How Childish Are You?

I am curious...and I like to have the last word.  In response to my post about Arizona's tough new immigration law, I lost a couple of followers.  Big deal, their choice.  In that post I included a link to a previous post where I vented some frustrations about illegal immigration and how it affected me personally. How childish do you have to be to do the following?  Some one commented on that post and asked me a question that I would be happy to answer for them.  Here is the problem...they didn't have the intestinal fortitude (guts) to leave a name with their comment.  Um..how would you like me to answer a question if I don't know who you are.  Here is the question they asked.

You make excellent points.


I'm curious, did your ancestors have green card or any working document ready to show when they arrived on Ellis Island? I'm guessing no. That is all.

Now, I'm guessing that this was a comment left by one of those who are no longer following me.  I readily admit that I have stopped following some blogs because the author held beliefs that I did not agree with.  Let me also say, I follow many blogs where I don't agree with everything that everyone posts.  The one or two I have stopped following were way out there in my opinion.  Ultimately, if someone doesn't want to follow me, then please leave if you don't enjoy what I write.  I'm fine with that.

Back to the question and my answer.  As a matter of fact, yes, my ancestors had all the proper documentation they were required to have when they came to this country.  THEY FOLLOWED THE RULES. 

And, in fact, my maternal grandmother traveled 4 times back and forth between the United States and Hungary between the ages of 2 and 16.  Her parents came to this country for a better life.  When she was 2 they returned to Hungary to help out HER grandparents.  She returned to the U.S.A.  by herself when she was 15 so she could maintain her American citizenship.  She left her parents in Hungary, her father working hard and her ill mother helping out when she could.  She then went back to Hungary again, BY HERSELF to retrieve her parents.  Unfortunately her mother passed away while in Hungary and her father would not return to the United States without his wife.  My grandmother (now 16) then got on another boat bound for the USA with her cousin who was 18 and a friend who was also 16.  These ocean voyages took weeks.  They didn't have any one traveling with them to insure their safety.  But they filed the proper paperwork to leave and return to this country every time because they wanted to be Americans. 

My ancestors wanted to have a better life.  They wanted to contribute to a nation they believed in.  They didn't come to this country and immediately start engaging in illegal activities.  They didn't try to smuggle their relatives into the country in their steamer trunk.  They worked hard, they paid taxes, they owned property and  they left a legacy that spans several generations.  My grandmother never regretted her decision to come to this country without her father.  She missed him and was sad that she would never see her parents again.

One more point I would like to make before I get off my soapbox.  Many that come to this country illegally -and I know there are illegals in this country who are NOT Hispanic - they claim that they come to this country illegally because the paperwork and the requirements are so stringent and costly and time-consuming.  Wanna know something?  It's much easier to get into this country now than it was 100 years ago.  Do you think that the requirements weren't stringent back then?  Do you think the paperwork wasn't costly back then?  Do you think it wasn't time-consuming back then?  People who TRULY want to be American citizens will do what it takes legally, not matter the cost, the time, the restrictions.

Sermon complete!

Arizona and New Immigration Laws

If you watch or read the news at all, you know that Arizona recently passed a tough illegal immigration law.  According to an article in my morning paper that was submitted by the Associated Press, Arizona has "become the center of national immigration debate."  If you don't know what the law is about, to put it plainly, the new law "makes it a state crime to be in the U.S. illegally and it directs police to question people about their immigration status if there is reason to suspect they are illegal."  Lawmakers and our own coconut in the White House have declared the law unconstitutional and have said it will lead to racial profiling and harassment by the police. 

In signing this policy into law, Governor Jan Brewer of Arizona has stated,

"The new state misdemeanor crime of failure to complete or carry an alien registration document is adopted verbatim from the same offense found in federal statute," she said. "I will not tolerate racial discrimination or racial profiling in Arizona."

I think most of my readers know how I feel about immigration, especially the illegal kind.  If you aren't sure or don't remember, you could read a post about my feelings here.  I applaud Governor Brewer and her courage to take care of a situation in her state that has been all but ignored nationally for generations.  Every president promises to do something about illegal immigration, but none of them actually follow through.  Why?  Because the Hispanic population carries a lot of political weight.  They lobby, they boycott, they are a force to be reckoned with.  And I am not against legal immigration.  I'm all for it.  At one point or another, almost all of us have ancestors that immigrated to North America.

For those that think Governor Brewer is wrong in trying to protect the state she is responsible for, let me share a few statistics that were in that same news article I read this morning.

• Arizona is home to approx. 460,000 illegal immigrants
• In the past 3 yrs. Border Patrol agents in Arizona have arrested an avg. of 900 illegals entering Arizona EVERY DAY
• Federal agents seized approx. 1.2 million pounds of marijuana in Arizona last year.  That is roughly 1.5 tons PER DAY
• Last week 67 illegals were found crammed into the back of a U-Haul entering Arizona.  This happens EVERY DAY

These figures represent just ONE of the states that border Mexico.  I live in California and I'm sure there are similar statistics for my state.  We can look at this situation in another way.  Although I have never traveled outside of the U.S. I know there are certain requirements for doing so.

• To cross the border out of the USA I must carry a passport.
• To travel to MEXICO:
• If I'm under 18, I am required to also carry notarized permission from my parent or guardian
• If I'm planning an extended stay to any country I need a visa.
• I can expect that I will be questioned about my travel plans as I leave the US and as I enter the country I am visiting
• I can expect that my travel documents will be inspected when I leave the US and I enter the country I am visiting
• I can expect that if I am stopped for any reason while in the foreign country, I will be required to show identification and the documents that allow me to be in that country.

These requirements are for my own protection, the protection of the United States and the protection of the country I am visiting.  Why is that so hard to understand?  Why should we not require and expect the same of people that are in OUR country.  Why do we feel sorry for those that enter our country illegally?  Why do we think we need to offer them amnesty from entering the country illegally and then provide them with citizenship? (As the coconut in the White House wants to do).  I JUST DON'T GET IT!

By no means am I telling you how to think or feel or vote.  If you support tougher immigration legislation, let your coconut and political representatives know.  If you support more lenient immigration policies, let the powers that be know that too.  This is OUR country and we have elected these people to do what we want them to.  If they don't know how we feel, they certainly can't make informed decisions.

You all know how I feel about it.  I routinely contact my legislators on any number of issues that concern me.  Do I know that they consider my opinions when they vote? No.  Do I know that I have done my part as a citizen to make my opinions known and voiced for what I believe will make our country better?  You betcha'.

For a more humorous look at immigration, you can check this post that was inspired by an email my mom sent me about a year ago.  Hope it makes you smile.