Topic category:  Other/General

One such instance of massive immigration occurred in the 1970s when we opened our country to what were called the Vietnamese “boat people”. There was a certain amount of sympathy for those whose country was taken over by communists. We knew there were “re-education camps” for those Vietnamese who would not bend the knee to the communists and their programs. Those who didn’t get “re-educated” were just killed. People who had businesses lost them and those who were well educated, the professors and others, were seen to be the enemy of communism and were eliminated, in one way or another.

The Catholic Church played a large part in that movement of refugees into this country. Catholics were urged to sponsor the refugees and many took up the challenge. A sponsor had to guarantee that those coming over would not be a burden on the taxpayers. They could not get welfare in any form from the government. Individuals and families took the task upon themselves. They provided housing, food, clothing, medical care and anything else needed by the newcomers.

They taught English. They taught skills. Many of the refugees were learned and skilled, but just had to learn the language and customs. Some were doctors, some teachers and professors, others worked with their hands with great skill. They were supported until they got jobs and established themselves in the community.

Most were very grateful for the privilege of coming here and worked hard to assimilate. Some stayed in groups among their own people, but by and large they did assimilate. They stayed out of trouble and did not fill our jails. They were family oriented and their children were taught respect for others. This country was enriched by having them here, and we still are.

There is a different attitude among the foreign nationals coming here now. There is no screening process to make sure they will contribute to our society. Many are the lowest wage earners and need our generous welfare net to survive. A lot come illegally through our southern border. They live in communities where little, if any, English is ever spoken. The more radical among them march in our streets and demand “rights” to which they are not entitled. They wave their own national flags and burn the American flag. They carry signs that say “Gringo, go home to Europe…this is our country”.

Their ethnic leaders teach that this country stole the southwestern part of the United States, and they want it back.

There is a welfare mentality among them. Our government agencies promote this by printing, in their own language, how and where to access all the welfare programs taxpayers have built up over the years for those who are the most needy among us.

I have never seen Vietnamese , as a group, marching in our streets for anything. I have never seen disrespect for the American flag among them. It was very difficult for many to leave their country, which they loved, to come here, but they had a sense of gratitude to their adopted country.

Today, also, the Catholic Church has abandoned the one-on-one approach to helping citizens assimilate. Its leaders, as epitomized by L.A. Cardinal Mahony, now demand citizenship for those who have broken our laws, perhaps many times. The cardinal has worked with Senator Kennedy to bring this about. Senator Kennedy is a leader in putting forward an amnesty bill that is being rushed through our Congress right now.

It is the same Senator Kennedy who promised in 1986 that the amnesty bill passed would be the last one and that our borders would be made secure. Yet, here he is again, making the same empty promises, no doubt hoping our memories are short enough for him and several other amnesty senators to get a vote on the bill. We also were told in 1986 that the amnesty would cover about 300,000 people. The actual count was more like 3 million. Ooops!

The estimate most used as to how many are here illegally is twelve million. That number has been used for years. Nobody knows the number for sure, because nobody is keeping count. There was a huge miscalculation as to how many illegal aliens we had in 1986, when we gave amnesty. The estimate being made now could also be wildly understated, as it was in 1986.

The bishops in the Catholic Church have evidently given up on pure charity and rely on the government programs to dispense their charity now. When taxpayers are forced to support someone else’s idea of charity, it cannot be considered real charity any longer. Catholic Charities relies on the government for the bulk of its programs and is always lobbying for more money. It seems the bishops have lined up at the government trough.

Cardinal Mahony feels so strongly about amnesty that he has stated publicly that he will not obey any laws against illegal immigration and will instruct his priests not to obey them, also. He quotes the Bible selectively and assumes a position of moral authority. He preaches to us about “welcoming the stranger”. His background of shielding predator priests from detection and prosecution, by moving them around to different locales, is shameful and puts his moral authority in question. Senator Kennedy also lacks the moral authority to be preaching to the rest of us about our duty.

While the current bill was negotiated in secret, some of the players have been identified. The radical pressure group, “La Raza”, is reported to have been in the meetings, along with leaders of global big businesses. Even many of the senators were excluded. Now, they are being presented with a fait accompli that they are supposed to vote on. Who represented We the People?

The immigration laws that used to carefully select people who would benefit this country are being ignored. We are being told that because some are here already, the rest of the world can get to the back of the line. In fairness, if we are to admit those who just want to come here for a better life, we will end up with probably about half the population of the Third World countries. It is time to examine where we are headed. It is time for the senators to be giving priority to We the People and our legal rights.

Is your senator listening?

Barbara Anderson

Biography - Barbara Anderson

Barbara regularly writes for CapitolHillCoffeeHouse. She also appears in California Chronicle, Border Patrol, and Citizens Caucus. Her primary interest is illegal immigration, but she writes about other subjects as well.

Barbara lives in a large city on the West Coast. Her loyalties are with God, family, country, heritage and borders.

She enjoys music, painting, poetry and song writing.