Conflicted

The immigration "rallies" today have left me angry and conflicted.

Angry because here are people who want to be in America and want all that America has to offer, yet today they carried the flag of Mexico (granted, today there were more American flags than in the March rallies) and chanted their "battle cry" in Spanish. I feel they dishonor all of their ancestors and my own ancestors that came here legally. These ancestors (mine and theirs) left all they had known, and sometimes never saw their families again. They paid their way, they were too proud to take government help -- they learned English -- they WANTED to fit in. They paid their taxes -- they helped to build this country that now helps everyone... takes care of everyone - whether they are here legally or not.

Here in California they talk of how "we" stole California from "them" and that was WRONG -- Does that mean when"they" stole Mexico from Spain it was RIGHT?

My son-in-law is from Iran... he and his family came here legally when he was about 11. It wasn't easy for them - soon his mother was raising three children in a strange land with no husband and my son-in-law became the man of the house at an early age and worked selling bags of oranges on the street to help his mom make ends meet. They didn't take government money, they worked hard to become American citizens. He's worked hard to put himself through college to become a doctor and now he takes care of people that break the law to come and live in this country and don't pay their doctor bills or hospital bills.

My daughter-in-law is from Korea... she came here legally by marrying my son. She's not home free -- she has to fill out paperwork every year and she has to go to interviews so immigration can make sure that they are really a couple and he didn't just marry her so she could come to America. She has learned English, she pays taxes, she studies hard so that she can graduate from college. In addition to studying for her college major she studies American History so she will be ready to take her citizenship tests. It isn't easy, but she wants to be an American.

I'm conflicted because I believe everyone has the right to a better life... if they are willing to work for it and come by it legally. I don't think it should be handed to them just because they do jobs that Americans supposedly won't. I know many people in the South that would jump at the chance to work for the kind of wages that people who are here illegally are making.

Today a friend of mine closed his business in solidarity of the immigration rallies and was hoping to take part in a local march. His parents came here from Mexico legally. We had a bit of a discussion (fortunately we always agree to disagree!) about all this. One of the things he mentioned was that America has no problem spending billions of dollars going to war to "liberate" other countries (like Iraq) and take care of them. But we won't spend the money to fix our borders and have soldiers patrolling here at home instead of having them patrolling in Iraq. I pondered that it seemed easier for our government, both Democrat and Republican, to approve war than to fix what's wrong at home... neither of us had an answer as to why. One thing we did agree on today was that there should definitely be better border control for ALL of our borders - not just the Mexican/American one.

On a side note - I read an article today that said one of the areas in Iraq was asking the US soldiers and the Iraqi soldiers for more help with the insurgents. It doesn't matter how much we give - everyone wants more and more from us - we can't win.

I believe that if we approve amnesty for those that are here illegally it must come at a price -- they should be fined. They broke the law. If I break the law by speeding I have to pay the ticket. If I break the law by stealing I have to go to jail. I should think being allowed to stay here and use government services, schools, hospitals, public assistance if needed, would be worth paying a fine. I know it would be for me if I had entered and lived in this country illegally.

Don't judge me by the color of my skin - you see me as "white" but under this white skin runs not only the blood of my white, European ancestors but the blood of my Cherokee and African American ancestors as well -- I embrace them all and am very thankful they all came here legally so I could be born an American and live the life I do.