This Land is...Your Land?

Whose America is this? This land, stained with the blood of countless indigenous people, is not your land. This land is the land of ghosts: the ghosts of those we have wronged. And now, after all these years, after all the atrocities and imperialistic seizures of land, we still refuse to leave behind our bigotry and own up to our mistakes. Not only do we not own up to our mistakes, we continue recklessly making them, hating and biting, until our children have the same stupid mentality. Racism. How stupid! Am I not a man and brother?
For the sake of clarity, here is the official definition of racism, straight from dictionary.com:

rac·ism

1.	a belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human races determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one's own race is superior and has the right to rule others.

2.	a policy, system of government, etc., based upon or fostering such a doctrine; discrimination.

3.	hatred or intolerance of another race or other races.

Look carefully at the first definition. Racism is not just an action; it is a way of thinking. A way of thinking that includes superiority, or at the very least irreconcilable differences. This is a problem. This creates the atmosphere for our society, where a huge debate is immigration. Do you know your candidate's position on immigration? Visit their websites, even and perhaps especially those you feel you don't agree with.
The problem with many people's views on immigration is that they see it as an "us and them" situation- are we not all human? They see the dirty, poor, uneducated "Mexican" criminal. They fear him. They belittle and scorn him. And then they deport him back to where he came from. I won't even begin to discuss how overtly hypocritical this is.
I sat in on a mock-congress session when I was in high school. In fact, I sat in on several. In each session, some sort of idiotic immigration bill was presented by a snotty Idahoan. One suggested we not only fortify the border by building a 15 foot wall all the way across it (of course, this referred only to the Mexican-American border - Canadians are white and therefore harmless) and place snipers at the top. Now, forget for a moment how ridiculous this idea is (geography and monetary/man power wouldn't allow for such a construction) and just think of the principles and ideas behind it: killing people to keep them out of our elitist nation. Can you say genocide? This bill was considered unfit for discussion, but only after several racist and offensive and frankly sickening comments were made. I was the only person who was of color in the room. Thankfully, the Presiding Officer of the Congress struck down the bill before further offences were made, but I was horrified nonetheless. Another bill was similar: any person who was not a citizen would be denied education and health care - even in emergency situations! Now, again, put aside the fact that this is wholly ludicrous and unenforceable, and look to the mentality behind it. They cannot be educated. They cannot be admitted to hospitals even if they are dieing. They are animals. No, worse than animals: there are still hospitals for animals. They are dirt. Brown like it too, right? You may be assured that I stood and requested that the bill not be considered, but it was too late and so the bill went to a vote. It was barely defeated. Can you imagine? Only slightly more than half of Idaho's so-called best and brightest (this was at Idaho's Girls State competition) voted against killing Mexicans (and yes, they were singled out in this bill as well) for being in our counrty! "Its a sick world" I said outloud to the Congress. After the session, the author approached me.
"I don't appreciate you calling me sick," she said.
Oh really, honey? Well, I don't give a damn. You were willing to treat my family and my friends like dirt. To turn them away from your white-supremest neighborhood, school, and health care facilities. You very literally make me sick.

Oh, America! Can't you see? These are not cattle to be kept on their side of the fence! They are human beings with emotions and hopes and dreams and intelligence- they are not dogs to be kept under your table. We are the animals.

Hillary Clinton - (I align myself most with her Immigration Policy.)

Our immigration system is in crisis. The laws we currently have on the books are inadequate and no longer serve our best interests. As a nation, we place a premium on compassion, respect, and policies that help families, but our immigration laws don't reflect that.

Hillary has consistently called for comprehensive immigration reform that respects our immigrant heritage and honors the rule of law. She believes comprehensive reform must have as essential ingredients a strengthening of our borders, greater cross-cooperation with our neighbors, strict but fair enforcement of our laws, federal assistance to our state and local governments, strict penalties for those who exploit undocumented workers, and a path to earned legal status for those who are here, working hard, paying taxes, respecting the law, and willing to meet a high bar.

Barack Obama-

Create Secure Borders - Obama wants to preserve the integrity of our borders. He supports additional personnel, infrastructure and technology on the border and at our ports of entry.

Improve Our Immigration System - Obama believes we must fix the dysfunctional immigration bureaucracy and increase the number of legal immigrants to keep families together and meet the demand for jobs that employers cannot fill.

Remove Incentives to Enter Illegally - Obama will remove incentives to enter the country illegally by cracking down on employers who hire undocumented immigrants.

Bring People Out of the Shadows - Obama supports a system that allows undocumented immigrants who are in good standing to pay a fine, learn English, and go to the back of the line for the opportunity to become citizens.

Work with Mexico - Obama believes we need to do more to promote economic development in Mexico to decrease illegal immigration.

John McCain-

As president, I will secure the border. I will restore the trust Americans should have in the basic competency of their government. A secure border is an essential element of our national security. Tight border security includes not just the entry and exit of people, but also the effective screening of cargo at our ports and other points of entry.