MAILBAG - Feb. 28, 2006

TeWinkle incident shows lack of history

I was a person who was lucky enough to grow up in a racially and religiously mixed area in Los Angeles. I am appalled at these TeWinkle students who ganged up on some poor student with death threats and anti-Semitic comments. What are we coming to? Do these children know anything about history and the Holocaust? I think the parents better get serious about parenting.

PAT WATSON

Newport Beach

Smith missed on points, got a few right

Steve Smith certainly got my attention with his column on Feb. 18, “In the big picture, a dismal perception.” Actually, Smith got one or two things right, but more on that later.

Let’s count the ways that Smith is dead wrong.

First, Mirna Burciaga certainly did not “walk” anybody through anything, unless you count the verbal trip though the briar patch or the tar pit (“Community Commentary, Feb. 16). You either got stuck by it or in it. It was mostly incomprehensible.

Second, I have lived in the same house on Placentia Avenue for 57 years. I have much more than a weekly observation of activity on my street. Since the Costa Mesa Job Center was closed, there has been a marked decrease in loitering workers and foot traffic in general on this street. Who is the more accurate reporter: Smith, with his weekly drive-by, or I, with 17 years of daily, up-close, personal observation? Also, for Smith’s edification, when the job center was in business there were loitering day laborers at the market at Victoria and Placentia every day. These loiterers are no greater in number now, and more often than not, there are fewer than in previous years.

As regards mollifying critics of illegal immigration, I, like Smith, have strong opinions as well. Why would anyone not be critical of illegal immigration, unless you are an anarchist and wished to see the American system disappear?

This brings me to the first point that Smith has correct: “no one should argue that criminals should not be removed from the streets.”

Another point that Smith has correct is the “50,000-foot view.” It truly is a shame that Smith doesn’t have it. I seldom have an issue with any person regarding his being a good, hardworking individual, but that has little to do with the fact that millions of people from other nations are flooding across our unguarded borders, the vast majority of whom don’t have the slightest intention of becoming American citizens. How has this minor event escaped his notice?

Let’s be clear about one thing: immigrants, legal or illegal, come here for primarily one reason ? for their own benefit. The society, business and culture we have created here is very desirable, and they wish to take advantage of it. Hopefully, most of them will become productive members of society. Many do not. We must remember that illegal immigrants have an advantage over normal American citizens. They are not citizens; they broke a law to get here. They owe us no loyalty, they pledge us no allegiance. The rule of law becomes irrelevant and only applies to those who respect it; a dangerous proposition at best.

My son attended schools in Costa Mesa. My wife and I became very familiar with school activities at that time. I take strong exception to Smith’s assertion that “no one cared about Latinos on the Westside.” I would say that 95% of the attention of the teachers was spent exclusively on the Latino students.

The neglect of the Westside mainly stems from people who live in pricier areas or neighboring towns but have their businesses on the Westside. They have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo, their investments, and their “cash cows.” If no one made waves, taxes would remain static, workers’ pay would remain low and profits would remain high. Of course they wanted to keep things as they were.

Maybe Smith is more altruistic than these businessmen. Still, Smith falls into the trap that most critics of the present situation fall into, and that is very simply, they assume that Latinos are an entirely different kind of people than those of us who were born here.

They are not. They do the same things we do; they perform the same jobs we perform. The only significant way in which they differ from those of us who are citizens is caused by the initial negative position they have put themselves in by being here illegally. They are automatically more desperate than the rest of us and will consequently accept the very poorest jobs for the very least pay, period.

If they happen to exclusively speak a language other than English, that deficit adds another handicap to their situation, our schools and, in the end, our country.

Costa Mesa still is a very tolerant city, and we still do meet in small groups in private homes all the time. In fact, ultimately this may be our downfall. We are actively trying to fix a relationship that is not defective, rather than fix broken laws that are not enforced. I am sure that what our mayor, Allan Mansoor, is trying to do is to bolster laws that are already on the books, but have not been equitably applied, to our great shame.

As far as communication goes, we have always been talking. Why haven’t you been listening, Steve Smith?

CHRIS ERIC

Costa Mesa