Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Strawberry Nesquik & ILLEGAL Immigration

There are many issues that are raising concerns in the United States, and immigration is one that I feel very strongly about. When I saw a strawberry Nesquik bottle w/ the Spanish lettering larger than the English, I guess that sent me over the edge, lol...

(Not sure why I'm apologizing, but I do hope this doesn't offend anyone. I would like to say that I'm anything but a raving conservative - more of a moderate Democrat - but if anyone has any inquiries, I'd be happy to explain my political philosophy. Thankfully, though, you probably don't. Lol.)


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So many people have based their arguments on how this land is made up of immigrants. Some people suggest 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 this 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 and kiss the ground. They made a pledge to uphold the laws and support their new country through good times and bad. They made learning English a primary rule in their new American households, sometimes even changing their names to blend in with their new home. They had waved goodbye to their birthplace 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. Some fought alongside men whose parents had come straight over from Germany, Italy, France, and Japan. None of these 1st generation Americans ever gave any thought about what country their parents had come from, because together they were all 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 our one country. Not one of those immigrant sons would have even conceived of 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 give them a home in the land of the free. These immigrants truly knew what it meant to be an American, stirring the melting pot into one red, white and blue bowl. But 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 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 as for suggestions 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!

- B

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