MAD AT HELL AT NPR

By Colleen Walsh

I am sending you a copy of a letter I have written to the reporter on our NPR radio station. She asked the listeners are we really afraid of them. The letter I have written is telling her why we are afraid of them.

By Colleen Walsh

Dear Ms Maria Hinojosa
Last week on March 22, 2009 you asked your listeners "Are you really afraid of us?"
Yes we are!
I have been listening to your program every week now for several years, as I am trying to understand what it is that matters the most to you, and the Latino people. I have great empathy for the difficulties the Latino people have in this country in trying to make a new life in the USA.
Since your program’s goal is to try and "create a place for common ground" for all of us who live in this world I hope that you will take the time to understand what it is that we are afraid of.
If you click onto the link that I am including in this email you will see one of the many reasons why we are afraid. In case you are afraid to open any links I will explain what the picture is that I am trying to show to you. It is from the Denton County Crime Stoppers Hotline showing the photos of their 10 most wanted Fugitives. Out of the 10 fugitives, 8 are listed as Hispanics, one is a black, and the other is classified as Caucasian. This picture was included into are town’s newsletter sent to all of the residents of Hickory Creek Texas on the same day as you asked the question, "Are you really afraid of us?" Yes we are and this is one of the many reasons why.
I would also like to tell you that I was very offended by the remarks that you made about Bill O’Reilly claiming that he "spouts such vile things and hatred". If you really listened to his program on regular bases, like I listen to your program, you will understand what it is that he is really saying. He is only giving a voice to what the rest of us, are thinking and feeling. He too, has much empathy for the Hispanic people who only want the best for their children and are working hard to achieve their dreams in a new country. He has said many times that if the roles where reversed and he lived in Mexico he would do exactly as what others are doing and try to cross the border and go North.
Yet you are doing the same thing that you are accusing him of doing, that is, spewing vile and nasty things about him and others like him who try to inform his listening audience what is that is really going on in our country. I sincerely believe that you are closing your eyes and ears because you do not want to see what it is that we are afraid of. You can only see the problem from your own point of view.
You say that you are all hard working and we should trust you. Therefore I have to ask you, why should we believe you and trust you when the very first thing you do is to break our countries laws. I am speaking of the people who cross our borders without being asked to come in, nor given permission to come in. You would not want someone to barge into your home, eat your food, and sleep in your bed, without knowing who they are, and what is it they want. You would call 911, ask the police to come and help you, and tell them that some strangers are trying to break into my home, and I am frightened.
Our country, the USA is just like your home. Your home has a front door, where people can come and knock on that door, and ask to be let into your home to visit you. Our country’s borders are like your front door. Just as you can not allow strangers to come into your home without first knowing whom they are, are countries can not either? Is that too much to ask to want to know who is knocking on our front door, or to come into our country? All we want, the citizens of the USA is to keep our country strong and have the right to ask people to knock on our front first before coming into our country.
A nation is only as strong as its borders. Yet you think nothing of crossing over our nations borders, to live here and work here in our country without first asking for permission to do so.
I shall try to explain it this way. I believe that you are a person who would never dream of cutting in a line in front of other people who are standing in line. For example if you wanted to see a very good movie, and saw a line of people waiting to get a ticket and go inside to watch the movie, you would go to the back of the line and wait your turn. It would be rude to just walk up and cut in front of all the other people who have waited to see the movie. Yet you think that just because you want a better life for you and your family, you think that it is totally acceptable to cut in line of every one else and sneak in or barge it without waiting for your turn.
I have a daughter in law who is from the Philippines who would love to bring her brother to come and live with her here in the USA. I asked my son, why cannot Betty’s brother come to live here in the States. He told me that it is because he can not swim that far. He has to wait in line for his turn to get the necessary visa to achieve his dream of living in the USA. Unfortunately it will take 20 years of waiting in line for his turn to achieve his dream of living here.
I ask you Ms Hinojosa, why should the people who cross our borders illegally be given the chance to change their status of illegal to legal. Yet my daughter in law’s brother has to wait 20 years to come here. Is it fair? No it is not fair!
Now I would like to give you some background so that you can understand what it is that many others and I are so afraid of. I first moved to Texas in 1984 and lived here until 1993 when I moved to Britain with my husband. After living there for one year I was granted the right to live there forever. I obeyed all the laws.
I saw with my own eyes what happens to a country when you have over 1 million people, every year, enter a country just so they can have a better life and take advantage of the free medical, free housing, job seekers allowances and other benefits. The country is on the verge complete bankruptcy. You can only put so much milk into a pint bottle! Conversely you can only take so much milk out of a pint bottle.
We have people who have worked hard for over forty years and put money into their social security fund for their old age. Yet, you think it is all right for people who have crossed our borders illegally and come to live in our country, should be given free health care through our Medicaid. Our social security program is being totally wiped out by the demands made upon it, by the people who have not lived in our country, nor paid into the social security fund for years. Is that fair?
After having lived in Britain for almost one decade, I can see nothing but problems for our country. Our way of life is being totally changed. When I returned to Texas after a space of 9 years, I was totally surprised to see that Texas is totally being taken over by the Spanish population that is here. While riding down the street in Lewisville Texas, I was beginning to wonder if I was somehow transported to Tijuana. I saw so many signs of businesses that where written in Spanish. The labels on our food in the stores are in written in Spanish. The advertisements in our newspapers have Spanish furniture for sale. We are starting to celebrate your country’s celebrations. Our country’s culture is being overrun by another country's culture.
I appreciate the fact that I can not stop our nation's evolution into another way of life. I have bought a Spanish dictionary to learn your language and customs. I just wish that the people in your culture would try to learn our culture and have respect for our country’s rules and regulations. Is that too much to ask?
Our small town’s neighborhoods are being changed when one family moves into a home, and the next day, we see 10 cars parked onto the front lawn along with the rest of the family’s belonging. Old washing machines, broken down cars, tall weeds and washing strung unto the bushes and trees.
I am asking that you apologize to Bill O"Reilly for the vile thinks that you said about him in your radio program last March 22, 2009. I can tell by the passion in your voice that you really believe the things that you said about him. Yet, you do not really know him or what he stands for. I ask you Ms Maria Hinojosa to take the time to listen to him and try to understand what it is that he is saying. He is the voice of the people who live in this country and are trying to change the things that need to be changed before our country is destroyed.
If you really believe in "creating a place for common ground"’ then you must listen to our voices and what it is that we are afraid of. Or are you just mouthing off the same old tired line of, you listen to us, but we do not have to listen to you. No common ground can ever be accomplished by that attitude.
Ticked off and mad as hell over your vile statements about Bill O’Reilly and asking us what is it that we are afraid of.
Regards, Colleen Walsh