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The truth is that in this country we do not get anything done on a permanent basis except by consensus. That means by agreement among our citizens – not just among those within the political party that happens to be in control at one time or another.
I have a number of friends and associates, who at the drop of a dime will gladly debate their own particular philosophies and political positions.
As for me, I’d rather entertain a discussion about how many angels sit on the head of a pin.
We are Americans or wannabe Americans. There are those among us who have given everything to come to our shores to seek freedom… a life free of tyranny and terror… or perhaps to seek a livelihood where little existed from where they came.
I have great grandparents who were among this group who gave all to come to America.
Like many immigrants today, my ancestors and likely yours brought little with them. They had hopes, dreams, and little else.
My great grandparents came through Ellis Island. Even their names were changed by agents who could not spell the English equivalent of their German names.
Our own Statue of Liberty instills pride with words taken from a sonnet called “The New Colossus”. This is a poem written in 1883 by our American poet, Emma Lazarus, when she was 34 years old. A portion of the poem was engraved in 1903 on a bronze plaque and mounted inside the pedestal’s lower level.
“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-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
There is no footnote that says except white, black or brown people, Hispanics, Asians, Christians, Moslems, Canadians, Mexicans or Syrians. The poem speaks to those in need who yearn for a better life and the welcoming safety of America.
In fact the words of Emma Lazarus continue to influence the way many of us think about immigration and freedom. Her words have become part of American culture as a call for the pride and strength of Americans as we offer protection to immigrants who make it to our shores.
Some of the reasons the words are so powerful, and were so well received, has to do with who Emma Lazarus was, what she experienced and what she stood for in real life.
Emma Lazarus was not only an American, but she was a woman when women’s rights were minimal at best, a Jewish woman when Jews were subject to hatred and discrimination.
As a woman she dealt with unequal treatment. As a Jew she dealt with threats, hatred and discrimination. These difficult experiences gave her determination, and her poetry both power and depth.
Here is the entire sonnet.
“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!”
My point is that we are all in this together. No President, no Congress and no Court can change American history. We nurture and support one another. It is time we stop the ugliness, the disrespect, the name calling and the blame game. Sending people to somewhere they know not where, who have struggled mightily to get to our country, are working and supporting families, are responsible to their communities, are paying taxes, and have done so for years, is not acceptable. It is in fact an abomination.
What are we trying to accomplish? If it is ridding ourselves of murderers and rapists, then we have laws and police to handle these problems. We should also send white people out of the country who commit these crimes.
Our freedom is not debatable. It is not exclusive to any arbitrarily defined group of people. It cannot be taken away from us by our government. Let us resolve our immigration problem with a clear path to citizenship, its responsibilities and benefits. Let us accomplish greatness together.
Bill Gindlesperger is a central Pennsylvanian, Dickinson College graduate, Pennsylvania System Of Higher Education (PASSHE) Governor, former Shippensburg University Trustee, awarded numerous patents, as well as Founder and Chairman of eLynxx Solutions. eLynxx provides cloud-software for automated sourcing and managing of mail marketing, swag, packaging, and all things print. He is a board member, campaign advisor, successful entrepreneur, published author and commentator. He can be reached at [email protected].
