This started as a comment in another Diary, but I wanted to expand on it cause I think it is important.
A few months ago I had this long conversation with a few Republicans. They were not for the Dream Act. It hurt my head I needed to have this conversation for many reasons. At the top of the list my town was turning 275 years old. All kinds of celebrations. If you took a few seconds to head to our local museum, as I did, it was stunning what you'd learn about how my town was founded. How it was built.
It is kind of a great story. And it is based 110% on immigrants.
A German extended family ventured to the United States. Sailed into New Orleans and took a boat up the Mississippi. They got to St. Louis and planned to stay there, but thought the city was too crowded and instead bought everything they could and walked east about 33 miles. What they found was soil as black as tar. Wild game. Streams. Lakes. I can only assume it must have looked like paradise to them.
They decided to stay and over time wrote a lot of letters back to Germany telling of all they had. The letters are just amazing and more then a few were saved. Talking about land for as far as the eyes can see. Forest so dense you almost can't walk through them. Soil that would grow anything they planted. They literally at points were begging their family and friends to brave crossing the Atlantic to come here.
Many people did. Hundreds and hundreds. Well actually thousands.
So many that to this day, 275 years later I have to explain to people my last name is "Young" with a "Y" and not "Jung" with a "J." Heck German is still a mandatory language class in high school here. I can't speak for other schools across this nation but I kind of assume German isn't a mandatory language in most places.
I explained all this to them, and that maybe they were immigrants and being open to other immigrants might not be a bad idea. I hate to say they didn't seem to get my point. I started to get emotional.
That my family wasn't from Germany, but Scotland, and we got here in 1873. Everything they owned wouldn't fill up my bathroom. In less then a generation my great, great, grandfather was an elected official. We bought land and farmed it. You know all those little bridges you drive over to this day, well my great grandfather built them. We as immigrants built this nation, just as your family members did.
Oh and we have fought in every war. We didn't get drafted, we walked in and signed up and said send us off.
I went on to say I love this country. And I want what this nation has done for my family for others. I don't care if their skin color is different then mine. I could care less what their religion is (my family members came here for religious freedom BTW). I don't care if they can't speak English just yet.
These folks looked at me like I had a third hand growing out of my forehead.
It was at this point I realized we will have no immigration reform that matters in this nation. When I can talk to immigrants that are against immigrants ..... I mean what else do you say.
My parting shot with them was a dig on purpose, cause well they had bitched that Hispanics didn't speak English. I just noted it is funny I can go the feed (and hardware) store in town and speak German just as easily as I can speak English if the owner or his wife is around.
They didn't seem to get the irony.