On my continuing search for an opinion to call my own concerning immigration, I just read an interview with Colin Powell in this month’s (October 2007) issue of GQ. The last question of the interview went like this:
GQ: How can we restore America’s image?
COLIN POWELL: We should remember what that image was, back after World War II. It was the image of a generous country that sought not to impose its will on other countries or even to impose its values. But it showed the way and it helped outher countries, and it opened its doors to people — visitors and refugees and immigrants.
America could not survive without immigration. Even the undocumented immigrants are contributing to our economy. That’s the country my parents came to. That’s the image we have to portray to the rest of the world: kind, generous, a nation of nations, touched by every nation, and we touch every nation in return. That’s what people still want to believe about us. They still want to come here.
We’ve lost a bit of the image, but we haven’t lost the reality yet. And we can fix the image by reflecting a welcoming attitude — and by not taking counsel of our fears and scaring ourselves to death that everybody coming in is going to blow up something. It ain’t the case.
Poignantly put. Thanks for posting Powell’s words. Ok, enough p’s, I like that you highlighted the way to peace as demonstrating peace/hospitality. As my highschool english teachers always said “SHOW, don’t tell.” Politically speaking it will proabably never happen, but it would be worth praying for our nation to take a Christ-like attitude in allowing ourselves to be vulnerable and extend open arms so that we may truly love other nations/peoples.
Absolutely; thanks grettajane!
I was just listening to the soundtrack from RENT the other day, and heard a quote in La Vie Boheme B that I loved:
“The opposite of war isn’t peace, it’s creation.”
Mmm… thank you Jonathan Larson.
Perhaps we can focus our collective energies into the creation of something GOOD: a new image, and a country we can be proud of again!
(Oh, and here’s a link to Church Sanctuary, Movement - Part 1)