Posted on 11/23/2001 2:48:08 PM PST by spoosman
Our country is extremely generous and possesses some of the greatest opportunities in the world. For these reasons people from all over the globe have come here in order to better themselves through the freedoms that only America provides. To insure that our generosity and opportunities aren't wasted by those that seek refuge inside our borders, certain laws must be enforced. These laws are there to protect and benefit the citizens of our country.
In order for a person to become a citizen they have to comply with a few very reasonable requirements. The first and most obvious is that you have to speak, write, and understand simple English. Second, you cannot have any felony convictions. You must also show that you are not an immoral person. For example, a gambler by profession or a prostitute. You must pass a test on American history and culture, and you must be patriotic. These are the main requirements that someone would have to go through to become a citizen, according to the INS website.
There should be no tolerance for anyone to be an illegal immigrant. If you can't comply with our requirements then stay out of our country. I don't care if your [sic] living in a country where oppression is everywhere or if you're starving or whatever the excuse. All these people have to do is just register as a refugee and then study so that they can be able to meet all of our requirements. It's not as if we're asking them to be indentured servants to earn citizenship. We aren't even asking these people to pay for their naturalization into our Country [sic]. It's simple. Follow the rules and your [sic] in. That is all America is asking from those that want to live here.
Apparently the requirements that our government decided on are too difficult for some to follow. I'll even bet that if I took a stroll through the Canal district in San Rafael that I would find a lot of people that would answer a question of mine with "que?", meaning that they don't speak English and don't know what the heck I am talking about. Seems to me that the only reason why they can't speak English is because they are illegal. I mean it's no wonder why 40% of all immigrants in America live in California. They live here because Mexico is right across the border, comprende? That's about 2.5 million people that aren't legally allowed to even work here. So, if they can't legally work, they have to make money illegal [sic] way. This might include drug dealing, robbery, or even welfare. Others prefer to work with manual labor while being paid under the table tax free.
I don't know why the INS doesn't do a thing about this. It would be so easy for them to bust these illegals. All they would have to do is just illegally hire them and if they can't provide the green card then it's bye bye for them. It would be just like a drug bust where the drug dealer is a cop. Bust them as they buy it. They should treat these people the way the cops should treat a suspected criminal. It can't be hard to find and detain the people that can't speak English. If a person looks suspicious then just stop them and ask a few questions, and if they answer "que?", detain them and see if they are legal. It seems so easy. People like this make our ancestors look like fools. They became American and earned it. The Irish and Asian people built the railroads and lived lives of poverty and oppression. Africans were stripped from their homeland and forced to work as slaves. Their fathers survived to spawn their children into freedom through all sorts of discrimination, The first settlers of this country risked their lives and sacrificed everything for freedom. I'll bet they would be angry to learn that illegal immigrants get in so easily because they don't want to put the work in to pass a test. I am sick of these people insulting us and our ancestors by just waltzing in and abusing our country. There should be no reason for this and America shouldn't be taking this while bending over.
When I spoke to others about this, most said that they only ask for the immigrants to be able to speak our language. Others seem to think there should be a huge wall along the Mexican/U.S. border. While these ideas are understandable, the problem doesn't end with Mexico. There are many types of illegal immigrants from many countries. Criminals usually flee here in order to escape their punishment. Our country has also been the home to a number of terrorists. For these reasons, I feel like there has to be some major reforms in immigration policy. I just hope it happens before our country rots from within.
"11/16/2001
Principal Lisa Schwartz
Novato HS
625 Arthur Street
Novato, CA 94947
RE: Student Newspaper
Dear M s Schwartz,
I attended last night’s meeting. I am glad I went. Lots of times, detached from the people ideas and thoughts affect, I do not get a more complete picture of the matter at hand. It was unfortunate that the opinion discussed put pressure on a sensitive area for some of the people in the room last night. Life is often a minefield of difficult issues for us to traverse. I honestly think a dose of pragmatism, plus some thicker skin is in order.
People are very different. I read things all the time that are highly offensive to me, but my reaction is very different. In the realm of ideas, I believe that the better argument wins. I believe in a reasoned debate. As to the offending article, I really think the best approach is to avoid becoming paralyzed by the hysteria, and keep it simple.
We live in a country where we have a constitution that guarantees the right to free speech, and freedom of the press. I think that your initial litmus test for the article was the best one, and I do believe you applied the right standard. It is my view, in that regard, no mistake was made on your part at all. In any paper, there is an editor-in-chief, who routinely reviews and signs off on what gets printed. I think it is fair to say that any editor who wants his/her paper to shine should press the writers for balance and accuracy. This is not censorship per se, it is just a matter of pursuing excellence. However, although I think it is consistent with academic excellence to challenge opinion writers to a high standard, what I hope does not happen is a forbidding to speak on certain subjects because they might make people feel uncomfortable to speak about them.
What was not made clear at the meeting last night was exactly what it was that was offensive. My concern is that the subject was offensive, and not merely a few particulars. That is a critical distinction. We live in a nation that has laws. We the people elect legislative representatives to make them. Our hope is that those to whom we endow that sober task will do so wisely. Those people we have elected have passed laws that, for a set of reasons, regulate who gets to come into this country, how, why, when, and for how long. The law makes a distinction between someone who is lawfully residing in the United States, and someone who is not. I heard lots of talk about ‘respect’ last night, but I heard nothing of respect for the law of the land, which people who skirt the lawful process of entry into the United States, which is my country, clearly demonstrate a lack thereof.
Some people might think the laws regulating immigration are unfair, and unjust. I believe that could be the case as well in certain areas, if we take the time to carefully scrutinize the details. Yet, what I expect from an institution like NHS, that works to promote academic excellence, is to see these very important issues, if brought up, discussed and debated in a balanced forum, where the facts and issues can be brought to light, engendering thoughtfulness, and hopefully a reasonable consensus as to what might be a better approach. Still, sometimes consensus cannot be reached. In that case, at least we had a credible debate, and presentation of the facts concerning an issue of vital importance to us all. I think it is fair to say I did not see this process working last night, and I wish the administration would lead in the direction of a balanced presentation of the facts, instead of succumbing to knee jerk, hysterical, emotionalism.
At the end of the day, if I had been the principal, my response to the offended people would have been to say that, although I believed the opinion crudely expressed in certain respects, and that the process of editorial review could have been better by eliminating factual errors, something that every paper should strive to improve despite the 1st Amendment (“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press ...”), nonetheless, though the process has flaws, the guarantee of free speech trumps other considerations. I would have gone on to say that the best way to shame the author whose opinion may not be fully accurate, is to simply rebut the opinion point by point in a separate edition of the paper, which any student who chose to do so, could do so, and that the school would make a special effort to publish the next paper with these rebuttals as soon as possible.
Again, I have read many things that have offended me far more deeply than the felt offense of the offended in attendance last night. Yet my response has been to make my case in writing, or in any other proper setting, try to be as persuasive as I can. Ironically the offenses I receive run far deeper than the one the Hispanic students received, yet at least the Hispanic students can get the administration to salute the first time they bark. I never even get the opportunity to be heard, let alone ever able to influence school policy. I’d like to think that someone with my education and background might have something of greater value to offer the school than a hysterical 15 year old that has a hard time constructing a paragraph, as some of the student rebuttals I read demonstrated (these apparently were passed out to the whole school.)
But life is full of ironies, so I can live with that. Either way, I think it would be tragic to be brow beaten into submission, not to be able to discuss intelligently critical issues of our day, by means of student opinion in school papers, by people, who, by the definition of the government of your country, are not even supposed to be here! I think it is fair to say that would be ironic. It is far better to have a healthy, credible debate, in a proper setting (which unfortunately did not happen last night), than to simply stifle a point of view because someone does not like to hear it. The school should never be in a position to do so, otherwise it loses its credential as an institution of learning, and degenerates into a thought control propaganda machine. Yes, the editorial process can be improved for the sake of having a better paper. But it would not only be wrong to stifle certain ‘unpopular’ topics, that would also be unconstitutional, and there are some students who would sue the school district over such a level of censorship. If the ACLU did not take the case, the ACLJ would.
I believe that the best ground to stand on is constitutional ground. If people do not like what they read, they can apply the last part of the 1st amendment (“ ... the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”) and work in a proper way to make their case. Bolting out of a classroom and disrupting the entire school does not fit into that category. I have read many things about what goes on in Novato classrooms that have turned my stomach, and made the hair go up on the back of my neck. But I have as yet to insensibly storm into someone’s office making insensible demands. It was unfortunate that there was no mention of the inappropriateness of the students ad hoc protest, running throughout the campus, ranting, cursing, barging into other classrooms. This sort of thing should not be tolerated. The fact that the school has not yet addressed this issue is a concern I have, because absent an official rebuke for such behavior, it sets a precedent for the future. The next ‘outrage’ can be met with the same activity, and if the outraged party screams loud enough, they get their way, until the situation becomes so absurd, the administration’s only recourse is to make sure nobody says anything! On the way to that, we will see the administration censoring subjects, until it is determined that every subject is bound to offend somebody. I strongly believe that people need to toughen up, and by all means show a little class, and work within the context of the constitution and the law. I believe this is a remedy to the tendency of certain people to over-react.
Lastly, one of the main problems with our schools is that they espouse a doctrine of division in the name of unity. That is another irony. It is my view that the phase “unity in diversity” is a contradiction. The two cannot be the same. The former means to bring together, the latter means to divide. The education establishment pushes the doctrine of multi-culturalism, but all that does is divides people into their separate groups. One ‘culture’ beats their chest over how great they are, while another does the same, and another the same, and so on. Until we find that all we have managed to do is magnify distinctions, to the point where we discover that we have little or nothing in common.
It is also a further irony that the one culture that gets forgotten about is the American culture! Where the politically correct schools have grossly missed the boat is, in their zeal to denounce western civilization (you know, it is your own teachers that promote the lie that, for example, Christopher Columbus was a “mass murderer”, which is patently false, but they say this to discredit all of the western/European cultural contributions, most of which are singularly responsible for giving birth to what at least was once at one time the greatest country in the world, and if it would get back to that early foundation, we might rise once again and regain that well deserved status), they condemned the very culture from which they owe all -- the American culture, the American heritage, the American legacy. No immigrant coming into this country thirty or forty years ago was uncertain about what that was. It was the very fact that it was this glorious American culture that immigrants unanimously embraced is what unifies us all. It is within our culture where we can find unity, not by segmenting and dividing each other into our respective multi-cultural boxes.
Unfortunately, the American culture leads us to a foundation that ties us to a long and turbulent history, that I suppose one could say reaches back to the Garden of Eden, but I’ll pick my start date as 1492. The schools preach that we ought to be ashamed of our forbears, and not celebrate the brilliance of the ideas that they brought to the table. Nobody could possibly argue that all went perfectly in the last 500 years, but when we look around us, and compare the American legacy to the rest of the world, even a cynical examination based in the lesser of two evils still puts the construction of our forbears in the decided lead. Of course, that translates into good, and that means we ought not to be ashamed of something that nets out as good. Clearly, we can learn from mistakes, and history is something always unfolding, which is to say there is much that can be improved on even today. However, the American culture, heritage, and legacy are rooted in great ideas. It is these great ideas that lead to the good, and that unify the nation, not the celebration of distinct cultures of other countries, that had those cultures ultimately not failed the immigrant, would never have compelled the immigrant to risk all, and come to America in the first place.
I have reviewed with great specificity and interest the history curriculum of all my kids in the last four years, as they have plodded through the Novato School system. My analysis confirms that there is a woeful disregard of promoting the greatness of the American culture, the American ideas, the American foundation. They are taught to be ashamed of that, and are cast out to the stormy seas in a vain search for some other culture that has a better idea. This has led to the lame eclecticism of the multi-cultural grab bag, and despite the various interesting features of other cultures left behind, we desperately need to unite around our own, instead of promoting the shame of it. This is an integral part of the reason why your school has recently erupted in chaos.
I would love to have the opportunity to lead debates on controversial issues. I would love the opportunity to go into great detail our wonderful history with young people, and convince them that it is something to be very proud of, and not ashamed of. It matters not where we came from. What matters is we are here, together, Americans, sharing the world’s greatest cultural heritage, and with God’s help we can shine this light to the rest of the world, so that they might find an inspiration to improve their own lot.
However, as a nation of people, we have the right to determine our own destiny, define and defend our borders, and make laws that will be in the best interest of the nation. There comes a point when the law must be decided upon, and that, despite whatever pressing circumstance of the person shunted by it, they have a duty to what C.S. Lewis calls the ‘Tao’ (see the Abolition of Man) to respect that law. I believe that is fair and reasonable. If people want the laws to be changed to suit their view, they can lobby congress, or run for congress to do what they can to change it. Any other means is, in my view, inappropriate, because it unnecessarily leads to a physical conflict, which translates into a war. Respect, then, starts with respecting the law, and respecting the order that law engenders. Respect means honoring the process. If the process is too cumbersome, they who dare to circumvent it do so at their own risk. Yet if we cave into to the circumvention without the slightest resistance, our laws mean nothing, and that which defines our culture is changed into chaos. If that happens, then the great American culture, that is to say the great American idea, dies, and we all suffer a great loss.
I have legitimate concerns about the direction of this country because of usurpers, and circumventors. You have just witnessed a demonstration of that power at your school. Yes, there is a balance, but still, a good leader will take the heat to defend the better process, instead of knee-jerk hysteria. I believe this is an opportunity for you to defend the First Amendment, by avoiding haphazard thought police censorship, while simultaneously working to improve the process and quality of the school paper. I would support you whole heartedly if you took this path. But I would never support PC, thought police censorship. These issues are important, and stifling the debate is not only wrong, it is unconstitutional. The schools need the type of leadership that will avoid the temptation to stifle the debate, leadership, I regret to say, based on my experience, that is sorely lacking.
Still, I am always hopeful. All I can do is say what I have to say, and hope that it makes a little more sense than the incoherent ramblings of a teenager. Of course, if you find this an incoherent rambling, I guess I am out of luck :)
Sincerely"
William Flax
They come to this nation of their own free will. None are forced onto ships with perhaps some of the Cuban boat lift being an exception. I think Castro emptied his jails on that one. I have no problem holding any immigrant to the same standards required of myself and my family. That includes though that they must enter and remain through legal means. I do have a problem with those coming here thinking otherwise. If they don't want to adapt to our laws and our culture then stay home or go to a nation that does want to change to suit their desires.
I'm against illegal immigration too, but most of them are just here to work. Most illegals aren't drug dealers or robbers.
A lot of people at my HS who I talked to about the subject of illegal immigration thought we should build a wall along the border, too. Funny how high schoolers from around the country (I'm from upstate New York) can understand it, yet our representatives in Washington can't.
Let's see, Novato... Marin County?
No wonder the kid is under fire. Isn't Marin County and the San Francisco region (Berkeley, Oakland, et. al) occupied territory?
The occupied San Francisco Bay is tightly held by something called the Leftiban...
Basic Five Paragraph Essay
INTRODUCTION - Clear statement of controlling idea.
Best to use three clearly defined points but a broad based controlling idea is also acceptable if well written.
BODY (three paragraphs)- Elaboration of controlling idea. If using three defined points in controlling idea, then paragraph 1 covers point 1, paragraph 2 covers point 2, paragraph 3 covers point 3.
CONCLUSION - restatment of controlling idea but with a little different wording. Best to restate contolling idea the first sentence of the conclusion paragraph but no hard rule on this.
INTRODUCTION - Statement of controlling idea.
So much more can be gleaned from attendance at a meeting rather than staying at home and relying on what other say about it. My attendance at last nights meeting tells me (1)you have very bright students at your school, (2) one of them has forwarded a very timely subject on immigration for debate and (3) you have quite wrongly censured this debate to the determinent of your school.
BODY - Elaborate on points of controlling idea.
PARAGRAPH 1 - Point 1
PARAGRAPH 2 - Point 2
PARAGRAPH 3 - Point 3
CONCLUSION - Restatement of controlling idea.
I doubt your actions will deter this very bright boy but they will deter others. Your school will be a little less bright. And with no meeting of issues in the open, we rely only on what others have to say. Far better to meet the issues than to pretend they will go away.
Needs some work.
Anyhow, I am sure you raise some very good points in your letter.
Novato is the most conservative/moderate city in Marin County, but the public school officials and teachers are almost all flaming liberals and fear for their government careers if they are ever perceived as unfair to children who don't speak English (25% of the California public school system). I haven't been following this story very closely, but it sounds like the principal was torn between the two liberal rallying cries: free speech and diversity. She apparently forgot that "free speech" to liberals doesn't include coservative viewpoints.
On the other hand, conservatives have never been too supportive of free speech for high school students either. When I attended a very conservative small town school in the Midwest twenty some years ago the principal censored us and the school board was sued for suspending a student for having long hair.
http.www.michaelsavage.com
Like....something different should be expected from a government asylum?
Adults who abuse their offspring by committing them to a government asylum have absolutely no grounds on which to bitch.
I would expect this kind of plodding, pedestrian prose from a Junior High student at worst, or a fifth grader at best.
-Michael Pelletier.
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