First submitted as a letter to the editor of an Orange County California Newspaper. The newspaper won't print it.

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 Statue 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 2007 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 1900's 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 Statue 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

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This is a country of legal immigrants. More importantly, this has been a country of grateful immigrants. It is blessing to be an American. It would serve immigrants well to demonstrate their love for this great nation and thankfulness for the blessing we've all received by being given the opportunity to live here. In fact, it has served most immigrants well as immigrants have demonstrated their gratitude throughout history in the U.S. since the first Thanksgiving feast to the present.

Increase in Latino Citizens in Calif. Could Impact Politics

La Opinion, Posted: Apr 29, 2008 (NCM News)

SACRAMENTO—A recent study by the Center for Policy for Immigrants in California revealed that 2.3 million legal immigrants in California are eligible for naturalization, and if they become naturalized, the number of Latino citizens will increase by 10 percent, reports Spanish language newspaper La Opinion. According to the report, 900,000 immigrants eligible for citizenship are Mexicans, while 800,000 are Asians. The report also revealed that 1.2 million children born to immigrant parents would be eligible to vote in the 2012 presidential election. Two-thirds of these minors are Latino. Rob Paral, author of the study asserts, “This report indicates that California is the center of immigration in the country, and if all legal immigrants are incorporated in the voting process, the change of the electorate in California will be dramatic.”

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Republicans wake up! We cannot continue the alarmist approach to immigration problems. Yes, immigration is at a state of crisis. No, we are not going to win with the current approach.

President Bush made significant inroads when he was elected to the presidency and received twice the national support of Latinos than Republicans in the two previous elections. But it hasn’t lasted. Our rhetoric of deportation and deprivation of social programs for illegal immigrants has lost us almost all of our support from the Latino voters.

Requiring photo ID would be a great start in order to prevent illegal immigrants from committing voter fraud, but that is not what we are talking about. We are talking about legal voters. This article is about immigrants eligible for citizenship.

It has been and still is my position that illegal immigration hurts legal immigrants the most because illegal immigrants compete for the same jobs and don’t pay taxes. However, I don’t believe that most legal, Latino, immigrants eligible to vote see it that way. They see deportation of illegal immigrants or lost jobs for illegal immigrants, rightly or wrongly, as unjust suffering of friends, neighbors, and fellow human beings.

Republicans have a lot in common with Latinos and we need to cultivate friendship and loyalty on that basis:

-         Catholics in general are the largest group of swing voters because they often favor government policies that contribute to the poor, are opposed to some of the wars that conservatives support, but have strong family values, work ethic and most poignantly are pro-life.

-         We should be able to get the Catholic, Latino vote by focusing on strong families, pro-life policies, and by constantly sending the message that conservatives care about the poor through private giving as well as wage war in order to help those suffering and oppressed in other countries.

-         We need to adopt immigration policies that will not hurt the families of Latinos (or anyone else). It seems to me that there is nothing worse to a Latino than a breaking up the family support system and preventing the bread-winner from supporting the family.

-         We can oppose illegal immigration without being alarmist and without supporting policies that are going to harm the families and friends of those whose support we need.

There is too much at stake here. There are too many issues that matter. We cannot afford to throw away the Latino vote and damage GOP-Latino relations for years. Don’t be mistaken. Here in California Reagan had great support from Latinos when he was governor, it was the more liberal Republican, Pete Wilson that lost the Latino vote. Latinos will support a conservative, as long as we support Latinos.

What do I support? A Reagan-esque Plan.

-         Build a fence. Stop illegal immigration. Enforce our borders and our laws.

-         Focus on winning the Latino vote, not deporting illegal immigrants.

-         Grant guest workers visas immediately for those that can prove they’ve been working here for the past year.

-         Put illegal immigrant who are not guilty of crimes unrelated to illegal immigration in the back of line to become citizens.

-         Create path to citizenship for illegal immigrants that requires them to pay their debt by paying a large fine close to the taxes that they’ve not paid over years of working in the U.S. Other options could include joining the military for a number of years in order to gain citizenship; obviously the military can set the standards for enrolment.

-         Audit employers. Heavily fine employers of illegal immigrants.

By STEVEN K. PAULSON – 2 hours ago (4/21/2008 15:47)

DENVER (AP) — A Colorado legislator known for kicking a photographer was ordered to leave the podium of the state House of Representatives on Monday because he called Mexican workers "illiterate peasants."

State Rep. Douglas Bruce, who has a history of provoking controversy, made the comment during debate on a bill that would allow the state to help immigrant workers get temporary federal visas. The measure is intended to ease a shortage of farm workers in the state.

"I would like to have the opportunity to state at the microphone why I don't think we need 5,000 more illiterate peasants in Colorado," Bruce said. (Notice he didn't say anything racial, that is good. -DWWR)

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This kind of behavior is totally unacceptable. Republicans, we stand for responsibility. We are opposed to unfettered illegal immigration because it is bad for our country, not because the immigrants are Mexican or because they are “illiterate peasants.” This kind of comment is fueled by passion not reason. This comment will harm the Republican party. I’m sure we’ll hear an apology soon. Bruce owes us an apology.

We must be careful to articulate our views clearly. Conservatives should have nothing against immigrants, or any racial groups. Liberals are going to cry “fowl” on this one.