Hey, Ant -

It seems you're trying to reply to an argument like "I think you should give money to illegal immigrants." If that was so, then your comments might apply more directly. However, that message is far removed from everything that I've been trying to express. Nothing's as simple as that.

Think about the rationale of being an illegal person. Imagine what it's like to risk life and limb just for the opportunity to do sweatshop labor. Place yourself for a moment in the shoes of someone who can't take their extremely ill spouse to the hospital because they'll be deported. Ask yourself why it's so hard to identify with people in these situations. Try to explain how it makes sense that these are regular occurences within the richest country on the planet. The message of the action was to ask people to empathize with the lives of other people in this way.

Don't forget, I'm an American taxpayer. I'm entitled to my opinion of where my money should go, just as you are... so it's a bit far-fetched to claim that, in doing so, I and the other four to six people in the Minute Maid affinity group decided that the entire country was going to "give lawbreakers economic support" or anything else. None of us are legislators, we don't make those decisions.

The phrase "Think globally, act locally" doesn't mean pick someone local to argue with. It means to think about the global impacts of your actions and then organize to initiate change in your own community. We voiced our opinions in political action so that they would have some physical impact on the outside world. You should feel encouraged to do the same.