For as many arguments that there are for immigrants rights as there are against foreigners coming into the United States and taking our jobs away, lowering real estate & property values and standing around the streets all day, selling narcotics, just remember one thing; they’ve come here to seek a better life, as opposed to where they formerly came from.The argument that times were different when our parents and our parents’ parents came to America to escape oppression or other deadly forces bears no fruit and holds no water. They were looking for better and greater opportunities, just as today’s immigrants are, although remaining illegal, certainly don’t help the cause.
When I think about everything I’ve read about or heard from the immigrants of old, their stories both colorful and harrowing are much the same as today’s immigrants, more so being taken advantage of and being looked down upon as a lower class of people, as if they were aliens to us naturally-born Americans.
But you know they’re not.
Even as we give ourselves fancy sub-titles like Afro-American, Arab-American, Irish-American, Filipino-American, Serbian-American, Polish-American, Russian-American, Mexican-American, Jewish-American, Native-American; it doesn’t matter, despite your roots intact. You’ll always have your roots. No one can take those away from you, despite what others tell you or want you to believe.
My mom, The Arizona Babe attended the graduation ceremony yesterday for the US Citizenship class she’s been co-teaching for the past two months, with another teacher in The Valley Of Golden Happiness.
Only two days earlier, she read to me over the phone the commencement speech that she was to give to the graduates of the class. She was so excited yesterday as she was getting ready to leave and I couldn’t be more proud of her and her students.
That’s teamwork for you. The Arizona Babe, her co-teacher friend and their students, who WANT to become American citizens of our sovereign nation. It was a great day for them all.
But back to the matter at hand; it’s so easy to gripe and complain and bitch and it’s also very easy not to do anything about those complaints. But those folks are in the minority, as perhaps as many as several million marched around the world in cities and villages, listened to speeches and remain hopeful that their voices could be heard for their rights.
In the meantime, maybe those who want to stay here, pay their taxes and learn to live within their means will work toward becoming US citizens.
I only hope those that participated in today’s marches & demonstrations, will keep true to their word and make it mean something, instead of just another lame excuse to have gotten out of work, school or worse still, just another story to tell the grandkids when they reach the oldster stage.
For those of you who know someone that is considered immigrant status, encourage them to become American citizens; it doesn’t mean they have to give up their roots or their natural born instincts, but if they want to stay here and be entitled to the same rights we American citizens have, then that time is now to move ahead.
Square one doesn’t look as pretty on the opposite side of the fence, now does it?
