Believe In America.com

michke9 · Joined: 08 Jul 2006 Posts: 1

My wife, Rosemary, wrote a wonderful letter to the editor of the OC
Register which, of course, was not printed. So, I decided to "print"
it myself by sending it out on the Internet. Pass it along if you
feel so
inclined.

Dave LaBonte (signed)

Written in response to a series of letters to the editor in the Orange
County Register:

Dear Editor:

So many letter writers have based their arguments on how this land is
made up of immigrants. Ernie Lujan for one, suggests we should tear
down the Statue of Liberty because the people now in question aren't being
treated the same as those who passed through Ellis Island and other
ports of entry.

Maybe we should turn to our history books and point out to people like
Mr. Lujan why today's American is not willing to accept this new kind
of immigrant any longer.

Back in 1900 when there was a rush from all areas of Europe to come
to the United States, people had to get off a ship and stand in a long
line in New York and be documented. Some would even get down on their hands
and knees and kiss the ground. They made a pledge to uphold the laws and
support their new country in good and bad times. They made learning
English a primary rule in their new American households and some even changed
their names to blend in with their new home.

They had waved good bye to their birth place to give their children
a new life and did everything in their power to help their children
assimilate into one culture.

Nothing was handed to them. No free lunches, no welfare, no labor
laws to protect them. All they had were the skills and
craftsmanship they had brought with them to trade for a future of prosperity.

Most of their children came of age when World War II broke out.

My father fought alongside men whose parents had come straight over
from Germany, Italy, France and Japan. None of these 1st generation
Americans ever gave any thought about what country their parents
had come from. They were Americans fighting Hilter, Mussolini and the Emperor
of Japan. They were defending the United States of America as one
people.

When we liberated France, no one in those villages were looking for
the French-American or the German-American or the Irish-American. The
people of France saw only Americans. And we carried one flag that represented
one country. Not one of those immigrant sons would have thought about
picking up another country's flag and waving it to represent who they were. It
would have been a disgrace to their parents who had sacrificed so much to
be here. These immigrants truly knew what it meant to be an American. They stirred the melting pot into one red, white and blue bowl.

And here we are in 2006 with a new kind of immigrant who wants the
same rights and privileges. Only they want to achieve it by playing with a
different set of rules, one that includes the entitlement card and a
guarantee of being faithful to their mother country. I'm sorry, that's not
what being an American is all about.

I believe that the immigrants who landed on Ellis Island in the early
1900s deserve better than that for all the toil, hard work and sacrifice in
raising future generations to create a land that has become a beacon
for those legally searching for a better life.

I think they would be appalled that they are being used as an example
by those waving foreign country flags. And for that suggestion about
taking down the Statue of Liberty, it happens to mean a lot to the citizens
who are voting on the immigration bill.

I wouldn't start talking about dismantling the United States just yet.

(signed) Rosemary LaBonte

P.S. Pass this on to everyone you know!!! KEEP THIS LETTER MOVING!!

I hope this letter gets read by millions of people all across the nation!!

TxTeacher · Joined: 13 Jun 2006 Posts: 64

Done!!

Dream · Joined: 23 Jun 2006 Posts: 427

Nice letter.

Bootsie · Joined: 22 Jun 2006 Posts: 492

Well said. Sorry they didn't publish it. She might want to try again and shorten it a little. I have had some rejected because they were longer than they accepted. There should be a place on the letters to the Editor section that says how many words they accept. If not, I always assume there's no limit and go to it!!

The Fox · Joined: 23 Jun 2006 Posts: 112

Excellent letter. Glad you posted it, thank you.

butterbean · Joined: 21 Jun 2006 Posts: 2269

Welcome Michke9,
Thats an excellent letter! Smile