100,000 Protestors... Angry mobs of students...

[innerSpaceman]

Well, I was really just trying to find a significant number that would, in relation to the general population, make something ... anything ... ipso facto accepted by society. Or rather, something that - by virtue of said numbers - should be accepted by society.

I picked "tens of millions" out of my hat because - in deference to the actual topic of this thread - the estimated number of illegal immigrants currently in the U.S. is between 11 and 14 million. Is that a significant enough proportion of our population such that criminalizing them is distinctly out of whack with reality?

I suspect it is. I have a real hard time with making a felony of something that 12 million people are doing. Fortunately, I think cooler heads are going to prevail in the Senate ... and that's why we have the Senate (and why I almost think the House of Representatives should simply be abolished; it's practically an institutionalization of mob mentality).

[Ghoulish Delight]

Originally Posted by innerSpaceman

I suspect it is. I have a real hard time with making a felony of something that 12 million people are doing.

I suppose we'll find you on the front lines of the march to legalize wife beating then?

[Alex]

Originally Posted by innerSpaceman

Well, I was really just trying to find a significant number that would, in relation to the general population, make something ... anything ... ipso facto accepted by society. Or rather, something that - by virtue of said numbers - should be accepted by society.

So, with the illegal immigrants we have 5% of our total population engaging in illegal immigration. I think it safe to say that at least 5% of the U.S. population was in some way involved with slavery. Should society as a whole have supported slavery. Regardless of the should, for the most part it did. But were the minority opposed to slavery wrong to promote its abolition?

Is that a significant enough proportion of our population such that criminalizing them is distinctly out of whack with reality?

Of course there is the question of whether illegal aliens should count towards the total population when considering official government policy. There are 32 million Canadians who presumably prefer a parliamentary system of government to our system. If they all took 8 steps to the south I don't think they're opinion suddenly becomes relevant.

it's practically an institutionalization of mob mentality).

But you're advocating the institution of mob mentality. Namely, that if enough people do something it is moral.