Gangs of New York

Finally saw Scorcese’s movie, Gangs of New York. I saw the television version, and even that was quite brutal. I was fascinated with how barbaric we were as a nation. Reminded me of what some of what we see now going on in the Middle East. Even the fight for the rights of immigrants rang very true to today (see previous post). The absolute best quote came from Leonardo Di Caprio’s character when was discussing the power of a movement (in this case the rise of the Irish immigrants fighting for their rights to be seen as equals):

“The earth turns, but we don’t feel it move. Then one night you look up, one spark, and the sky is on fire.

The past is the torch that lights our way. Where our fathers have shone us the path. We shall follow. Our faith is the weapon most feared by our enemies, for thereby shall we lift our people up against those who would destroy us.

Our name is called the dead rabbits to remind all of our suffering and is a call to those who suffer still to join our ranks however so far they may have strayed from our common home across the sea. For with great numbers must come great strength and the salvation of our people.”

Another great quote: “Fortune favors the bold.”

Immigration- Don’t Come, But If You Do We’ll Pay You

In light of the recent clashes in Los Angeles about immigration along with the tightening of laws in Oklahoma, I thought I would re-post some thoughts on the subject of immigration which I posted last year. See below:

Tuesday, March 28, 2006

Currently Watching: A Day Without a Mexican

DON’T COME, BUT IF YOU DO WE’LL PAY YOU
Living in Los Angeles, a city founded by Mexicans and that is 50% Latino, we have a lot of friends who are Hispanic and Latino. Almost all of our neighbors are Latino. When we moved to LA from Seattle, we were surprised to discover so many Latinos who had been in LA for 4 or 5 or even 6 generations. In Caleb’s class he is the only white kid with all of the rest being Latino. (I once overheard some of the moms refer to Caleb as “Blancito,” the little white boy).

When it comes to immigration, I am way more on the side of those who are pushing towards amnesty. I was disappointed in Pres. Bush. He is actually way more moderate on this issue than many of his Republican counterparts, but I could have sworn he used to be pro-amnesty when he first took office. I guess the political pressure from the conservatives helped him change his mind.

On Saturday, we drove into downtown LA to join the Rally opposing the anti-immigration bill currently in the Senate, a bill which would force illegal immigrants to leave within 5 years. There were 500,000 people! We ended up just driving around the periphery rather than stopping since we had our kids, came too late after Caleb’s teeball game, and we weren’t wearing white shirts (no one sent us the memo). It was amazing to see so many people even just on the periphery and then to see the multitudes on the news that night!

We actually watched A Day Without A Mexican in honor of the protests. Unfortunately, it is a poorly made movie that seems to be too preachy. I loved the premise, but a funny short film had trouble expanding into a full length feature film. I was disappointed it wasn’t good, I was really hoping it would be.

It may seem odd to support legalizing illegal immigrants, but I have always thought it was odd how things actually work in California. 1/3 of our entire state is Latino. There are about 2 million illegal immigrants in CA, most of these illegal immigrants are migrant farm workers, cooks in restaurants, or ready to help with construction projects. Without their willingness to do jobs most people wouldn’t be willing to do, our economy would suffer dramatically here in CA. It seems politicians are only willing to enforce the laws which make them seem tough at the time. It has always seemed that immigration from Central and South America has been more of a “don’t ask, don’t tell” situation. You aren’t allowed to come, but if you do here’s a job. My hope is the politicians will actually create immigration laws which reflect how society actually works. Apparently, John McCain has an alternative bill which is supported by the Democratic mayor of L.A.. We shall see!