Legalize the Irish!

Hey All,

I realize that most of the people who bother to read this blog are currently on their spring breaks (Dan and Paul qualifying as "most"), but I thought I would post since a few things have popped into my mind.

As I mentioned in some of the first posts, I work in Washington, DC and living here provides you with unique opportunities to see what people across the country are worried about, thinking, and doing all in the name of making their lives, or sometimes the whole world, a little bit better. That darn first amendment right, "to petition the government for the redress of grievances," probably isn't going anywhere anytime soon, so I guess we might as well learn from the exercise of it and use for fodder here.

So, there was a seemingly major rally yesterday, though you probably didn't read about it any newspapers. It was about immigration. A lot, I mean A LOT of Latinos were outside the Capitol hoping, I gathered, to defeat some introduced legislation that would restrict immigration. Today, though, was the kicker for me. I ran into some guys with t-shirts that read :"Legalize The Irish . Org." The plug worked (as I'm sure it just did on you or at least should by now) and I honestly learned things I didn't know.

I think we can all agree that, Irish immigrants or immigrants from a Central American country, they should be treated the same. Here's the question: How should they be treated? Who is the face of immigration to you? Hard-working people who have been here and should be given some sort of credit for joining, in some ways, fueling the economy and are just trying to give their kids what we all got without trying? Or people, whether Irish or Latino, dodging customs officials and basically, breaking sensical and important laws? Remember we are living in the post 9-11 world here and immigration is no longer a cultural and economical issue.

I have to admit, I honestly don't know. So, read this as an APB. I'm busy at the moment with another area of interest I'm trying bone up on (by the way, everyone should read The Assassin's Gate by George Packer. A very good piece of journalism in my opinion). Here are my immigration-related questions: First, is there a difference between "illegal" and "undocumented" immigrants or is undocumented just a preferred term? Have immigration laws changed much in the last 100 years? I assume they have. You can't just pull up a barge full of Cognatos at the Statue of Liberty and say, "Hey! Everybody offa da boat! We a-going to a Norristown-a!" But I think it's important to look at the facts that differentiate the current generation of immigrants versus our (and I think that's basically all of our) parents, grandparents, and so on. I've heard that all the "legalize the Irish" Irish people came over in the 80's and 90's, so, if someone could explain this it would be helpful.

Like I said, I don't have a position yet. There's a lot of things to think about...We are all immigrants, but it's different country today, but do we want it to be, but do we treat Latino immigrants differently than others, but, well, we could go on I think.

Anyway, that's all I have for today. Two random things though: I was watching a PBS special yesterday about Johnny Cash and, with the movie that came out, I think it's really great those of us who didn't know much about the man get a chance too. What a great lyricist. Here's a link to what I think is his best song, all around: http://www.lyricsondemand.com/j/johnnycashlyrics/maninblacklyrics.html

Lastly, also on music, I want anyone reading this to take a minute to also reflect on this one lyric from a Rolling Stones song that just came on the radio: (from Honky Tonk Woman)

"I laid a divorcee in New York City/ I had to put up some kind of a fight/ The lady then she covered me with roses/ She blew my nose and then she blew my mind "