[johnjzjz]

So many site 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 along side 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 Hitler, 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
1900's 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 Statute 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.

this was sent to me i see it as the right way to be about the issue jz