A cardinal at the Vatican has called a planned fence between the US and Mexico "InHuman", according to this Reuters story.
"Speaking of borders, I must unfortunately say that in a world that greeted the fall of the Berlin Wall with joy, new walls are being built between neighborhood and neighborhood, city and city, nation and nation," said Martino, head of the Vatican's Council for Justice and Peace.
So says the man who lives in a country that is SURROUNDED BY A WALL.
Controlled immigration is the foundation of national sovereignty. It is impossible to have sovereignty without the ability to control the population levels, and ensure that immigrants meld into society.
My father was an immigrant, from Greece. He came here over 50 years ago, and still speaks with a heavy accent. But he is integrated into our society. I have spent my life studying foreign cultures and languages. I speak French and Japanese (and a smattering of Spanish) in addition to the obvious English.I love travelling the world and learning from other cultures. So I do not say this as a xenophobe.
Immigrants bring incredible value to our contry. Language, music, art, food, history, politics, different viewpoints etc. And a succesfull nation does require steady (legal!) immigration. But there must be opportunity for fair immigration from all parts of the world, and for high value immigrants who will contribute to and grow our society. It is unfair to the United States, it is unfair to every immigrant who waited their turn, it is unfair to every would-be immigrant still waiting.
Print | posted on Tuesday, November 14, 2006 10:03 AM