Libertarian Vin Suprynowicz, writing yesterday in the Las Vegas Review-Journal,pointed out that the Federal Government will at least try to enforce unenforceable and pointless laws, like the laws against drugs, or the laws restricting guns, without throwing up their hands in helplessness. At least, they do when the victims of these laws are Americans.

Gov. Richardson parroted every other mainstream politician of our time, asserting, "You can't deport 'em all. How are you going to do it?"

This is an interesting position, which does appeal to my libertarian side. If we got rid of all the welfare programs, I would indeed favor open immigration. I pretty much favor abandoning all unenforceable laws.

What strikes me odd is that these politicians seem to want to abandon only this one (supposedly) unenforceable law.

Drive down any street in Vegas traveling at precisely the posted speed limit. Unless there's a black-and-white in sight, traffic will be zooming past you on both sides. So why don't these same politicians say, "What are you going to do, arrest them all? The battle is lost."

What about the war on drugs? Why don't these same politicians say, "It's obviously a lost cause. What are you going to do, round up every pot smoker? How many more prisons you gonna build?"

I proposed that to Gov. Richardson on Monday. He replied: "I'm not in favor of decriminalizing marijuana. I'm in favor of sentencing enhancements."

They continue to pester us with hundreds of unenforceable laws. So why is this the one law they won't even try to enforce?

If they brought all the nation's immigration cops to Las Vegas tomorrow and started raiding hotels, they could have thousands of seasick illegal maids dumped on the beach in Acapulco next week. The river of trespassers would slow and — when they saw the celery fields of California getting the same treatment next week — might actually reverse.

President Dwight D. Eisenhower did it a year after taking office in 1953, with far fewer men than the U.S. Border Patrol has today. It was called "Operation Wetback," and it worked. Arrest and deport the first 10 percent; the rest get wise pretty quick.

No, the real fear here is that if they rounded up and deported and otherwise drove away all the illegal Mexicans and Guatemalans, "Who would make the beds in the hotels?"

The best answer is: "The children of the people who used to do it, who are mostly currently on the government dole."[ReviewJournal.com - Opinion - VIN SUPRYNOWICZ: Are you PC? If so, stop reading here May. 06, 2007 ]