Back in 1900, when there was a rush from all areas of Europe to come to the United States, people had to get off a ship and stand in a long line in New York and be documented. Some would get down on their hands and knees and kiss the ground. They made a pledge to uphold the laws and support their new country in good and bad times. They made learning English a primary rule. They had waved goodbye to their birthplace to give their children a new life and did everything in their power to help their children assimilate into one culture. Nothing was handed to them. No free lunches, no welfare, no labor laws to protect them. All they had were their skills and craftsmanship they had brought with them to trade for a future of prosperity.

During World War II, none of the first generation Americans ever gave any though about what country their parents had come from. They were Americans, defending the United States of America. We carried the one flag that represented our country. Not one of those immigrant sons would have thought about picking up another country's flag and waving it to represent who they were. It would have been a disgrace to their parents who had sacrificed so much to be here. These immigrants truly knew what it meant to be an American.

Here we are with a new kind of immigrant, who wants the same rights and privileges. However, they want to achieve it by plaing with a different set of rules, one that includes the entitlement card and a guarantee of being faithful to their mother country. I'm sorry, that's not what being an American is all about. If they are here in America legally, they should kiss the ground they walk on.

Minnie Anzo,
Camarillo