Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that tw…
Thanks, Lynell. I knew "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses" is inscribed on the Statue of Liberty but I had never heard of Emma Lazarus or read the complete poem. It's charming! I'm sorry the poet died so young.
At the beginning of the T**** term, I remember some discussion from the right wing about removing this from the statue of Lady Liberty as those who don't like "the huddled masses yearning to breathe free" wanted to keep the little bit of remaining air of freedom for (white) Americans (the already here) only. Fortunately, that movement died.
I should think a majority of the people in this country did aspire to this vision, or else we wouldn't be where we are today. You can say what you want about our many failings, but overall we ALL descended from these immigrants at some point, except the indigenous. That's what gets me: these "American Firsters" don't want to accept that only in the very beginning of our colonies were we an "anglo saxon" nation. I think every one of them should take a 23andMe DNA test and show us their results. Racial purity may have been possible a hundred+ years ago, but not today and I think that's a good thing. Travel, education, commerce, etc all have broken our borders. I know that scares the crap out of them, but they are behind the eight ball of worldwide progress.
I think a very few on this planet would discover any "purity" in their results. Migration has been a feature of humanoid life on this planet since we crawled out of the ocean, climbed down out of the trees, or left Eden (depending on your ideas about our origins). Sonia Shah's The Next Great Migration is very enlightening on the still ongoing circumnavigations humans have made around this globe. We are currently being encouraged to see migration as a purely contemporary problem. Shah offers a different view.
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!" ~Emma Lazarus
November 2, 1883
I'll take "the wretched refuse," thank you very much.
Morning Lynell!! Up early again per usual. I'm retiring in a few mins. You can leave the lamp on, from sea to shining sea.
Morning, TPJ!! Morning, FERN!! Reading a bit of the "Caucasian Caucus," I wondered if Sarah Palin was consulted. The detail is...amazingly shallow!
Oooohhhhhh! Sarah Palin, the powerhouse of erudition! Good morning, Lynell! I'm going back to sleep now.
Morning, Daria!! Just woke up for the 2nd time.
Morning Again Lynell! I just woke up for the 2nd time. Heading downstairs for a cup of coffee. Have a Fab Saturday.
Then she probably was in on it from the start.
Thank you, Lady Liberty.
Thanks, Lynell. I knew "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses" is inscribed on the Statue of Liberty but I had never heard of Emma Lazarus or read the complete poem. It's charming! I'm sorry the poet died so young.
Morning, David!! Beautiful, welcoming words, to be sure. Thanks for reading.
At the beginning of the T**** term, I remember some discussion from the right wing about removing this from the statue of Lady Liberty as those who don't like "the huddled masses yearning to breathe free" wanted to keep the little bit of remaining air of freedom for (white) Americans (the already here) only. Fortunately, that movement died.
Except we as a country never meant it.
I should think a majority of the people in this country did aspire to this vision, or else we wouldn't be where we are today. You can say what you want about our many failings, but overall we ALL descended from these immigrants at some point, except the indigenous. That's what gets me: these "American Firsters" don't want to accept that only in the very beginning of our colonies were we an "anglo saxon" nation. I think every one of them should take a 23andMe DNA test and show us their results. Racial purity may have been possible a hundred+ years ago, but not today and I think that's a good thing. Travel, education, commerce, etc all have broken our borders. I know that scares the crap out of them, but they are behind the eight ball of worldwide progress.
Barbara, I had the same thought. How many of these "Firsters" could "pass" a 23andMe DNA test!
I think a very few on this planet would discover any "purity" in their results. Migration has been a feature of humanoid life on this planet since we crawled out of the ocean, climbed down out of the trees, or left Eden (depending on your ideas about our origins). Sonia Shah's The Next Great Migration is very enlightening on the still ongoing circumnavigations humans have made around this globe. We are currently being encouraged to see migration as a purely contemporary problem. Shah offers a different view.
Nope.