Reader Mail (border kids): I read your article this morning and it moved me to write back to you. Just so you know I have been a Republican since I proudly voted for Ronald Reagan in 1980 and I am a catholic. I am 58 years old and I am also the product of four Ukrainian grandparents all of whom came here before WW1 as teenagers. Three grandparents came into the country legally, one grandfather came here illegally. The three grandparents that came here legally came through Ellis Island in New York. The illegal alien grandfather made his way from the Ukraine to Havana as a 16 year old boy. After two years working as the house boy at a bordello he snuck unto a freighter bound for New Orleans. He spent seven days hiding in the coal bin without food or water. When the boat arrived in New Orleans and the crew members opened the coal bin they found an unconscious young man. The crew revived him and the captain made him work on the boat for six months to pay for his passage. After his six month servitude the captain released him in New Orleans. From there he made his way to Cleveland to a Ukrainian community that my other three grandparents had migrated to. There they became Americans and created a better life for their children and grandchildren. I currently live on the west coast of Florida. I spent years living on the east coast of FL in the Ft Lauderdale area. While living there I was an avid fisherman. On many occasions I found personal belongings floating in the water - things that had fallen off of rafts from people that had taken the perilous journey from Cuba or Haiti to have a better life in America. I always wondered whether the owners of those belongings made it to shore or did they die at sea trying to make a better life for themselves and their families? I used to tell friends that if I ever found anyone floating in a raft I was going to hid them in the cabin on my boat, smuggle them to shore and give each one 20 bucks and a hug and say good luck. I changed my tune when a fishing guide I knew told me if I was caught doing that it was an automatic 15 years in prison. You want to help someone have a better life and you are going to prison for it - amazing! I look at the attitude of both Republicans and Democrats and it sickens me to hear how both sides want to keep people out who are trying to make a better life for themselves and their families. Its the attitude of Im in - too bad - but your out. The very foundation and what makes this country great is that we take in whoever wants a better life! Immigrants give our country strength and they create prosperity. And as I mentioned earlier I am a Republican and I am also a businessman. My bottom line view is this - if you have the desire and drive to come to this country and you get in - you are not going to be sent back to where you came from. Freedom and a desire for a better life are what makes us human and unique. In regards to those children coming across the border I cannot believe we as a country do not have the ability to reunite those children with their parents if their parents are living here and not in hiding. If the parents are here and hiding in fear those children should be placed in foster homes until a family can be found to take them in. No one can call me a hypocrite on this comment as I have put my actions behind my mouth. I have two adopted children, one of Latin decent and am convinced beyond a doubt that people across this country would take those children in with open arms. As the Governor said - all the great religions teach us that you show hospitality to strangers - you dont turn them away cold heartedly - especially children. I was talking with my Democrat younger brother on Friday about these children and simultaneously we both said the same thing - My grandfather is an illegal alien.
Posted on: Mon, 21 Jul 2014 07:49:55 +0000
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