Thread: Observations from an English as a second language teacher

Hello all,
As a fairly liberal person, my transformation to an all-out supporter of the Minuteman group and ALIPAC has occurred as a result of working with immigrants as an adult education instructor in a majority-Hispanic city (El Monte, CA) and living in Pasadena, CA, which has always had a large Hispanic community. Once sympathetic, I'm now fully convinced that something must be done, due to the percentage of undocumented Hispanic aliens I've encountered who don't seem willing to assimilate, expect the rest of us to adapt to their languge and culture, and don't see a reason to follow the rules of their host (yes, HOST) country.

Over the past two days I've encountered problems during errands around town and getting to work that I haven't seen on such a scale. On Sunday a large Hispanic woman tried to push me out of line at the gas station I go to regularly. Fortunately, the Tanzanian attendant saw what happened and waited on me first. Also on Sunday while biking for exercise a young Hispanic woman screeched around a corner against a red light and almost ran me down in a crosswalk. Yesterday while at a Chinese restaurant near work a teenager with her mom made a loud and nasty comment in Spanish that they shouldn't have to wait for the "old white woman". Finally, at the El Pollo Loco near work I was in line behind a young woman wearing a tee shirt with a nice silk screen of the L.A. skyline and the caption: "por l'amor de Los Angeles Reconquistamos nuestra Jerusalem".
Nuff said, don't you think?

I've lived here most of my life and fear from what I've witnessed that things might get ugly as illegal visitors gain courage from the failure of our leaders to set adequate limits and prosecute those who violate our laws. We see it in classes, as students come and go without regard for attendance rules and punctuality, and continue to converse in Spanish when asked to practice English with their Asian classmates (not all, but the majority, and all the teachers have noted this). I sincerely hope that we can work this out and set limits before things simmer to a boil.

Sincerely,
(mod edit)