Our View: Revolutionary War soldiers didn’t have to wait for papers
Were the original soldiers in George Washington’s army – the men who won this nation’s freedom – citizens of the United States?
We’d like the anti-immigrant crowd to consider that question. The answer is obvious: No, they were not.
The ones born on our soil were citizens of England. Along with rebellious and ornery Scots and Irishmen, there were recent arrivals from Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and France. They didn’t have the proper papers because proper papers didn’t exist. If you got here, you were legal. And if you fought alongside the brotherhood of farmers, merchants and tradesmen who dared defy the world’s reigning military colossus, you became part of their family. We had plenty of room for those willing to put up their lives as collateral for a chance to become an American. We believe that spirit still exists.
Which brings us to Jeff Denham’s ENLIST Act, which would provide those who serve in our military (but lack proper citizenship documentation) a fast track to becoming full-fledged Americans. Last week, he introduced it for the third time. If you think about it, it’s the same deal our Revolutionary War soldiers got 240 years ago.
If Denham is reading this, he’s probably cringing. He gains little from continuing to push this sensible, even patriotic, legislation. His own Republican Party has ignored it for two years. Diehard Democrats won’t give him any credit. And then there are those who get in a lather over anything making citizenship easier. They should pause just a moment.
We’re not comparing Jeff Denham to George Washington, but if the deal was good enough for immigrants fighting in 1776, it should be good enough for those willing to fight today. Go ahead and cringe, Congressman, but we’ve always liked this idea. So should every patriotic American.
Fewer secrets
We liked the changes Adam Gray made to his Assembly Bill 1154 before its passage in committee last week. As originally written, the bill would have removed the addresses and phone numbers from the list of those granted concealed-carry permits by county sheriffs and city police chiefs. Such a move would have diminished what every citizen is allowed to know about what their government is doing. We noted in an editorial that it could allow unscrupulous law enforcement officials to grant permits to those outside their jurisdictions or to campaign contributors who shouldn’t have them. We need far less secrecy in government, not more.
Gray listened to those objections, and the day of the vote he amended the bill to include the hometowns and ZIP codes of permit holders. It’s not quite the same, but does provide the same information found on lists of political contributors. It’s not a bad compromise.
So many good neighbors
After Stanislaus County Deputy Barry Ballance stepped in to help Leonela Osuna save her quinceañera, several folks offered to help Deputy Ballance. As The Bee reported earlier, Leonela’s traditional rite of passage was put at risk after burglars stole $2,000 she had saved from her south Modesto home. Ballance and other deputies collected money to help Leonela. When word got out, other residents wanted to help, offering goods and services. One is a jewelry collector in Gustine named Shirley, who offered to outfit Leonela for her big day. “I even have a tiara,” Shirley said. It’s great to live among such generous people. We hope Leonela shares the pictures.
This story was originally published April 24, 2015 at 11:40 PM with the headline "Our View: Revolutionary War soldiers didn’t have to wait for papers."