Immigration

[Homalosa]

I found this and used it in class to for a poetry lesson and to uh, remind folks who the real immigrants are. It's cool when some white folks know where they come from!

"Immigrant Song"
By Nirvana
We come from the land of the ice and snow,
From the midnight sun where the hot springs blow.
The hammer of the gods,
Will drive our ships to new lands,
To fight the horde singing and crying:
"Valhalla I am coming!"

On we sweep,
With thrashing oar.
Our only goal will be the western shore.

We come from the land of the ice and snow,
From the midnight sun where the hot springs blow.
Sultry fields of green,
Whispered tales of lore,
Of how we calmed the tides of war,
We are your overlords.

On we sweep,
With thrashing oar.
Our only goal will be the western shore.

So now you'd better stop and rebuild all your ruins,
For peace and trust can win the day despite all your losing"

Dang, what is Kurt saying now?

[badmaninc]

I just read this thread and was trying to avoid responding to it. My word, we're not any better or less racist than non-ndns. We don't like people cause they take jobs and money from other citizens. We don't like people cause they don't speak english. Our ancestors welcomed those poor downtrodden physically sick foreigners. It didn't always work out well for us but they aren't going to magically get back in their boats and go back. That being said, to use immigrants and their status as new residents of the countries as reasons for shipping them out of here is deplorable. Ndns from Canada can move to the US anytime we want and do not need a green card to work there. We have what is called the J treaty which means that it isn't viewed as a boarder but simply a line. We in recent years have used the events of 911 and other terrorist acts to limit or try to get a better sense of control at these lines. When I was stopped at a boarder a couple of years ago, my kids forgot to bring ID with them. We were treated shabbily by the homeland security forces and my then 13 year old daughter noticed the only people being questioned vigorously were people of colour. It was Asians, Black, Aboriginal, Indo's. There were no complexion challenged people in the building except the guards. Now it appears that racial profiling is accepted. I don't know about that cause I have been on the wrong end of this treatment on more than a few occasions during my life. To say that the money leaves the country is crazy. We all travel out of the country on vacation to various warm spots throughout the year. Well not me cause I can't afford it. If we are going to tighten up immigration then we should go whole hog and make tough new retroactive laws, like say about 500+ years.

[Joe's Dad]

Link

At first I wasn't going to post a response to this thread because in reading many of the previous posts it's saddening to see just how much prejudice there is among ourselves as PEOPLE.
There is one thing I would like to say though, and that is that it's wrong to generalize people of a certain nationality just because you've had a bad experience with one/several. Cuz if that was the case, I've had bad experiences with african-americans, anglos, asians, puerto-ricans, etc, etc.... (I'm not saying I'm a hard person to get along with, *L* ) but I don't go around saying ALL blacks, whites, asians are bad.



I've lived in Chicago, L.A., New York, North Carolina, Florida, Seattle... and you know what? There's all kinds of bad/ good people out there. Some contribute and some don't... all from different backgrounds and cultures.

I always try to tackle this debate in a more individual manner, not just group everybody in a bunch to pass down judgement.

you are prolly one of the sweetest young ladies I know. I just wonder...how did you end up in Canaduh?

how was Chiliwak?

[Joe's Dad]

just a question???

Aren't the Mexican people - for the most part - indigenous people like us??

If you've ever had the opportunity to partake of the different indigenous cultures in North America, you would see how true your statement is. Two of my most memorable times have been in 1) Arlee, Mt. when an elder woman came to our camp and handed me two cans of commod luncheon meat to help on our journey, 2) attending a danza, or dance, in a small barrio on the outskirts of Mexico City. There was a grandfather, wearing just an old blanket, dancing in the circle like he was wearing a hundred feathers. Albeit, how poor people can be, this richness in indigenous culture is what makes people who and what they are. No "I'm x% indian can come close to the indigenous cultures we enjoy.

Let me get off my soapbox. Let's sing the 'Immigrant song'.

[Brisa26]

LINK to An Article I Read Today:

.

[smilingbear85]

Most of you know that I was born and raised in California and grew up in both Latino and African American communities. There some folks took me for Latino, most thought I was just mixed.
But here, in the land of Bush, I am almost always mistaken for Hispanic , and this time, by African Americans (something that never happened before). Having said that, folks have continuously wanted my opinion on immigration.

After I tell them that no, I wasn't in the march nor will I be, I tell them this:
This country has finally realized that dang, you can't have your cake and eat it too. I am so sick of people telling immigrants to go back to their country, but refuse to have their homes cleaned by Molly Maid (because Maria's sister is so much cheaper and readily available). These same people will not call Chem Lawn, because they prefer Jose's oh so reasonable package prices. Of course a package includes, lawn care, paint jobs, and cleaning service by Maria's sister all for a monthly price of $60.
So bottom line, if you have a problem with people being here illegally then do the following:
1. Grow and pick your own produce.
2. Cook your own food, avoid all restaurants, even the ritzy ones.
3. Cut your own lawn, and learn to do your own handy man jobs.
4. Raise your own children (of course us poor and middle class folks do that already).

And no, I 'm not going to the march, (yes, I'm digressing) I'm not Latino, I'm redblack and am too worried about my feathers and culture and it's sudden illegal status!

here here. i am married to an illegal. he's a great HUMAN BEING. i think that's what a lot people are forgetting. we all walk the earth as living, eating, breathing HUMAN BEINGS. my point is this, i'd love to get him legal. as far as forcing someone to speak english, that's really ignorant. this country has no official language. look it up. most of the illegals i know have no permanent plans to stay in this country. yes, they send money home, but they have to LIVE here whilst they make it. that means paying rent, buying groceries, shopping at walmart, and basically putting money into the economy. as far as not paying taxes like the rest of the 'card carrying americans,' a lot of them do. with a fake social, and trust me, there's a lot of 'em, the government is making money hand over fist. it's free money to them. a lot is messed up with this country and it's policies. this is going to take a REAL LONG TIME before any of us can feel the effects. it just bothers me to see any group treated like dogs or spoken about as if less than human. i like to help people, and if they can't speak the language i still try my best to help them. i support anyone trying to help themselves and their kids to better life. survival of the fittest. i'm not steppin on anyone or kickin them out of the country because of it. these jobs were here before the illegals and no one wanted them then, now all of a sudden...come on, really. this topic makes my blood BOIL.

[wannabeUrNo1Snag]

just a question???

Aren't the Mexican people - for the most part - indigenous people like us??

to my understanding, there are mexicans and there are mexican indians...mexcians would be those who down the line were mixed with the spanish...the mexican indians are those who still have their languages and traditions..like the zapatitas (sp)...the mexican gov't was accused of trying to get rid of them...to the extent of that i'm not too sure but rage against the machine did a song about them...
i for one don't blanket everyone from mexico a mexican because of that...and if i'm not mistaken the mexicans don't like to be associated with the mexican indians...if i'm wrong, someone please correct me...

[redgirl_161]

Everyone in this country are immigrants except the Native Americans, duh...

[WhoMe]

just a question???

Aren't the Mexican people - for the most part - indigenous people like us??

LittleM'sM,


Oh heck yes!!!!

Many of these "so called" illegal immigrants, were nomadic and travelled back and forth into this country before the advent of borders!

[Little Man's Ma]

just a question???

Aren't the Mexican people - for the most part - indigenous people like us??

[WhoMe]

This is a good thread. Many opinions.


They should send all those immigrants back to where they came from" ..... He didn't like it when I said, "I agree...starting with the ones that came in through Ellis Island!"

Joe's D,

This is pretty ironic that "the decendents of immigrants and immigration are now concerned about keeping others out."

[Joe's Dad]

This is a good thread. Many opinions.

I worked with this one guy whose parents were Italian immigrants. Anywayz, he was spewing about "They should send all those immigrantsw back to where they came from" (refering to Mexicans). He didn't like it when I said, "I agree...starting with the ones that came in through Ellis Island!" He didn't talk to me for a couple of weeks. Oh well.

[chickendad]

Think about it! Natives were here and white (yellow,black, purple etc..) people came from somewhere else... hence the 99% immigrants... and also cuz ndnz only make up .08% of the total US population.

I also don't agree with the make everyone learn English! They did that to us and what good came out of it. A lot of us are just 'lost' and don't know what it means to be ndn and don't know which side to take on an issue. haha *jab, jab*

Besides, a stupid ignorant law that forces people to learn a certain language, may take the funding away for tribal peoples to finance their language preservation programs. Think about everything involving an issue before you decide your stance.

I knew the answer, I was just being a smart a--. Requiring them to learn English is not bad. Our elders had to because English was the dominate society. What was wrong, was that that same society tried to make our peoples forget their languages. Like it or not, English is the main business and trading language in the world. Other countries require their students in school to learne English to be able to do international business. As for keeping cost down because of cheaper labor, those of us on the East Coast know the companies that use illegal labor still charge the same as if they had American labor. So they are becoming rich off of this cheap labor. I have never lost a job to illegals, so that was never my concern. I still worry about what our country can hold population wise naturally. I am also concerned with what else comes across the borders. My civilian job is as a Corrections Officer. Major gangs and drug dealers are also coming across. First it was the Jamacians and Virgin Islands gangs, then it was Asian gangs, now it's the Latin gangs. MS13 is a major Latin gang that is coming across from El Savador. The number of Latino's coming into the Virginia prison system is growing at an alarming rate. Most of these inmates don't speak English, and it causes tenions between staff and other inmate groups. We should control our borders, and control the natural growth of this countries population. Again, when will enough be enough?

[superndngyrl]

Ok they send money back to their countries but they also eat and shop here. Some even have fake SSN so they can work. That's taxes the govt gets and doesn't have to give a refund to.

[billyjoejimbob]

Oh, and, Im a bill collector...

I dont mind when I hear people say "I HAVE NO MONEY TO PAY YOU"

What i cannot stand and which makes my blood boil is when I hear...

"YOU SPEEKA SPANI?"