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A Latin American Student Reports Passing His Midterm; We Comment.

A Reader Watches the Wall Street Journal

From:  Christopher Collins

Thank you both for your informative articles regarding America's immigration policy.

May I point out to you, as astute chroniclers of immigration policy and media view thereof, a minor incident.

In the Wall Street Journal November 4, 2002, Section B1, "Marketplace", there was a fascinating article about encryption and computer transactions. [By Lee Gomes. Send him mail.] The math, I confess, was quite beyond me. In short, some guy from India solved a very difficult mathematical problem. Computer geeks love him. Possible Nobel Prize (still meaningful division).

Anyway, the final paragraph was, I quote:

"The professor worked on primality testing with two of his graduate students: Neeraj Kayal and Nitin Saxena. They had planned to join him on his U.S. victory tour. But the American Embassy in New Delhi, the times being what they are, refused them visas. The two young geniuses had to stay home."

Pretty cute, huh? Aside from the fact that this little datum was nearly completely irrelevant to the story, and hence was, as they say, "another story," this last paragraph is mere lazy cliché. "[T]he times being what they are"? What is that? So, did these guys(?) get rejected because the were threats? Because they were members of dangerous groups? Because they failed to submit a proper form? Well, who knows? Not the WSJ. A little snide irrelevant comment at the conclusion of an article is enough for the party, the party of open borders.

The times being what they are....

I write this while working one block from Ground Zero (brought to me courtesy of what? 15 illegal immigrants.)

December 10, 2002