F&J, I understand your point of being more patient. Yes after more than 1 year of wait only in 485, while every joe bloe schmoe from other centers gets their approval, we should be more patient.
Y'know I could agree to that, if being patient would be the solution. The fact of the matter is (proven by scanning tools), that INS is not working at all, and hasn't been for the last few months now.
So we can either bury our head in the sand and pretend that there is no problem, and let it come to us .. or we can go to it and do something about it.
The least we can do is, get this fact of this incredibly inefficient department to some notice of people in authority. If they still decide on not helping us, our only recourse is to apply for Canadian or Australian immigration. Which, I am sure they donot mind, but it is difficult for us to uproot our entire life every few years.
Oh yea one more comment about departments in China and India being tyrranical. I can speak for India. If a department or an officer behaves in an irrational way like INS is doing here, you need not listen to him. You can disobey rules, and not fear much.
Example, when they tried to implement mandal commission in India, all of India burst into riots, and they had to take it back. Here, they give amnesty to illegals for hispanic vote bank, and all you can do is sit back and take it.
Here, INS .. is an unjust, evil and inefficient department, which unfortunately has enough powers and support from other efficient departments to make sure it's injustice is felt and seen to it's full extent. Example, If they donot approve my EAD, I can't work (Working is gas stations isn't my american dream atleast). In other words, in India/China etc. there is still a recourse, in USA/INS with a non-tyrranical government where one department is tyrranical, it doesn't leave you with a recourse. That is what makes it so bad.
Oh yea and don't give me the crap of "If you don't like it here go back". Killing a crying baby isn't the solution.
Oh wait FBI's at my door for criticizing INS, gotta go .. see ya.