http://www.napavalleyregister.com/artic ... 410183.txt

How about a 'Day without Americans' instead?
By MORRIS CURRY
Sunday, April 30, 2006 1:12 AM PDT
I have lived in America all my life, and though the society I have lived in for 60 years has identified me by the melanin in my skin rather than the content of my character, I prefer to be "labeled" as an American. I am the descendent of Irish immigrants on my mother's side of the family; I have Native American ancestry also on my mother's side of the family, and African ancestry on my father's side of the family. I have lived through the racial struggles of our country, largely due to man's inhumanity to man, and was a participant in providing a level playing field for all people regardless of their ancestry. At no time in my history in America did my ancestors hold their immigrant beginnings over their allegiance to America. In fact, their efforts were to remind America that she was a nation of laws, and that those laws gave inalienable rights to the citizens of America.

So I have researched the Web for information to understand the real issues regarding the latest flap of what I see in the news, the Mexican illegal immigrant. I received an e-mail that called for "a day without Latinos." It calls for "no school or work" and is scheduled for May 1, and everyone is asked to wear white. The e-mail says "All Latinos must work together to make this happen to prove to everyone that the U.S. is nothing without our economic input. On May 1, don't even go into the streets! Don't buy anything! Stay at home and relax. Watch the U.S struggle without our economic and labor power." Needless to say, I am appalled that these people would dare to hold me hostage over the issue of illegal immigration, as if this is equal to the injustice that existed regarding the Africans who were brought to this country as slaves.

As I see it, the issue of illegal immigration does not only affect the Latinos. It affects people from every continent who are still in America illegally, due to expired visas, and who are also working in the American economy, most of whom are from India, China, the Philippines, Vietnam, El Salvador, Cuba, Haiti, Bosnia, Canada, the Dominican Republic, Ukraine, Korea, Russia and Nicaragua and even England. If we are going to extend a provision for illegal immigrants, it must be extended to every illegal immigrant, regardless of national origin. At least at one time, they all stood in line rather that hop a fence.

As a sovereign state, the United States has the right and responsibility to regulate the permanent and temporary admission of non-citizens. I do not understand a Congress or an administration who would on one hand tout democracy which is based on laws to other countries while turning a blind eye to the laws of our own democracy, and kowtowing to the claims of one segment of people in our country who are illegals that they are responsible for the economic life blood of America. I call for a "day without Americans" on May 2 and to withhold paychecks for a week.



(Curry lives in American Canyon.)