This is a very good letter to the editor. This woman
made some good points. For some reason, people have
difficulty structuring their arguments when arguing
against supporting the currently proposed immigration
revisions. This lady made the argument pretty simple.
NOT printed in the Orange County
Paper...................
Newspapers simply won't publish letters to the editor
which they either deem politically incorrect (read
below) or which does not agree with the philosophy
they're pushing on the public. This woman wrote a
great letter to the editor that should have been
published; but, with your help it will get published
via cyberspace!
New Immigrants
From: "David LaBonte"
My wife, Rosemary, wrote a wonderful letter to the
editor of the OC Register which, of course, was not
printed. So, I decided to "print" it myself by sending
it out on the Internet. Pass it along if you feel so
inclined.
Written in response to a series of letters to the
editor in the Orange County Register:
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 and 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 thei r 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 , France 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 St ates 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 2008 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.
(signed) Rosemary LaBonte
made some good points. For some reason, people have
difficulty structuring their arguments when arguing
against supporting the currently proposed immigration
revisions. This lady made the argument pretty simple.
NOT printed in the Orange County
Paper...................
Newspapers simply won't publish letters to the editor
which they either deem politically incorrect (read
below) or which does not agree with the philosophy
they're pushing on the public. This woman wrote a
great letter to the editor that should have been
published; but, with your help it will get published
via cyberspace!
New Immigrants
From: "David LaBonte"
My wife, Rosemary, wrote a wonderful letter to the
editor of the OC Register which, of course, was not
printed. So, I decided to "print" it myself by sending
it out on the Internet. Pass it along if you feel so
inclined.
Written in response to a series of letters to the
editor in the Orange County Register:
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 and 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 thei r 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 , France 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 St ates 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 2008 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.
(signed) Rosemary LaBonte
