From: 'David LaBonte'**
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. 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 first 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
**Americas** one people.
When
we liberated **France** , no one in those villages was 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 2008 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
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**
KEEP THIS LETTER MOVING. FOR THE WRONG THINGS
TO PREVAIL THE RIGHTFUL MAJORITY NEEDS TO REMAIN COMPLACENT AND
QUIET.** **LET THIS NEVER HAPPEN..
I sincerely hope this letter gets read by
millions of people all across the nation.*
