Got out of bed, wasn't feeling too good
With my wallet and my passport, a new pair of shoes
The sun is shining so I head for the park,
With a bottle of Tequila, and a new pack of cigarettes
I got a cousin and she got a friend,
Who thought that her aunt knew a man who could help
At his apartment I knocked on the door,
He wouldn't come out until he got paid.
Now don't tell anybody what I wanna do
If they find out you know that they'll never let me through, cos
It's no fun being an illegal alien, no
It's no fun being an illegal alien
Down at the office had to fill out the forms
A pink one, a red one, the colours you choose,
Up to the counter to see what they think
They said "it doesn't count man, it ain't written in ink".
I don't trust anybody, least not around here, cos
It's no fun being an illegal alien, I tell ya
It's no fun being an illegal alien, no no no no no
It's no fun being an illegal alien, I mean it when I tell ya that
It's no fun being an illegal alien,
An illegal alien, O.K.
Consideration for your fellow man
Would not hurt anybody, it sure fits in with my plan
Over the border, there lies the promised land
Where everything comes easy, you just hold out your hand
Keep your suspicions, I've seen that look before
But I ain't done nothing wrong now, is that such a suprise
But I've got a sister who'd be willing to oblige
She will do anything now to help me get to the outside
So don't tell anybody what I wanna do
If they find out you know that they'll never let me through, because
It's no fun being an illegal alien, I tell ya
It's no fun being an illegal alien, and it's getting me down
It's no fun being an illegal alien, no no no no no
It's no fun being an illegal alien, yeah yeah yeah
It's no fun (not much fun) being an illegal alien, I tell ya that
It's no fun being an illegal alien, I tell ya
It's no fun being an illegal alien, no no no
It's no fun (not bloody much fun) being an illegal alien,
It's no fun being an illegal alien, and that's what I am.
The song is about a man who wants to enter America. He wanted to do things the right way went to the office filled out his papers but it wasn't good enough. He didn't have the money to pay. He turned to the illegal way because he had no choice. He needed to escape to the promise land to find a way he would do what ever it takes. He feared of being caught didn't like what he was doing. The song exemplies that life as an illegal immigrant isn't easy they fear of being caught being deported. Even though immigrants intentions are good and innocent the way they go about them can be wrong and illegal. The man in the song didn't want to be an illegal alien but had no choice. In each chorus the song talks about how it's no fun being an illegal alien. The man can't let anyone know of his plan because he won't ever make it to the promised land. The song relates to immigration in the sense that illegal aliens exist one way or another. Immigrants do try to enter America the right way but if that fails illegally is the only option. They need a better life to support there families therefore they realize that it is necessary to make it to America. Immigrants need to make it to America to have a better life and will do so at all costs. They fear of being deported but need to take the risk of escaping to America. To immigrants life in the U.S. is much better and there plan won't hurt anybody but is illegal in making it to America.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Interview with Sheela Iyer
Sheela Iyer, an immigrant from Mumbai, India. Sheela lived 26 years in Mumbai before moving across seas to the U.S. Sheela is a co-worker of my mom and a long time family friend. She works in Tinton Falls, New Jersey as a Physical therapist.
Stephen: What was your experience like coming to the United States?
Sheela: I had a good experience coming to the U.S. I moved to Kansas and people were nice to me. I was given a furnished apartment to live in for two months. When I moved to my own apartment, I was given an apartment shower. People were kind and provided me with a lot of things for my apartment. My co-workers were amused with the context in which I used certain words. I once asked for gum (which is what we call glue in India) instead I was given a piece of chewing gum.
Stephen: What were your resons behind coming to the U.S?
Sheela: I came to the U.S. as a challenge or bet. I had friends who were in the U.S. already. I was challenging a false advertisement by a recruiter in one of our physical therapy journals.
Stephen: What problems did you face in the U.S.?
Sheela: My transition was really made easy thanks to the people at work. I really did not have many problems but slight inconveniences due to inadequate public transport that made me depend on others for rides to the stores. Few annoyances which I got used to quickly are the way the light switches are operated in the U.S. In India you flicked the switch down to turn the light on and also the way the key is put into the key hole.
Stephen: How did you deal with the clashing of cultures in the U.S.?
Sheela: It was hard to get used to people talking so openly about taboo topics like sex. Always amazed me how openly people spoke ill about their in-laws in the U.S. Divorce at the time in India was scarce. So it was very confusing when people said "my mother's husband." I still have difficulty adjusting to the way the elderly are treated in this country. The elderly are revered in India.
Stephen: Which traditions were you able to keep and which did you have to compromise in the U.S.?
Sheela: I do not think I had to compromise any traditions. I just assimilated the new traditions of this country into my life. We never celebrated Thanksgiving or Christmas in India. But having lived here now, the holidays for me are a lot of fun and the best time of the year.
Stephen: What was your experience like coming to the United States?
Sheela: I had a good experience coming to the U.S. I moved to Kansas and people were nice to me. I was given a furnished apartment to live in for two months. When I moved to my own apartment, I was given an apartment shower. People were kind and provided me with a lot of things for my apartment. My co-workers were amused with the context in which I used certain words. I once asked for gum (which is what we call glue in India) instead I was given a piece of chewing gum.
Stephen: What were your resons behind coming to the U.S?
Sheela: I came to the U.S. as a challenge or bet. I had friends who were in the U.S. already. I was challenging a false advertisement by a recruiter in one of our physical therapy journals.
Stephen: What problems did you face in the U.S.?
Sheela: My transition was really made easy thanks to the people at work. I really did not have many problems but slight inconveniences due to inadequate public transport that made me depend on others for rides to the stores. Few annoyances which I got used to quickly are the way the light switches are operated in the U.S. In India you flicked the switch down to turn the light on and also the way the key is put into the key hole.
Stephen: How did you deal with the clashing of cultures in the U.S.?
Sheela: It was hard to get used to people talking so openly about taboo topics like sex. Always amazed me how openly people spoke ill about their in-laws in the U.S. Divorce at the time in India was scarce. So it was very confusing when people said "my mother's husband." I still have difficulty adjusting to the way the elderly are treated in this country. The elderly are revered in India.
Stephen: Which traditions were you able to keep and which did you have to compromise in the U.S.?
Sheela: I do not think I had to compromise any traditions. I just assimilated the new traditions of this country into my life. We never celebrated Thanksgiving or Christmas in India. But having lived here now, the holidays for me are a lot of fun and the best time of the year.
Border Fence Political Cartoon
This cartoon exemplifies that with the economy the U.S. has today not even Mexicans want to come here to find work. The economic charts show inflation and layoffs two things on the rise in the U.S. Even Mexicans are turning back at the border fence because oppurtunities of a better life in the U.S. aren't what they used to be. Mexicans come to the U.S. to find a better life but now a days they may be better off living in Mexico. The U.S. can't provide illegal Mexicans with jobs because the jobs Mexicans normally do in the U.S. are now being done by the average American. Mexicans normally do the everyday jobs Americans would never do but with the down falling economy those Americans are forced to do the jobs that Mexicans escape to the U.S. to do.
Works Cited
Kurtzman, Daniel. "Border Fence Cartoon - Immigration Cartoon." Political Humor - Jokes Satire and Political Cartoons. 2008. Web. 06 Jan. 2011. <http://politicalhumor.about.com/od/immigration/ig/Immigration-Cartoons/Border-Fence.0zJI.htm>.
The Border Fence
The new border fence construction along the U.S. Mexico border has brought numerous speculation on whether it will be effective. The fence will cost the U.S. billions of dollars to make and be nearly 700 miles in length. This fence on its own is not a solution to the immigration issues and in an economic disaster that the U.S. is enduring now; many think this fence will not work. "A 2009 Government Accountability Office audit found that the fence – still unfinished – had cost $2.4 billion to build, and would require another $6.5 billion to maintain over the next 20 years." (Heining) The U.S. is putting billions of dollars into a project that has not yet proven successful. Advancements have been made in border security over the years but will such a big project be the final solution to the end of illegal immigration across the U.S. Mexico border. The fence doesn't recieve the support necessary to be successful in the long run. This fence comes with a large price tag and is not an effective solution to illegal immigration.
The border fence is just the first step in a long process to end illegal immigration. This fences' success involves more technology then just an 18 foot high barrier. The U.S. puts in millions of dollars into border security yearly but still immigrants find a way in. With the fence comes more radar and cameras put into place. These cameras and radar towers won't come cheap either therefore this single project turns into a series of steps. This fence also calls for more personnel in the border patrol department which also will come at a price. The U.S. previously had a virtual fence in place but it was not found to be effective. "Homeland Security Secretary Micheal Chertoff talks of the fence as just one facet of a more comprehensive strategy to secure the border. The fence is intended to compliment, not replace, extra agents, surveillance sensors, inland checkpoints and technology"(Holstege) This fence won't stop illegal aliens on its own therefore it is a waste because other then slow Mexicans down the fence won't stop them directly on its own. The process is very detailed and after the U.S. has already wasted a billion dollars on a virtual fence who knows if this new fence won't turn out being a waste either. In a time of economic despair the fence comes with too much risk in the circumstances that it could be a waste. Failure is not an option with this fence and the added money for services to go along with the fence is far too much for the fence to be worthwhile in the long run.
The fence is solely just a way to slow down Mexicans from entering across the border. With tons of Mexicans crossing the border each day how effective will this new fence really be? Mexicans can easily find a way over the fence. They pay smugglers and climb ladders daily a new taller fence will only call for it to take longer for them to cross the fence. It must be quite simple for a Mexican to climb the fence and take no time at all if immigration is such a problem. The new fence just makes the feat a little more difficult for Mexicans to get over. The U.S. is putting money forward to a project to slow Mexicans from getting over the border but how can we be sure it stops them from getting across. The will to find better work and a better life hasn't stopped Mexicans before and this new fence will only make things more challenging. "The fences are high enough to deter would be illegal immigrants. But Border Patrol and Immigrant aid centers report that people are devising ways to scale the fences, be it by two by four ladders, tree limbs or rope- and some are injuring themselves in the process."(Holstege) The new fence may be stronger and higher but Mexicans find away across each and everyday. This new fence may be no more effective then the one that already exists.
This fence has been in the works for nearly four years. It was brought into law during the Bush administration and why the fence isn't finished is remarkable. How important is the fence on the U.S agenda if it is taking this long. The fence clearly isn't of importance therefore the idea needs to be canned and construction cancelled. "According to staff at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), only 34.3 miles double-layer fencing has been completed along the Southern border. Most of that fencing, 13.5 miles, is in Texas, while 11.8 miles are in California and 9.1 miles of double-layer fencing are up in Arizona."(Sen. Demint) It has been 4 years and half of this fence hasn't been completed. This is unacceptable for the U.S. government. This was backed by Obama when he was a Senator and now as president he should still be supporting the project. Year after year this plan has been stripped down by amendments. The scrutiny has become much less because the fences' details have fallen apart since the project started. "The Government Accountability Office (GAO), Congress’s investigative arm, reported in early 2009 that only 32 miles of double-layer fencing had been built. That means under President Obama, only 2.3 miles of it has been built over an entire year." (Senator Demint)This is ridiculous a plan once backed by Obama in his Senator days now is falling apart due to lack of support. Now the U.S. is spending pointless money on a project that may never be completed. There is no way this project could possibly take this long and have such little done.
Overall, the fence won't have the success the U.S. is hoping for. The money needed for the fence is far to great when the fence and technology that already exists is allowing mexicans across the border daily. The fence will not be effective in the ways necessary therefore being a waste. The fence will only help do what previous technology has done by slowing down Mexicans. The fence is not a solution to the on going problem of illegal immigration. This fence doesn't have the support by the government to be completed.
Works Cited
The border fence is just the first step in a long process to end illegal immigration. This fences' success involves more technology then just an 18 foot high barrier. The U.S. puts in millions of dollars into border security yearly but still immigrants find a way in. With the fence comes more radar and cameras put into place. These cameras and radar towers won't come cheap either therefore this single project turns into a series of steps. This fence also calls for more personnel in the border patrol department which also will come at a price. The U.S. previously had a virtual fence in place but it was not found to be effective. "Homeland Security Secretary Micheal Chertoff talks of the fence as just one facet of a more comprehensive strategy to secure the border. The fence is intended to compliment, not replace, extra agents, surveillance sensors, inland checkpoints and technology"(Holstege) This fence won't stop illegal aliens on its own therefore it is a waste because other then slow Mexicans down the fence won't stop them directly on its own. The process is very detailed and after the U.S. has already wasted a billion dollars on a virtual fence who knows if this new fence won't turn out being a waste either. In a time of economic despair the fence comes with too much risk in the circumstances that it could be a waste. Failure is not an option with this fence and the added money for services to go along with the fence is far too much for the fence to be worthwhile in the long run.
The fence is solely just a way to slow down Mexicans from entering across the border. With tons of Mexicans crossing the border each day how effective will this new fence really be? Mexicans can easily find a way over the fence. They pay smugglers and climb ladders daily a new taller fence will only call for it to take longer for them to cross the fence. It must be quite simple for a Mexican to climb the fence and take no time at all if immigration is such a problem. The new fence just makes the feat a little more difficult for Mexicans to get over. The U.S. is putting money forward to a project to slow Mexicans from getting over the border but how can we be sure it stops them from getting across. The will to find better work and a better life hasn't stopped Mexicans before and this new fence will only make things more challenging. "The fences are high enough to deter would be illegal immigrants. But Border Patrol and Immigrant aid centers report that people are devising ways to scale the fences, be it by two by four ladders, tree limbs or rope- and some are injuring themselves in the process."(Holstege) The new fence may be stronger and higher but Mexicans find away across each and everyday. This new fence may be no more effective then the one that already exists.
This fence has been in the works for nearly four years. It was brought into law during the Bush administration and why the fence isn't finished is remarkable. How important is the fence on the U.S agenda if it is taking this long. The fence clearly isn't of importance therefore the idea needs to be canned and construction cancelled. "According to staff at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), only 34.3 miles double-layer fencing has been completed along the Southern border. Most of that fencing, 13.5 miles, is in Texas, while 11.8 miles are in California and 9.1 miles of double-layer fencing are up in Arizona."(Sen. Demint) It has been 4 years and half of this fence hasn't been completed. This is unacceptable for the U.S. government. This was backed by Obama when he was a Senator and now as president he should still be supporting the project. Year after year this plan has been stripped down by amendments. The scrutiny has become much less because the fences' details have fallen apart since the project started. "The Government Accountability Office (GAO), Congress’s investigative arm, reported in early 2009 that only 32 miles of double-layer fencing had been built. That means under President Obama, only 2.3 miles of it has been built over an entire year." (Senator Demint)This is ridiculous a plan once backed by Obama in his Senator days now is falling apart due to lack of support. Now the U.S. is spending pointless money on a project that may never be completed. There is no way this project could possibly take this long and have such little done.
Overall, the fence won't have the success the U.S. is hoping for. The money needed for the fence is far to great when the fence and technology that already exists is allowing mexicans across the border daily. The fence will not be effective in the ways necessary therefore being a waste. The fence will only help do what previous technology has done by slowing down Mexicans. The fence is not a solution to the on going problem of illegal immigration. This fence doesn't have the support by the government to be completed.
Works Cited
Demint, Jim. "Finish the Border Fence Now - HUMAN EVENTS." Conservative News, Views & Books - HUMAN EVENTS. 17 May 2010. Web. 06 Jan. 2011. http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=37025.
Heining, Andrew. "House Approves $600 Million for Border: How Will It Be Spent? - CSMonitor.com." The Christian Science Monitor - CSMonitor.com. 10 Aug. 2010. Web. 06 Jan. 2011. http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2010/0810/House-approves-600-million-for-border-How-will-it-be-spent.
Holstege, Sean. "Longer, Taller Fencing Gives Illegal Migrants a Higher Hurdle." Arizona Local News - Phoenix Arizona News - Phoenix Breaking News - Azcentral.com. 13 Nov. 2008. Web. 06 Jan. 2011. http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/2008/11/13/20081113borderclimb1113.html.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)