Keep in mind, I wrote this column several years ago, long before we moved to Austin.
Assimilation
I follow our nation’s immigration policies with great interest.
Discussions on this subject in our media, notably on talk radio and the
Internet, often confuse the issues: Unless we are directly descended from
native born, indigenous ancestors (American Indians) without “contamination”
from other blood lines, all of us come from immigrants. That is, we are an
immigrant nation.
Frosolono
Family History
Genealogical records document much of the Frosolono history in
America; however, family legends contribute to the story.
My great-grandfather, Federico Frosolono (1855-1892) came from
Marsiconuova, Italy, near the Calabria region of Italy, and married Rosa
Concello, also from that area. Some parts of the “legend” indicate Frederico
played the trombone in an Italian Army band. After leaving the Italian Army,
Federico joined a worldwide Marxist organization. The growing Frosolono family
traveled through Europe while Federico recruited workers to this movement. My
grandfather, Michael Concello (Daddy Mike) Frosolono, the youngest of
Federico’s three sons, was born in Marseilles, France.
The Marxist organization subsequently assigned Federico to
recruit workers in the United States. He brought the family, which consisted of
Rosa, Giuseppe (Joe), Antonio (Tony), and Daddy Mike, to the US in 1885. A
daughter, Lisette was born in the US. Federico recruited workers along the
Eastern seaboard, from outside New York City to Florida, and often took some of
his sons with him on these trips in which trains provided the primary mode of
transportation. Federico had great success recruiting workers in Montgomery,
AL, and was assassinated, by knife, at the age of 37 in that city. Mill owners
in Montgomery reputedly hired the assassin.
Federico and his sons often stopped in LaGrange, GA, to spend
the night in a railroad hotel. This area reminded them of Marsiconuova. After
Federico’s death, Rosa, Joe, and Daddy Mike settled in LaGrange; Joe and Daddy
Mike became reasonably successful owners of small businesses. Lisette married
and moved to Kenosha, WI. Tony studied the violin in Russia and then lived in
Chicago, IL, where he formed and managed several orchestras. He led the
orchestra for the first national road tour of the hit musical, Oklahoma!
The Frosolono family was musically inclined. Along with Tony’s
mastery of the violin, Federico, Joe, and Daddy Mike played trombones. I
inherited a non-significant portion of that musical talent.
Daddy Mike married my grandmother, Bonnie Ruth (Mama Ruth)
Birdsong of LaGrange, who laid down certain conditions before agreeing to the
marriage: Daddy Mike had to join the First Presbyterian Church, thereby
renouncing his Catholic faith. He had to speak English at home and could not
teach Italian to the children. Daddy Mike, a colorful character, was a fierce
professional flyweight boxer, highly talented master tailor, and superb poker
and pool player. During the Great Depression, he supported his family primarily
with winnings at poker and pool rather than money earned in his tailor shop.
Joining
Society
Rosa, Tony, Joe, and Daddy Mike became naturalized American
citizens. Lisette was a citizen through birth. I did not know Rosa, Joe, or
Lisette. Tony and Daddy Mike spoke English fluently, although Daddy Mike had a
detectable accent. Despite Federico’s Marxist orientation, Tony and Daddy Mike
became ardent capitalists. Tony funded his wealthy retirement through stock in
the old Sinclair Oil Company.
This degree of assimilation into the predominant society and
culture of the United States provides an example modern day immigrants should
follow. Some of my Italian friends and colleagues in New York and Cleveland
often lamented the fact that I abandoned my Italian heritage. I never think of
myself as anything other than American, the result of Mama Ruth’s conditions to
Daddy Mike. This personal and familial integration explains why immigrants and
illegal aliens who not only refuse to learn English but insist that Spanish
become an official national language infuriate me. The recent demonstrations
with the provocative waving of so many Mexican flags incensed me.
Enforce
the Laws
I favor a guest worker program for immigrants who have
high-level skills needed to move this country forward. Allowing “legal” guest
workers into this country for the sole purpose of low cost menial labor
represents a form of indentured servitude similar to economic slavery.
Accordingly, such wages should be no lower than those determined by the Federal
minimum wages laws. If we cannot, under these circumstances, secure sufficient
US Citizens to perform these tasks, then I would support a temporary guest
worker program for jobs, such as farm labor, at the Federal minimum wage. I’m
willing to pay the additional costs for my Vidalia onions and other crops
picked by US citizens and guest workers paid a standard fair wage.
We need to close all our borders to illegal aliens, and pass and
rigorously enforce national laws against individuals and businesses that hire
illegal aliens.
I do not favor a wholesale deportation of the estimated 12
million illegal immigrants currently in the US. We can let “attrition” reduce
their numbers. For instance, if illegal immigrants appear in our hospital
emergency rooms, our Christian duty demands that they receive the same level of
appropriate care as US Citizens and legal immigrants. If, however, green cards
and other relevant documentation cannot be provided, these individuals and
their families should be deported expeditiously. I recognized the counterclaim
that, under these circumstances, illegal immigrants will risk their health and
the health of their families through fear of deportation. I advocate a similar
situation when children and youth enroll in our school and university systems.
Illegal immigrants by definition came, and remain, here outside
the law. As such, neither they nor their employers pay their full share of
taxes needed to support our medical, school, and other tax-supported
institutions. Accordingly, taxpaying citizens and legal immigrants should not
have to bear the financial burden needed to support illegal immigrants.
Legal immigrants add vitality to our culture. Compliance with
Holy Scripture demands that we consider and interact with illegal aliens as our
neighbors in the Christian sense. I see, however, no demands in Holy Scripture
that we must bankrupt this country for the sake of illegal immigrants.
We can best go forward by enforcing the current laws and passing new
legislation recognizing the realities of our demographic situation and vitality
of legal immigrants. That is, we need legislation to facilitate an increasing
number of legal immigrants who have skills that will help this country.
