I recently had an opportunity to take several taxi cabs rides in our Nation’s Capital. Each driver was an immigrant to this country. One was an elderly guy from Persia ,...not Iran, but Persia he stated emphatically. We talked about the events in Iran circa 1979 which brought the Islamic fundamentalists to power. This taxi driver was impressed that I understood a little of his Country’s history, but what was important was his perception of Americans. He told me that most American’s do not appreciate what opportunities and freedoms they have in this country. Boy, ain't he right!
I rode in another Taxi Cab with a young (maybe mid 20’s) Jamaican driver. Aside from his choice of music (rap) he was a pretty smart young man. He too said that young Americans squander their opportunity and don’t realize the things they take for granted that most countries wish to have.
And yet another Taxi Cab ride from an Ethiopian immigrant got me involved in a discussion on why the U.S. doesn’t secure it’s borders and arrest all the illegals and send them home. This conversation was on the morning after a Border Patrol agent was shot and killed by armed smugglers in Arizona, who as it turns out were Mexican Nationals. My driver thought it was a simple case of rounding up all the Mexicans and deporting them. I explained to this driver that we have constitutional rights and due process, and, that the law enforcement agencies have different levels of statutory authority and jurisdictions where local and state police do not routinely enforce or provide support for the enforcement of immigration laws and that racial profiling is illegal. He was perturbed, as you and I are, that the Federal government doesn't do more to secure the borders.
Damn shame where immigrants are much more grateful of this Country and it's opportunities than the people living here are.
