> > My wife, Rosemary, wrote a wonderful letter to the
> editor of the Orange
> > County Register, Orange County, CA., 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. Dave LaBonte (signed)
> >
> > ________________________________
> >
> > 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
> > Statute
> > 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 their 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 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 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 2006 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 1900s 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
> Statute 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
> >
> >
> >
> > P.S. Pass this on to everyone you know!!! KEEP
> THIS LETTER MOVING!!
2006-09-05
17:30:53
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18 answers
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asked by
Anonymous