Ayn Rand, Illegal Immigrant
As a vehement anti-Bolshevist, she knew that she would die waiting in line if she applied for permission to permanently relocate to America, although that’s exactly what she intended to do. Temporary tourist visas were easier to land, but only for those who could prove they didn’t plan to settle here. So what did Rand do? She committed perjury. She convinced an American visa officer that she had a fiancé waiting for her in Russia whom she intended to marry after a six-month visit with her relatives in Chicago.
But Rand instead married an American citizen in 1929, gaining a path to citizenship. According to Mimi Gladstein’s biography, Rand timed her wedding before her visa, which she had gotten extended, finally expired.
However, others doubt that Uncle Sam would have handed a three-year extension to a Russian passport holder, raising suspicions that Rand might have been—gasp!—an illegal immigrant when she got married.
Roy:
She provided an interestingly stark contrast to the heroines of her books. Eg, what she herself did vs the gal in "We the Living".
For a devastating, albeit a bit brutal, critique of Rand see John Robbins, "Without a Prayer, Ayn Rand and the Close of Her System".
February 14, 2012, 9:15 amChris:
You'll excuse my lack of surprise about her lying to government. Or even thinking that is a problem.
February 14, 2012, 9:30 amIGotBupkis, Three Time Winner of the Silver Sow Award:
>>> You’ll excuse my lack of surprise about her lying to government. Or even thinking that is a problem.
Indeed. I don't resent illegal immigrants for either being here or trying to get here. I resent when they claim the right to be here, or some jackass libtard affirms that imbecilic notion. NOT the same thing.
February 14, 2012, 6:03 pm