Speaking about illegal immigration Chaim of LIFE-of-RUBIN ask us to iimagine this:
A person breaks into your home through a unlocked window in the basement. He comes into your home without our permission. He takes food from your fridge and sleeps in your home. You don't actively try to make him leave, instead he agrees to do work around the house to contribute. Yet he refuses to learn how to communicate in your language and then takes priceless family heirlooms and redecorates them without asking. Then he demands you accept it and make him a permanent member of your family. While you are deciding what to do, in order to show you how important you should think he is to your homes survival he not only stops working but encourages all other members of your family to stop working. He tries to cause you financial harm and shut down your home.
Fabulous analogy Chaim, except that it's delirious. (Was that too harsh? Read on and be the judge.)
For starters, you omit to mention that Mexicans are flooding into this county not because they (like the layabout in your parable) seek a free ride of some kind, but because American businessmen and homeowners persist in waving the considerable carrot of unimaginably large salaries. The millions of Americans who hire illegal immigrants are complicit in their offense.
Now let's talk about those "priceless family heirlooms." Do you mean the Star Spangled Banner? The song set to an old English pub tune to celebrate the least important battle of our least important war? A song that says nothing about America, it's natural beauty or it's great values? The song with three stanzas most Americans don't know exist? A song, that so inspired the American people that we waited over 100 years - until 1931 - to make it our official anthem? That "priceless family heirloom?"
And unlike the layabout in your example who "redecorates [family heirlooms] without asking" the hard working and patriotic immigrant is simply singing a song about his new home in a language he knows. He hasn't inalterably damaged the song. It's not anything like breaking an old family vase, as you suggest. The song still exists, and you can still sing it in English anytime you like.
Incidently, Chaim, when was the last time you sang the Star Spangled Banner? I don't mean to prejudge, Chaim, but if you're like more Orthodox Jews, you only know the SSB as the opening act of a baseball game, and the closing act of a long night of television watching. A priceless heirloom, indeed
Look, Chaim, I don't mean to be rude. In fact, I can help. If you're looking to heep scorn on a pernicious group of outsiders who disrespect the United States by refusing to pay taxes or learn English* and never ever display the flag during public assembly, on their buildings or on their houses, even on the days required by Sec 6 (d) of the US Flag Code I invite you to join me this Shabbos in shul.
That's right: we have met the enemy and he is us.
[*Generalizations made in reply to Chaim's generalizations about Mexicans]
