Posted on 04/26/2008 8:10:35 AM PDT by Dawnsblood
Sixty-three soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines, serving the U.S. government but not yet recognized by it, lined up on the steps of the Triangle's new immigration office Friday, ready to swear an oath to their adopted country. A breeze ruffled a high-flying flag and morning sunlight glinted off brass buttons as Jonathan Scharfen, acting director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, led the candidates in their oath. With traffic rumbling down Interstate 40 and the smell of pizza wafting from a restaurant next door, the somber-faced service members forsook foreign princes and potentates and promised to defend the U.S. Constitution against all enemies.
These new citizens were already fulfilling the promise to defend. Since the Revolutionary War, Scharfen said, the American military has relied on foreign-born fighters and recognized their service by making them citizens. A federal law that went into effect in 2004 streamlined the naturalization process for those who have served. All legal immigrants in good standing who have served since Sept. 11, 2001, are immediately eligible to apply.
Since the beginning of the war in Afghanistan in October 2001, Immigration Services has naturalized more than 37,250 service members, 111 of those posthumously. The agency holds ceremonies at military installations all over the world, naturalizing hundreds of members of the armed forces every day.
Scharfen said he wasn't worried that the military's lowered enlistment standards, in combination with the accelerated naturalization process, would result in regrettable decisions.
"This is the least worrisome of any group of applicants," he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at newsobserver.com ...
we really don’t ned any more citizens. who let these illegal aliens in the country? then let them sign up?
ORANGE COUNTY (CALIFORNIA) NEWSPAPER-New Immigrants
This is a very good letter to the editor. This woman made some good points. For some reason, people have difficulty structuring their arguments when arguing against supporting the currently proposed immigration revisions. This lady made the argument pretty simple. NOT printed in the Orange County Paper...................
Newspapers simply won’t publish letters to the editor which they either deem politically incorrect (read below) or which does not agree with the philosophy they’re pushing on the public. This woman wrote a great letter to the editor that should have been published; but, with your help it will get published via cyberspace!
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 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 2007 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
Where did the article say they were illegals?
okay but...we’re talking about people who SERVED our country during war here.
lets just honor that right now instead of going down the “send them all home” path.
I just think we should recognize, thank, and reward the brave people who helped protect the world from the most serious threat since the 40’s. Come on people...
THESE are the kind of immigrants we need——not more wetbacks.
Thank you Mrs. Don-o for asking the question:
****Where did the article say they were illegals?****
It didn’t - in fact, it states this:
All legal immigrants in good standing who have served since Sept. 11, 2001.
BTT!
Too few Americans want to join the army. That is why it hardly matters whether or not you’re a felon now. So these guys are definitely needed.
Welcome to America, New Citizens!
Sixty-three soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines, serving the U.S. government but not yet recognized by it...
The author used a poor choice of words in what may have been an attempt to dampen anti-illegal-alien fervor in the country.
The ICE spokesman had it exactly correct - these are the kind of immigrants we want in our country. They've made a noble sacrifice to their adopted homeland.
For those who may be confused, I use the term sacrifice a little differently than most - most assume the adjective 'ultimate' when they see sacrifice used in connection with the military. Serving in a time of war is no picnic.
Good news Ping!
Try to read at least the first sentence of an article before posting, OK? These folks are soldiers, willing to lay down their lives for us.
Sixty-three members of the military take the oath of
allegiance Friday in Durham at the new office of the
Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Previously, North Carolina applicants had to go to Charlotte.
Army Pfc. Tooba Awan, a native of Pakistan who is stationed
at Fort Bragg, starts to tear up as she speaks with her
father in Boston and announces her new citizenship.
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