"Does immigration strengthen or threaten the United States?"
That was this year's question at the Great American Think-Off, a national philosophy competition that allows "ordinary people the chance to debate some of life's perplexing questions."
The winner was Craig Allen who argued that the system of immigration and immigration policy is broken. He says it encourages an influx of illegal immigrants and poses a threat to the country, and you can read his entire essay as a comment below. Also included is the 2nd place essay by Deana Cavaliere who argued that immigrants of diverse cultures have created a mix of ideas that makes America an innovative and wealthy country.
What Do You Think?In International News
Perhaps its time to rethink the whole UK-USA Agreement? Now that a second batch of secret government files was found on a train. Documents included ones which detail efforts to tackle terrorism financing, the drugs trade and money-laundering. These international incidents are compounded by other British government security breaches, including the theft of an unencrypted computer carrying information on 600,000 prospective military recruits and tax officials lossing computer discs containing information — including bank records — for 25 million people. FYI, thats almost half the people in the country! What next, leave the launch codes for nuclear missiles on a British Airways flight?
Speaking of nuclear weapons, it would seem that the international smuggling ring led by A.Q. Khan, which infamously sold atomic bomb parts to Libya, Iran and North Korea also managed to acquire blueprints for advanced nuclear weapon technology, ie. ballistic missile warheads. Discovered on a Swiss businessman's computer, experts believe "these advanced nuclear weapons designs may have long ago been sold off to some of the most treacherous regimes in the world." Well gee... isn't that just peachy.
Perhaps they will be used to overthrow a country? President Mugabe of Zimbabwe would probably not mind using them against his own people. After stating that "We shall never, never accept anything that smells of a delivered parcel of what they call the Movement for Democratic Change ... that is not going to happen. We are prepared to fight for it," 12 members of the party, including the opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai who was nearly elected president and is currently engaged in a runoff election, were arrested.
Your Government at Work
In order to ensue that criminals are not sent to your door during the 2010 census, $350 million will be spent to fingerprint and background check the 500,000 temporary workers. The excuse for such spending, "We have a prime responsibility to ensure the safety of the American people." In 2000, four census workers were accused of crimes, and none were convicted. In fact, far more crimes were committed against census workers. Total cost for the 2010 census is expected to hit $15 billion. Why is no one in the press asking why it is expected to cost 3 times more to count people than it did 10 years ago???
2 comments:
Immigration Threatens the United States by Craig R. Allen
Throughout the years, immigrants like Albert Einstein, Bob Hope, and Joseph Pulitzer have made tremendous contributions to the culture and vitality of the United States, and millions of others have labored anonymously to build and defend this nation. Today, however, the United States is threatened by continued immigration.
A century ago, Teddy Roosevelt framed his thoughts on immigration with these words. We should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person's becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American. There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag. We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language...
This is, of course, pure Roosevelt: blunt, to the point, and devoid of any attempt at political correctness. Nevertheless, it reflects the very core of this discussion. Driven largely by immigration past and present, society in the United States has adopted the habit of assigning ethnic labels to nearly everyone. We speak of "African Americans" or "Hispanic Americans." During the primaries, we have heard continual evaluation based upon how a candidate fared with specific voters, dividing us into ethnic groups apparently pitted against each other. We hear it suggested that "Latino voters" will decide the outcome, so apparently other votes don't count.
Before 1914, during the great period of European immigration, there were few in the Americas who could claim ownership of the country. In fact, the only legitimate claim belonged to Native Americans, and given history, I suspect they found immigration quite threatening, as they were continually assaulted and forced to relocate to make room for the new-comers. In the process, they lost much of their culture and nearly all of their land.
With the slowing of European immigration caused by two world wars, our society became more stable. Partly because of the unifying effect of those wars, existing Americans began to develop a true sense of self. During World War II, immigrants of German descent were, for the most part, accepted, while unfortunately, those of Japanese ancestry were not. The nature of the Pearl Harbor attack, coupled with obvious racial differences, undoubtedly fueled this discrimination. Although it is certainly true that some Japanese Americans served the country with distinction during those troubled times, many others were simply never given the opportunity.
So, what has changed? How do those changes threaten this country?
Today, much of society equates immigration with those who are here illegally. They believe that undocumented immigrants receive undeserved welfare, food stamps, free medical services, and burden the school systems. We hear that "these people" breed crime and steal jobs from "real Americans." Although many of these myths are undocumented urban fiction, there is just enough truth in them that they remain a common perception; one that serves to divide and polarize American society. We are forced to confront people openly breaking our laws.
More recently, some fear that every person of Middle Eastern descent is probably a terrorist. The events of September 11th, coupled with other attacks and the ongoing war, have generated a xenophobic mistrust that pervades our national psyche. We are weakened when we blindly fear people based solely upon national origin, and allow them into the country yet refuse them integration with our society.
Lastly, there is a feeling that recent immigrants wish to enjoy the benefits of living here, but have no desire to become Americans. Many Americans view requirements for bi-lingual education, court-appointed translators, and ballots printed in multiple languages as signs that the current crop of new-comers prefer that American society change to meet their needs, rather than adapt themselves to their new country. Watching a parade carrying Mexican flags makes you wonder why Americans are celebrating Cinco de Mayo.
Every society is weakened when it becomes fragmented, and immigration today threatens our society through the myths that foster fragmentation. Roosevelt sought immigration with assimilation. Today we cannot reach the more modest goal of allowing integration. The "huddled masses, yearning to be free" are not truly welcome, and E Pluribus Unum – From Many, One – has become a distant memory, not an attainable reality.
Pro Immigration by J. Deana Cavaliere
Up until recently, a drive through any of the multi-cultural neighborhoods in my area would often leave me disgruntled with thoughts running through my head. Why can't they call the mercado what it is, a strip mall? Why can't they speak English? Why can't they just assimilate into the American culture?!? Perhaps I have been persuaded into having these opinions; presidential candidates, mainstream media, even my own husband, a proud union member, have all influenced my thoughts on immigration. But is this what I truly believe?
A rather innocuous event helped shed light on this subject. While flipping through the glossy pages of a well-funded travel magazine, I saw all the wondrous, exotic places I could visit: private beaches, sequestered resorts, brand-name hotels…For the right price, I can rent my own little piece of America anywhere in the world. Just how much interaction with other cultures does this type of behavior afford? I recall a family vacation, standing in front of a café in Rome with my mother-in-law. She was reluctant to go in because it was a "local" restaurant. She was afraid of ordering something she wouldn't like, yet was too stubborn to take out her Italian phrase book and try to communicate.
It occurred to me while browsing through the travel magazine that when Americans go abroad, they blanket themselves in their own culture, whether for protection or as a badge of honor. In strange places, we attach ourselves to the familiar. Michel de Montaigne made similar observations on a trip across Europe on horseback in 1580. He commented in his Essays on the behavior of his fellow traveling companions:
Once out of their villages, they feel like fish out of water. Wherever they go they cling to their ways and curse foreign ones. If they come across a fellow-countryman…they celebrate the event…With a morose and taciturn prudence they travel about wrapped up in their cloaks and protecting themselves from the contagion of an unknown clime.
I have concluded that what the Hispanics, Hmong, and Somalis in my area are doing is not rejecting American society. They are only doing what is natural…surrounding themselves with the familiar. How could I, as an individual, judge these local immigrants for what appears to be basic human nature? Perhaps my sense of nationalism has clouded my judgment…
Looking to the European Union, I find inspiration. Theirs is an innovative form of government not based on physical borders, but on political philosophies. Any country in the world can apply to join the EU. Once a member, that country's citizens are free to move within and around the EU as we do from state to state in the US. In a slow but steady process, Europeans are shedding their national identities in favor of "European-ness." They can see their place in a global context.
America seems to be lagging far behind in this process of globalization, with the immigration issue a glaring example. Building walls and fences, adding more bureaucracy, increasing security…to what end will these actions achieve? Build a wall to keep people out, and soon its function will be to keep people in. A different mindset is in order. We must strive as a culture to find our place in the world. A simple first step would be viewing other nation's peoples as our PEERS.
Inscribed on Montaigne's library ceiling was the quote, "I am a man, nothing human is foreign to me." In that spirit, I have engaged the idea of immigration in its purest sense. The diffusion of cultures is a founding principal of our country and fuels the efforts of globalization. So now I stop and do some shopping at the mercados. Tasting exotic foods and meeting foreign people happens not too far from my own back yard. The exchange of cultural information is what will keep this country strong and vibrant. It starts on a personal level.
Post a Comment