A Day on the Streets: Amnesty for America

The way things seem to be going, you sort of find America in a catatonic state of malaise. Nothing happening seems to make much sense. Non-citizens on the streets-Iraq without a government [they appear to play politics the American way]-proposed budget cuts attacking the poor and middle class-Iran’s adopting Saddam’s approach of thrust and counterthrust with no one really knowing the truth of nuclear competence and no one willing to rely on so-called intelligence information [we already tried that route, and it didn’t turn out whatever].

PAGE ONE: You may have seen a lot about immigration issues on your TV, showing thousands of illegals and others pouring out onto the streets of our many communities demanding Congressional surrender for immigration “reform” [aka a total pardon for things in the past and in the future]. Confusion now reigns supreme on this issue-you are either for or against reform on a number of questions-amnesty for all of the 11 or 12 million illegals with almost immediate citizenship-a guest worker program [a delayed amnesty program]-secure borders-immediate deportation [we can’t find all of those who have outstanding warrants let alone 11 or 12 million undocumented]-more border patrols-a security wall [like the one they are building in Israel]-imposition of criminal penalties [unacceptable harsh felony charges]-or, if I may suggest, to put the blame where part of it can lie by requiring all corporations and their officers to sign a certification in their annual reports, as they do for accounting practices, that they have not and will not employ any illegal immigrants, etc., etc., etc.

All of that will not realistically present a solution to the condition, but seems to be designed to create a political confrontation to secure Hispanic votes in November. They love me; they love me not. Once again, this issue also does not seem to have a real exit strategy because none of the proposals would seem to create an all-around solution, and the inherent deficiencies lack any semblance of a cohesive foundation on which to build a meaningful response. This, of course, is the way of most legislation. Each side professes compassion as basis for the law, yet none of the proposals face the effect it would have on the American poor in playing them against the illegals and by ignoring the proposed reductions in the Budget for health care, education, and on and on you can go without compensating benefits or guarantees to our own legal citizens. We constantly react without any creativity for obvious needs of our society. By accepting and building upon the avoidance of the conditions requiring solution, we are able to sail forth with great assertions that for all of the words, we have accomplished really nothing at all.

PAGE TWO: One thing we find out is that, if Mandatory Funding or the other veterans’ benefit requirements had been politically confrontational-if America’s veterans took to the streets as uncontrolled anarchists to rally and demand that all of the promises made for our service be enacted into law, we probably would have succeeded rather than sitting like good little kids accepting the words of the politicians who had no intention of ever keeping their word. But our demands still lie on the table being ignored as usual. Since the failure of the Washington Bonus march of the 20’s, veterans have become paranoid about exercising the opportunity of massing ourselves on the streets to secure our rights as veterans.

PAGE THREE: So, how do we learn from our mistakes or non-actions and prepare us now and for the present and for the future? Here again, I call upon you to consider the acceptance and implementation of a National Service Plan for our Nation and the rejection of the outsourcing of our American culture. Well, during the school spring break, a number of students, on their own initiative, went into New Orleans and Gulf states to help restore the damage from Katrina. Like those returning from Iraq, citizens who were routed from their homes in Katrina have found themselves and their lives contaminated with PTSD [Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder] and with no one really to help them. Some find that they are still scattered all over the place with a number of them never to return home, having made themselves Citizens of other states.

We can become first responders to our Nation’s needs rather than sitting together in a death watch bemoaning the fate of our Nation’s way of life. We now have the opportunity to cultivate a true expression of a nation pursuing growth outside the shadows of indecision. Let’s bring all of our youth into a cultural exercise demonstrating that we can seek to level the playing field [I love that expression which means to keep the status quo or give more to the undeserving section so that the field can tilt downward while claiming victory over indecision]. By massing our youth into a program which can afford them an opportunity of both knowledge and experience, we would be in the position of not only being capable first responders but of developing us back into the Nation we had been and which we will be in growth and compassion.

The malaise has been a wake-up-call and will be divisive for all of us if all we do is to play to the crowd, calm everything down and claim victory. It didn’t work with Iraq, and it won’t act here. Maybe we need another Continental Congress to write an updated Constitution without our representatives sucking up for the votes of all constituents with special interests or donors with money required for election-sounds like an animated fantasy, and it is. Well, how about requesting our representatives to show that they have something called “integrity?” At least they can spell it, even though they may not know what it means.