to Thomas

Submitted by Sidda (United States), May 1, 2006 at 16:09

Thomas, I personally think it is not right for certain groups, specifically gays and illegal immigrants to try to compare their situation to that of African Americans who faced true oppression and denial of civil rights. In the case of the illegals, they really are not entitled to the rights afforded to American citizens of any race, creed or religion. That is not to say that they should not be treated with dignity as human beings, but to try to co-opt the civil rights movement is wrong.

There are people today who make a living by pitting one group against another. This "groupism" foments resentment and unrest amongst the people instead of striving for unity in the way that Martin Luther King did. They claim they are against racism, but all they do is use race and identity politics to try to separate people. They are race baiters; if people were to come together, they would be out of business. That isn't to say that there are not serious issues that still need to be addressed. But, they should be discussed honestly in order to arrive at practical solutions, not in a way that only serves to incite people.

The illegal immigrant issue is a very serious one that has far reaching implications to our country in the short run and in the long run. One need only look to Europe's failed immigration policies to see what can happen here if we are not careful and do not have sound immigration policies. Unfortunately, there are forces which are working against the best interests of our country and the American people. Yes, America is a nation of immigrants; our ability to accept and assimilate immigrants from all over the world has been to our credit and a source of our strength. But, now we are up against corporate interests on the right side of the political spectrum who want open borders for cheap labor, and on the left those who want to import an entire proletariate class who they feel can be manipulated into voting for policies which have nothing to do with traditional American values which made this country the most successful nation in the world. In the middle of all of this is the average American who only wants secure borders and an orderly immigration policy which will insure that new immigrants to our country can be assimilated and become part of our country, not a little "country within a country" such as what has happened in Europe with their Muslim population.

It really is discouraging to watch the dog and pony show of our politicians of both parties as they attempt to pander to the illegals who they view as future voting blocks, and to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce who want to have a steady supply of cheap laborers, undercutting the wages of lower income Americans.

We must first secure our borders to keep out potential terrorists, drug runners, and other criminals. This is a matter of national security for all Americans regardless of race or beliefs. Then we can decide what to do about the millions of illegals who came into our country with the complicity of our government through several administations both Democrat and Republican. Any immigrant who comes to the U.S. from any country should be required to assimilate into our country; that includes learning English to conduct their business and accepting American values. United we stand, divided we fall.

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