Can Lady Liberty's message be the same in an age of Islamic extremists ?

"Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me. I lift my lamp beside the golden door." Will the door remain open, or will American immigration policy change?


KJW: The times they are a changin'

In August 2006, Peter Costello, the Australian Treasurer, stated: "What I've said is that this is a country, which is founded on a democracy. According to our Constitution, we have a secular state. Our laws are made by the Australian Parliament. If those are not your values, if you want a country which has Sharia law or a theocratic state, then Australia is not for you . . . there are some clerics who have been quoted as saying they recognize two laws. They recognize Australian law and Sharia law. There's only one law in Australia, it's the Australian law. For those coming to Australia, I think we ought to be very clear about that. That's what we ask of people that come to Australia and if they don't, then it's very clear that this is not the country - if they can't live with them - whose values they can't share. Well, there might be another country where their values can be shared."

In my prior entry I noted that British opinion polls indicate that in certain areas nearly have of the Muslim immigrants identified themselves as Muslim first and British second. This is perceived by some as part of the problem in Britain since these immigrants are not being assimilated.

Are Americans truly different in this regard? If you asked most Americans to rank in order of importance to them God and America, don't you think that most respondents would rank them in that order - 1. God, and, 2. America. Even though I believe that to be true there is a distinction that is important. I don't believe that most Americans would say that they are a Catholic, Baptist, Mormon, or (insert your own religion) first and an American second. I believe Americans see religion as part of their life and not who they are. Now don't get me wrong, each of these groups would like to effect changes to our society, but I don't think that they are looking to fundamentally redesign our government.

We would be kidding ourselves if we did not acknowledge that fundamental change is a goal of Islamic extremists. While the overwhelming majority of Muslims are peace loving persons who do not embrace violence as a means of spreading Islam, there does remain a growing segment of Islamic extremists who believe that the ends justify the means. The ends that they seek is for the world to be one big Islamic state.

So is Australian Treasurer, Peter Costello, just saying what many are thinking? In this world of political correctness is an "America - love it or leave it" position acceptable? I grew up in the south in the 60's and 70's. I frequently saw "love it or leave it" bumper stickers on the back of pickup trucks driven by stereotypical rednecks. I am sure it arose in response to the Vietnam anti-war movement. To me it always meant never question the actions of the government. I always dismissed the people as being uneducated sheep who couldn't think for themselves.

The First Amendment to the Constitution guarantees us the right to "petition the Government for a redress of grievances". I believe that it is our duty to stand up and say when we think our government is not doing things right. That was true during the Vietnam war and that is true now (if you doubt this to be the case check the results from last week's election).

Nevertheless, can our policies toward immigration and those already here legally afford not to change in light of the current state of the world? I think not. I believe that allowing immigration to America is a fundamental part of who we are as a country. However, to paraphrase Australian Treasurer, Peter Costello, I believe that America is a country which is founded on a democracy. According to our Constitution, we have a secular state. Our laws are made by the people through Congress, not by religious leaders. If those are not your values, if you want a country which has Sharia law or a theocratic state, then America is not for you.

As Bob Dylan once wrote: "There's a battle outside, and it is ragin'. It'll soon shake your windows, and rattle your walls. For the times they are a-changin'."

We need to be ready for the change.

EJS:

It doesn't matter if you close the front door if the back door is torn off the hinges. This debate is meaningless unless the United States of America enforces it's sovereignty on the southern and northern borders. The bad news is, the only thing standing between us and full-fledged amnesty WAS the Republicans in the US House. Now with the Democrats taking over, we will have George Bush's amnesty program by March of next year, AND STILL NO WALL. Although the Secure Fence Act was passed, it only provides 700 miles of fence for 2000 miles of border. There is a little-known clause in the bill which says funds could also be used to create a "virtual wall" with sensors, cameras, drones, etc, INSTEAD of building an actual wall. So I will believe it when I see it. Since Reagan's amnesty program in 1986, the illegal immigrant population has increased from 4 million to 12-20 million. We are looking at another 50 million illegal immigrants without proper border enforcement. If a bathtub is overflowing, you have to turn off the spigot before you deal with the water already in the tub. Enforcement FIRST is the only intelligent solution to this problem. We shouldn't spend two cents on homeland security if we don't secure the border; it's a waste of money. Anyone can bring ANYTHING they want over either border right now. The possibilities are horrific to think about, but we cannot act like the threat isn't there. When we wake up one morning and we have lost the better part of one large American city, maybe then the politicians will get it, because the people will be ready to lynch them.