Free Country

Amnesty deadlines are near, and our country is screaming how surprised we are about the poor response from the Mexican people coming forward. How little our public knows! Each night I listen to the news and become outraged. No one seems to realize that the immigration department requires each applicant to pay $185 in filing fees (per person) plus attorney costs. Are you aware that in our state anyone can file a waiver to file for a divorce based on inability to pay and file free?

Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf is a citizen of the United States of America, a country whose imperfect system afforded him the opportunity to capitalize on his natural athletic ability to achieve a level of economic success the average citizen can only dream of. As an adult citizen, he entered into a legal contract (most eagerly, I'd guess), the conditions of which were explicitly spelled out. If he freely chooses to ignore his moral, ethical and legal responsibilities, he should be ejected from the NBA, barred from professional sports in this country and permitted to pursue his fortune under a regime that more closely fits his standards.

Re "The good news of 2012," Editorial, Nov. 22 Your list of things to be thankful for is sadly divisive. Almost half of your joy is geared to one side of bitter partisan divides, creating equal consternation for almost half of the nation. You're the obnoxious brother-in-law at a wedding who cannot let go of politics even as the bride is walking down the aisle. Much of what you are thankful for will rip apart this country for decades. Other items are so insignificant that your gratitude for them is sad: Thanks for the "Ultra HD" television?

In May, 1986, I returned from El Salvador and Honduras. I agree with much of the reasoning in Charles William Maynes' article (Opinion, July 20), "U.S. Again Intrudes on Third World: Nicaragua," but I do not agree with his statement that, "once again, the U.S. technology will struggle against Third Word nationalism, tarnishing the U.S. image and, once again, the United States will probably lose." We provide support and aid to all other countries in need. Do people really realize that Central America is our neighbor and if we sit back watching television every night and ignore this issue, we could allow communism to gradually invade and destroy our American borders?

Back home in Poland, Jerzy (George) Luczkiewicz worked as a plasterer, plumber, house painter and bricklayer. But in his new home in Westchester, he is cleaning carpets and furniture for Bill Sol, a member of the Westchester United Methodist Church, which is sponsoring the settlement of Luczkiewicz and his family in the United States. They arrived as refugees a month ago, carrying everything they owned in a few suitcases.

Re "Rangel's call to reinstate draft meets resistance," Nov. 21 I hope we are being lied to about this war on terror. That may seem a strange thing to wish for, but it beats the alternative. If we are really fighting a global war for our very existence, as our government keeps telling us, it is the height of irrationality for our leaders to resist reinstatement of the draft. If we thought of this war as a sporting event and we were wondering which side to bet on, consider this. On their side, they have people who are willing to volunteer to sacrifice their lives to attack us, and on our side, we are not only unwilling to even consider mobilizing to meet the threat, we aren't even willing to have our taxes raised to pay to hire the people we hope will defend us. Who would you bet on?

Inside his plywood "Temple of the Collective Consciousness," Victor Pantoja said the city's plan to evict Occupy L.A. was just the latest thing to create an ornery mood among some of the counterculture veterans, young leftists and down-and-out campers at City Hall. Outside his tent, the 21-year-old said, loud arguments often break out -- especially at night. And even when people seem to agree, they sound like they don't. "There's a lot of craziness around here sometimes," Pantoja said.

In his rookie year as an NBA coach, Dave Wohl probably appreciates more than ever the three tranquil seasons he spent as Pat Riley's assistant with the Lakers, very much unlike the Nets, who have been a team in turmoil since around Christmas. Wohl, a boyish-looking 37, has seen a whole bunch of gray hair sprouting from his head lately. Some have been caused by injuries to key players, but most of Wohl's gray hair has been provided courtesy of Micheal Ray Richardson.

You'll have to forgive Pavel Katsen. He's been an American for three years now, and he can't understand why Greco-Roman wrestling isn't the great American sport. Katsen, a coach who emigrated from the Soviet Union in 1979, became a U.S. citizen in 1984. He has acquired American tastes in everything from cheeseburgers to baseball. Well, OK, he likes baseball highlights , the ones you can see every night on ESPN.

Babe Ruth could not have played for the San Diego Padres. He overate, drank, womanized and swore at his manager, Miller Huggins. Grover Cleveland Alexander could not have pitched for the Padres. Fans know how he came into the seventh game of the 1926 World Series with two down, bases loaded, the winning run on second, to strike out Tony Lazzeri--while half-crocked. Neither could Ty Cobb, who was too mean. Or Ted Williams, who once flipped off the crowd at Fenway Park and never wore a tie.