As our representatives in Congress make their latest attempt at legislation regarding immigration let me lay out my thoughts. Originally this post was slated for posting on Tuesday, but it has grown in size and taken much more time than I had originally anticipated. I’m going to break it up into smaller pieces over the next several days.

The entire immigration debate is actually composed of several components: Cultural/Racial, Security, Economic, Amnesty, Practicality, Political, and perhaps others. Let’s examine them one by one.

Cultural/Racial

It is interesting to me that, except for the issue of assimilation, the cultural/racial component is not a motivation behind the call for reform. That’s not to say that there haven’t been attempts to portray it as a racial issue. There have been many. It is the main cudgel that those opposed to any toughening of the law use to try and intimidate the opposition.

Jay Tea had a very interesting post on Tuesday (04.04.06) that examines the difference between immigrants and colonists.

The recent mass protests in favor of illegal aliens showed their true colors — red, white, and green. Mexican flags were highly prominent, in some cases even being flown over United States flags (and in one stunning display of contempt, flying over an inverted American flag).

These are not the actions of immigrants. This is a declaration of intent by would-be colonists.

My great grandmother came to the United States from Warsaw. I can only recall meeting her once when I was three or four years old (she was the only one of my ‘greats’ alive when I was born). I remember that her English was very hard to understand and that she spoke to other members of the family in a language I didn’t know.

Her son, my grandfather, worked in a sugar factory (so I’ve been told) years before I was born. When he began working there his Foreman told him, “from now on you’re Smith,” and that was the family name for quite a few years. I have his WWI discharge papers with the name Stanley A. Smith on them.

In the very early Fourties Grandpop moved his family to a farm in Ewan, NJ. It was there that they once again began using the original family name — Szymanski. Mom was in third grade and had to re-learn to spell her own name.

The point of that story is this, from my great grandmother’s broken English, to my grandfather’s service in WWI, to the entire family history, there was always cultural pride, but there was an even greater pride in being Americans. They brought their heritage and made it a part of the melting pot, but their desire was to be Americans.

While I am sure that there are racists who favor strong immigration reform there is no QED that all who favor reform do so based on race. In fact, most of the arguments and discussion that I’ve read make it very clear that race plays no part in their opinions.

This issue is not about race, but it does include the idea of assimilation. I first remember learning about the concept of a ‘melting pot’ back in the days of the fondue craze, and I’ve always tied the two together. Irish, Polish, English, German, and French are my melting pot. The greater American melting pot includes all races, all nationalities, all backgrounds. Assimilation makes them a part of the bigger whole. But throw a rock into the fondue pot and it remains a rock. It may be covered with cheddar, but it is still a rock at it’s core.

Very few of those who are here illegally show any interest in adopting and adapting to being American. This must be part of any plan for reform if it is to have any success at all. To leave this out will actually foster racism by those who are more interested in their race then in being citizens.

In the next post I’ll take a look at the Security component. Can we all agree that secure borders are important? I think so too.

UPDATE: I am sure that many others are writing on this topic. If you have a post dealing with the Racial/Cultural aspect of illegal immigration, please create a trackback to this post, leave a comment, or drop an email to lakelandjim at gmail dot com.

Linked with TMH’s Bacon Bits Bacon Break — Palm Sunday Weekend and the picnic at basil’s blog.

No, this isn’t today’s “Second Cup” post, just a brief thought on the same.

As I wrote on Tuesday, the idea behind the “Second Cup” is to write something I can dig in to and offer my opinions in more depth. The first offering, On Trial for His Faith, was what I hoped it would be. Part of that experience was learning that writing in that way takes a lot more time.

Look for today’s offering later — perhaps a lot later.

The story of Abdul Rahman, on trial for his life in Afghanistan, is disturbing to anyone who loves the freedoms we enjoy here in the United States. Saturday’s story from Voice of America explains that Rahman is on trial not for becoming a Christian, but for being a “traitor to Islam.” The prosecutor in the case, Abdul Wasi, is seeking a punishment that he says would fit the crime. “Under Islamic law and under the Afghan constitution, he says, the defendant should be executed.”

There are three considerations at play in this case — Societal, Political, and Religious. The three are both intertwined and conflicting.

Looking at the societal aspect I am talking about society as a whole, The Brotherhood of Man if you will. The possibility that Rahman could be executed for his conversion is an abomination to the large portion of the world which believes in religious freedom. True religious freedom, including the right to worship in the way you choose or to not worship at all.

There appears to be a stunned silence from most of the world, a disbelief that someone could loose their life because of the religion they practice. We get rightly outraged at the atrocities committed by radical Islamists, but this event is taking place in court under the umbrella of the laws of a so-called moderate government.

The reaction of much of the world reminds me of own feelings when the shuttle exploded or when the terrorists crashed into the World Trade Center — a conflicting feeling of something so wrong that even the evidence right in front of me could not totally erase the thought that I must be missing something; That something so horrible could not possibly be happening. I believe that a large portion of the world sees this the same way; Something that can’t really be happening in our society.

While the societal aspect is pretty clear cut, the political aspects are more conflicted. On the one hand is the fact that the Afghanistan government is legitimate and has every right to determine their own laws. Our own intervention helped to create the power they now wield.

The United States and all other nations would be offended if Afghanistan attempted to dictate how we should run our affairs. However this does not, and should not, preclude those who see this as an outrageous injustice to speak out against it.

President Bush and Secretary Rice have both made statements saying they are troubled by the implications of this case. Some would argue that being troubled is far to mild, but for the time being I am willing to accept the possibility that additional pressure is being applied behind the scenes. Pressure that puts forward a strong argument against execution and in favor of religious liberty while not undermining the sovereignty of their government.

Finally there is the religious component. Two things strike me in this regard.

First it points out the stark contrast between radical Islam and Christianity. I realize that the Christian religion has it’s own history of atrocities carried out under it’s banner. Not to be glossed over, they are not germane to the current argument.

A highly simplified version of the differences in the two religions can be seen in the way they think about conversion. As a Christian, I see my role in converting others as two pronged. One, to live in such a way as to accurately represent my faith and in doing so to attract others. Secondly, I should be unashamed of my faith and willing to gladly tell others what I believe.

Islam, and the radical elements that control much of it today, follows a violent agenda that seeks to impose their religion on others. All others. The brutality that takes place in the name of Islam is the visible, public face of it’s intolerance. However, the actions of a legitimate government and their court system is, in some ways, scarier than a direct physical assault.

More important than all of this is the life of Abdul Rahman. Via Michelle Malkin come several ideas on how to help.

Write the embassy of Afghanistan:

Ambassador Said T. Jawad
Embassy of Afghanistan
2341 Wyoming Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20008
info@embassyofafghanistan.org

Contact the State Department:

U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street NW
Washington, DC 20520

Main Switchboard:
202-647-4000

She also point to a rally being organized for Friday 3/24.

Cam Edwards of OnTap e-mailed me yesterday with an excellent idea–a rally for Abdul Rahman outside the Afghan embassy in Washington, D.C. Thanks to the D.C. Freepers, a permit has been submitted to the D.C. police.

[...]

Please join us if you can (and if you can’t, why not organize an event/prayer service/etc. in your own neighborhood?):

Friday March 24
Noon to 1pm
Outside the Afghan Embassy
2341 Wyoming Ave NW.
Washington DC

Our prayers are with Abdul Rahman as this case moves slowly forward. And with those in power who have the ability to make a positive statement about religious freedom and true tolerance.

Linked with the Picnic at basil’s blog and TMH’s Bacon Bits Bacon Break — Under The Radar.

The second cup is the one that you can take a little more time with. At least for me it is less hurried, without the pressure of getting four single-digit kids ready for school and daycare. Baths are done, kids are dressed and fed, book bags checked, and then (finally) four out the door.

The Second Cup post will be a more in depth look at something I’ve found interesting. It might be a look at one of the first cup posts or a news story that catches my eye. It may just be me going on about something on my mind. And I do have opinions

The first name for this blog was going to be Two Opinionated Old Farts. That evolved into One Opinionated Old Fart when the friend I had asked to join me decided he didn’t want to get involved. In fact, if you look at the site meter link you’ll see that the part after the server identification is s15ooofb which stood for One Opinionated Old Fart Blog. The name never made it to the light of day, but the opinions did. They still do.

I’ve taken the day off from work, so you might think today would be one where I get to really dig into something of interest. Sorry. I’m home with a 22 month old who spent last night and this morning ralphing everywhere. Aren’t you glad to be reading this after breakfast is behind you?

I will be popping in throughout the day, but the chances of getting to write anything in depth today are slim.