by Joe Buffaloe
Daily Lobo columnist
As an absentee editor currently studying in Mexico, I figure there's no better time than now to write about American attitudes toward immigration.
Specifically, I'd like to write about our nation's new policy, supported by President Bush.
It's idiotic.
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Maybe if we were a nation of people who thought before we acted, things would be different. Instead, we simply assume we know everything, then do whatever we want. At least our current government does. If you need evidence, just look at the war in Iraq. Though I don't understand how, some people find the current quagmire we've gotten ourselves into surprising - for all those people who supported the war, I don't want to say I told you so - but I told you so.
First, we have to understand the United States is a very isolated country. If it were a person, it would be a cranky old hermit whose sole company was his trusty old shotgun. I would strongly - and I can't emphasize how strongly - suggest that every American visit a foreign country for a while, if able. It gives you perspective on how wealthy we really are. It shows you how wrong many of our assumptions are, too.
For example, our ideas about Mexico. Contrary to what many of us gueros might think, it is actually a diverse, modern, sophisticated culture. It deserves our attention and our respect. Though it has its problems - what country doesn't - it is not a nation of primitive, illiterate drug smugglers who want nothing more than to take your job. Just chat with a few taxi drivers down here, and you won't believe how knowledgeable and friendly our neighbors to the south really are.
That said, let's move on to our immigration policies. The guest worker plan that was just put in place is a joke. People who have been living in the United States most of their lives, working the jobs the spoiled middle class won't take, have to go through so many hoops to gain citizenship that it's nearly impossible.
The fact that you have to prove fluency in English is also contrary to our tradition of not having an official language. What happened to "give me your tired, your poor, your hungry"? I don't know who scratched that out and replaced it with "give me your rich, white, English-speaking Republicans," but he needs to take some lessons in basic American history.
First, we're all immigrants. You remember the millions of indigenous people who had been living here thousands of years before Europeans arrived? Yeah, a few of them are still around. What do you think they would say about this being "our" country?
Second, the economic problems caused by immigration are the result of exploitation by business owners, not immigrants. It's a public secret that corporate criminals pay illegal immigrants less than minimum wage. For that reason alone, they give jobs to immigrants instead of legal citizens. Plus, illegal immigrants contribute more to Social Security than they receive in benefits, anyway.
Finally, let's move on to the border. I don't want soldiers there. It's a dangerous step toward an all-out fascist police state. And have you seen most of those guys in the Minutemen militia? Do you really want our government imitating those idiots?
In conclusion, I just want to remind everybody of what America is supposed to be. We are supposed to be a tolerant nation. We're supposed to be a beacon of freedom and opportunity. We're supposed to acknowledge the right of every single human being to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Think about that, and then ask yourself if persecuting immigrants is patriotic.
