Priviledge...who has the rights?

These days we see so many people disgruntled about immigrants coming to America and “flooding our nation.” I can understand a certain level of frustration with illegal immigrants, but those of us who were born here often forget that there is a fairly significant cost and a series of hoops to jump through to gain citizenship. Ultimately, my point is that many of seem to think that we (Americans) are better or more patriotic than an immigrant, but we forget that it is solely by the grace of God that we were born here.


I was recently watching M*A*S*H (a long-standing favorite of mine), and a particular episode as inspired this post. In this episode (Tell It To The Marines), a medaled soldier is attempting to get an early discharge (1 week early) to see his mother before she is deported to Holland. He is originally Dutch and after his mother married an American, they moved to the States. He joined the military to “serve my new country” and while at war, his mother got a divorce. Since she was no longer married to an American, she was being sent home. The doctors on the show go to great lengths to help the boy, ultimately enlisting the power of public opinion and freedom of speech. While it is a great story, what really got me thinking was the concept that this young man who CHOSE to live in America and CHOSE to serve our country because it was his new home. How many of us avoid even the smallest acts of civic responsibility, hoping or trusting that someone else will pick up the slack? How many of our wonderful service men and women are first generation Americans, possibly second generation who are willing to possibly make the ultimate sacrifice because they are so proud and grateful to be Americans?


Why is it that we can be so narrow-minded regarding immigrants? While I would hope that those who come to this country would take the time to learn the language and become citizens, I admire their willingness to better their lives by coming to a place where they find new opportunities (oh, and by the way, for those of you who complain about immigrants “stealing” jobs, do some research…most of the jobs these illegal immigrants take are open because the average American won’t do them).


It saddens me that so many "proud Americans" can be so harsh and unaccepting of people who want to make a better life for themselves and their families. I am extremely grateful that I was blessed to be born here. I've never had to make a decision about how to ensure my families safety. I've always been able to find some kind of work. I can't blame people for wanting to come to America, even if it is not officially legal. Maybe it's time for our government to stop looking at all the negatives and start developing strategies to provide legal and obtainable paths to citizenship.