11

The New Colossus

Posted by khalling 9 years, 10 months ago to Education
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Poem by Emma Lazarus.

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she
With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

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  • Posted by Zero 9 years, 10 months ago
    My favorite National Monument - and for me one of the great "essences" of America.

    I could never close the door on anyone yearning to be American.
    They are neither the cause nor the bulk of our problems.

    We need to fix our own problems and stop blaming them!
    Those immigrants I have known have been some of the truest "true-blue" Americans I've met.
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  • Posted by Herb7734 9 years, 10 months ago
    I love this poem. It was certainly appropriate when my grandparents came here at the turn of the 20th century. For today, the word "Don't" should be inserted, as in "Don't give me your poor...."
    When it comes to "entitlements" what you are entitled to is being in a free country filled with opportunity. Oh, wait a minute, that was the last century, wasn't it?
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  • Posted by wiggys 9 years, 10 months ago in reply to this comment.
    the problem which is bigger than you are seeing is that the homeboy is allowing MUSLIMS into the country that have NO skills etc so they are relegated to the homeboys welfare rolls. The peom does not apply to what is happening now. This situation will be looked at in 10 years at the most as the straw that broke the camels back I.E. the usa.
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  • Posted by scojohnson 9 years, 10 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Anyone notice that most of the Syrians trotting through Hungary on news footage tend to be 20-something males? They are not looking for opportunity, they are running away from having to fight. I say send them back, and they can take up arms to fight for their country... we did it 250 years ago.. time others follow suit.
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  • Posted by $ MichaelAarethun 9 years, 10 months ago in reply to this comment.
    My main Doctor here moved from Russia via Poland and France. Two decades later he moved to Mexico. He gave one reason. The US was starting to remind him too much of Russia when it was the Soviet Union. I could hardly disagree.
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  • Posted by scojohnson 9 years, 10 months ago in reply to this comment.
    I guess I hadn't thought of that angle, but I'm sure that is the case... it easily pays the coyote.
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  • Posted by Mamaemma 9 years, 10 months ago in reply to this comment.
    But I think you and I are in the minority, blackswan. Doesn't it seem to you that there are more and more people willing to live on welfare?
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  • Posted by scojohnson 9 years, 10 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Along with being the largest economy in the world, we are also the largest market for illicit drugs. You would think China would be a close second (I have no idea) but we are also a consumerism constant-stimulation culture as well and that probably feeds addiction to weaker personality types as well.
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  • Posted by blackswan 9 years, 10 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Someone from another country can go back to that country once their condition improves. An American can't. So, from a common sense position, let other countries take care of their own; you don't see Americans going to other countries to take advantage of their largesse (not even in Europe, which is much further down this road than we are).
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  • Posted by blackswan 9 years, 10 months ago in reply to this comment.
    It all depends on your level of ambition. If you think that the EBT is "big bucks," clearly your level of ambition is a LOT lower than mine.
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  • Posted by $ jbrenner 9 years, 10 months ago in reply to this comment.
    The legal process doesn't work. On that we definitely agree. When the legal way doesn't work, people will resort to more desperate measures.
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  • Posted by khalling 9 years, 10 months ago in reply to this comment.
    hey, anecdotal story for you. I have a good friend who has a successful mango farm down here. He was raised in the US. Had a very successful business in south LA, actually still has it. anyway-a graffiti cleaning business. But- since he was an "anchor baby" came back with his parents to the Baja and met his wife here. They got married. He tried to get citizenship for her. Immigration officials, after 2 years of waiting and numerous re-scheduling told them they had to be at the center (up at the border) within 24 hours to "interview" her. um, we live at the bottom of the Baja, and highway 1 is famous for deaths driving at night. To do it safely, you plan 3 days. somehow, they wanted it THAT badly and made the "appt" which was to get there, stand in line 6 hours, then they separated her from my friend and interrogated her for 3 hours. when she came out, she was hysterical and said she would never go "up there" ever and how evil the americans were. the fantastic entrepreneur he is- he said, Iris, I will never put you through that again. and He bought some land put in a mango orchard and figured out how to connect in the japanese. they sell mangoes to the japanese who sell them EACH for 8 US dollars. we lost that. That's legal, j.
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  • Posted by $ jbrenner 9 years, 10 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Few were as desperate as Ayn Rand to get to America. Now I wonder whether she would come here, or go somewhere else. That might make an interesting thread.
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  • Posted by $ jbrenner 9 years, 10 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Only 50% on the dole? Wow. Even I wouldn't have expected that high a percentage.

    I don't condemn all Latino immigrants or any other nationality of immigrants. Those that come here legally are welcome. Those who come without knocking on the door are not welcome.

    Come one, come all. Just do a courteous "Buenos dias", gracias, or por favor, and I will gladly say De nada.
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