A recent study suggests that the rags-to-riches American Dream is a myth . . . at least in America. But that does not stop millions of people from trying to come to this country for an opportunity at a better life.
The recent debate on illegal immigration has stirred great controversy with the suggestion of making felons out of those who come to this country without first going through the proper channels. In other words, crossing an invisible line in the sand will in most cases become a worse offense than beating the shit out of your kids.
It's tempting to go back to first principles when dealing with such an issue. Instead, let's go back to 1885, when the French gifted us the Statue of Liberty. (Yes, those wacky French, who became the people we love to hate when they objected to our plans to invade a sovereign nation under false pretenses. Theirs being the first nation to officially recognize our existence after the Revolutionary War, which we won partly because of French military assistance, is a bit of trivia we seem to have forgotten.)
The Emma Lazarus poem "The New Colossus," an excerpt of which adorns a plaque at the base of that statue, includes the line:
The recent debate on illegal immigration has stirred great controversy with the suggestion of making felons out of those who come to this country without first going through the proper channels. In other words, crossing an invisible line in the sand will in most cases become a worse offense than beating the shit out of your kids.
It's tempting to go back to first principles when dealing with such an issue. Instead, let's go back to 1885, when the French gifted us the Statue of Liberty. (Yes, those wacky French, who became the people we love to hate when they objected to our plans to invade a sovereign nation under false pretenses. Theirs being the first nation to officially recognize our existence after the Revolutionary War, which we won partly because of French military assistance, is a bit of trivia we seem to have forgotten.)
The Emma Lazarus poem "The New Colossus," an excerpt of which adorns a plaque at the base of that statue, includes the line:
Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me:
I lift my lamp beside the golden door.
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me:
I lift my lamp beside the golden door.
On that plaque, there is no asterisk that links to a paragraph of legalese: "Aforementioned huddled masses restricted to those who have completed and notarized Forms XYZ-1041-3H and INS-347-5(a), shown proof of immunization, and filed Application Form LMI-1313-B. Further restrictions apply."
In short, what the hell has happened to this place?
1 comments:
I think the American Dream is attainable. Check out this story as proof. The dream is attainable, but maybe it needs to be personalized. Maybe it doesn't have to have one meaning of wealth and fame.
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