Coming to America
Over at the Boston Phoenix, Dan Kennedy's Media Log has this post up with an e-mail from a reader defending local talk show host, Jay Severin's use of the term 'wetback' in referring to Mexicans entering this country illegally. I'm not a regular reader of the Phoenix, as its Bush-hating liberal slant does little to pull me into its pages with any kind of regularity, but Kennedy is right on target here, as far as this particular issue is concerned.
The labeling of illegal aliens from Mexico as 'wetbacks' is, indeed, racist and derogatory. But what I find equally offensive, which Kennedy conveniently fails to address, is the blanket use of 'undocumented workers', which has become the standard terminology adopted by theblatantly liberal mainstream media. Katie Couric on the Today Show was doing an interview on this subject a while back and actually had to correct herself in mid-sentence (and I'm paraphrasing here as I don't have the transcript of the show), "...so with regards to the illeg...undocumented workers in this country...". Nice save, Katie.
News Flash: Not ALL immigrants coming into our country through illegal means are doing so to find work and provide for their struggling families back home. Likewise, not ALL immigrants are coming into our country to take advantage of our freedom and liberty, or stage terrorist plots against us.
Current American immigration policy allows for people to enter the United States through legal means, to get a quality education, or get a job and become a productive, tax-paying member of society. To gloss over the illegal immigration problem we are facing isn't doing anyone any favors, except those who would flagrantly violate our laws. Yet those who speak out against ILLEGAL immigration are routinely labeled as anti-immigrant racists.
This country was built by people fleeing their homelands to find a better life for themselves and their families. It is important that this tradition be allowed to continue, but as long as we're a nation of laws, the laws must be upheld and respected by all who wish to join us.
The labeling of illegal aliens from Mexico as 'wetbacks' is, indeed, racist and derogatory. But what I find equally offensive, which Kennedy conveniently fails to address, is the blanket use of 'undocumented workers', which has become the standard terminology adopted by the
News Flash: Not ALL immigrants coming into our country through illegal means are doing so to find work and provide for their struggling families back home. Likewise, not ALL immigrants are coming into our country to take advantage of our freedom and liberty, or stage terrorist plots against us.
Current American immigration policy allows for people to enter the United States through legal means, to get a quality education, or get a job and become a productive, tax-paying member of society. To gloss over the illegal immigration problem we are facing isn't doing anyone any favors, except those who would flagrantly violate our laws. Yet those who speak out against ILLEGAL immigration are routinely labeled as anti-immigrant racists.
This country was built by people fleeing their homelands to find a better life for themselves and their families. It is important that this tradition be allowed to continue, but as long as we're a nation of laws, the laws must be upheld and respected by all who wish to join us.
