Comments on: May 9 roundup

By: Walter Olson

Walter Olson — Thu, 12 May 2011 16:35:56 +0000

AA>It’s well established that when business cycles push metals prices to unusual heights, thefts of copper, lead and silver also surge, and criminal rings move into those areas as targets of opportunity. It would come as no surprise if unnaturally high prices arising from tariffs also stimulated illegal workarounds, although there remains the question why steal-and-smuggle criminals would have an edge over the criminals who take the less daring course of obtaining lawful title to cars in other countries and smuggling them.

I hope any federal prosecutor who uttered the remark you relate is by now an ex-federal prosecutor. It is certainly a thoughtless slur on the many, many Nigerians who come to this country and lead blameless lives, as with a large number of (to name but one occupation) parish priests:

http://www.columbia.edu/itc/journalism/gissler/anthology/weblyman.html

By: Suzanne Lucas

Suzanne Lucas — Mon, 09 May 2011 15:26:26 +0000

Walter, a thousand pardons. I quoted you in that article you linked, but I didn’t link back to you. Aack! Don’t sue me. :>)

I fixed it.

And thanks for the link!

By: jimc5499

jimc5499 — Mon, 09 May 2011 15:24:12 +0000

I have one question to ask about this “Huffington Post” bit. What exactly is she selling? Think about it.

By: Anonymous Attorney

Anonymous Attorney — Mon, 09 May 2011 13:53:27 +0000

Walter, if you’re suggesting that high tariffs are what causes Nigerians to engage in criminal activity in America, I would beg to differ. Nigerians “do crime, that’s just what they do”, in the words one federal prosecutor I knew. They commit plenty of other crimes — here in the U.S. or elsewhere (the home country, Canada, etc.) that don’t have high tariffs as a possible cause. The high tariffs on imported cars are just another facet of the criminal mindset — not a cause.

The more direct cause of our difficulties in the United States is an immigration policy that lets in Nigerian thieves.