Compassion for Immigrants Prevails

The front-page article "Mexico Calls US 'Xenophobic' for Incidents on Fleeing Aliens," April 12, quotes Mexican Congressman Adolfo Aguilar Zinser as saying that recent incidents gave proof of a "low-intensity war" in the US against Mexicans.

If 300,000 to 400,000 illegal aliens taking up residence in the US each year is a "war," then this is the first case in recorded history where the taxpayers of a nation being "invaded" have paid $19.16 billion a year - the net deficit cost to taxpayers for public-sector services to illegal immigrants in 1994 - to educate the children of, house, provide medical care for, tolerate widespread employment of, and grant citizenship to the babies of the "invaders." The truth is that the Border Patrol and law enforcement personnel routinely handle thousands of Mexican citizens violating American law and in the most professional, humane, and just manner.

This isolated incident should be placed in the larger context of our overwhelming generosity, compassion, and justice toward immigrants - both legal and illegal - which has come at a tremendous economic, financial, social, and cultural cost to most Americans, both native and foreign-born.

Ed Lytwak


Publications Coordinator

Carrying Capacity Network

'Greening' in the marketplace

Regarding the opinion-page article "Marketplace Sets Green Agenda" April 22: The author's premise that market forces have been the driving force in environmental protection over the last 25 years is absurd. There is absolutely no basis to the claim that "greening" is a "natural inevitable product of economic evolution."

Much voluntary greening has taken place in corporate public-relations strategies. Beyond that, greening in the marketplace has occurred because of, not in spite of, government regulation.

Daniel M. Vernon

Walla Walla, Wash.

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