POLAND-ROOTS-L Archives

Archiver > POLAND-ROOTS > 2002-05 > 1021502138


From: "Alan J. Kania" <>
Subject: [POLAND] Language
Date: Wed, 15 May 2002 16:35:38 -0600
In-Reply-To: <61.1fcb67c5.2a143368@aol.com>


Yeah! Let's send them all back where they came from! Darn free-loaders!

Wow -- I remember campaigns in the 50s to be more tolerant of
immigrants. My grandparents from Poland and Lithuania arrived at the
turn of the century unable to read or write their native language. They
were simple farm folks but made a lasting contribution in their American
community. They accepted the hospitality of their new country and
eventually became naturalized citizens. They raised families who also
made positive contributions to this new land.

They also had to put up with ignorance from those who made fun of my
grandparents for not knowing English for the 50-60 years they lived in
this country, addressed them with ethnic slurs, beat them up for having
better work ethics than some good red-blooded native born Americans, and
were also called a bunch of free-loaders because they eventually had to
accept handouts when the mills closed.

I'm getting very concerned with the lack of tolerance for immigrants
that's showing up on this list. For cryin' out loud folks -- we talk
about celebrations of Christian holidays and don't demonstrate a little
Christian compassion. And when you consider this is a group that's
trying to understand what our ancestors experienced when they immigrated
to this country, we're starting to demonstrate the same intolerance that
they must have experienced.

"We have met the enemy, and he is us." -- Pogo

-- Alan


-----Original Message-----
From: [mailto:]
Sent: Wednesday, May 15, 2002 3:56 PM
To:
Subject: Re: [POLAND] Re: POLAND-ROOTS-D Digest V02 #469

My ancestors knew the English language when they arrived in the US,
those
that did not learned it within a year. There are people today that do
not
want to learn the English language just live here and receive things for

free.




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