America – “A Nation of Immigrants” or “A Nation of Dissidents”?

Immigration reform has been one of the hottest political topics facing Americans for most of the first decade of the 21st century. There were two failed attempts to pass “comprehensive immigration reform” during the Bush Administrations and now the current administration doesn’t have the political guts to face the issue of illegal immigration head on and chooses instead to try to circumvent the law through bureaucratic slights of hand.

It appears that the impetus for most of the activity relating to this very important issue is the premise by those on the “left of the political spectrum” that we, as a Nation, should have “compassion” for immigrants since we are “a nation of immigrants”. Since all these “poor” masses who are pouring across our borders illegally are only trying to “better” their lot in life, and since we Americans are only qualified to reap the great bounty of America simply by right of being born in America, then we should extend all of the benefits that come with being a “natural born citizen” of this great nation, to all comers.

Of course there are others who, with motives driven primarily by greed, will support the premise that we are a “nation of immigrants” as well. Big business in general being one of the most obvious, because of cheap labor, but also many middle class homeowners who happen to be the largest single group who take advantages of cheap illegal immigrant labor. So there is plenty of blame to go around if that’s what we need to soothe our national conscious.

There are some questions that are burning a hole in my brain that I think need to be answered if we are to ever come to grips with the immigration issue in America once and for all time. I think I know the answers, but I’ll pose the questions here so that, hopefully, we can all find ourselves on the same page and put all the bickering behind us. Perhaps then we can finally get on with the business of establishing a sensible immigration policy that will protect the values and culture that most Americans appreciate and cherish.

This exercise will require some logical thinking, and further, clear definitions of the terms “Emigrants” as opposed to “Immigrants”. These two entirely different designations, when presented with the “spoken word” in the English language, sound the same, and therein, I believe, lies the basis for some of the disagreement among our citizens.

Please follow along with me here as I lay out the reasoning behind my conclusions.

Question 1 - How should we classify the early settlers of the “New World” and later, the British Colonies, and their offspring?

I think the answer might be that “most” of those who chose to emigrate to the Colonies and/or the continent that was historically referred to as “The New World”, would be “classified” as dissidents. There was no “organized country or government” at the destination they chose, and they were leaving a religious, political, or economic system that, to them, was unacceptable. They were “dissenters” in one way or another, and were willing to take the risks that came with the voyage and unforeseen hardships that they had to know lay ahead of them as they embarked to the “New World”.

Here is the definition of Dissident: disagreeing especially with an established religious or political system, organization, or belief. You can draw your own conclusion.

Question 2 - Were there any Immigrants in the British Colonies before Independence was won from the British?

I think it would be fair to say that, No, there weren’t any, simply because there was no ‘America’ into which anyone could be considered an “Immigrant” since there was no single organized government with an immigration policy. That being the case, those who came to the “New World” or later, to any of the Colonies would probably be considered as fleeing from a system with which they disagreed, so they would then be considered Émigré’s.

Here is the generally accepted definition of an Émigré, or Emigrant: (noun) one who emigrates; (adjective) departing or having departed from a country to settle elsewhere.

America: Transformation and Transition

As the “New World” was gradually transformed over time, from the wilderness that it was in the beginning, into townships, and eventually independent organized colonial governments, there also had to be a transition from being a “place” for an individual to flee to, to a “place” where individuals were invited to settle. I don’t know where one could draw the line and definitely say that it was “on this date” that such a transition was complete. Personally, I don’t think that time has actually come as yet. People from all over the world are still trying to get to America, the “land of opportunity” as they are attempting to escape from some form of oppression in their country of origin.

For the sake of argument however, let’s agree that the transition was probably complete at about the same time that the U. S. Federal Government, in its infancy, began trying to place some controls on “who” was coming to America in 1815. At that time a law was passed that required that the “passenger manifest” of ships be “noted” for the record.

From the earliest record of some form of “immigration” control in 1815 to the present time, there have been many other laws or rules applied to the “immigration policy” of the United States that attempted to restrict both the “quantity” and the “quality” of the “immigrant”.

The generally accepted definition of Immigrant is: a person who comes to a country to take up permanent residence.

The Origination of American Ancestry

I doubt that there is a way to truly establish the “real number” of legitimate citizens of the United States considering the latest massive influx of illegal aliens of all nationalities, and the inability of our Federal Bureaucrats to regulate the temporary visas that are regularly abused by many others who are allowed to enter our country legally, then refuse to follow the rules that would have them return to their country of origin. Without this type of information it would be very difficult for any one on either side of the issue of comprehensive immigration reform to speak with certainty as to the percentages of the American population that came to the “new world” or the “British Colonies” prior to the establishment of the United States of America and those who chose to “emigrate” after policies were implemented in an attempt to manage or restrict immigration.

As previously noted, the first instance of known immigration controls didn’t begin until around 1815, and has gone through various “modifications” at times over the next 195 years to bring us to the point at which we wrestle with the issue today. However, it is generally believed that there is pretty much an even split between the descendants of the original settlers and the descendants of those who came through Ellis Island beginning in 1892 and ending at its close in 1954.

It is clear to me that there is a distinction between those whose ancestors were the early “emigrants” coming to the “New World” because they held dissenting views of the political, religious, or economic systems where they were born, and those whose ancestors came much later after a civilization was created and a nation was established. Logic tells me that there could not have been the opportunity that existed for the second group, actual “immigrants” as opposed to “emigrants”, had it not been for the hardships suffered, and actions taken by those earlier settlers, who, along with their descendants, were responsible for the establishment of a “nation” and whose central government then eventually decided to restrict the flow of those who would be allowed to enter the “land of opportunity”.

In the beginning the intention of the new government of the United States of America was to encourage others to come and become a part of America. The process was “unfettered” for quite some time but as the need to manage the quantity and quality of the immigrants allow into the country changed, laws were promulgated and regulations written to implement those laws. But today it shouldn’t really matter how we collected the legal citizenry to this point, only that we need to maintain the integrity of a sane growth process to keep America on a path that will provide the same level of opportunity that has existed in the past for future generations.

Less Rhetoric – More Action

Today, as a top heavy bureaucracy, we find ourselves mired in a collection of “catch 22’s” that has almost every American Citizen searching for any semblance of sanity in our immigration policy.

Shouldn’t we just recognize that much of what is driving the debate is senseless rhetoric and take the necessary steps to impose the controls that will provide for the safety and integrity of the American Culture for the benefit of American Citizens?

Shouldn’t the debate be as to whether or not the “American Dream” or “land of opportunity” can be preserved and remain a viable, vibrant opportunity generator for those who qualify for Legal Citizenship?

Cultural Survival
by
Bill Reid

Occasionally I am moved to publish my thoughts because the message is one that seems impossible to articulate to the targeted audience. This article is one of those and the audience is "young Americans". Young Americans, at this point in my life, are those who fall in the 18 to 45 age group.

As I look back over my 67 years I find that my thinking has evolved from almost total self indulgence to, now, being much more thoughtful and all encompassing in nature. I think the progression of awareness that I am trying to describe here is simply human nature taking it's course, though there are always exceptions to every rule.

When we are young we are caught up in comparisons to others and seem to have less respect for the opinions and observations of others. We generally go about life haphazardly, based on the current whims of society, seeking to satisfy our perceived "needs" and "wants", rather than applying our skills and talents toward the betterment of mankind at large. Ultimately, however, life demands that we begin to, at some point, pay attention to what is going on around us and make a meaningful contribution.

The reason I feel that the message in this article is so important is because I understand all too well how fleeting life is, and how much of it I wasted with my own self indulgence. What I am attempting to do here is sound a warning to all those "young Americans" out there who, whether they realize it or not, are following a similar path and are missing their opportunity to make a difference in the evolution of mankind in this world.

Cultural Preservation

Yes, there is career, and family, and all the other facets of life that must be a part of everyone’s existence. But there is also something much bigger and infinitely more important that is commonly overlooked. And that is the maintenance of our culture.

One of the most important parts of every culture is its dominant religion. As one who subscribes to the Christian faith, I find that most Christians are very tolerant. It is part of our religion. Not all religions teach tolerance. This brings me to the very core of the reason for this article. There is a huge fundamental difference between Christians and Muslims and that difference is tolerance.

I am not a religious scholar and I don't profess to be any kind of expert on religions of any kind. However, I have become keenly aware over the last 20 to 25 years of the effort that is being made by some Muslims, who practice the most intolerant version of Islam, to force their faith and will upon all other people of the world. Not just Christians. All other religions. They are emphatic in their belief that Islam will be the only religion of the world, and they are embarked upon a "holy war" or "Jihad" to make that goal a reality.

I doubt that there is a religion anywhere in the world, and this statement will include atheists and agnostics as well, who do not seek to grow their numbers. Every religion goes about that task in their own way. Most are peaceful and non-threatening. The radical element of Islam does not seek to expand its numbers by peaceful methods. To the contrary, the "radical Jihadists" are working day and night to impose their radical beliefs on all other people in the world by the application of terror as their principle weapon. Destruction of the cultures that harbor the "other" religions of the world will become the ultimate end result of their "holy war".

A War of Terror

The use of terror as a weapon against a perceived enemy is not new. It has existed in one form or another throughout the history of mankind. Why does this most inhumane types of warfare still exist today. The answer is...because it works. Terror intimidates masses of people, millions at a time, with just one horrific event. The more horrific the better. The more unbelievable, the better. The more carnage and destruction, the better.

The Disadvantage of Being Civilized

The problem that Americans are faced with today is twofold. First, we are predominantly a Christian nation that believes in being tolerant and forgiving. Radical Islamists are neither. Secondly, our attempt to "level the playing field" or "bring about equality" in our American Society by codifying and applying moralistic laws has put America at a distinct disadvantage as we go about trying to defend ourselves against the terroristic attacks of those radical elements of Islam or the "Jihadists".

Couple the preceding limitations with yet another fact of life today in America and other freedom loving nations of the West. It is now becoming alarmingly obvious that there has been another "front" in the war being prosecuted by the "Jihadists" that has gone undetected for many years now. The second "front" isn't any less important than the "terror operations" of the main "front", in fact, it might be the more important of the two.

Conversion and radicalization of young Americans and others, including their own children, by indoctrination is likely to have a cumulative effect of both pressure applied by those who are converted upon those they are seeking to convert, as well as an increase of the intimidated population who have yet to be converted. In other words, the loss of the will to resist the "Jihadists" efforts.

There Seems To Be No Hope

I know I am painting a bleak picture of the future. It makes me sad to realize that all we are suffering today around the world and here in America has evolved during my lifetime to this point. I ask myself quite often, "How could this have been happening and I was so unaware of its existence?" Could it be because I was more focused, first on my own self indulgence, then absorbed in the business of providing for my family and other interests that now seem so insignificant by comparison? I think part of the problem was just me not paying attention. Looking back I can see so many things that I might have done to help preserve our way of life, such as being more involved in church activities, youth programs, political activities, and even more time spent in an effort to "home educate" my own children to help them better understand the importance of maintaining our way of life, including the preservation of our "God given rights" and our "Constitutional rights".

There are also other reasons that could be the subjects of complete articles of their own, and some of those are that the main stream media outlets and politicians during that time of my life were working hard to ignore the warning signs. Another issue would be that we, here in America, were at the pinnacle of our military power and there was no need to "fear" these isolated incidents of terror. We could easily overwhelm any enemy. But now it is clear, it is very difficult to engage an enemy that you cannot identify and who has no "national" affiliation.

Global Corporatism

There is also the issue of world economics and the capitalist tendency, which has been both boon and bane to America, to ignore the political ambitions of dictators and tyrants, and now "Jihadists", in favor of capturing more profits and creating global enterprises with little allegiance to any nation or government.

We all know that money is the fundamental driving factor in the development of the civilized world. The judgment of those who subscribe to the philosophy that "money is power" will be clouded by greed. They believe that the more money one has, the more powerful they become. The truth is that the wealthy do live in styles that most common men will never enjoy; however, there is also another truth that seems to elude the wealthy, and that is that they will have no better chance of surviving a massive terror attack than all the others who happen to be within striking range of the event. Having more money will not immunize anyone from the wrath of the "radical Jihadists".

Is There A Solution?

I think the answer is yes. There is hope for the civilized world, but a successful campaign against the "radical Jihadists" will never have a total and final solution. An acceptable resolution of today’s crisis will come at a price, both in terms of life itself, and time and treasure to get the job done. Above all, young Americans must become involved in the struggle to help stem the momentum that is currently in favor of the "radical Islamic Terrorists". The question is, where do they start? The problem has been allowed to develop for many years and will not be stamped out in just a few years, maybe not even in a few decades. The problem can be solved. It will require time. It will require money. It will demand persistence and dedication. It will not be easy and there is no guarantee of success just because Americans are part of a militarily powerful nation.

The Battle Before The Battle

Americans today, especially older Americans, are clearly divided politically. Not so much by parties, but by political philosophies. The two major elements of this political struggle are Liberals and Conservatives. Generally speaking, Liberals tend to believe in the "nanny state", big government taking care of every human need from cradle to grave. And Conservatives tend to believe in smaller government with the personal independence and freedom that is secured with by their own personal responsibility.

In my opinion, before any battle can be waged and won against the "radical Islamists", there needs to be a settlement of differences between the Liberal and Conservative elements of America.

It is clear to me that a total takeover of Liberal policies will soon relegate America to a chaotic state that is beholden to other powers in the world. China is on the rise and could become the dominant power within just a few years if current trends hold and Americans fail to rise to the challenge.
It is also clear to me that policies which produce a pure Conservative state could lead to just as disastrous results. There needs to be a balance of the two for this Republic to survive and currently the trend toward Liberalism is where the momentum lies. Common sense must prevail or America will die by suicide.

A United "Young America" Can Win

Older Americans, like me, will be non-factors in the battle against the "radical Jihadists" to the extent that we don't have the physical energy required for the dedication and persistence that will be required of our populace in the battle. The problem began on our watch and we missed our opportunity to "nip it in the bud" in its infancy. My generation has failed in our duty to maintain the strength of character to do what is necessary to win a "religious war". The enemy understands that this war is "generational". America's leaders and many of its citizens do not grasp the concept of a "generational struggle".

If we are to prevail, young Americans must become aware of the seriousness of the situation, both on the home front with the upswing of "liberalism", and the "war of terror" that surely exists between all civilized nations and the "radical Islamists".

Secondly, they must resolve to take whatever steps are necessary to make life untenable for those who would terrorize and kill innocents in their quest for religious supremacy. That could mean doing some things militarily that seem extreme. It could actually mean "fighting fire with fire".

Finally, our young Americans are waging this new kind of war against the "Islamic Jihadists", they must teach their young that the war will continue beyond their life time and they must "engage" the enemy in any way that they can and do all they can to stop the "Jihadist" movement. Why must we do so? Because the "Jihadists" are well into their indoctrination of their young, teaching them to "kill" non-believers. Promoting terrorism.

Urgency Requires Action

There is no time to waste. The frequency and boldness of the terrorists’ attacks and attempted attacks demand that no time be wasted in mobilizing the American psyche for the battle that is already underway. The attacks of September 11, 2001 should have been the rallying point, but it turned out not to be for many Americans, old and young alike. Unlike the swell of patriotism subsequent to the attack of the Japanese on Pearl Harbor in 1941, the patriotic zeal that was created by the attacks of 9/11 quickly waned and soon it was back to politics and life as usual for many.

I hope this article will strike a spark among our young Americans, who will then take up the fight. Most of us will not be able to participate in the military as a combatant, but all of us have the ability to engage in the process of creating a national resistance to this attempted destruction of America and the American Dream.
One of those ways is to take up the pen or any other method of communication to join the national discussion of this most important issue. Our cultural survival depends on it, so I urge anyone who believes, as I do, that we have to take whatever action we can, to find a way to “engage” in the battle, and do it now.