Immigrants. Very true Pass it on. Be An American

LifeNRA · October 28, 2006

Just got this in an email.

From: "David LaBonte"

My wife, Rosemary, wrote a wonderful letter to the editor of

the OC Register which, of course, was not printed. So, I decided

to "print" it myself by sending it out on the Internet. Pass it along

if you feel so inclined.

Dave LaBonte (signed)

Written in response to a series of letters to the editor in the

Orange County Register:

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

chose 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 2006 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

Ambuscher · October 28, 2006