The America I Want to Live In

Does anyone remember this?

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 your 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!"


The poem by Emma Lazarus is engraved at the base of Statue of Liberty. It reminds me that America is a country that was founded by immigrants. The Native Americans might even say they were illegal immigrants, and considering the horrors that have been visited on the Native American population and culture, I would have to agree. It was built on the backs of immigrant labor. These people came from all over the world and were so desperate to build better lives, they endured terrifying living conditions and highly dangerous occupations, and they still felt lucky to be here. And may we never forget the forced labor brought into this country against their will, torn from their homeland and all they knew, treated like property and abused for centuries. African Americans have withstood unforgivable treatment, yet they have forgiven and succeeded against nearly impossible odds.

The citizens of the country I want to live in will remember all the struggles of the people who just want a little piece of the heaven we have here: Freedom to speak our minds, freedom to chose our leaders without fear of violent retaliation, freedom to worship God in the way of our own choosing , freedom to move about within our country with no restrictions, freedom to pursue our dreams and aspirations. And don't forget the hundreds of thousands of Americans, not just soldiers, who have fought and died to create and maintain the island of hope and sanity that is America.

Unfortunately, this island of hope and sanity that provides relatively easy living for most of its citizens, has reached a point of consumerism that is taking a harsh toll on the rest of the world. The selfish and greedy practices of super corporations and corrupt aspects of our government create unthinkable living conditions for people in other parts of the world. The result is that they either want to come and get a piece of what we have or they want to destroy what we have. The only way to control illegal immigration and terrorism is to eliminate poverty. When people have their basic needs met, they do not wish to leave their homelands or blow things up. America uses 40% of the world's natural resources. This is putting a strain on the welfare of humans all over the world and will eventually lead to the ruin of not just our country, but perhaps the life as we know it.

I implore those of you who want to close our doors and take what's ours, leaving others out in the cold: Study the history of this country, remember our roots and what has been sacrificed to get us where we are today. If you feel that we should adopt the immigration policies of countries like Afghanistan or North Korea, go live in those countries for a while and get back to me. If you are able to return, you will likely kiss the ground.