"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-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
Some of the core elements of America's global archetype are about to be tested as the US enters the great immigration debate.
Tim Egan -- one of my favorite writers at the NY Times -- offers a very interesting story followed by some challenging comments.
2 comments:
The global or national perspective is only one way to look at this issue. On a more personal level what I don't see discussed is how to help a single individual achieve some sort of legal working status. A work visa for instance. What matters to me is the well being of a friend who has worked beside me for several years. He's cut off from his family and unable to legally go back and forth across the border. If a path to a working visa were available I'd use it to help him earn for his family and also be able to with them. The "big picture" insulates you from the real lives of human beings.
Yes, Cliff, the bottom line is people -- real people in real places hoping for and working hard for a better life.
Thanks for the comment.
lou
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