Finding the Impossible Dream for all “Americans”; Illegal Immigration & the DREAM Act

I’m extremely passionate about immigration reform and in defending the social justice issues for all immigrants in this country (whether they be here legally or illegally).  I am a fourth generation immigrant in this country. My family immigrated here from Italy and Sweden legally only as a formality.  At the time of their immigration to this country, restrictions against immigration were not what they are today. Back then anyone who could get here was granted legal status. My ancestors were poor and came to this country for the same reasons the millions of other immigrants came here, because they wanted a better life and opportunity for their family. I am afforded the opportunities this country gives solely because my ancestors came here.

We can argue over the politics of immigration and the strain on resources illegals put on this country. The truth is this country has always been dependent on immigration for its labor (from the slaves of our first century to European and Asian immigrants during our second century).  People argue that illegals are taking jobs away from Americans. Well, attention Wal-Mart shoppers every time you put something made in China into your cart – you’re also contributed to lost American jobs. I also highly doubt those who feel illegals are taking American jobs would be willing to pay $4 a lb. for a head of American picked lettuce

Immigration labor is as much a part of America as anything else. We didn’t send all the slaves back on ships to Africa after the Civil War and we’re not about to deport the millions here illegally We don’t have the resources to do it and our economy is far too dependent on the cheap labor. We’re broke as it is and our military is stretched far too thin for us to start rounding up illegals.

Speaking of our military, are you aware that 8% of our active personnel in the military is made up of foreign-born soldiers (of which 13% are illegals)? Does it seem justifiable for men and women to serve and die for this country and not be granted citizenship? Should children brought here illegally by their parents be punished for these actions as adults? The DREAM Act legislation hopes to create a conditional path to citizenship for these types of residents. We definitely need immigration reform and the DREAM Act hints at what this could look like. Read my Examiner article about it and let me know what you think.

Click here for my Examiner article on the DREAM Act

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“Should Religion be Blamed for Gay-Teen Suicides & Bullying?”

Here’s my latest National posting….check it out. The subject matter seems to be hitting a nerve with people as I have been locked in a semi-private debate with another writer on the subject. Check out the article and let me know where you stand?

Examiner Article on Religion & Gay-Suicides

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First National Article Posted: “America’s New Reality; Rich Get Richer & Middle-Class Become the Poor!

My first national article for Examiner finally posted. It’s been a trying week and feels like a whole new ball game. The national competition for readers is fierce. My article is buried on the national website but that was to be expected. And, truthfully, it’s not my favorite piece  but there are more hoops to jump through to get the first piece approved. Getting this one up actually took so much longer than I expected that I feel like I missed some good opportunity for other stories this week. We’ll see what next week brings. Click the link below to read it. BTW – it looks like they stretched my photo to fit the space. LOL…I really didn’t need my face to be stretched. You can see the different between my Inland Empire profile picture and the national one. There’s both the same photo.

Click Here for National Examiner Article

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My Column Goes National!

Examiner.com has selected my column to go national. I will be the new National Religion & Politics Examiner for the website. It’s a huge honor for me to cover the national scene with regards to religion and politics. It will also mean an increase in readership for my column since it will be on a national level and not just on the local portal. I will have more details when my first national column is posted (probably next week). I will still be covering some local issues for the Inland Empire but I’m excited for this new national column to get me greater exposure. Thanks to all of you who have faithfully been reading the column. I really appreciate the support.

Click here for a link to my current column

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Quote: “Nature is my manifestation of God. I go to nature every day for inspiration in the day’s work.” Frank Lloyd Wright

I love this quote. Wright was a creator in his own right but respected nature enough to design his creations in a way that they paid respect and blended with their natural surroundings and  were designed to bring nature in. Wright (like all of us) was a deeply flawed man. While religion was not always the center stone of his life, he was still a believer. This quote is a reminder for us that if we want to see proof in God’s providence we need to only go outside and look at the wonders of nature.

I think all of us can picture that perfect natural place on earth that takes our breath away. I’ve always been a beach lover but for me the most beautiful cathedral on this planet is the Yosemite Valley. No perfect a church then the one God created himself. You don’t go there and marvel at the countless wonders of God’s perfect place of worship and say, “Wow, can you believe all this happened by chance. What a wonderful world.”

I find it hard for anyone to look at the many monuments of the Yosemite Valley and not be inspired by a creator greater than ourselves. Being there is a soulful experience. You feel it deep inside your chest. You see it all before you and yet you still don’t fully believe what you see is real. How could it be? It’s impossible. It’s improvable. You want proof that God exists? Go to Yosemite and talk to me exclusively about erosion and the way the landscape was formed by its own makings without a guiding hand. I dare you!

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Inspiration from “Free to Be…You & Me”

For the past two-weeks, my Examiner articles have focused on one issue – Muslim-Americans. I’ve pretty much exhausted the topic from every angle. I did it because the subject manner has been extremely hot and some of the articles became my most read in months.

Today, I posted (after Examiner encouraged us to post more articles) a recap of what I am now calling a series of articles on the subject. The title is “Muslims & Christians, Christians & Muslims, Ain’t We, Everyone” and was inspired by the song “Brothers and Sisters” from the “Free To Be…You and Me” children’s album and special from  the 1970s (when I was a kid).  I found the album’s message of unity, peace and acceptance a perfect tie in to the series in which I was encouraging Christian acceptance of Muslim’s being allowed to build places of worship in this free country.

While today’s article is lacking in true content (lazy I know), it is a nice hub for the articles in the series and includes some fun nostalgic memories from my own childhood. Certainly some will think the series is nothing more than a Kumbaya,  “Can’t we all just get a long,” naive approach but I find  the best ideas are often the simplest. They are also usually the ones no one every tries.

Examiner Article \”Muslims & Christians, Christians & Muslims, Ain\’t We, Everyone\”

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