Making Room at America's Inn for All God's Children

sigh...

you stated exact quotes here...





you added "user defined" later on.

but we digress... lets get back to the poor children shan't we?

I say welcome to America, this country is big enough for all of us.

I completely understand and respect where you are coming from, ingelein. I didn't mean to make light of your family's history. I was referring to several hundred years ago, and the 'Manifest Destiny', not displaced people who were kicked out of their homeland by an evil madman's policies. Please know that.

And I agree with you that it's reasonable to ask people to learn English if they come here to live. That's perfectly fine, and it benefits both citizen and immigrant. And it DOES show gratitude to a country that allows you to live here. On this I agree with you wholeheartedly.

I don't think it's unreasonable to give people say 3-5 years (maybe more, maybe less) to prove they can speak English once they've established residency. I agree with English-immersion. It's the best way. Immersion is how I learned Spanish, and I don't speak it with an American accent. I completely agree that people (especially kids, the little sponges) may struggle for a few weeks, but after that will be almost flawless speakers. I've seen it over and over.

Thanks, I am still so many years later sensitive about this, strange huh? I remember kids across the street yelling,"NAZI, GO HOME" to us, I ran in inside and asked my mother "what is a nazi and why do they want us to go home, isn't this our home?", she just cried.

Oh Lord, how terrible. I think it's perfectly understandable for you to be sensitive about things like that years after they happen.