Maggie's Farm

We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.

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Saturday, January 17. 2009

A song for immigrants

"Don't Bite the Hand That's Feeding You," from 1915. Unfortunately, it is human nature to resent one's benefactors. Thank God dogs aren't like that.


It always seemed to me that new immigrants have a better chance of appreciating the uniqueness of America than do those of us who have been here for many generations and tend to be spoiled and to take it for granted. However, my family has been here since the 1600s, and I take this blessing not at all for granted. Freedom from the State (and my genes) are my most precious heritage.

Posted by The Barrister in History at 18:21 | Comments (2) | Trackbacks (0)

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Barrister, my friend ... It was a delight to hear this old song again. My Daddy taught it to me when I was very young, and it sticks tightly in my memory. And how appropriate it is today! "So don't act like the cur in the story, and bite the hand that's feeding you!" But a lot of them do.

Gratitude is not a prominent feature in today's immigrants, many of whom immediately go about trying to change our country into the one they just fled from. Last week the Houston Chronicle reported on one Mid Eastern refugee who had been admitted because he was fleeing "persecution" in his homeland, and was whining to a credulous young reporter, that the Texas Department of Transportation was dragging its feet on renewing his driver's license, thus forcing him to take the bus to work. My, my -- you have to take the bus, young man? At least you can pretty much count on it not being blown up while you're on it.

Marianne
#1 Marianne Matthews on 2009-01-17 18:37 (Reply)
You see this happening in Europe every day. It's especially noticeable in England. The immigrant parents know how bad it was in old country, but their kids, who grew up in England, have no memory; just stories. And what teen believes their parents?

All the boys know is that Kerry Katona and Charlotte Church won't sleep with them, and they don't have a way cool job running a hedge fund. Then the guy from the mosque says, "hey, it's not your fault. It's THEM who are the problem. You just need to get right with God and everything will be fine."
#2 Gordon (Link) on 2009-01-18 06:54 (Reply)

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