered in for a temporary period. Subscribe here to preserve your ability to comment. Your Reason Plus subscription also gives you an ad-free version of reason.com, along with full access to the digital edition and archives of Reason magazine. We request that comments be civil and on-topic. We do not moderate or assume any responsibility for comments, which are owned by the readers who post them. Comments do not represent the views of reason.com or Reason Foundation. We reserve the right to delete any comment and ban commenters for any reason at any time. Comments may only be edited within 5 minutes of posting. Report abuses.

  1. Pro Libertate   18 years ago

    Mock this all that you will, but I understand that some terrorists pay taxes. How can lawmakers continue to support taxation?

  2. Jon Isaac   18 years ago

    Ron Paul responds articulately to the Giuliani campaign of lies.

    http://digg.com/2008_us_elections/Video_Ron_Paul_blows_away_Rudy_s_lies

  3. nn   18 years ago

    If Krikorian is going to support war in Iraq to keep America safe, he needs to understand that he supports keeping terrorists in America safe.

  4. Anonymo the Anonymous   18 years ago

    Terrorist productivity and short-term memory is also improved since they're banned from smoking pot. Legalize it, and the next 9/11 dies in the addled mind of Abdul Chong.

  5. Hugh Akston   18 years ago

    those people didn't come here across our borders, they came with visas that were expired. So we've got to enforce our border.

    Wait...what?

  6. grumpy realist   18 years ago

    Considering the latest screaming about how Cigarettes Are Evil, maybe we should just ship the "terraists" a crate of Marlburos and wait for all of them to die of cancer.

    Just whenever I think I can go back to the Democratic party, the nanny-staters pull something like this and I have to bang my head against the desk again.

  7. de stijl   18 years ago

    What does FAC mean?

    Federal Audit Clearinghouse
    Forward Air Control
    Frequently Answered Concerns
    ?

  8. Reinmoose   18 years ago

    Hugh,
    I had that same reaction. Shouldn't the conclusion be that we need to enforce our immigration policies and deport those who have expired visas?

  9. sage   18 years ago

    Obviously we need to take away everyone's air, then. If we make an exemption for the terrorists we make an exemption for everyone, therefore no exemptions.

  10. tarran   18 years ago

    Grumpy Realist,

    maybe we should just ship the "terraists" a crate of Marlburos and wait for all of them to die of cancer.

    Yes! Like General Tapioca did to the Picaros!

  11. Pro Libertate   18 years ago

    What does FAC mean?

    Frightened Americans Commission.

  12. Scooby   18 years ago

    Hugh,
    You dowdified that McCain quote. Keep reading: That's our first and foremost priority. But we also have to have a comprehensive solution and it has to be bipartisan.

    Politics based on 30 second soundbites is bad, but politics based on 15 second summaries of those 30 second soundbites is worse.

  13. jb   18 years ago

    Wow, I'd never expected a Politician, Republican, or anyone named Giuliani to come up with a response that cogent. I hate the man, but Rudy's response to this particular question was nothing short of Presidential.

  14. Pro Libertate   18 years ago

    That's a FAC, jack!

  15. lunchstealer   18 years ago

    I don't hate Rudy (Yikes - I just typoed that as 'rUday' - I really hope that isn't precient) as much as some of the other also-rans (anybody who doesn't believe in evolution gets a 'dude it's 2007' award) but, it is refreshing to hear that kind of sense coming from ANYWHERE in the current gaggle of candidates (and I probably need one more parenthetical remark - there we go).

  16. lunchstealer   18 years ago

    oops - s/precient/prescient/

  17. de stijl   18 years ago

    Mr. Weigel,

    No foolin'. What the hell does FAC mean?

  18. Pro Libertate   18 years ago

    Or "puissant".

  19. de stijl   18 years ago

    Wide angle crane shot. Nightime. Heavy rainstorm. Intermittent lightning flashes illuminate the broken and bloody body of the undefined acronym FAC laying in a pool of rainwater mixed with blood at the backdoor of WEIGEL's warehouse hide-out and undefined acronym stash.

    DE STIJL enters from bottom right, filthy and staggering from the beating he's just taken. He approaches FAC's body and slowly falls to his knees and throws his head back into the falling rain throwing his arms out into a anguished Christ-like pose.

    DE STIJL: WEIIIIIIIIGELLLLLL!

    Slow zoom in during scream. Slow fade out.

  20. Highway   18 years ago

    de stijl: Think typo, not acronym.

  21. Pro Libertate   18 years ago

    SAC? FTC? FEC? FAS? The Knack?

  22. de stijl   18 years ago

    Highway,

    If you mean FAQ, that's not a typo on a QWERTY keyboard. Q and C are pretty far apart.

    A false homophone then?

    But that doesn't explain the misusage of a FAQ where you list, you know, questions that many people have asked about the topic before and then provide an answer.

    Q: Are terrorists human?
    A: Terrorists, being terrestrial, breathe air just like everyone else.

  23. not highway   18 years ago

    think "missing letter"

  24. de stijl   18 years ago

    FACT: de stijl sometimes has a big blind spot.

  25. lunchstealer   18 years ago

    Q: I heard that illegal aliens are always mean.

    A: Whoever told you that was a total liar. Just like other mammals, illegal aliens can be mean OR totally awesome.

  26. M   18 years ago

    some terrorists pay taxes

    And some collect them.

Please log in to post comments

Mute this user?

  • Mute User
  • Cancel

Ban this user?

  • Ban User
  • Cancel

Un-ban this user?

  • Un-ban User
  • Cancel

Nuke this user?

  • Nuke User
  • Cancel

Un-nuke this user?

  • Un-nuke User
  • Cancel

Flag this comment?

  • Flag Comment
  • Cancel

Un-flag this comment?

  • Un-flag Comment
  • Cancel

Latest

Is Donald Trump To Blame for a COVID Lab Leak?

Christian Britschgi | 5.22.2025 5:00 PM

A Top Antitrust Enforcer Is Open To Prosecuting People Who Disagree With Him

Jack Nicastro | 5.22.2025 4:45 PM

Republicans Just Killed California's E.V. Mandate. Will They Regret It?

Jeff Luse | 5.22.2025 4:00 PM

Trump's Prescription Price Controls Would Lead to Fewer New Drugs

Joe Lancaster | 5.22.2025 12:55 PM

Congress Is Giving Energy Lobbyists a 3-Year Window to Keep Up to $2 Trillion in Subsidies

Jeff Luse | 5.22.2025 11:47 AM

Recommended

  • About
  • Browse Topics
  • Events
  • Staff
  • Jobs
  • Donate
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
  • Media
  • Shop
  • Amazon
Reason Facebook@reason on XReason InstagramReason TikTokReason YoutubeApple PodcastsReason on FlipboardReason RSS

© 2024 Reason Foundation | Accessibility | Privacy Policy | Terms Of Use

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

r

Do you care about free minds and free markets? Sign up to get the biggest stories from Reason in your inbox every afternoon.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

This modal will close in 10

Reason Plus

Special Offer!

  • Full digital edition access
  • No ads
  • Commenting privileges

Just $25 per year

Join Today!