Just as the ugliness that Tim Myers wrote about descends on City Hall tomorrow courtesy of “adults”, across town at Ranch Pico Jr. High we’ll be teaching young people to empathize with people from different lands and cultures:
The City of Santa Clarita’s Human Relations Forum and ENCOMPASS will present the compassion play “Wheels” at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Rancho Pico Junior High School Auditorium.
Part of the City’s A Season of Diversity program, the play will explore the freedom, mobility and dreams associated with United States citizenship.
“Wheels” offers a perspective on immigration, as well as the privileges and responsibilities of United States citizenship, through the eyes of a 15-year-old Salvadorian-American youth named Oscar. Guests will watch as Oscar experiences the Department of Motor Vehicles in pursuit of his learner’s permit and driver’s license.
“The City’s A Season of Diversity program is devoted to empowering community members to eliminate all forms of discrimination,” said Santa Clarita Mayor Laurene Weste. “The ‘Wheels’ compassion play helps achieve this goal by offering residents a view of the immigration experience through a young person’s eyes.”
The event will include professionally-facilitated pre-show and post-show discussions, as well as the theatrical presentation of “Wheels.”
I’d suggest Bob Kellar attend this great show, but he’ll be at the City Council meeting, standing by his recent comments even as the support around him comes tumbling down.
I don’t want to get too preachy, so let me just offer this to those who have ears to hear: don’t be intimidated by the shouters who will likely show up tomorrow. Be proud of the diversity of our community, our region, our state. Show compassion for those who came here looking for a tiny piece of the freedom and prosperity we enjoy. Realize that they wouldn’t come here unless we gave them work to do, work we find unsavory and beneath us. Understand that our immigration system is deeply unfair, dysfunctional, and broken. Recognize that the shouters have a loud bark but no bite because their ideas, their tactics, and their hostility to others belongs to the mid 20th Century, not the second decade of the 21st.
They don’t speak for everyone in the Santa Clarita Valley, a valley that is changing year after year into a more progressive, more diverse, and more tolerant community. They are at the tail end of their influence and power, and we are at the beginning of our’s.
If the ignorance and hostility on display last week in Santa Clarita weren’t worth fighting, I wouldn’t waste time writing about it. But it is worth fighting, because this is our place as much as it is their’s. This blog has never shrunk from controversy or debate, and I’m not about to start now.
Did anyone else notice the the AP news story in the Signal today states:”Bubbble Warp” turns 50 instead of Bubble Wrap?
Just wondering….
Mistakes in the Signal warrant a separate post, perhaps a separate blog.
Great statement there, Jeff. Looking forward to tomorrow night, whatever happens.
Yesterday’s Signal TV Sports section had the Chargers playing in the championship game against Indianapolis.
Sorry NickleDime,
Just trying to lighten things up ;/
And, do not know how to start a seperate post.
My Bad…Not!
Annette, you can always create an account in the discussion Forum. Look above the Haiti links.
Thanks Jeff, will do!
Annette, I was also joshing a bit. Can you imagine a blog dedicated to Signal errors ? It could be modeled after NAFF as an “anti-” type blog, each day culling and fact checking the paper, with an occassional YouTube post replete with carnival music and masked identity.
OK, I’m taking this too far.
Fair enough, ND
@Jeff: still missing the point I see.
You stated:
“Be proud of the diversity of our community, our region, our state. Show compassion for those who came here looking for a tiny piece of the freedom and prosperity we enjoy.”
I do not think Bob Kellar or anyone is arguing this at all. I believe we all embrace the diversity of our country, community and culture. Our arguments are the illegal approach to people coming into our country and getting away with it. You do realize that this is a law and illegal immigration is, well ILLEGAL!
By your accounts (and the many others who just don’t get this issue) we should just abolish all laws and let people do what they want?
SCVGuy: Jeff has this altruistic view that he is defending the rights of illegals and has a more compassionate solution. Amnesty only encourages more to come. Walls and fences alone will not keep people out without a very strong message that you cannot break our laws and get away with it.
Does he realize that coming to the USA illegally puts these people at great risk and peril? They cross deserts, rivers, and oceans, pay exorbitant sums to traffickers and coyotes that frequently rape the females and hold the children for ransom. God only knows what they do to the guys. They finally maybe get here, if they don’t die or are murdered along the way, only to be exploited by unscrupulous business people who pay them sub standard wages if they pay them at all, turn them in to INS in order to avoid paying them, and who don’t give a rats ass about them. When the car or whatever bringing them over breaks down they leave them to die locked in the trunk. They are merchandise to be used and discarded. The worst among the traffickers are people of their own race or ethnic group not the bad “white guys”.
I would argue it would be better to enforce our laws and spend some of the money we currently spend on illegals to hire more Americans to speed up the process for obtaining Visa’s for those people who meet all the requirements and want to come here following the laws of our nation to work and be productive members of society. If they are here legally they are entitled to every protection available under the law. They don’t have to fear deportation, can make wage claims to the Labor Commissioner, and have a better shot at applying and being granted citizenship.
I say wake up and smell the coffee Jeff and you others. Illegal immigration is bad for everyone. Bringing up the subject and wanting current laws enforced does not make anyone a racist. On the contrary, why aren’t all of you demanding your government tackle this issue?
BGH I seee u r still talking in your sleep. Wake up before ou go completely around the bend.
Gramps: Save me a spot around the bend since you are obviously already there.
“Our arguments….”
Ours vs. Theirs
Us vs. Them
Right vs. Wrong
Why?
BGH u r getting closer to the bend. Closer than u think
I have a unique perspective to the immigration issue due to my job. I’ve been in the homes, and provided service for customers, in every neighborhood in So Cal from Beverly Hills to South Central, including every Hispanic community. This may be hard for some to believe but I have a deep affinity for the immigrant, even if illegal. Using my poor rendition of Spanish I do my best to communicate with them. For the most part they are decent people only trying to do better in their lives. If I was living in Mexico I would do just like them and find a way to get to America.
Indeed our imigration system is unfair, rewarding those who break the law and enter illegally. As much as the majority entering illegaly are good and decent people, we still need to control our borders. A regulated border is essential to our security. We need to secure the border, then make those who are here illegally go back and apply for immigration in their native land. If we don’t do this, and just grant amnesty to those who are already here, it will only encourage the next wave to enter illegally.
The bottom line to my argument.
Be kind to all immigrants on the micro level, but regulate who gets in at the macro level.
@gramps – still referring to disabled children are we?