Thread: Letters to the Editors

LETTERS: THE SUNDAY TIMES
Readers looking at immigration issue from many angles
Fox moving in

The secret is out! President Vicente Fox is not really visiting America. Actually, he is scouting for the perfect site for his Presidential Palace when he takes over the Western United States.

Is that what we want?

Harold E. Carter

Walnut Creek

Trivial pursuits

The ineffectual, almost useless immigration bill passed by the Senate brings to mind a quotation of George Jean Nathan: "Politics is the diversion of trivial men who, when they succeed at it, become important in the eyes of more trivial men." Amen.

Jack Grogan

Walnut Creek

Just more bunk

Respectfully to Detlef Curtis (Letters, May 24): Your debunking of immigration myths is just more bunk.

The entire tired reprisal of illegal immigration and immigrants as a pressing national concern is, in the first case, misdirected; 20 or 30 corporate execs jailed for illegal hirings would pinch the flow across the border to a trickle in no time.

And in the second case, misdirection -- a bald-faced diversion from our nation's caseload of failed public policy, national and international.

Chris Neddersen

Berkeley

We are losing our country

Diversity, as opposed to the melting pot, is leading to the downfall of the United States. We are losing our country. We are losing our culture. We have already lost our language.

Yes, we are a country of immigrants. In the past, immigrants came here to become Americans. They proudly embraced the American culture and language. Today's immigrants are forcing their culture and language on us.

Diversity is dividing our country into a series of ethnic colonies. Each one is struggling to maintain its own culture and language. We are no longer "one nation indivisible."

The late Sen. Samuel Hayakawa wanted to eliminate the hyphenated American and make English our official language. We should have listened to him!

John Billones

El Cerrito

National Guard

Some 6,000 unarmed National Guard troops who cannot search, seize, detain, arrest or guard the illegal aliens coming across our borders: What's the point? Might as well send 6,000 "welcome" teddy bears.

What a waste of taxpayer money. I thought it was the illegals who were supposed to be handcuffed, not the people guarding the border.

Preserve us from politicians!

Susan Ruesch

Pinole

Religion

What is the sense of trying to authenticate any religion, since it has been written and rewritten throughout the ages?

The myths handed down are simply guidelines and can be beautiful. That is, if spirituality were incorporated with love and acceptance.

Idealists and fanatics sanction their own beliefs only; creating retaliation, eventually wars. Is history merely repeating itself?

Joy A. Flaherty

Berkeley

Learn English

There is a saying that is relevant today in the illegal immigrant debate. The saying is "Quando se Roma, far come Romani." It means: "When in Rome, do as the Romans."

When I wish to brush up on my Italian (learned years ago as a college student in Florence, Italy), I watch and listen to RAI television from Italy.

Likewise, listening to English language radio, TV, music, etc. would help foreigners to more quickly learn English in order to better assimilate in the United States.

It would help their children to pass the high school exit exam. If the United States is to remain strong and undivided, those people coming here should, at least, learn basic English.

Also, let us not forget that a major reason Rome fell was because it was filled with polyglot cultures that were not assimilated into Roman culture.

Ronald P. Kaminski

Walnut Creek

Guard on border

I agree that there needs to be a more firm control of our porous borders. However the use of the National Guard in this capacity I do have some concern with.

Being a veteran of the U.S. Army, my major concern is where are the troops going to come from? With conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Army is simply spread too thin. Recruitment for both the Army and Marines is not what it once was. And to add to returning troops from Iraq or Afghanistan and place them on the border, is going to call undue stress and strain on the soldiers and their families.

Additionally, to not arm these troops is not wise. Some areas of the border are highly dangerous. With drug trafficking coming up through certain areas of the borders, troops would need to protect themselves. There needs to be another solution.

Combat troops coming back from fighting a war overseas should not be required to fight another war here in our country. Nor should National Guard troops use their two weeks of active-duty training to guard borders. They need to train to perform the duties they may need in combat.

Virgil Pfautch

Concord

Protest Mexican rule

The Mexicans (legal and illegal) would do more good if they stayed in Mexico and protested their Mexican government (not the U.S. government) to give them the same wages and comforts the United States and Canada give their citizens.

The United States cannot support the poor of the world, when there are so many homeless and hungry legal people here.

The poor illegal Mexicans lower the wages of our American citizens. U.S. citizens would do the work that only Mexicans will do if they were paid a decent wage for that work.

Lillian Thomas

Walnut Creek

Bill will be emasculated

Herewith a prediction: The Senate illegal immigration bill will be considered by the House versus its own version of the cure for the problem. After much agonizing and many concessions, with an eye on the liberal vote and media, an emasculated compromise bill will be passed amid waves of congressional self-approval.

Despite the above activity, the country will continue to operate. However, it will be with a changing identity, millions of disgruntled taxpayers, and the great majority of outraged sane Americans waving what's left of the American flag.

Dan Scalabrini

Walnut Creek

Some 6,000 unarmed National Guard troops who cannot search, seize, detain, arrest or guard the illegal aliens coming across our borders: What's the point? Might as well send 6,000 "welcome" teddy bears.

What a waste of taxpayer money. I thought it was the illegals who were supposed to be handcuffed, not the people guarding the border.

Another dangerous empty Bush promise.