Wednesday, March 29, 2006

ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION

Let’s be very clear – this is AMERICA! We have the obligation and the right to make laws governing immigration into this country. And those who have already broken the law entering our country have NO RIGHT to demand anything, at any time, for any reason.

The flood of ILLEGALS (no, they are not “undocumented” – they are here because they broke the law – that makes them illegal and calling them anything else is sophistry) across our borders is threatening the economies of the states where they plunk themselves down, the safety and security of our nation, and the quality of life for everyone.

This is AMERICA! We speak ENGLISH! If you want to come to this country, you must adhere to OUR laws, first among them the IMMIGRATION LAWS. How difficult is this concept? What the protesters over the weekend were demanding was that we exempt them from the laws of our land. How utterly asinine is that?

Under certain circumstances, maybe a “guest worker” program would work but FIRST, all those who have invaded our nation illegally need to either return to whence they came -voluntarily or involuntarily (don’t much care) Then they can present their bona fides and allow us to decide whether or not their immigration or “guest worker” status is in the best interests of the American people.

I am the granddaughter of LEGAL immigrants. They came to this country with very little. Their education and status in their country of origin meant ABSOLUTELY NOTHING in this country and that was probably unfair. But that was the price they were willing to pay to provide a better life for their eventual family of 12 children. My highly educated grandfather (a man who spoke 19 languages fluently) worked in the steel mills of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the early 1900s to support his brood and even managed to buy a house AND put his eldest son through college. I never met my immigrant grandparents but I am grateful to them for the sacrifices they made and the hard work that gave their children, including my beloved mother, their start in this beautiful country. And I have no tolerance or respect for people who try to find a shortcut to achieve what my grandparents worked so hard to achieve – the American dream! And I have even less respect for people who make excuses for illegal invaders of our nation and try to help them evade our laws. And to the Catholic priests who consider themselves above our immigration laws, I will remind you of Jesus’ words: “Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.” which to me means, there is no moral relativism possible here. Helping people break the laws of the United States is NOT part of your priestly calling and should stop immediately and in perpetuity!