Sister Joan Chittister famously said, "We are each called to go through life reclaiming the planet an inch at a time until the Garden of Eden grows green again." Reflecting on that journey -- a blog at a time -- is the focus of this site.
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
"Marching In The Light Of God"
Marching in the May 1st Immigration Justice Rally on Wilshire in Los Angeles.
Do not oppress an alien;
you yourselves know how it feels to be aliens,
because you were aliens in Egypt. [Genesis 23:9]
4 comments:
Anonymous
said...
You know, I have wondered as this march occured accross the nation, why these people want to live here. They do not want to learn or speak our language, pay taxes, or pay for services such as healthcare or education, but would rather reap the benifits of being a citizen without the responsiblities that go along with them. The American wage-earner is suffering because companies can get away with paying these illegal immigrants next to nothing(and I know that these people are suffering as well from the low wages the are being offered. Really we should go after the companies that hire illegal immigrants). Our healthcare costs are rising to a point where hard-working, middle class families cannot afford to provide healthcare for their own children,(to try to counter the huge expense of the uninsured) and the education system is buckling under the burden of carrying such a load. I understand all people need a chance, but the key word is illeagl. It is against the law for these people to be in this country. There are legal ways to become a citizen of the US. I know that it is difficult, but it has always been difficult. The orginal goal of immigrants coming to America was to become an American, in every sense of the word. And that means living by the laws that have been set up to keep this country what it was meant to be- the land of the free. We need to show "the Light of God" to these people, as your title suggests, and we need to speak out in love, but that does not mean condemning the citizens we already have. We need to have at least equal concern for their needs, which are being ignored in favor of this agenda.
I must agree with Laura. To rally and support people who are here illegally, to rally for their civil rights before those of legal Americans born and raised here, is an injustice to the LGBT members of this country. First, give the LGBT citizens their full rights under the law, then consider those who are here illegally. I empathize with their plight but we need to take care of those who are here legally first. This may seem harsh to some but it is the reality. The LGBT community pays taxes to support healthcare--such as it is; it pays for our public schools and universities, it pays for govenment, it supports and contributes to its community. The LGBT contribute to the security of this nation and makes it stronger in positive ways...and most of all, the LGBT community does it legally as citizens. The immigration issue is a diversion away from the real issue, giving the rights due the LGBT community what is legally theirs.
I do see it as a "both/and" -- laws should be respected and unjust laws need to be challenged. Criminalizing immigration when migrant workers are an essential part of our economic infrastructure is unfair, unjust and just plain wrong.
As for the "LGBT first" argument I just can't go to a place of prioritizing oppression. Respecting the dignity of every human being means EVERY human being. Women's rights took a back seat in the anti-slavery era and we're not done with either racism or sexism in this country (OR this church) but that doesn't mean we don't take on heterosexism and homophobia when it rears its ugly head.
"I do see it as a "both/and" -- laws should be respected and unjust laws need to be challenged."
THANK YOU! A nation which began in revolt against taxation shouldn't be too particular if it enacts unjust laws which leave people no alternative other than to violate them.
I'm concerned about learning English too (and it wouldn't hurt most American teenagers to take at least a glance at English grammar, spelling, and usage), but it seems to me like the worst way to get people to use English is to threaten them with deportation if they get public about trying.
4 comments:
You know, I have wondered as this march occured accross the nation, why these people want to live here. They do not want to learn or speak our language, pay taxes, or pay for services such as healthcare or education, but would rather reap the benifits of being a citizen without the responsiblities that go along with them. The American wage-earner is suffering because companies can get away with paying these illegal immigrants next to nothing(and I know that these people are suffering as well from the low wages the are being offered. Really we should go after the companies that hire illegal immigrants). Our healthcare costs are rising to a point where hard-working, middle class families cannot afford to provide healthcare for their own children,(to try to counter the huge expense of the uninsured) and the education system is buckling under the burden of carrying such a load.
I understand all people need a chance, but the key word is illeagl. It is against the law for these people to be in this country. There are legal ways to become a citizen of the US. I know that it is difficult, but it has always been difficult. The orginal goal of immigrants coming to America was to become an American, in every sense of the word. And that means living by the laws that have been set up to keep this country what it was meant to be- the land of the free.
We need to show "the Light of God" to these people, as your title suggests, and we need to speak out in love, but that does not mean condemning the citizens we already have. We need to have at least equal concern for their needs, which are being ignored in favor of this agenda.
I must agree with Laura. To rally and support people who are here illegally, to rally for their civil rights before those of legal Americans born and raised here, is an injustice to the LGBT members of this country. First, give the LGBT citizens their full rights under the law, then consider those who are here illegally. I empathize with their plight but we need to take care of those who are here legally first. This may seem harsh to some but it is the reality. The LGBT community pays taxes to support healthcare--such as it is; it pays for our public schools and universities, it pays for govenment, it supports and contributes to its community. The LGBT contribute to the security of this nation and makes it stronger in positive ways...and most of all, the LGBT community does it legally as citizens. The immigration issue is a diversion away from the real issue, giving the rights due the LGBT community what is legally theirs.
Thanks, Jeff ... now get back to work! :)
I do see it as a "both/and" -- laws should be respected and unjust laws need to be challenged. Criminalizing immigration when migrant workers are an essential part of our economic infrastructure is unfair, unjust and just plain wrong.
As for the "LGBT first" argument I just can't go to a place of prioritizing oppression. Respecting the dignity of every human being means EVERY human being. Women's rights took a back seat in the anti-slavery era and we're not done with either racism or sexism in this country (OR this church) but that doesn't mean we don't take on heterosexism and homophobia when it rears its ugly head.
"I do see it as a "both/and" -- laws should be respected and unjust laws need to be challenged."
THANK YOU! A nation which began in revolt against taxation shouldn't be too particular if it enacts unjust laws which leave people no alternative other than to violate them.
I'm concerned about learning English too (and it wouldn't hurt most American teenagers to take at least a glance at English grammar, spelling, and usage), but it seems to me like the worst way to get people to use English is to threaten them with deportation if they get public about trying.
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