Today is "Un Dia Sin Inmigrantes" or for my Spanish-troubled brethren, "A Day Without Immigrants"...time for another edition of In This Corner...

As far as immigration and the concern that it plays on our society today, I will address that in a few moments. My primary concern is voicing my opinion about the situation at hand. I am a son of a migrant worker. My father was a migrant worker when he was a young boy; both him and his entire family would go and work in the farmlands of Idaho where they would pick vegetables and tend to the livestock. My father is AMERICAN. He was born in this country and has lived here his entire life; he is a hardworking individual that has worked his entire life to a set of moral beliefs that have held up to this day: Work hard, respect everyone -- even when they don't deserve it, and love your country. He is now an owner of his own electrical supply firm to manufacturers around the nation as well as Mexico. He employs approximately 5-6 people with DECENT pay (far better than some of his competitors) and gives them something that everyone respects -- his time, his honesty and his respect. This is my father, a real American.

I am a descendant of Mexican blood. I am American. I have worked hard (maybe not as hard as my father) and I have earned a college education and will be leaving soon for the U.S. Air Force so that I may be able to provide for my future family and protect the people of America. That being said, I agree with the general public and regards to immigration on SOME viewpoints. I feel that there are too many children that are living in Brownsville, illegally, and our pushing the limits of our public education system. With an estimated 45,000 students attending one of the many schools of B.I.S.D., there is bound to be a breaking point. I agree with the conservative viewpoint that is being swept along our country and issues such as this and one more -- people that come over here, get health care at our Emergency Rooms and then return back to Mexico and not pay their debts. That pisses me off.

Now that I've gotten that out of the way, I disagree with the statements that immigrants are stealing jobs from hard-working Americans and that they are all terrorists in disguise. This is just plain stupidity. Really people, how many "Americans" out there really want to go and work in the fields for $1.50 an hour(that might even be too much of an estimate). It must be true the way groups such as the Minute Men Project state...but then again, how many of them clean hotel rooms, pick up trash and do landscaping for a living? You tell me that you cynical bastards! Sorry...got carried away there for a moment.

I do feel that we, as a society, should work together with our Mexican counterparts on this issue. I say MEXICAN COUNTERPARTS because this is what the issue is all about. MEXICANS! You don't hear chants like "Get those filthy Ethiopians out of our country!" (*Note* To all and any Ethiopians reading this, do not take offense. I don't think you're filthy.) People associate Mexicans with gangs and everything that is wrong with society (yes, this is a stretch but bare with me). They say that the gang MS13 is nothing but Mexicans. History note!!! THEY'RE ORIGINALLY FROM L.A. THEY WERE CREATED THERE DURING THE REAGAN ADMINISTRATION AND WERE SHIPPED BACK TO EL SALVADOR, WHERE THEY BECAME EVEN TOUGHER! Now, I know that there are some of you saying, "Mr. ITC! Who told you that bunch of crap?!?" Well, I'm glad you asked. During my stint at San Antonio 2 weeks ago, I was preparing my documents for entry into the U.S. Air Force. While I was waiting for my recruiter (Ah, yes....good ol' HURRY UP AND WAIT! Gotta love it.), there was an individual there waiting as well...now, I'm not going to give any generalizations about this individual...just that she was 5'4", came from an upscale neighborhood outside of Houston and was as white as fresh snow...anyhoot, she began telling me in vague details about how Mexicans were destroying this nation and how Spanish is a (and I quote) "Crap Language"...first off, why would anyone, regardless of skin color, knowingly say something so stupid to an individual from the Rio Grande Valley? I mean, shoot! I fit the generalization of any individual who happens to be from the RGV! Black hair, brown eyes, Hispanic, 5'8" and beautiful..... :O) I had to throw that in...Secondly, what gives anyone a right to say that Spanish is a crap language? Besides, she wanted my job that I qualified for...that being a LINGUIST!!!! How stupid to you have to be to say that something is a "Crap Language" while trying to qualify to be a person that studies languages!!!!!

Well, needless to say, I had my fill of "commonwealth theocracy" and decided to open a little bit of knowledge with this young individual...by the way, she was about 19 years old or so...to make a long story short, she learned a few "choice" phrases in Spanish (Crap Language..remember?) and bid her a vibrant farewell...

Back to the topic at hand, I feel that we as a society can show what it means to get together in Harmony...we, Brownsville and the RGV, can show the rest of the nation how to work together and do it in a civilized manner...Get Ready Brownsville! The eyes of the nation are about to turn their direction towards us...

This is my corner...what's yours?