Lou Dobbs on CNN rails on the issues of illegal immigration, and goes further by insisting that English only be implemented, and that immigrants should eschew their native country's customs and meld into a cookie cutter Americana.
I have problems with that. Let me explain. A few years ago, as I was walking to protest a Bush visit to Kansas City, I was illegally arrested by a local policeman who'd been whipped up by the nice folks at Homeland Security. I was later acquitted of the two false charges I'd been detained on. This was after a long expensive battle to make a defense, which followed the initial illegal arrest including being sprawled in the middle of the street, and then being taken to the bowels of the Kansas City jail by a Secret Service (I assume) agent, who after being told by myself that I was a writer, asked "When we look at your writing will we find anything subversive?" I assume he was Secret Service, because later the Kansas City Police Department denied having any record of the man who checked me out of the jail with the permission of the KCPD jailers, and given an interrogation room by them in the basement to take me to for questioning.
I soon discovered I had a large pool of potential witnesses to my illegal arrest, because the many tall office buildings around the "parade route of the Bush visit" had employees stacked up around the office windows waiting to get a glimpse of the passing Bush motorcade. However, as I walked building to building myself looking for witnesses (because I couldn't afford a detective service), I found that my "fellow citizens" mostly lied to my face denying that they saw anything. One admitted seeing what happened, but refused to testify because "her boss might not like it."
Security at a building across the street instructed their employees not to cooperate with me, and refused to let me view their security videos. One woman initially enthusiastically told my attorney what she'd seen which was that I had been unfairly arrested, but then, for some reason when she came to court turned on me and tried to make it seem as though I was antagonistic to the policeman (which I wasn't). Fortunately, she was unaware that her testimony exonerated me because she did truthfully testify that I was in a legal crosswalk when illegally arrested, so in spite of her efforts to betray me her testimony exonerated me in the end.
In the end, the ONLY witness that came forward and was willing to testify the truth about what happened to me, was "not one of my fellow cookie cutter Americans" that Lou Dobbs thinks is so good for America. It was a young man who was in America "illegally" from Mexico. This young man was willing to put his entire way of life on the line, to "tell the truth." Meanwhile my "fellow Americans" were willing to sell me down the river for their own safety and convenience.
Are Mexicans morally superior to Americans? Probably not, as there is corruption in Mexico as well as here. So, what is the point, here? The point is that after 9/11 our "fellow Americans" and "local police" were whipped up by our federal government and our corporate media into a patriotic lather that said you are either "with us," or "against us." In this hypnotic state of irrationality, anyone who didn't fit into the "cookie cutter patriotic lather," and "challenged the system" was "suspect," and outside of their "click."
Meanwhile this young man, who perhaps because of language and cultural differences, had been somewhat immunized from the propaganda our culture experienced after 9/11 . . . simply did what was true and right, by being willing to testify to the truth of what he saw.
This is why diversity is so important to American democracy. When people think differently, and different languages contribute to different thought, they are more capable of thinking beyond "mob mentality" that leads to injustices like the one I experienced at the hands of my "fellow Americans."
I have another personal anecdote that is pertinent to this issue. When I and my wife and kids moved to Kansas City from California many years ago, it was a culture shock. For the first time in my kid's lives, they experienced being cruelly harassed for being "different," because they were half Chinese. They did well in school in spite of often coming home hurt, or in the case of my daughter crying for being tormented for being Chinese.
Finally, we decided to move to a more affluent area near Kansas City, where we noticed there were more Asians living. When we arrived at our new house with our U-Haul truck, I was comforted to see a home down the street with a Mexican flag flying from the flagpole outside the house. Not because I'm Mexican, and of course my wife originally from Hong Kong is not Mexican, but because we felt we had moved to a more "tolerant" and "diverse" neighborhood. This was very comforting; to know we'd moved to a place where people were free to be who they were, and to feel comfortable about it.
Then came 9/11/2001. On that very day, I noticed that my new neighbor's Mexican flag came down . . . and it has never gone back up. After that we heard reports of Mexicans, Sikhs and others being beaten by Americans who mistook them for Arab terrorists. I saw a Canadian television newsman interviewing New Yorkers asking them if they were concerned about whether America was bombing the right people in Afghanistan. The New Yorkers replied, "I don't care, someone has to pay."
By having diversity in America, with different languages, and different thoughts, and different habits, and different cultures . . . we insulate our nation from the danger of "mob mentalities" that can cause massive damage to people's lives. Not just immigrants lives, or foreigner's lives, but we protect people like me, born and raised in Kansas, the son of Okie farmers, who served in wars and built America. Americans' liberty is protected by having diversity in America.
So, to Lou Dobbs, Bill Maher, and others who off the cuff suggest that all Americans should behave like they do, and leave everything that they are behind when they step foot on American soil . . . I say to you that that thinking is dangerous to our democracy, and in the end un-American. I say to you, that that thinking is a step down the road to fascism.
God bless America!
By William E. Douglas, Jr., who is author of "The Amateur Parent – A Book on Life, Death, War & Peace, and Everything Else in the Universe." Bill has been a guest columnist for the Kansas City Star, The Business Journal, and other media worldwide. His past essays include, "What the Amish Offer America," "Exposing the 9/11 Conspiracy Wingnuts," "The Explosion of the 9-11 Truth Movement -- US Media's Dirty Little Secret," "Good Night, and Good Luck - WMD, NIST, Popular Mechanics, 9/11 and Media Crimes," "Living in the Land of Oz," and also "Why the Jewish Community Should Demand 9/11 Truth."
By William E. Douglas, Jr., who is author of "The Amateur Parent – A Book on Life, Death, War & Peace, and Everything Else in the Universe." Bill has been a guest columnist for the Kansas City Star, The Business Journal, and other media worldwide. His past essays include, "Exposing the 9/11 Conspiracy Wingnuts," "The Explosion of the 9-11 Truth Movement -- US Media's Dirty Little Secret," "Good Night, and Good Luck - WMD, NIST, Popular Mechanics, 9/11 and Media Crimes" and also "Why the Jewish Community Should Demand 9/11 Truth."
Diversity is not the issue, massive illegal immigration is
Listen, social, ethnic, religious and all other kinds of diversity are profoundly good and important. But that is not the issue; our nation cannot be healthy, economically and socially, with massive uncontrolled illegal immigration. Millions of illegal immigrants are causing high crime rates, driving down wages for lower income American CITIZENS, and using up social services financed by American CITIZENS (far more than they pay in taxes). We can have sympathy with the plight of poor desperate people in Mexico and other countries, but we cannot and should not let them flood into our country (along with terrorists and criminals). Unless we vigorously control illegal immigration life boat America will sink. This is not a right-wing issue; it is a critically important problem for all Americans. Illegal immigration is one of the principal causes of destruction of our middle-class and social fabric.
by
Joel S. Hirschhorn (114 articles, 20 quicklinks, 46 diaries, 430 comments)
on Thursday, October 19, 2006 at 8:24:12 AM
Joel, if you want to stop Latin American immigration
Joel, if you want to stop Latin American immigration, the best way to do it is to change US foriegn policy toward Latin America, where we support repressive corporate whores, and help to murder or otherwise eliminate leaders who care about their people.
Since the US military has entered Columbia, the murder rate of union organizes has skyrocketed. Coincidence? NOT.
The progressive party in Mexico recently won the election in Mexico, just like Al Gore won the 2000 election in Florida. But, guess what. The same company that had illegally purged legal voters in Florida before the 2000 election, was hired by someone to do the same thing in Mexico. Guess who hired them to do it in Mexico. The Bush Administration.
The same corporations who hire illegals here have companies there where they like to keep people down and cheap.
If you want to stop illegal immigration from the south, stop picking on helpless poor people, and trying to destroy small American businesses that depend on their labor.
Look to the top, the corporate, military, and intelligence illegal manipulation of Latin America.
Why do you think Bush tried to overthrow Chavez in Venezuela and still is trying to? Because Chavez actually gives a damn about his people. The powers that be in this country can't stand an example like that, because the corporations need to have that cheap labor pool of desperate people down there or up here, and really both.
by
Bill Douglas (68 articles, 2 quicklinks, 11 diaries, 434 comments)
on Thursday, October 19, 2006 at 10:24:22 AM
First I want to say that I support the author of the article and I think that the folks who rhetorically do not like ' illegals' are either ignorant or demonstrate wishful thinking. Funny thing that they also use the media arguments, the same media they despise for supporting Bush.
I have news for you, folks. ALL immigration is illegal. Legality is a very vague thing.
Verner von Braun was a war criminal. He was not only accepted here but lived a very good life. A useful alien, right?
John Shalikashvili was our Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. His father was an SS commander(!) who lied on his application and I wonder if you all want to send his family back to Georgia proper?
Ken Alibek, the notorious Soviet Dr.WMD, Sergei Khrushev, the man who flourished under his father's communist umbrella, Orlando Bosh, the terrorist, Haitian secret police goons, Oleg Kalugin, officially wanted for treason in his country-all those folks are technically illegals- they do not correspond to the criteria of being a refugee.
Folks, you do not know who illegals are. You only see those who bother you. They are also weak, dependent and have no voice. So you say they have to go. If they all go like in one of the Ray Bradbury's stories the black people went away you will find out that your life had not changed to the best. Nope. It will become worse. Beware of what you wish.
How about Cubans? How about adopted children from other countries? They are adopted there because here those families would not be allowed to adopt. How about mail brides? You think that formal papers make people legal? If anyone of you go to jail you are not deported. But if one of the very much legal residents goes to jail he/she can be deported like a charm. No questions asked.
If our country wants to consider the problem it has to acknowledge that the problem is created by all of us and that we are dealing with people. We have to hear them. And then you might be very much surprised at what you hear.
And one more thing- try at least to imagine yourself in their shoes. Considering the way things are going here you and me can become illegal aliens pretty soon and then we will join them. I am not kidding.
And do not bother yourself about economy. You are barking at the wrong tree.
by
Mark Sashine (44 articles, 19 quicklinks, 228 diaries, 3268 comments)
on Thursday, October 19, 2006 at 6:12:35 PM
Yep, they beat us all here, supposedly, through Alaska and filtered through the southern countries. But wait a minute. I live in the North American Indian Capitol of the world, with a Kiowa granddaughter. So, ... if they all came from the same source, how come each tribe had its own language and customs, splendidly exampled in their different dress, dances, customs, and even language. Huh?? How is that possible, if they all came by a northern route? And how come Russians don't speak Kiowa. And besides that, how come our president doesn't speak either English or Spanish worth a darn? And why don't I have no vestiges of Russian or Asian language passed down through my ancesters?
And, to top that off, I am 100% Caucasion, Native American?
ccharpman
by
Dale Hill (55 articles, 0 quicklinks, 97 diaries, 340 comments)
on Friday, October 20, 2006 at 2:28:06 AM
the comment of Mr. Hill but it seems to me to be in support of what I wrote. I have some answers to his questions ( mine only, of course)
1. Our Prez, is an ignorant SOB and he cannot speak any language because of that.
2. Russians are not Indians and thus cannot speak Kiowa. When Indians came to America Russians were not even in the picture. Then they (the Russians) briefly came to Alaska not en masse migration but as prospectors and stayed there until 1868. I am sure Mr. Hill knows that.
As for the other Russian immigrants, there were and still are some isolated communities who speak old Russian lagnuage only.
3. The term 'Caucasian' is a very old and very wrong and racist definition of the ' white' person adopted by the archaic racist pseudo- scientists in 1920s and somehow still flourishing here in the US. Nowhere else that term is used in legitimate studies of humans. There is a race classification and ' white Caucasian' is not there ( except for the US- based studies, of course). I was always wondering what would the real Caucasians say ( there are about 100 ethnic groups there, each with its own identity and language) if they find out that US descendants of German, Swedish and English colonists call themselves ' Caucasians'.
One very good writer Leon Feichtwanger said once that he could trace the dog pedigree but there is no way to track the human one because there were so many stray dogs on the way. If each of us acknowledge that he/she is only one and that whoever we had as ancestors do not count for our own stake in life, our life would be much easier. Joseph Brodsky said it:
' And then you will feel that you, yourself are the God's wholehearted gift.'
Leave the ancestors alone, folks, RIP.
by
Mark Sashine (44 articles, 19 quicklinks, 228 diaries, 3268 comments)
on Friday, October 20, 2006 at 7:28:48 AM
