Why Irish in America need to stand up to guarantee Irish immigration to U.S.

I wholeheartedly agree with this very important Editorial, especially the phrase: "...when it comes to our contribbutions to the United States,... we need to make our case loudly and clearly". A few years before the enactment of the 1965 immigration law that virtually shut the door to the Irish,I was stationed at Camp Lejuune as a marine. One evening a book titled "marine Corps Hereos" was circulated in out barracks. It included the names of all marines who had won Medals of Honor. About 1/3 of these medals prior to the Great War (1914-18) were awarded to Irish natives, including TWO to men from Co. Limerick, the county in which I was raised. Six or seven years later, the first marine to win a Medal of Honor in Vietnam was Sgt. ROBERT EMMET O'MALLEY, the son of an Irish immigrant couple in Woodside, Queens. I was never in a war zone, but I did receive a Good Conduct Medal, and I once qualfied (but did NOT participate) in the All-Marine Rifle Championship. Therefore I now strongly support the granting of permanent visas to deserving emigrants from ALL parts of Ireland.

Ancavker - MichaelIdaho is right. I am Irish born and I too have spent a very great deal of time in the west and Midwest and a good deal down south as well. Americans are definitely not the same all across the continent; not by along shot.

ancavker, I have visited just about every state in the union, grew up and lived in New York/Boston and have lived out west for almost a decade. Both my parents were born in Ireland I spent over 20 summers of my youth there and was in Ireland last year. Perhaps you may re-think your suggestion, that I "need to get around more."

illegals OUT OUT OUT

Michael - Well said. Robin - There is a drone coming your way.

michael: Americans in the mid-west and south are just the same as those from the north eats or west coast. You need to get around more.

Things are getting bad in the USA, the Preseidents been authorised to use DRONE STRIKES on US citizens in the event of an emergency. Here is part of the letter to an Senate . Press enquirer: "It is possible, I suppose, to imagine an extraordinary circumstance in which it would be necessary and appropriate under the Constitution and applicable laws of the United States for the President to authorize the military to use lethal force within the territory of the United States. For example, the president could conceivably have no choice but to authorize the military to use such force if necessary to protect the homeland in the circumstances like a catastrophic attack. The letter concludes, "were such an emergency to arise, I would examine the particular facts and circumstances before advising the president of the scope of his authority (and unsaid but clearly meant 'to bomb them into submission)"

I find this Irish vs Irish-American nonsense so tiresome. I have had wonderful relationships with people from both Ireland and America. I have also met plenty of idiots from both countries. The irony in this whole silly, endless discussion is that in the 21st century, Americans from the Northeast/West Coast are more similar culturally to the present day Irish (i.e. materialistic, secular, liberal, consumeristic, pop culture obsessed) than an American from the Midwest or Southern or Western U.S.

Well, if you ask me America's problems were foreseeable in 1758, this was the date when a bunch of colonial rednecks went on the booze in a sleepy-town called Philadelphia, and decided the tallest of them should run for Mayor, the tall guy George didn't really want the job of Mayor, and working for the Council was not exactly what he had in mind - but drunks being drunks they insisted he did and could line them all up for cushy-jobs, unknown to his drinking cronies he'd met an attractive young widow age 26, called Martha Dandridge, who had two young children, and he had purchased a few slaves and was intent on expanding the homestead he'd leased in Mount Vernon. Even so when he got home the next day having been out all night and told Martha what they'd suggested (him being Mayor) she told him not to be a fool, there was no money to be earned working for the Council, and he ought to set his sights higher like being President for instance, she then told him what she knew about Treasury Bonds and Britain’s gold reserves held in Fort Knox which got him thinking, and the next day Martha visited a charity shop and bought him an old British Ships Captains uniform, she washed and combed his hair and told him "he was going to be President", and that's how it all started. As any grey, waxen faced American will tell you today losing British rule, advice, shrewdness and good manners was a bad move, and they had to learn how to stop eating with their fingers and using plates, cups and saucers.

Maureen - that's why there is such a mess.

Scouse Tony: What you say is nonsense. You're just another racist. You tell us that the 400.000 Irish people out of work are too lazy to work? Funny, I've heard that kind of racism about other ethnic groups from people here in the US. It's just disgusting racism--go back to your British national front sites. And maybe buy yourself a newspaper and read up on the debate about Mass Immigration--the British politicians are now admitting that they were totally out of order to open the doors of their country to uncontrolled settlement by foreigners.

Woundedknee, The real problem in the UK is that economic migrants are accused of driving wages down when it is actually greedy employers taking advantage of migrant’s willingness to work longer hours for lower pay that is the real problem. The political parties are just reacting to a right wing press driven folk devil. The people making most of the noise can’t distinguish between legal migrants, illegal immigrants and asylum seekers, they usually have a horror story about how they know about a Kosovar / Polish/Iraqi family who have been given the keys to a five bedroomed house, a 50” TV and free money by the Benefits Agency but it’s always come from a bloke their sister’s boyfriend’s cousins mate was talking to in the pub rather than actual facts, my brother in law insists he can’t get work because of all the immigrants when really he couldn't find the Job Centre with both hands and a map if it was up his arse it’s easier for him than admitting he is just a lazy scrounger who can’t get out of bed and thinks the world owes him a living. If we sent all the migrants home all we would be left with is the likes of my brother in law who wouldn't know hard work if it jumped up and bit him on the arse.

Fail to understand why I "NEED TO" stand up for Irish emigration to the US. My parents were both emigrants to the USA from Ireland. G'head: sway me.

Smyrnian, can't see anything sad about that.

Also, sadly enough Charlottenc, Ireland won't allow you to stay. They have discriminatory policies against Americans. You can't go there and get a work permit, residency, or even buy property without tremendous hassles. Stay in Charlotte!