While reading David Coon’s opinion "Undocumented Students Using loopholes" in the Dec 7th issue of The Breeze, I found my self re-reading it several times. Not out of some deep profound understanding and empathy with Coon’s opinion, but out of confusion.I can respect, though not agree with his views on immigration. If you’re here illegally then you’re breaking the law. We’ve all heard this before. Especially after the September 11th attacks, when W. Bush declared war on everything. War on terrorism, Iraq, infrastructure, porn, drugs, alcoholism and even tacos for all I know.
Here though, Coon talks about eliminating two legal ways to become citizens. The first is completing a higher education and the other is serving in the United States Military. Either way would make the immigrants legal citizens and would make immigrants responsible for paying taxes. The fact that Coon would like to eliminate even the legal channels of immigration is not the only thing that bothers me about Coon’s opinion, but it’s enough.
When I look at a globe I do not see America, Iraq, Russia or China. I see Planet Earth. Shimmering in its entire celestial splendor. Our earth is home to over 6,692,030,277 human beings. So let’s try to treat each other as just that, human beings. Ultimately though, Coon's opinion is not a stand-alone commentary. There are a large number of people in the United States of America who show no interest in allowing others the same freedoms that they them self’s take advantage of everyday.
There was a time when the words "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…" meant something to this country.
