a newspaper in orange county supposedly refsued to print...
hat tip to ty harrison.
Dear Editor:
So many letter writers have based their arguments on how this land is
made up of immigrants. Ernie Lujan for one, suggests we should tear
down the Statue of Liberty because the people now in question aren't
being treated the same as those who passed through Ellis Island and
other ports of entry.
Maybe we should turn to our history books and point out to people like
Mr. Lujan why today's American is not willing to accept this new kind
of immigrant any longer. Back in 1900 when there was a rush from all
areas of Europe to come to the United States , people had to get off a
ship and stand in a long line in New York and be documented.
Some would even get down on their hands and knees an d kiss the ground.
They made a pledge to uphold the laws and support their new country in
good and bad times. They made learning English a primary rule in their
new American households and some even changed their names to blend in with their new home.
They had waved good bye to their birth place to
give their children a new life and did everything in their power to
help their children assimilate into one culture.
Nothing was handed to them. No free lunches, no welfare, no labor laws
to protect them. All they had were the skills and craftsmanship they
had brought with them to trade for a future of prosperity. Most of
their children came of age when World War II broke out. My father
fought along side men whose parents had come straight over from
Germany, Italy, and Japan . None of these 1st generation Americans ever
gave any thought about what country their parents had come from. They
were Americans fighting Hitler, Mussolini and the Emperor of Japan.
They were defending the United States of America as one people.
When we liberated France , no one in those villages were looking for
the French-American or the German American or the Irish American.
The people of France saw only Americans. And we carried one flag that
represented one country. Not one of those immigrant sons would have
thought about picking up another country's flag and waving it to represent
who they were. It would have been a disgrace to their parents
who had sacrificed so much to be here.
These immigrants truly knew what it meant to be an American.
They stirred the melting pot into one red, white and blue bowl.
And here we are in 2007 with a new kind of immigrant who wants the same rights and privileges.
Only they want to achieve it by playing with a different set of rules,
one that includes the entitlement card and a
guarantee of being faithful to their mother country. I'm sorry, that's
not what being an American is all about. I believe that the immigrants
who landed on Ellis Island in the early 1900's deserve better than that
for all the toil, hard work and sacrifice in raising future generations
to create a land that has become a beacon for those legally searching
for a better life . I think they would be appalled that they are being
used as an example by those waving foreign country flags.
And for that suggestion about taking down the Statue of Liberty, it
happens to mean a lot to the citizens who are voting on the immigration
bill. I wouldn't start talking about dismantling the United States just
yet.
Rosemary LaBonte
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15 comments:
all those people mentioned coming from europe were white and was therefore welcome....all those coming from africa were black and were slaves, then share-croppers, then second class citizens who couldnt vote etc....you noticed in article the talk of the european americans fighting along side him....but the blacks had to be segregated......now americans are goig to treat the mexicans like they did the blacks.....use them for low wage cash paying jobs, but dont let them drive cars, vote, be citizens etc.........what a great little country we have....vote Obama
Those poor black slaves....any of their decendants are welcome to hope the first boat going back to Africa.
What is Obama going to do about illegal immigration?
fairtax4me
The people of France gave the Statue to the people of the United States over one hundred years ago in recognition of the friendship established during the American Revolution.
The Statue was a joint effort between America and France and it was agreed upon that the American people were to build the pedestal, and the French people were responsible for the Statue and its assembly here in the United States.
Pedestal construction was finished in April of 1886. The Statue was completed in France in July, 1884 and arrived in New York Harbor in June of 1885 on board the French frigate "Isere" which transported the Statue of Liberty from France to the United States. In transit, the Statue was reduced to 350 individual pieces and packed in 214crates. The Statue was reassembled on her new pedestal in four months time. On October 28th 1886, the dedication of the Statue of Liberty took place in front of thousands of spectators. She was a centennial gift ten years late.
President Grover Cleveland accepted the Statue on behalf of the United States and said in part: "We will not forget that Liberty has here made her home; nor shall her chosen altar be neglected."
The New Colossus" is a sonnet by Emma Lazarus (1849-1887), written in 1883 and, in 1903, engraved on a bronze plaque and mounted inside the Statue of Liberty
The New Colossus
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
Emma Lazarus, 1883
The poem was written as a donation to an auction of art and literary works conducted by the "Art Loan Fund Exhibition in Aid of the Bartholdi Pedestal Fund for the Statue of Liberty", the aim of which was to raise money for the pedestal's construction.
The title of the poem and the first two lines refer to the Colossus of Rhodes, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The poem talks about the millions of immigrants who came to the United States.
Author John T. Cunningham wrote that "The Statue of Liberty was not conceived and sculpted as a symbol of immigration, but it quickly became so as immigrant ships passed under the statue.
Immigration refers to the legal movement of people between one country and another. While the movement of people has existed throughout human history at various levels, modern immigration implies long-term, legal and permanent residence, and often eventual citizenship by the immigrants.
All researchable information. However, on a personal note: Hence the word “legal”.
I think Liberty still welcomes the “LEGAL Immigrant” but frowns on the ILLEGAL ALIEN. Illegal means that laws were broken or a crime has been committed. Why seek a new life as a criminal when there are ways to do it legally?
AND!
Why would any real LEADER in the United States government want to look the other way and allow the law to be broken with illegal entry into the United States? We won’t even begin to talk about the giving away of benefits.
THERE IS A DIFFERENCE!
no one was fussing about the illegals while bill clinton was president......is it because all the real americans had jobs.....or were the illegals not coming......did bush make it easier for them to cross over to help his texas buddies
Your Liberal Media didn't showcase it under the Holy Bill's tenure. This has always been a problem to be dealt with, only it was one many wouldn't touch. Illegal immigration got a little band aid during the Reagan administration but it was all for nothing considering the never ending flood through our open borders.
Ask people on the border states how long they've been struggling with this "new" wave of illegal immigration.
I might be wrong but I think we have to have illegal immigrants. I think our nations food supply at its most basic level has become dependent on illegal migrant workers. Since me, my wife and baby, and just about everyone I know likes to eat, I want some of them to hang around and I'll pay a couple of more dollars in taxes.
The farm help doesn't have to be ILLEGAL farm help. We will take immigrants, as WE choose to do so at our own discretion and LEGALLY.
There is a danger to not knowing who is here and that danger should be recognized for the safety of your wife and kids.
fairtax4me
have to have mexicans or slaves, we know whites are too lazy to do real work......they have to sit around blogging about politics
Amen, us white folks must be brain dead to sit around on our lunch breaks and blog about politics. Maybe we should focus more on the real issues.... like what race to oppress next.
COME ON, GET REAL.
fairtax4me
a turkey walking in the pasture saw a tall tree..after looking at it a long time he said to the bull "i would love to sit in the top of that tree"....the bull replied that if the turkey would eat the bulls dung he would get strong and be able to fly to the top.....the turkey ate the bull dung and after one pile flew to the bottom limbs....after 3 days of eating bull dung the turkey was sitting at the top of the tree.....then along came a farmer and shot the turkey dead.......moral of story is BULL SH--T MAY GET YOU TO THE TOP BUT IT WONT KEEP YOU THERE.....
fairtax...I am a big believer in giving every illegal immigrant an id card and number. It is crazy for our country to let these people hang here with no idea of who they are or where they live. I also believe our society has become dependent on their labor. They do the jobs Americans no longer want to do.
illegals are not the problem.....the problem is the illegal practices that the employers do by not taking out taxes on their wages.....if all illegals paid into the medicare, social security, and irs....all would be fine......its not dark yet, but it is getting there......i am my brothers keeper, i am a democract
There is no doubt that we need their labor and there isn't a thing in the world wrong with LEGAL immigrant labor. How much we need...I'm not sure...How many are here....I'm not sure... but our government owes us protection from illegal immigrants that wish us harm and protection from us being washed out from their flood.
We should accept their labor as needed, as the laws express, or we will suffer the consequences. There is no in-between. I believe that the ID cards are a second thought to the first action of securing the borders- but an eventual must have.
There will never be a mass deportation. A self-deportation (through the tightening of present laws) is a more likely scenario and would be seen as more "humane".
I don't hate them, I love us.
fairtax4me
i think that anyone who is here illegal needs to be deported no babies born of illegal will be a us citizen.if an illgeal is working the employer will be fined 20,000 for each employee and it goes up
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