I recently read a very touching story about a Vietnam vet who went to a book-signing by Ann Margaret to show her a photo he had from the time when she had come over & entertained his company. She was glad to meet him, treated him like a VIP, & thanked him for his service. At home he broke down crying & told his wife it was the first time anyone had thanked him for his service. As I said, very touching. However, in the last sentence of the story, the author said, "share this with your friends. True patriots will understand - foreigners might not."
This is a way of thinking that has really gotten under my skin. Many immigrants come to this country b/c of what we are, b/c we protect the right to freedom. Its why most of our families came over generations ago - to escape persecution & live in freedom. I don't know why the author of this felt he had to address this issue (especially since it was Americans who were so against the Vietnam war, remember?) Very few of us are natives to this country. The USA, by the very declarations our country was founded on, was created for those seeking a free and equal life. Everyone thinks they are true Americans & were here first. There have always been populations throughout our relatively short history that were deemed "foreigners" b/c they were immigrants. Guess what - you're most likely a descendant of one of those people that was unwanted & unwelcome in this country at one time or another. They spoke very little English, had very little money, & no - they didnt have to pass a legality test to enter. Immigrants do not typically come to this country demanding money, jobs, big houses, or even respect. Immigrants typically come to this country to escape a horrible environment in their home country - again, thats what America was built on. Its what the Statue of Liberty conveys. Its not like we're packed in like rats & can't accept any more residents. This country is enormous.
One more thing I'd like to get straight - immigrants are not here to take our job. They often live 5+ people to a 2 bedroom apartment, & are honestly ecstatic to just vacuum an office building every night for pay. If you want to tell me "true Americans" would be doing these jobs, I've got something to tell you - true Americans can be total deadbeats. They have superiority complexes. They think they deserve a certain way of life. My company does pre-employment testing for several blue collar companies, & let me tell you that it is oddly rare to speak to a candidate that truly wants to get started & will do whatever he has to in order to begin working. So don't tell me immigrants are stealing our jobs of vacuuming an office building, b/c most Americans think they're above that. We've never known the fear, the desperation, the conditions that drive a person to leave their homeland & seek refuge in a free country - yet, again, those family members that came before us did. So why are we so quick to forget, judge, & lord over those in a similar situation? A "true patriot" would understand the values our country was built upon, envisioned by a varied population of refugees who wanted freedom & equality for all despite nationality or creed.
