To the editor: This story may sound familiar to you. My grandfather immigrated to our great nation in 1897 from Holland. While at Ellis Island, a port of entry for immigrants in New York City, he changed his name from Dirk to Dick in an attempt to better fit into this New World he was entering. He settled in Nyssa, Ore., eked out a life by buying and selling cattle, married and became a father to four children. My mother was his first born. At this time in history, life for immigrants is not as easy as it was for my grandfather, and it was not easy for him. People, especially people of color, both documented and undocumented, live in constant fear due to the presence of ICE in our communities.
I’m living in a dichotomy. I have one foot firmly planted in the land of the Luddites, and the other just as anchored to the whirling world of technology. For example:
To the editor: Throughout my childhood I was reminded by my grandfather (a retired Navy veteran) that one of the most important freedoms we have as an American citizen is the right to vote. Citizens have fought long and hard for that right and it is not to be taken lightly. Also that we should not complain about the laws we are required to follow unless we are willing to vote.
