Recently, I had the honor to be involved in the opening of the Finnish Heritage Museum in Fairport Harbor, Ohio. This fledgling Museum, this cultural jewel on Lake Erie is a very positive development and it stands as an example of how one ethnic group has worked to keep their culture, music, history and language alive so that succeeding generations may remember the struggles, triumphs and joys of their immigrant forefathers.
Northeast Ohio has a very exciting history, rich with the diversity of the many ethnicities that have come to call Northeast Ohio HOME! One common thread connects us all: Our ancestors came here to find a better life for themselves and their families....we must never forget that basic truth!
Those of us in Lake County are particularly blessed, in that our community is being enriched by the arrival of immigrants from Mexico, who bring with them enthusiasm for our entrepreneurial traditions, love of family and the toughness to start a new life, regardless of the obstacles put before them. While these folks are not really "newcomers" (They are more closely related to the original Americans than most of us) hopefully, in the near future, they too will have a place where they can come to remember and reflect on their heritage.
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Thursday, June 21, 2007
ICE Crackdown on "Illegals"
Imagine this scenario: You come home from work and your spouse is gone, carted away by plainclothes, government agents, and you are not told where they have been taken. Your children are questioned on their way to school and threatened if they don't give information about their neighbors. Your grandchild is taken from your daughter and you have to appear at a government office to get the baby returned.
Where did this take place? Hitler's Germany in the thirties? Mao's China? Stalin's purges? No! These violations of personal freedom and dignity allegedly took place in Lake County, Ohio in May, 2007. Supposedly a crackdown on illegal immigrants ( a euphonism for Mexicans ), individuals were targeted because they "looked" Hispanic . It appears that human rights were violated, with no warrants, and that these alleged actions took place because certain special interest groups pressured the immigration authorities. The "crime" committed by these individuals was that they sought a better life for their families. Precisely the reason this country was founded.
Since our government no longer takes the high moral ground and has pretty much given up on recruiting people capable of critical and moral thinking , and uses our young people (including a disproportionate number of Hispanics and Blacks) as fodder for a war based on economic considerations, we have to be more vigilant. Our form of government has worked well up to a point, but it cannot continue if it becomes non-representative, made that way by our apathy and our obsession with ease and with ourselves. Just as a soul can be possessed by demons when there is a spiritual vacuum, so too can greed and ignorance befoul the body politic when reason and compassion are no longer present. Who will be the next group to be singled out? Blacks? Arabs? Asians? You? Me?
Where did this take place? Hitler's Germany in the thirties? Mao's China? Stalin's purges? No! These violations of personal freedom and dignity allegedly took place in Lake County, Ohio in May, 2007. Supposedly a crackdown on illegal immigrants ( a euphonism for Mexicans ), individuals were targeted because they "looked" Hispanic . It appears that human rights were violated, with no warrants, and that these alleged actions took place because certain special interest groups pressured the immigration authorities. The "crime" committed by these individuals was that they sought a better life for their families. Precisely the reason this country was founded.
Since our government no longer takes the high moral ground and has pretty much given up on recruiting people capable of critical and moral thinking , and uses our young people (including a disproportionate number of Hispanics and Blacks) as fodder for a war based on economic considerations, we have to be more vigilant. Our form of government has worked well up to a point, but it cannot continue if it becomes non-representative, made that way by our apathy and our obsession with ease and with ourselves. Just as a soul can be possessed by demons when there is a spiritual vacuum, so too can greed and ignorance befoul the body politic when reason and compassion are no longer present. Who will be the next group to be singled out? Blacks? Arabs? Asians? You? Me?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
