May 1 boycott

I’m not sure if this what is planned tomorrow is a nation-wide thing or not, but here in Sonoma County, there is going to be a huge boycott. Thousands are of immigrants – illegal or otherwise – as well as supporters of illegal immigrants are due to boycott going to work, buying food, purchasing gas for their cars, etc in an effort to dramatisize the effect on local economies if they had to go without the use of illegal laborers for even one day.

The thing that gets me, is that most of us in this country are immigrants. When someone thinks of ‘immigration’, immediately the mind conjours an image of a packed Ellis Island full of foreigners coming to this country with nothing but the clothes on their back, some scraps of food, and all the ambition in the world. For the roots of many, that is how their family came to America. But just as today, more often than not, ancestors snuck into this great country as stow-aways in the bellies of ships, “modern day” indentured servitude, whatever it took to get a better start in America.

But to speak to someone on the streets, or even in your department at work, about this possibility, nobody is willing to admit that they are the decendants of someone who came here illegally. And that’s what I think stymies the illegal immigration debate – nobody wants to face the facts.

Not many people want to think about how crippled the economy would be, especially in areas such as California, if all illegal immigrants were hunted down and deported. The Wine Industry would topple, and the local economies would devestated. Think about the last time you got your car washed, or watched the table next to you at the restaurant being bussed, or watched the garbage truck come and take your refuse away… and think when was the last time a that person didn’t strike you as a foreigner. This isn’t to say that only foreigners can do those jobs, that’s not what this is at all. And it’s not about stereotypes either. What each of us needs to do is stop and realize what these people came here for – something better. Does that mean they are justified in coming here illegally? No. But that doesn’t mean, as the author of the following Letter to the Editor infers, that they are all welfare recipients and are all involved in criminal acts. Or that none of them speak english.

May 1 boycott

EDITOR: The Press Democrat appears to support Monday’s boycott of schools, work and spending money in American businesses, at least in its articles regarding same. You might include some encouragement to boycott Social Security benefits, social service support and the use of the entire medical profession. Gosh, you could also suggest they suspend their criminal activities and use of the courts and detention center. Maybe they could use that idle time to learn and to teach their children to speak English.

FRANK P. CORCORAN JR.
Santa Rosa

Mr Frank Corcoran, Jr., shows us why this country is in such disrepair. People like him, with their closed mindeness and holier-than-thou mindset, are the explosive charges at the base of any constructive progress that is made. They’re the ones perpetuating the crippling stereotypes that haunt immigrants. How do you know someone is here legally or illegally? You don’t unless you ask them. I don’t find it likely that people such as Mr. Corcoran would find it in their hearts to level, one-on-one, with someone about their plight. That would require them to be humble, selfless and considerate of others. Perhaps before critisizing others based on perceptions, Mr. Corcoran should be damned sure his Irish (since Corcoran, from what I’ve found, is Irish in nature) relatives are fully documented, legal immigrants – all of them.

I am Mexican/Apache on my father’s side, and Irish/German on my mother’s side. There’s a good chance that one of my relatives snuck in this country. Should that possibility discredit a lineage of military men and generations of people who have contributed to the general well being of this country?

Do I have the perfect solution to this issue? Of course not. But what I do know is for any progress to be made the ignorance and stupidity needs to be diminished if there is any hope in actual discussion to take place and for ideas to be brought to the collective table. Locking down the borders and deporting all illegals is not the answer. I think enforcing a strict, and actually applying it, immigration policy at all border entries, as well as amnesty for illegals currently in the U.S. is the best solution to this.

No related posts.