I'm tired of hearing this line from pro-illegal immigration folks, including President Bush: "America is a nation of immigrants." America is not a nation of immigrants -- it is a nation of settlers.
Is there a difference?
Harvard political scientist Samuel P. Huntington thinks so:
"Settlers and immigrants differ fundamentally. Settlers leave an existing society, usually in a group, in order to create a new community. ... Immigrants, in contrast, do not create a new society. They move from one society to a different society. ... [Settlers] came in order to create societies that embodied and would reinforce the culture and values they brought with them from their origin country. Immigrants came later because they wanted to become part of the society the settlers had created. ... Before immigrants could come to America, settlers had to found America" (Who Are We? The Challenges to America's National Identity, New York: Simon & Schuster, 2004; p. 39-40).
In our situation, illegal immigrants are leaving their poor, corrupt governments in order to participate in a society and government not established by Spanish & Portuguese Catholics, but by British Protestants. The former created the unenviable countries to our south, from Mexico to Chile. The latter created the United States, arguably the world's envy for 150 years now. Huntington writes, "Would America be the America it is today if in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries it had been settled not by British Protestants but by French, Spanish, or Portuguese Catholics? The answer is no. It would not be America; it would be Quebec, Mexico, or Brazil" (p. 59).
I don't know what the numbers are, but I highly doubt that U.S. citizens are emigrating in droves to South American countries. To be sure, though, citizens from countries to our south are coming to the U.S. by the millions. They are coming to a country they had no part in creating. They are immigrants, coming to a country founded by settlers.
So do your part: stop the uneducated babel. America is not a nation of immigrants -- it is a nation of settlers.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Well said, in distinguishing the semantical difference between immigrants and settlers. However I will not easily believe that 'illegal immigrants' are coming here, to a settled nation, to participate in a government that they did not help to establish.
It is true that they are bathing in America's free enterprise, but to not be a LEGAL resident deprives you from the total benefits that a citizen possess, as well it should. An immigrant is similar to a tourist; thank you for coming, but if you want to stay, become part of us.. and settle.
It is noteworthy that the only governmental participation that an 'illegal immigrant' has, is on the "illegal" side of the law. I understand that it is seemingly inhumane to round up criminals and throw them in jail, especially when the crime is uncomprehensible white-colored; ripping off a government, and it’s citizen’s for millions and millions of dollars in healthcare alone is a CRIME. An illegal resident does not participate in the taxation system, and steals from our government... and then cry’s “universal healthcare” so they will continue with getting away with it!
Yes, the toleration, of ILLEGAL immigration, and the accommodation of our economy to tailor to them is turning our democracy into a socialism. I loved the results of the large debate that transpired in Farmers Branch, Texas. The City was/is cracking down on these criminals. The opposition hired pro-bono lawyers, and such, and demanded that a vote be cast amongst the residents of the city - “Let the residents decide!!” So, the vote happened, and the vote was overwhelmingly opposed to the criminal-immigrants... So now they are in appeals with the court systems, changing their cry to “Let the courts decide!” SO.. If when the courts do decide, what will be their cry then, “Let us decide?”
Post a Comment