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We are all Americans
Author: TriSec
Date: 10/13/2012 13:14:52
Good Morning....come with me on a bit of a journey today.
We'll start in Sicily, about 1908. A devastating earthquake levelled the city of Messina. Somehow, my 14-year-old great grandmother Angelina survived.
The following year, she boarded a ship to Ellis Island, New York...and made her way north to Boston, although not to the North End. She settled in the somewhat grittier East Boston, which was a working port and would eventually become part airport.
Fast-forward a few years to the other side of the world, on the Filipino island of Mindanao. After the Spanish-American war, these islands became a colony of the United States. It's part of family lore, but it seems unlikely that the Japanese were starting to eye the Philippines in the mid 1920s, but nevertheless my grandfather made the long journey from Manila to the West Coast. He eventually married and left a trail of random cousins across the US until he made his way to the Northeast....and decided he liked another lady better and divorced to marry my grandmother.
My father was born in New York City in 1934...and my mother is a war baby, debuting in Boston not long before the Cocoanut Grove Fire, saving my grandpa's life in the process.
But now we'll jump again....this time to a Caribbean island just 90 miles south of Key West. My Father-in-law actually went to university with Catsro and knew him slightly. When the revolution came, he packed his bags and left, before any of the travel restrictions came into play. He was already engaged to be married, but his bride was caught. Eventually, she got a travel visa to visit a cousin in Costa Rica, and stuffed everything she could into two suitcases and never went back.
Eventually, they made their way north to Boston and were married...settling far from the tropical breezes of their youth.
Somehow....the Great American Melting Pot did it's work, and all these things managed to intersect. Mrs. TriSec and I managed to get born...we lived our childhoods, and eventually crossed paths and decided we liked each other.
Not very long before we got married, a gentleman I have known since 8th grade decided to come out that he was gay. This didn't change a thing, and of course he stood for me as my Best Man. I am still waiting for my marriage to collapse because of this.
You know of our long and arduous journey to parenthood....and with Javi now turning 11, it's worth reminding everyone that we did go back to my ancestral homeland...and Javi is a pureblooded Malay from the island of Luzon.
I suppose it's a fairly typical American story I've just told you...but there is a point.
The GOP is against every single one of those things.
Immigration? Check.
Hispanics? Check.
Gays? Check.
"Brown" people? Check.
And of course, we're part of the struggling Middle Class, these days, so check that, too.
I do wonder what it is that makes me different from the "Americans" that the GOP is working to protect. While I never served, many of my elder relatives wore the Uniform of this country in war. I pay my taxes; I work with youth in my city for the betterment of society, I vote, I pay attention, I've run for public office....what more do I need to do?
We'll start in Sicily, about 1908. A devastating earthquake levelled the city of Messina. Somehow, my 14-year-old great grandmother Angelina survived.
The following year, she boarded a ship to Ellis Island, New York...and made her way north to Boston, although not to the North End. She settled in the somewhat grittier East Boston, which was a working port and would eventually become part airport.
Fast-forward a few years to the other side of the world, on the Filipino island of Mindanao. After the Spanish-American war, these islands became a colony of the United States. It's part of family lore, but it seems unlikely that the Japanese were starting to eye the Philippines in the mid 1920s, but nevertheless my grandfather made the long journey from Manila to the West Coast. He eventually married and left a trail of random cousins across the US until he made his way to the Northeast....and decided he liked another lady better and divorced to marry my grandmother.
My father was born in New York City in 1934...and my mother is a war baby, debuting in Boston not long before the Cocoanut Grove Fire, saving my grandpa's life in the process.
But now we'll jump again....this time to a Caribbean island just 90 miles south of Key West. My Father-in-law actually went to university with Catsro and knew him slightly. When the revolution came, he packed his bags and left, before any of the travel restrictions came into play. He was already engaged to be married, but his bride was caught. Eventually, she got a travel visa to visit a cousin in Costa Rica, and stuffed everything she could into two suitcases and never went back.
Eventually, they made their way north to Boston and were married...settling far from the tropical breezes of their youth.
Somehow....the Great American Melting Pot did it's work, and all these things managed to intersect. Mrs. TriSec and I managed to get born...we lived our childhoods, and eventually crossed paths and decided we liked each other.
Not very long before we got married, a gentleman I have known since 8th grade decided to come out that he was gay. This didn't change a thing, and of course he stood for me as my Best Man. I am still waiting for my marriage to collapse because of this.
You know of our long and arduous journey to parenthood....and with Javi now turning 11, it's worth reminding everyone that we did go back to my ancestral homeland...and Javi is a pureblooded Malay from the island of Luzon.
I suppose it's a fairly typical American story I've just told you...but there is a point.
The GOP is against every single one of those things.
Immigration? Check.
Hispanics? Check.
Gays? Check.
"Brown" people? Check.
And of course, we're part of the struggling Middle Class, these days, so check that, too.
I do wonder what it is that makes me different from the "Americans" that the GOP is working to protect. While I never served, many of my elder relatives wore the Uniform of this country in war. I pay my taxes; I work with youth in my city for the betterment of society, I vote, I pay attention, I've run for public office....what more do I need to do?
Comments:
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Comment by 
Raine on 10/13/2012 14:16:32
Raine on 10/13/2012 14:16:32
Tri,
This is an amazing post. Got something else for you to check: you now have a pre-existing condition. They were against that too....
This is an amazing post. Got something else for you to check: you now have a pre-existing condition. They were against that too....
Comment by 
BobR on 10/13/2012 14:30:46
BobR on 10/13/2012 14:30:46
Republicans are for immigration, so long as it's legal, and you arrive speaking perfect English, and don't take a job away from someone already here, and don't have too many babies (unless you're white), and it's preferably if you're Christian, although Jews are "okay".
Comment by 
Will in Chicago on 10/13/2012 18:28:48
First, TriSec, thanks for a great blog that shows your family history and makes us wonder where you might be if some policies were in force.
BobR, let's say that most of my tribe tends to doubt the "okay" remark. For much of the Evangelical base of the GOP, Jews exist so that they can be forced to convert or destroyed prior to Armageddon. (Hence, the support for the Likud and hard-right parties in Israel by many Evangelicals. In their eyes, a larger Israel may provoke the conflict that will bring Jesus back to Earth. Many Jews, including this one, do not desire to die for what they see as someone else's bizarre theology.)
Many Israelis are concerned about the influence of foreign money in their politics, a concern that I share about Citizens United. (Hu Jintao and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad both could give to a concealed SuperPac.) Haaretz, a leading Israeli daily and one of my favorite sources on Middle East news, ran this story. I suspect that there will be a big push in Israel for campaign finance reform and we need to be wary lest we come to the same situation as described in the story below>
Will in Chicago on 10/13/2012 18:28:48
Quote by BobR:
Republicans are for immigration, so long as it's legal, and you arrive speaking perfect English, and don't take a job away from someone already here, and don't have too many babies (unless you're white), and it's preferably if you're Christian, although Jews are "okay".
First, TriSec, thanks for a great blog that shows your family history and makes us wonder where you might be if some policies were in force.
BobR, let's say that most of my tribe tends to doubt the "okay" remark. For much of the Evangelical base of the GOP, Jews exist so that they can be forced to convert or destroyed prior to Armageddon. (Hence, the support for the Likud and hard-right parties in Israel by many Evangelicals. In their eyes, a larger Israel may provoke the conflict that will bring Jesus back to Earth. Many Jews, including this one, do not desire to die for what they see as someone else's bizarre theology.)
Many Israelis are concerned about the influence of foreign money in their politics, a concern that I share about Citizens United. (Hu Jintao and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad both could give to a concealed SuperPac.) Haaretz, a leading Israeli daily and one of my favorite sources on Middle East news, ran this story. I suspect that there will be a big push in Israel for campaign finance reform and we need to be wary lest we come to the same situation as described in the story below>
More than half of contributions to Israeli politicians come from foreign donors
Netanyahu raised 96.8 percent of his NIS 1.2 million in campaign contributions from foreign donors, according to the State Comptroller's Office.
By Chaim Levinson | Oct.12, 2012 | 8:00 AM |
More than half of the contributions to politicians in the past two years - 53 percent of the NIS 13 million - came from people who live overseas, cannot vote in Israel and are not directly impacted by the elected officials' decisions, Haaretz has found.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu raised 96.8 percent of his NIS 1.2 million in campaign contributions from foreign donors, according to the State Comptroller's Office, which published the candidates' campaign contribution reports for the last two years on its website on Thursday. (Netanyahu announced on Thursday that elections would be held January 22.)
Minister Moshe Ya'alon was the only one of the 26 well-financed politicians who raised 100 percent of his campaign funds overseas. Netanyahu raised the second-highest percentage at 96.8 percent, followed by Minister Limor Livnat at 94 percent.
At the other end of the scale, Labor Party leader Shelly Yacimovich raised just 0.03 percent of her contributions abroad, while Likud MK Ofir Akunis raised 7.3 percent overseas.
Among political parties, Likud raised the highest percentage abroad - 67 percent - while Kadima raised 65 percent overseas. By contrast, Meretz raised zero percent overseas and Habayit Hayehudi raised four percent of its contributions from foreign sources.
Comment by BobR on 10/13/2012 19:57:59
That's why I put it in quotes - lip-service only. In private, it's a whole 'nuther thing
BobR on 10/13/2012 19:57:59
Quote by Will in Chicago:Quote by BobR:
Republicans are for immigration, so long as it's legal, and you arrive speaking perfect English, and don't take a job away from someone already here, and don't have too many babies (unless you're white), and it's preferably if you're Christian, although Jews are "okay".
First, TriSec, thanks for a great blog that shows your family history and makes us wonder where you might be if some policies were in force.
BobR, let's say that most of my tribe tends to doubt the "okay" remark. For much of the Evangelical base of the GOP, Jews exist so that they can be forced to convert or destroyed prior to Armageddon. (Hence, the support for the Likud and hard-right parties in Israel by many Evangelicals. In their eyes, a larger Israel may provoke the conflict that will bring Jesus back to Earth. Many Jews, including this one, do not desire to die for what they see as someone else's bizarre theology.)
Many Israelis are concerned about the influence of foreign money in their politics, a concern that I share about Citizens United. (Hu Jintao and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad both could give to a concealed SuperPac.) Haaretz, a leading Israeli daily and one of my favorite sources on Middle East news, ran this story. I suspect that there will be a big push in Israel for campaign finance reform and we need to be wary lest we come to the same situation as described in the story below>
More than half of contributions to Israeli politicians come from foreign donors
Netanyahu raised 96.8 percent of his NIS 1.2 million in campaign contributions from foreign donors, according to the State Comptroller's Office.
By Chaim Levinson | Oct.12, 2012 | 8:00 AM |
More than half of the contributions to politicians in the past two years - 53 percent of the NIS 13 million - came from people who live overseas, cannot vote in Israel and are not directly impacted by the elected officials' decisions, Haaretz has found.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu raised 96.8 percent of his NIS 1.2 million in campaign contributions from foreign donors, according to the State Comptroller's Office, which published the candidates' campaign contribution reports for the last two years on its website on Thursday. (Netanyahu announced on Thursday that elections would be held January 22.)
Minister Moshe Ya'alon was the only one of the 26 well-financed politicians who raised 100 percent of his campaign funds overseas. Netanyahu raised the second-highest percentage at 96.8 percent, followed by Minister Limor Livnat at 94 percent.
At the other end of the scale, Labor Party leader Shelly Yacimovich raised just 0.03 percent of her contributions abroad, while Likud MK Ofir Akunis raised 7.3 percent overseas.
Among political parties, Likud raised the highest percentage abroad - 67 percent - while Kadima raised 65 percent overseas. By contrast, Meretz raised zero percent overseas and Habayit Hayehudi raised four percent of its contributions from foreign sources.
That's why I put it in quotes - lip-service only. In private, it's a whole 'nuther thing
Comment by Will in Chicago on 10/13/2012 22:37:28
BobR, I know well that some people say one thing in public and another in private. At my Temple, there is a man named Mickey who is 92 years old. When he was younger, there were country clubs and other places he could not go -- despite being a very successful businessman and a World War 2 Veteran as well.
Somehow, I don't think that those old attitudes have vanished. This is what bugs me about people like Eric Cantor, who surely have to be intelligent enough to know what is said in private. Ann Coulter, for all her flaws and perhaps being a demon wearing a human costume who is doing an awful impression of a woman, at least is honest in expressing her derision for those who need to be made more "perfect" in her eyes.
Will in Chicago on 10/13/2012 22:37:28
Quote by BobR:Quote by Will in Chicago:Quote by BobR:
Republicans are for immigration, so long as it's legal, and you arrive speaking perfect English, and don't take a job away from someone already here, and don't have too many babies (unless you're white), and it's preferably if you're Christian, although Jews are "okay".
First, TriSec, thanks for a great blog that shows your family history and makes us wonder where you might be if some policies were in force.
BobR, let's say that most of my tribe tends to doubt the "okay" remark. For much of the Evangelical base of the GOP, Jews exist so that they can be forced to convert or destroyed prior to Armageddon. (Hence, the support for the Likud and hard-right parties in Israel by many Evangelicals. In their eyes, a larger Israel may provoke the conflict that will bring Jesus back to Earth. Many Jews, including this one, do not desire to die for what they see as someone else's bizarre theology.)
Many Israelis are concerned about the influence of foreign money in their politics, a concern that I share about Citizens United. (Hu Jintao and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad both could give to a concealed SuperPac.) Haaretz, a leading Israeli daily and one of my favorite sources on Middle East news, ran this story. I suspect that there will be a big push in Israel for campaign finance reform and we need to be wary lest we come to the same situation as described in the story below>
More than half of contributions to Israeli politicians come from foreign donors
Netanyahu raised 96.8 percent of his NIS 1.2 million in campaign contributions from foreign donors, according to the State Comptroller's Office.
By Chaim Levinson | Oct.12, 2012 | 8:00 AM |
More than half of the contributions to politicians in the past two years - 53 percent of the NIS 13 million - came from people who live overseas, cannot vote in Israel and are not directly impacted by the elected officials' decisions, Haaretz has found.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu raised 96.8 percent of his NIS 1.2 million in campaign contributions from foreign donors, according to the State Comptroller's Office, which published the candidates' campaign contribution reports for the last two years on its website on Thursday. (Netanyahu announced on Thursday that elections would be held January 22.)
Minister Moshe Ya'alon was the only one of the 26 well-financed politicians who raised 100 percent of his campaign funds overseas. Netanyahu raised the second-highest percentage at 96.8 percent, followed by Minister Limor Livnat at 94 percent.
At the other end of the scale, Labor Party leader Shelly Yacimovich raised just 0.03 percent of her contributions abroad, while Likud MK Ofir Akunis raised 7.3 percent overseas.
Among political parties, Likud raised the highest percentage abroad - 67 percent - while Kadima raised 65 percent overseas. By contrast, Meretz raised zero percent overseas and Habayit Hayehudi raised four percent of its contributions from foreign sources.
That's why I put it in quotes - lip-service only. In private, it's a whole 'nuther thing
BobR, I know well that some people say one thing in public and another in private. At my Temple, there is a man named Mickey who is 92 years old. When he was younger, there were country clubs and other places he could not go -- despite being a very successful businessman and a World War 2 Veteran as well.
Somehow, I don't think that those old attitudes have vanished. This is what bugs me about people like Eric Cantor, who surely have to be intelligent enough to know what is said in private. Ann Coulter, for all her flaws and perhaps being a demon wearing a human costume who is doing an awful impression of a woman, at least is honest in expressing her derision for those who need to be made more "perfect" in her eyes.
Comment by 
livingonli on 10/14/2012 00:07:14
livingonli on 10/14/2012 00:07:14
And then you have to wonder how deep in Sheldon Adelson's pocket is Mittens in.
Comment by Will in Chicago on 10/14/2012 03:15:32
Livingonli, I don't think anyone would like the visual I got from that sentence. I have to wonder how any democracy can function when cash is king.
Will in Chicago on 10/14/2012 03:15:32
Quote by livingonli:
And then you have to wonder how deep in Sheldon Adelson's pocket is Mittens in.
Livingonli, I don't think anyone would like the visual I got from that sentence. I have to wonder how any democracy can function when cash is king.