Jaime Castillo is Absolutely Right

Nothing could say it better than today's Jaime Castillo Column.

We need to be conscious of the implicit messaging in the protests. I understand the urge to fly the Mexican flag as a symbol of ethnic pride, and as an assertion of cultural dignity. But this protest serves a political goal, and the symbolism of the Mexican flag miscommunicates its intent to what must be our intended audience - the American public at large.

We, the San Antonio Young Democrats will be flying the American flag, citing the Statue of Liberty:

"Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free."

Immigration is the most integral part of the American Nation. Consider that 95% of us have an ancestry that is not native to the lands that the United States now occupies. If immigration is bad - what does this say about America as a whole?

The economic argument is one that is not lost on us - we know that immigration of cheap labor is a downward pressure on wages, but at the same time that labor undergirds the American economy. The economic argument flows both ways, and the economics of immigration are too complex to put in 200 point font (marker) on a 2'x3' protest sign.

The important part is: where's your gut instinct? Should America welcome new immigrants or turn them away? It is my feeling that to turn them away is a hypocritical stance for any non-native American to make.

"Those who deny Freedom to others, deserve it not for themselves" To cite Abraham Lincoln. GWB has made use of that line himself. Well, George, the same needs to be said about economic opportunity.