What ever happened to "Give us your poor, your tired, your huddled masses longing to be free..."

CookingWithCarlo.com ^ | 01/11/2004 | Carlo3b Dad, Chef, Author

[carlo3b]

 
IMMIGRATION INDIGNATION, holy smoke! DID YOU SEE WHAT I SAW?

What ever happened to  "Give us your poor, your tired, your huddled masses longing to be free..."

They came here for several centuries for the same reasons – freedom and hope -- and then a Frenchman created a statue that embodied their hopes and dreams. And it embodied America's promise as well. "Give us your poor, your tired, your huddled masses longing to be free..."
THE STATUE OF LIBERTY

I have been watching with a bit of sadness, and more than a little concern, the debate that has been raging over President Bush's Administration proposed guest worker program. I haven't seen anything definitive yet, but I have to admit that I have some uneasiness about what is being said, and what may be done.

First and foremost, I do not wish to trivialize the genuine fear and the authentic concern that most of the protesters of the proposal have expressed. Nor do I disagree with the legitimate anxiety over what the future may hold if this proposal is actually what is being portrayed, "a blanket amnesty for illegal aliens". That being the case there would be in fact, national as well as historical principles at stake, and we must be ever vigilant in the protection of our liberties as well as our sovereignty.

"Principles have no real force except when one is well-fed."
-Mark Twain

Immigration is now and always has been a tricky affair. The delicate balance of need and want, verses can and should. We can certainly understand someone living in desperate conditions wanting to improving their lot in life. What better place to do it than the greatest nation on earth. America is the envy of the world. We are a magnet, and a beacon.

Who wouldn't choose to be free, unless as is the case in too many places, they are incapable of understanding the reality of freedom. Who wouldn't want to have wealth, if we all agreed on what wealth really is. To someone without anything to feed themselves or their children, a neighbor possessing a sack of flour, is indeed wealthy.

To a nation of plenty, it has to be understandable that a desperate and starving parent wouldn't break down a door, or cross a sweltering desert to feed their child, or a family would risk their lives in a sealed boxcar to work for a steady meal.

I must admit, and state for the record, that as a policy, I firmly believe that all law breaking must be prevented, and law breakers should be punished.. the sooner the better.

That said, I may be a candidate for a flogging I might be at most a fugitive from justice, or at the very least a shameful hypocrite, because I have in the past, and without a moment of indecision would again, give employment to someone I suspect but cannot prove, may be an undocumented worker, ..yes, AN ILLEGAL ALIEN!

I have experience with this issue.. up close and very personal...

I AM A PRODUCT OF FORMER ILLEGAL ALIENS.. Thank God.

As a young boy, I watched as my 92 year old great Grandfather, an immigrant from the bowels of depravity in Italy, as he stood in a crowded church basement and took an oath, and recited the Pledge of Allegiance to his beloved country to finally become a citizen of the United States Of America. For him, becoming a real member of this wonderful country was the culmination of a lifetime of work, and struggle and hope, and prayers.

My great Grandfather, his aged body bent from years of hard work, managed to stand tall as he listened closely to my uncle, who whispered in his ear, everything that was said from the podium. In those days, hopeful immigrants had to study and be tested to prove they knew enough about this country, and it's founding, history and government, to be qualified to contribute to it's greatness.

He had done his homework, and he didn't want to miss a word.

It was that day, in the cold damp basement, in a soft grainy light, walls decorated with flags, and with his fine and honorable family looking on, he and a large group gathered to prove that they were worthy patriots. That day this proud man who had overcome language, illiteracy and poverty, was at last to be rewarded, he was finally a real American.

At the conclusion of the ceremony, he broke down and cried for the first and only time I ever remember in his long and distinguished life. At that moment,  I remember thinking, it must be special to be an American.

Yes, my family crossed a border from Canada into the United States in the dead of night in hopes of securing a better life for their children. They suffered the pain of fear, poverty and ridicule to take a chance. What was being said throughout the world, was true, America was and still is a nation of opportunity.

I do hear the call of fears and doubt of my fellow Americans, and I share the pain when my neighbors hurt as a nation. There is real worry about the costs and loss of jobs. There are legitimate concerns about lawlessness, and precedent of the apparent "reward the lawbreakers", at the expense of the law-abiding and innocent.

"A great deal of talent is lost to the world for want of a little courage. Every day sends to their graves obscure men whose timidity prevented them from making a first effort."
-Sydney Smith

I know we cannot be the world policemen, or pantry. We are a mighty nation built upon a foundation of hard work and sacrifice. Much of that labor was done by immigrants, many of which were here illegally not by choice but by necessity. Many, as my family, didn't do it as a thief, but as poor frightened peasants, who came without documentation because the limits on Italians were reached, and they couldn't afford to wait until the bureaucracy opened the doors again.

Upon arrival, frightened and stranded in a strange place without money, friends or family, they did the unthinkable, they prayed and began working until they were safe, solid and accepted.  They raised a family that contributed and their offspring went to war, and they became solid threads in the fabric of their chosen country. There were a few that gave my folks a boost, a chance, a lifeline until they were secure.

So now the dirty laundry, I did the same for others, but I am apparently not alone. This isn't a unique thought to bend the some rules to help those who need help when the need is the greatest.

History is replete with law breakers that did what turned out to be a blessing. There has always been a few that took the law into their own hands when it seemed that was the only way. Moses, was spared by a benevolent stranger. Thank God a man named Schindler broke the laws to save a few hundred Jews from the Nazi's and where would we be if the Underground Railroad was derailed, because it was against the law to save a slave.

"We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of human freedoms - to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances - to choose one's own way."
-Victor Frankl

The overwhelming numbers of our newest immigrants aren't fleeing death, or slavery, and I am not Schindler, but I could see the desperation in their eyes and feel the need in their hearts. And what was I offering? A job, and friendship. A job that few Americans wanted, and friendship that has lasted decades.

"The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit."
-Nelson Henderson

There are jobs that nobody wants and few would do, unless they had no other choice, a situation which rarely arises in our country.  But they are good jobs that need to be done. By and large these jobs are hard, thankless, dirty, repetitive jobs, at odds with a normal schedule. However, they are at the limits of those that need them.

Contrary to popular belief, almost no large companies would ever pay cash to save a few dollars, or underpay wages to a poor man because he is illegal. We never paid under the table, or less than the going rate because we were a well known company, and a scandal of that pettiness, would have harmed everyone, including hundreds of employees, almost all homegrown Americans.

  "Something that has always puzzled me all my life is why, when I am in special need of help, the good deed is usually done by somebody on whom I have no claim."
-William Feather, The Business of Life

Lest you think it was all one sided, these workers were solid as a rock, and usually faithful as a clock. The work ethic in other countries is as it was in much earlier times in our history. The bottom line is they needed us, and we needed them. They stayed with me and climbed the ladder in the all American tradition, and I watched them with pride, and admiration.

For those that are really concerned about these poor people taking the bread out of your mouth, unless you are a pot scrubber, or a garlic picker, you are at little risk.. And to ease your mind, I have discovered a new money making venture, one that has a fabulous track record. This one has recent and past history has never failed to pay-off. It's remarkable in it's simplicity!

Here it is... bet against the fatalist, place all of your available milk money on the person needing something, and against the person wanting to keep it from him.. in short, betting against profits of doom.

Bet the farm, or the futon, that the screams are always louder during an election year, and the spin is more spit than polish. Just like the generations that preceded us the Italians, Irish, Germans, Haitians and Vietnamese, these folks will continue to be a blessing to our country. Take a deep breath and think about it without the shrill voices whispering apocalyptic threats.

Before you make your final decision on this matter, ask yourself a simple question. What would you do if you were in their place, but first, take a long look around your home, in you fridge and in your pantry.. and just for an added effect, and take an extra moment thinking of your children. Perhaps, you'll come away with a slightly different outlook.  Then again, maybe not.. you have that right, my once removed, illegal uncles and a lot of others died for your right to be wrong..

I am proud of our President, he knew there would be anger and once again he faced the problem head on. Dealing with this now is going to save us all in the long run, and as to the near future.. remember we are free Americans thanks to our immigrant forefathers, and some day as in the past, these new Americans may well save you and your country...

  "You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today."
-Abraham Lincoln

"One of the tests of leadership is the ability to recognize a problem before it becomes an emergency."
-Arnold Glasgow

GOD BLESS AMERICA

[Hon]

"The phrase "Rule of Thumb" comes from English Common Law which deemed it a man's right to beat his wife with a stick no thicker than the diameter of his thumb."

This is a feminist generated myth that has been debunked endlessly, such as here:

http://www.canlaw.com/rights/thumbrul.htm

After reading your maudlin post which launched this ill-begotten thread, I'm not surprised.

One shouldn't make public policy based on the agit-prop poetry of limousine liberal rich girls--like Lazarus was. She had an agenda.

[sauropod]

I see you have refused to answer my questions.

You also have to do a better job of understanding private property rights. Part of that is not destroying your neighbor's private property rights. When that happens you are liable.

Nice try, CJ, but it is not i who is the hypocrite.

[Ima Lurker]

....because I have in the past, and without a moment of indecision would again, give employment to someone I suspect but cannot prove, may be an undocumented worker, ..yes, AN ILLEGAL

Would you hire someone you KNOW is an illegal?

[Cultural Jihad]

Again, the neighbors have a responsibility to mitigate the damages which a neighbor inflicts upon them. Not complaining about the livestock, the crowded conditions, the loud music disturbing the peace, it all means that the neighbors didn't care enough about their property values to do anything about it. We do live in a self-governing society; we are not a bunch of serfs ruled by an elite class of overlords or some foreign occupation army. We are not all poor, helpless and hopeless victims of our fateful circumstances.

[Cultural Jihad]

Please point to any unanswered questions, friend. Sorry if I missed them.

[CyberAnt]

If you're going to quote the Statue of Liberty statement .. then you should get it right: "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free .. the restless rufuge of your teaming shore .. send these the homeless tempest tossed to me .. I lift my lamp beside the golden door.

[sauropod]

"Again, the neighbors have a responsibility to mitigate the damages which a neighbor inflicts upon them.

"We do live in a self-governing society; we are not a bunch of serfs ruled by an elite class of overlords or some foreign occupation army."

But isn't that what you are proposing? Its called a homeowner association.

The people that destroyed the neighborhood should be legally and financially liable for the loss of value of their neighbors' property. AuntB has presented enough evidence that this indeed had occurred. This should be doable without the needed for neighborhood fascist homeowner's associations.

The neighbors should have sued for loss of value of their property and future income from the reduced value.

[sauropod]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1055552/posts?q=1&&page=51 these.

One of them has a direct bearing on this discussion.

How do illegal immigrants have property rights?

[hocndoc]

Having at least one great-grandparent who might have entered this country without officially going through immigration (it appears his ship was shipwrecked - who knows why or how) and several others who did enter legally, I'm sympathetic toward immigrants and would be immigrants.

However, illegal acts can't be encouraged or rewarded, and I have at least one answer as to what is different (besides the obvious difference in the population numbers):

The facts of Medicaid, welfare and Earned Income Tax Credit.

[carlo3b]

someone you KNOW is an illegal?

.. a.. er..cough.. ""..someone I suspect but cannot prove, may be an undocumented ..."".. :)

[carlo3b]

My favorite aunt, and I are not on opposite sides of this dilemma. We are not even at odds about the general nature of the real inherent dangers of introducing a massive influx of any culture, least of all a third world country.

This is the hardest part about taking a stand on any controversial issue, because you invariably ending up eating your own words. How could anyone not see this problem is massive, which is why I want someone.. in this case our President Bush to address this issue without delay..

[Little Ray]

Bad news. The Indians were immigrants, too. And there is pretty good evidence that they displaced somebody else when THEY arrived...

The trick is we don't want to be displaced. Since we have the means to prevent this (which the Indians and their predecessors did not) why should we tolerate them?

[carlo3b]

Gee, let's see what the "defenders of the president" have to say.

Hey.. that could be me!!! Pick me pleassssseeeeee PICK ME...Raising my hand.. No need to search any further AN OFFICIAL BUSH SUPPORTER AT YOUR SERVICE! Now what shall we talk about?

[carlo3b]

.... wonderful... Another DU newbie, aren't you cute.. hit the road jerk!

MentalMilitia

Since Jan 11, 2004

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[Cultural Jihad]

Again, if a neighbor's water main is leaking, and it starts to bring flood damage to your property, you don't just sit on the information, and wait for the problem to result in dry rot and condemnation of the property. You get the infringement halted as soon as possible. That is what it means to mitigate the damages which others inflict. One doesn't need property associations to accomplish this protection of rights. It can be done with zoning ordinances.

[Cultural Jihad]

Retread.