I missed your blogs. It's the only reading that I do. =) Kidding...:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

It amazes me how narrow minded most Americans are. Especially when in reality we are all immigrants. It's true most Americans of European decent were here long before Mexicans, Cubans, South Americans, Indians; the list goes on and on. But how does that give them the right to close the "gates" on us now? Since when did it become a child's game of "I was here first”?

Now when we are talking about Christians citizens being against immigrants it upsets me even more because there are verses just like the one you posted telling us that we should take care and watch out for one another. Jesus was a man of compassion. As Christians we believe that we should be like him. But it has to be in all aspects. Not in just one or two. If he was forgiving, we should be also, if he was honest, so should we be honest, if he was compassionate, then we have to be compassionate with everyone.

I'm glad you posted a blog about this.

 

 

 

What's all that other stuff that came out after I typed in Kidding? I didn't type that.
 

I agree. I would elaborate, but I just woke up, so it would be incoherent gibberish.
 

Nice breakdown homie :)  Its also funny that we arent trying to finance a 700 mile 20 ft high fence betweeen us and Canada, its so obviously ridiculous; at times Im suprised.

One Blood one struggle

 

I don't want to rag on you, but coming from a teaching perspective it is slightly frustrating. Just an opinion, but at my school we have a hispanic majority and they receive free lunch, free education at a BRAND new school and they are not greatful at all. Again, I can't speak for all of the students, but a large majority of them could give a rats butt about the education we are trying to provide them. They destroy the property with grafitti, they disrespect and cuss out the teachers, all the while their parents are working hard to provide for their children (some with kids ranging from newborns to high schoolers) but can't speak English without a translater.

I know your blog isn't ragging on everyone and we are called to love them, and care for them. It just get's discouraging sometimes when they don't appreciate it. And I don't think I have any Canadians at my school, but the Asians that are present are amazing students that value education and learning English (and other languages). I must pray more the love them all and meet these guys where they are at. I think that is why I love my church. I am challenged to grow-step out and serve in my mission field... aka, the classroom.

Raise your keyboard if you think teachers need a raise? Ok, well maybe just free counseling!

 

Thanks for the reply Mrs. G.

Before you think those kids are a lost cause, know that I was once one of them. I destroyed school property with graffitti, didn't appreciate my education, and got suspended several times for fighting and disruptive behavior.

Before you get mad at one race of students, think about this: how many kids, of any race, really value an education or a new school? How many even understand the importance of it? I know I didn't...if they do, it is usually just fear of their parents that keeps them in line, not an inborn sense of gratitude.

Asians are often held up as the "model minority", but you have to remember that not too long ago they were called coolies and accused of being as vile as well. It is the same process for all immigrant groups: the now dominant anglo society looks down on them, harasses them and tries to exclude them. (Look up the Chinese Exclusion Act on wikipedia.) Now they've turned against Latinos and Arabs.

I, for one, won't stand for it. But I especially won't stand for it when it is perpetuated by those who say they follow Jesus. If they do folow Him, they'd treat immigrants (aliens) with the same compassion as they treat orphans and widows.

And yes, I agree teachers should get raises. But at least you guys get ill summer vacations.

 

I don't think they are a lost cause, they are just harder to reach. Will I give up on them? Never. Not to say I won't get tired (or discouraged) every once in a while when a student tells me my job is stupid.

Some of them are my best students, so please don't think I am trying to stereotype.  

I agree, most kids don't care if a school is brand new or not, I just don't get it when they purposely try to destroy it. I don't understand the message they are trying to get across.

Since you are ooober smart man, (I mean that seriously) what is the percentage of whites, blacks and latinos in California? I would just be curious to know, for no other reason than just to know.

Thanks for making this blog, I like being able to add to the conversation every now and then with personal experiences.

Oh and the "ill" summer vacation, is also known as recooperation.

 

Great subject Atom! And I agree with you about those that call themselves followers of Christ but (a good amount of them time) they follow a religion and not a relationship, they try to see so much that they see nothing.The truth lies with Jesus and His teachings. Jesus showed compassion, love, consideration, etc. and I don't see that in these "followers" eyes. And also, if we were to be true about the whole thing we would see that no man belongs to any land for even the father of humanity (after G-D), Adam himself, was an immigrant. Adam was created in the Garden of Eden and was cast out, therefore migrating into to the impertfect world that we know know. So, as decendents of his we are all immigrants. And in the Bible it speaks about us be not of this world, you see what i'm getting at.
Well bro, I got to go to class but I'll check on you later.
G-d Bless and Peace.
Miguel

 

"Amerikan churchianity"..i like that.  Jesus was a revolutionary and I for one think that he would be against folks even using his name as a label..."I'm a Christian, you're not" (aka immigrant/citizen, white/brown, rich/poor)...I think Jesus would say, "you're crazy and if christian is what you are than I am sure that it is what I am not, so let me go hang with the nochristians (poor, brown-skinned immigrant folks - or the havenots, those without privelage, the 'heathens' of society" ...people just use what they can to rationalize their own ignorance....

peace bro.

 

True
 

I'd give you 500 kudos if myspace would let me!  I am with you all the way on this!  It's insane how much more difficult it is to becom a U.S. citizen if you are Mexican than most other nationalities!  I, gasp, am harboring an illegal mexican in my home who I first met when I became her mentor duing her freshman year in high school when she was identified as an "at risk" student.  The poor girl was smuggled over the border by relatives as a child and now as an adult and prospective college student she finds herself stuck between being unable to find a decent job or receive financial aid at the local Community College because she is not a citizen.  It wasn't her choice to come here in the first place and if she gets deported she has no connections and nowhere to go in Mexico.  We tried looking into her options for citizenship and it seems that marriage is really her only viable option and she has made it quite clear that she will not marry for the purpose of citizenship (nor should she have to). 

Has no one read what is written on the statue of liberty?

Or does someone need to go over there with a giant bottle of white-out?

Okay, my rant is over.  Thank you for posting this.

 

To quote Alicia Silerstone’s character in Clueless, “May I please remind you it does not say R.S.V.P. on the Statue of Liberty." ..:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

For those who don’t remember their elementary school history lessons, here’s what it does say on the Statue of Liberty:

Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!

 

Thank you for your comments Heather. Amen to that.
 

I have to agree completely. Technique said it well:

"Racism, that word needs to be redefined. ..:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

People say they are anti illegal immigrants, but in all truth they are just afraid to say what they really mean. They are not anti European immigrants, they are not angry at the Canadian border. They are calling for our people, Latino people to be the target of a demonization in the media."

 

Subliminal biggotry.

 

That peso story reminds me of a time when I was standing in line at a grocery store. 2 Latino women in front of me were speaking to eachother in spanish. An elderly lady infront of them actually got mad and turned around and told them to speak english because she couldnt understand what they were saying. She told them that if they wanted to come and stay in America, then they should speak English like everyone else. Pffft. Maybe she should learn to be open minded and open cultured if she wants to stay in America eh? I was too young to say anything.

 

I personally think all this anti-immigrant hype in the media is just more of the classic divide and conquer technique employed by the ruling oligarchy.  Its in there best interest to try to make people racist and keep people at each others' throats because they know if they don't it will just be a matter of time before the people come together and put the knife to their throats.

I don't really see the racism in action though.  It's on tv, we're told that's how people feel, but out in the world living I don't see it in most peoples' hearts and actions.  The days of division are coming to an end, and no amount of broadcast programming can change that.

In the words of KRS-One'

"America, was built built by every other race

except the European that runs this place,

What a waste,

America's doomed to be overthrown

by the righteous real soon,

but last but not least racial prejudice

is the black man speaking out of ignorance,

whitey this and ching chow that

is not how the intelligent man acts

you can't blame the whole white race for slavery,

cause this ain't the case,

a large sum of white people died with blacks

trying hard to fight racial attacks,

the media wants you to think that no whites

really fought and died for civil rights,

but once we have a true sense of history

you'll see this too is a mystery,

if blacks and whites didn't argue the most

they could clearly see the government's screwing them both."

 

they aren't being stipped of their language...non-spanish speakers are being forced to learn Spanish. I respect the people who come over and work hard to join this society. The ones who are willing to learn English, the official language of this country. But yet far too often, they will come over here just to hide out in mexican communities without ever trying  to join the rest of us immigrants. I'm also ashamed of my own white race many many times throughout history. But in reality its 2007 and it's time to stop blaming the past. Today if you want to be an American, it doesn't matter what race you are, as long as you contribute to society. I know racial prejudice still lies in every one of us, no matter who you are, but the country as a whole has been more than fair toward minorities in the modern era. Forget the past. This generation of young people today is the most open minded, culturally diverse generation in history, and within a few decades this will reflect in our government diversity. Look, just because we all immigrated from somewhere and some point, doesn't mean we should just keep the doors wide open forever. There has to come a time where we just have to say enough people. Regardless of race. As far as the Canadians, they don't want to come here! In fact, I know a Canadian who was rejected several times for US citizenship. You can't just come over to the U.S., no matter where you are coming from. Canadians who might want to come here, don't have the luxury of entire communities full of Canadians who will help them live here illegally. Do you think it's fair that a lot of jobs will require you to be bi-lingual, and pay you more simply because of that? There are tons of jobs out there that I am very qualified for, that I pass on because they require bi-lingual speaking. If you are white, you are much less likely to get business loans, less eligible for college funding, and restricted from having white "pride". We can't participate in or organize any events/clubs/fundraisers that would benefit only white people. I know that whiteys are all perceived as being rich, but that is far from the truth. This country needs to close the rich/poor gap regardless of race. Tax the rich a little more, give to the poor a little more. Being poor is the worst thing and is the spark for so much of the crime this country is plagued with. The better the environment you raise your kids in, the better chance they will have success. Anyway this comment was completely unorganized and all over the place, but I hope I didn't sound racist, I hate everyone equally!

 

Beat Farm,

I thought I was somewhere under a rock or something when english became the "official language" of the U.S., because as far as I knew, we didn't have one! I can sometimes fall behind on current events, so I checked it out and this is what I found:

"The United States does not have an official language; however, the majority of the population speaks English as a native language (about 82%.) The variety of English spoken in the United States is known as American English; together with Canadian English it makes up the group of dialects known as North American English. 96% of the population of the U.S. speaks English "well" or "very well".[2] There have been several proposals to make English the national language in amendments to immigration reform bills.[3][4] None of these bills have become law with the amendment intact."
-from Wikipedia- "Languages of the United States"

My roommate is an American-born woman of Mexican descent, who works as a receptionistat a law office. She is bilingual, being fluent in both Spanish and English. She gets paid a receptionists wage, and is used by the attorneys as a translator. She doesn't have the educational certificate necessarry to be an official translator, or she'd be making $49 more per hour. She is an AMERICAN FORCED TO SPEAK SPANISH by her employer, just because she knows it. Think about it.

The Kudos are for you, Atom.
 

A few things:

"Forget the past." - Everything in the present was created in the past, including current social structures and relationships. To forget the past and ignore current disparity resulting from past actions is foolish and immoral.

"We can't participate in or organize any events/clubs/fundraisers that would benefit only white people." - Please read my blog post entitled "White Pride". It answers your concern specifically.

"Do you think it's fair that a lot of jobs will require you to be bi-lingual, and pay you more simply because of that?" - Israelis have to make their signs in Hebrew and Arabic, due to the proximity of many Arab countries, as well as the large internal Arab community. If you go to Europe, you find more than one language often spoken, as the general rule. In the Tri-borders area of Brasil/Argentina/Paraguay, you'll find both Portugese and Spanish speakers. It is a simple fact of life that when you have bordering countries THERE IS LANGUAGE SPILLOVER. You don't see Mexicans complaining about the White retirees who still speak English in their country. They're smart enough to realize that this is a fact of life in a multi-lingual world.

In short, get over it. Spanish is not a secret language. Being multi-lingual is good. Yes, you should be paid more if you have the skill to speak two languages, rather than only one. Learning a second language takes time and therefore should be rewarded accordingly.

 

ATOM, BEFORE COMMENTING I WANTED TO ASK A QUESTION FIRST: ARE YOU REFERRING TO DIFFERENT CHRISTIANS WHEN YOU USE THE WORD KHRISTIANS ? HOPE TO HEAR BACK FROM YOU BROTHER, TAKE CARE, GOD BLESS.




PEACE

1 LUV
 

Khristian = Christian but is more in reference to those who want to talk about G-d one minute but then ignore his teachings on how we should welcome those from other countries.