To Adam: A list of influential immigrants...

DanielHaase

Here's quite a few, posters please add the many I missed:
Madeline Albright (Czechoslovakia)
Mario Andretti (Italy)
Ann-Margaret (Sweden)
David Byrne (Scotland)
Jose Conseco (Cuba)
Patrick Ewing (Jamaica)
Peter Jennings (Canada)
Ted Koppel (England)
Angela Lansbury (England)
Sidney Poitier (Bahamas)
Anthony Quin (Mexico)
Carlos Santana (MExico)
Gene Simmons (Israel)
Eddie Van Halen (the Netherlands)
Elizabeth Taylor (England)
And last but certainly not least:
Neil Young (Canada)
I think we could possibly use some more immigrants!

cellomould

Musicians/Composers/Conductors

Igor Stravinsky: Russia
Arnold Schoenberg: Austria
Esa-Pekka Salonen: Finland

(these all lived/live in Los Angeles )

Itzhak Perlman: Israel
George and Ira Gershwin: sons of immigrants

cellomould

"In other words, your God is the warden of a prison where the only prisoner is your God." Jose Saramago, The Gospel According to Jesus Christ

Pathofthorns

I don't think anyone has to debate Adam. It is ignorant to paint all immigrants with the same brush and to blame them for problems common to all societies.

Every country has their own trash, and sure there are also immigrants who abuse the system or otherwise not measure up to our own personal expectations.

But to generalize in a negative and mostly inaccurate way and fail to see the beauty and benefits of a culturally diverse society, especially by people who lack any class and culture themselves is just pathetic.

Path

picosito

I think it's a fact that when Americans complain about immigration they are not contemplating those generally of a Northern European origin or intellectuals, teachers, businessmen, musicians, composers or actors from ANY country or area or from ANY cultural or racial persuasion. These usually do not have a need to eat your cat or dog, smuggle their relatives into the country, join gangs, have lots of children and then go on welfare, nor do they have the view that free-flying plastic grocery store and Wal-Mart bags plus junked cars on the property are an enhancement of the environment.

Utopian Reformist

Obviously, for american WASPS, it has ALWAYS been an issue of "color".

It is the issue of having people of different colors moving into your "pure" neighborhoods. The magic number has always been 13. In the book The Two Americas, Separate, but not Equal, the writers conducted a study and survey using only white students.

In one of the studies, it was proven that once 13% integration is acheived, WASPS begin moving and selling their homes. No matter how upscale, how clean, how educated, how friendly, how patriotic a family of color can be, it is not enough to convince WASPS to inter-mingle.

So, no matter how much families of color try to integrate, they will eventually find themselves living in a ghetto all over again, despite having left it behind. Why? WASPS prefer to move rather than integrate. The basic fears cited were; gangs, drug-dealing, prostitution, rap music & culture, etc.. These assertions were arrived at without evidence, only presence!

Also, students were asked to participate in a scenario regarding their origin and birth. Ten students were told that their birth color was a "mistake". They were told that they should have been born black, and it was a government mistake. They were told the government was required to "fix" the mistake and that as of midnight that very day, they and all of their friends and families would be black.

But, they were told the government recognized it's mistake and understood the students would need assistance in transitioning and would grant each a one request. Do you know that 9 out of the ten students asked for the very same thing....billions of dollars in compensation. Why? Because even though WASPS "claim" america is NOT racist and they are not prejudice, they fully recognize it exists by needing a huge cash buffer as a protection against having black skin.

Immigrants and indigenous minorities have always tried to blend and mix into the dominant WASP culture, its just not appreciated nor wanted. It is WASPS who insist and demand separation of schools, neighborhoods, resources, etc..