Let's say I break into your house

[0007]

A lady wrote the best letter in the Editorials in ages!! It explains things better than all the baloney you hear on TV.

Recently large demonstrations have taken place across the country protesting the fact that Congress is finally addressing the issue of illegal immigration. Certain people are angry that the US might protect its own borders, might make it harder to sneak into this country and, once here, to stay indefinitely. Let me see if I correctly understand the thinking behind these protests.

Let's say I break into your house. Let's say that when you discover me in your house, you insist that I leave. But I say, "I've made all the beds and washed the dishes and did the laundry and swept the floors; I've done all the things you don't like to do. I'm hard-working and honest (except for when I broke into your house).”

According to the protesters, not only must you let me stay, you must add me to your family's insurance plan, educate my kids, and provide other benefits to me and to my family (my husband will do your yard work because he too is hard-working and honest, except for that breaking in part).

If you try to call the police or force me out, I will call my friends who will picket your house carrying signs that proclaim my right to be there.
It's only fair, after all, because you have a nicer house than I do, and I'm just trying to better myself. I'm hard-working and honest, um, except for well, you know. And what a deal it is for me!! I live in your house, contributing only a fraction of the cost of my keep, and there is nothing you can do about it without being accused of selfishness, prejudice and being an anti-housebreaker. Oh yeah, and I want you to learn my language so you can communicate with me

[A wise Man]

1. This should be sent to Lou Dobbs

Great letter!

[cosmik debris]

2. You forgot to include

that your brother invited them into your home to do his chores because he did not want to do them. Do you blame your brother?

[Lerkfish]

4. great minds think alike, we posted at about the same time.

[Lerkfish]

3. not impressed by this, sorry.

for the analogy to really work, the houseowner puts a big billboard over their house saying "prosperity here, give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free", then someone comes to the front door and is told to come in the servant's entrance on the hush hush. Once there, they are made to do backbreaking work for pennies without health coverage or normal protections, and oh yeah, if the federalis come, I never saw you before so hurry up and clean those toilets and babysit my kid before you get deported again.

[underpants]

6. Why did she have to break in?

if the house is the US (pretty quick on the uptake me huh?) why did she have to break in why wasn't she invited or recruited as the homeowner's ancestors probably were?

[Lerkfish]

10. They WERE invited

The New Colossus

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!"

[LostinVA]

9. Yuppers

[proud2BlibKansan]

18. My thoughts exactly

Well said!

[tyedyeto]

23. Great response! n/t

[malaise]

26. Moe than that your position

as a power broker has forced neoliberalism on my government so our industries have crashed or been sold to foreigners, our currency has been devalued thanks to the IMF and World bank and you've forced us to open our borders to your imports which have destroyed our agriculture and livestock industries. Our government has been told not to invest in education, healthcare or other social services so making beds is now a bonus.
Bottom line - the reason for the increasing number of immigrants legal and illegal is directly linked to policies coming from the IMF and World bank who are acting of behalf of Bushco and Blair's corporations.

[acmejack]

5. She left out a couple of parts

About how it was their great grandfathers house until we forcibly evicted them and stole it from them. Or maybe the part how we fixed it so they couldn't live on their farm anymore by sending our produce there and selling it a whole lot cheaper to drive them out of business so they had to come up and move in and make our beds.

Wouldn't it be nice if it were as tidy as the letter writer wishes it were. Things rarely are, however...

[vincent_vega_lives]

11. And their great-great grand fathers came from Spain

and stole it from someone else. By that reasoning All of North and South America, Australia and New Zealand should be vacated by those of European decent.

[Bridget Burke]

16. But their great-great grandmothers were here already.

Nobody needs to "vacate" anywhere. We're all just here temporarily.

[Freedom_from_Chains]

24. LOL, we will all vacate soon enough.

[vincent_vega_lives]

25. Not the argument some people are making.

I already vacated twice today. x(

:P

[texasleo]

7. that story has seen more circulation than the "Ollie North-Bin Laden"

e-mail.

Hardly original.

The one hole in the argument is quite a large one. People are not breaking into homes, they are "breaking into" countries. More specifically, this country. It's not practical to use the breaking-into-your-home analogy if nobody is breaking into your home.

[pooja]

8. divided we fall... just another stupid reason to divide the country

It is 2006. Sorry, I can't help the actions of my grandfather and I am unable to afford dipers for my kid most days so don't expect me to feel obliged to pay anyone back. The problem is that illegal means just that. And if employers couldn't hire them, then there would be no reason to cross illegally. But lets face it NAFTA killed them.

The truth is billions of US dollars leave the US and go into Mexico. It is the second highest paying economy in Mexico besides the drug cartels. Don't let your bleeding heart fool you. Help to undo what the US policies have done to Mexicans and they would stay in their own beautiful country... because it is quite beautiful and lively. Who would want to go to Nebraska and freeze their asses off to pack meat anyway?

[Bucky]

12. *raising hand frantically* Oh! Oh! I know the answer! I know the answer!

You shoot the intruder! Do I win?

[philosophie_en_rose]

13. Way to post racist RW talking points.

:sarcasm:

[proud2BlibKansan]

20. Yep!

good call.

[kiki]

14. On my "thumbs up / thumbs down" scale, I give this LTTE...

...the finger.

Hey, in US law, you're allowed to shoot someone who breaks into your house, so it looks like it's open season on illegal immigrants!

I expect the "author" of this piece of shit agrees with the above sentiment, but felt it wasn't politic to express it.

[Bridget Burke]

15. 1000 Google hits for "Let's say I break into your house"

www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22Let%27s+say+I+break+into+your+house%22

What's the name of your newspaper? I'll gladly inform them that they printed a rancid bit of internet spam as an original letter.

You don't get out much, do you?

[proud2BlibKansan]

21. LOL

Thanks for saving me the trouble. I was just gettiing ready to google this.

[proud2BlibKansan]

17. No let's say you tore my house down first

I have nowhere to go. My kids are hungry. Maybe one of them is sick. You wrecked my house. Why would I not come to you for help? I was doing fine before you waltzed in and tore my house down.

This may have appeared in your paper (which I doubt since you have provided no link) but it has also been on the RW email list for about a year now. Nice try but no cigar.

[NNN0LHI]

19. Did you ever have one of them threads you wish you hadn't started?

It happens to me all the time.

Don

[proud2BlibKansan]

22. LOL

[wicket]

27. Heh

:D

[maddezmom]

28. locking