A personal rant on immigration issues in Alabama, and the efforts to combat those issues: opinion may or may not be shared by other family members, and my opinion should not be held against them.
By Carolyn Roberson - Sunday 27 Nov 2011
By Carolyn Roberson - Sunday 27 Nov 2011
Alabama is set for round two in the fight for civil liberties, and justice. (Don’t cha think we shoulda learned the first time? Huh?!) Jim Crow, move over, there’s a new hombre in town; his name is Juan.
Growing up in Montgomery, Alabama was delightful. During the 1960s, it was a small military town. Residential population was about 33,000 at the time. Downtown was a bustling place especially on the weekends. The heart of the Bible belt, nearly everyone was a member of a church. Yet, there was this massive military presence at Maxwell and Gunter Air Force Bases. Maxwell even houses a Federal penitentiary. Planes still fly overhead reminding everyone of the freedom our country works to enjoy.
More nationally known for being the home of the civil rights movement, monuments to our civil rights leaders dot the city. Rosa Parks Museum, the Southern Poverty Law Center with its freedom waterfall, and Dexter Memorial Baptist Church (Dr. Martin Luther King’s church), to name a few, are common national sight seeing spots.
Also, the Cradle of the Confederacy, the First White House of the Confederacy is still sitting on the corner of Capital Hill. And, truly southern, gentile ladies are docents, escorting tours, and telling the tales of days long since gone. The star where Jefferson Davis was sworn in as its first president is still on the marble steps of the Alabama State House, and the Archives and History building houses all kinds of civil war memorabilia. A confederate flag flies on private property aside I-65 just north of the city, and although it is a source of contention these days, it reminds us of how far we have come as a people to overcome the prejudices of race, creed, gender, and religion.
The civil rights movement is about the recognition and “inalienable rights” of a disenfranchised group of people to share in “liberty and justice for all.” Our nation prides itself on these words found in the Constitution of the United States of America, or more correctly, its ideology. Our soldiers even fight on foreign soul to liberate, and ensure these rights are exercised for others. The Ying and Yang of Montgomery provided much history to our great nation. And again, Montgomery has set the stage for another round of “the battle of injustice.”
A Supreme Court judge has upheld portions of a bill in which immigration laws are to be enacted affecting people living in Alabama. Hispanics are lining the streets in protest in Montgomery, AL, and several arrests have been made. Signs such as “stop using my tax dollars on your hate, and spend my money on education” bounce along the demonstration lines in front of the state buildings, and are being taken to the streets in Washington D.C.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for abiding by the law, following rules and protocol, and going about things in a civilized way. But, having been through this before, one would think Alabama would have figured out where they went wrong the first time, and come up with a new and better plan to fix issues such as this or at least make those issues easier to navigate. After all, state lawmakers have had years to do this.
Our forefathers left their homelands to seek out a new way of life, and by coming to America sought refuge on its shores to begin such a life. It sounds wonderful doesn’t it?
The Native American people were rooted out of their land, masses killed, and our European ancestors were illegal citizens as such. African slaves were stolen from their homeland and brought to our country as slaves and weren’t even recognized as citizens, but property. And, now, illegal immigrants are being discriminated against because of the same desire to “seek refuge on our shores to begin a new and better life.”
Montgomery, Alabama, the home of the civil rights movement, is now discriminating against another group of people, namely immigrants. Even Alabama born Hispanics are complaining of glaring looks, oppressive comments, and threatening innuendo.
Realizing our country is only so big, only has so many resources, only has so many jobs, and other issues, focus should be on helping these refuges, and finding solutions to their problems. I personally have witnessed a multitude of Hispanics working on minimum wage jobs, which are back breaking in nature, knowing full well those jobs would not be worthy of the time and effort to many citizens of the state. Things would not be getting done without these people. And, those economic effects are already being felt within the state.
Why is it wrong to want to live in a relatively peaceful society, and enjoy freedom and domestic tranquility? Efforts should be made to obtain legal paperwork to allow these people to live within our borders, and the license bureau is a good place to start. Hopefully, these people can educate themselves, return to their homeland, and be instrumental in improving conditions for their own people.
Actually, thinking about history itself, many of these people would be American citizens if Santa Ana had not been defeated, and driven southward into what is now Mexico. Their land was stolen and annexed into the USA. Who are the illegal people if you think about it? We are all God’s people, and we should love our neighbor as ourselves because it is God’s greatest commandment next to loving God with all our heart.
Alabama’s terms for legal status include having an Alabama driver’s license. The water and sewer companies are legally prohibited in providing services to illegal immigrants. The driver’s license database is not the way to accomplish “liberty and justice for all.” It is similar in nature to what the Nazi’s did in Germany during World War II: it marks a people. It wasn’t all right then, and it is not all right now. And, it creates problems for people within the state and those transferring in from other states. So subtle does the snake slither through society, and unsuspecting citizens are bitten!
Illegal immigration is a double-edged sword. Emotion runs deep on the issue. Please understand, I’m not including those illegal immigrants personally bent on criminal activity, but those here for a better life. I’m actually torn on the issue, but there has to be some effort to resolve this swiftly, yet humanely.
Growing up in Montgomery, Alabama was delightful. During the 1960s, it was a small military town. Residential population was about 33,000 at the time. Downtown was a bustling place especially on the weekends. The heart of the Bible belt, nearly everyone was a member of a church. Yet, there was this massive military presence at Maxwell and Gunter Air Force Bases. Maxwell even houses a Federal penitentiary. Planes still fly overhead reminding everyone of the freedom our country works to enjoy.
More nationally known for being the home of the civil rights movement, monuments to our civil rights leaders dot the city. Rosa Parks Museum, the Southern Poverty Law Center with its freedom waterfall, and Dexter Memorial Baptist Church (Dr. Martin Luther King’s church), to name a few, are common national sight seeing spots.
Also, the Cradle of the Confederacy, the First White House of the Confederacy is still sitting on the corner of Capital Hill. And, truly southern, gentile ladies are docents, escorting tours, and telling the tales of days long since gone. The star where Jefferson Davis was sworn in as its first president is still on the marble steps of the Alabama State House, and the Archives and History building houses all kinds of civil war memorabilia. A confederate flag flies on private property aside I-65 just north of the city, and although it is a source of contention these days, it reminds us of how far we have come as a people to overcome the prejudices of race, creed, gender, and religion.
The civil rights movement is about the recognition and “inalienable rights” of a disenfranchised group of people to share in “liberty and justice for all.” Our nation prides itself on these words found in the Constitution of the United States of America, or more correctly, its ideology. Our soldiers even fight on foreign soul to liberate, and ensure these rights are exercised for others. The Ying and Yang of Montgomery provided much history to our great nation. And again, Montgomery has set the stage for another round of “the battle of injustice.”
A Supreme Court judge has upheld portions of a bill in which immigration laws are to be enacted affecting people living in Alabama. Hispanics are lining the streets in protest in Montgomery, AL, and several arrests have been made. Signs such as “stop using my tax dollars on your hate, and spend my money on education” bounce along the demonstration lines in front of the state buildings, and are being taken to the streets in Washington D.C.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for abiding by the law, following rules and protocol, and going about things in a civilized way. But, having been through this before, one would think Alabama would have figured out where they went wrong the first time, and come up with a new and better plan to fix issues such as this or at least make those issues easier to navigate. After all, state lawmakers have had years to do this.
Our forefathers left their homelands to seek out a new way of life, and by coming to America sought refuge on its shores to begin such a life. It sounds wonderful doesn’t it?
The Native American people were rooted out of their land, masses killed, and our European ancestors were illegal citizens as such. African slaves were stolen from their homeland and brought to our country as slaves and weren’t even recognized as citizens, but property. And, now, illegal immigrants are being discriminated against because of the same desire to “seek refuge on our shores to begin a new and better life.”
Montgomery, Alabama, the home of the civil rights movement, is now discriminating against another group of people, namely immigrants. Even Alabama born Hispanics are complaining of glaring looks, oppressive comments, and threatening innuendo.
Realizing our country is only so big, only has so many resources, only has so many jobs, and other issues, focus should be on helping these refuges, and finding solutions to their problems. I personally have witnessed a multitude of Hispanics working on minimum wage jobs, which are back breaking in nature, knowing full well those jobs would not be worthy of the time and effort to many citizens of the state. Things would not be getting done without these people. And, those economic effects are already being felt within the state.
Why is it wrong to want to live in a relatively peaceful society, and enjoy freedom and domestic tranquility? Efforts should be made to obtain legal paperwork to allow these people to live within our borders, and the license bureau is a good place to start. Hopefully, these people can educate themselves, return to their homeland, and be instrumental in improving conditions for their own people.
Actually, thinking about history itself, many of these people would be American citizens if Santa Ana had not been defeated, and driven southward into what is now Mexico. Their land was stolen and annexed into the USA. Who are the illegal people if you think about it? We are all God’s people, and we should love our neighbor as ourselves because it is God’s greatest commandment next to loving God with all our heart.
Alabama’s terms for legal status include having an Alabama driver’s license. The water and sewer companies are legally prohibited in providing services to illegal immigrants. The driver’s license database is not the way to accomplish “liberty and justice for all.” It is similar in nature to what the Nazi’s did in Germany during World War II: it marks a people. It wasn’t all right then, and it is not all right now. And, it creates problems for people within the state and those transferring in from other states. So subtle does the snake slither through society, and unsuspecting citizens are bitten!
Illegal immigration is a double-edged sword. Emotion runs deep on the issue. Please understand, I’m not including those illegal immigrants personally bent on criminal activity, but those here for a better life. I’m actually torn on the issue, but there has to be some effort to resolve this swiftly, yet humanely.
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