Immigrants coddled?
I read with interest Sandra Svoboda's article, "Caught in the crossfire" (Metro Times, Jan. 30). It is indeed heartrending when we hear about children suffering through no mistakes of their own, but because of the illegal status of their parents. But, the question to ask is, "How can we condone illegal immigration when we are supposed to be a nation that cherishes the rule of law?"
Being originally an immigrant myself, I have no reason to be biased against immigrants, and since America is a nation of immigrants, the majority of Americans do favor immigration. But very few favor illegal immigration.
Of course, American politicians love to coddle illegal immigrants, especially, the Hispanics, for political reasons because the Hispanics now are the largest and the fastest growing minority in this country. Coddling illegal immigrants makes a mockery of the entire immigration process and is unfair to people who are trying to get in through legal channels.
It is appalling that an uneducated Mexican guy, even with a criminal record, can simply walk across the border with little resistance and a Ph.D. in engineering from India, Poland or Russia has to wait for years to get the green card!
Children, unfortunately, do suffer from the mistakes committed by parents, just as parents suffer from the mistakes committed by their children, but that doesn't mean we can break laws with impunity! If parents don't pay the rent for an apartment, the landlord is allowed to evict the whole family, including children, not just their parents!
Our immigration policies must be compassionate but must also be fair, equitable and just! —Pradeep Srivastava, Detroit
Bronx cheer
Aren't those illegals taking the place of American students who are more deserving of the use of American taxpayer-funded institutions and scholarships? They have taken advantage of our soft-headed and slipshod immigration administration. What one of the young women in Sandra Svoboda's story has done is illegal. She has slipped through the cracks like a thief in the night.
Yes or no, there's nothing in-between. You 're either married or you're not married, as the saying goes. —Peter J. Kessler, The Bronx, N.Y.
P.S. — My mother was only 3 when she came here in 1923. She was listed on my grandparents' visa, legal from Day 1. That's the way it's done. Why should this lady break the rules and expect benefits from what we've built?
Speak the truth
I'm writing in response to Larry Gabriel's "Mayor Sellout" (Metro Times, Jan. 30). I copied and forwarded your piece to everyone on my distribution list, and have already received appreciative e-mails in return. I too have been venting my anger regarding his "false claims of racism" and the damage that it does to those who are actual victims of it. Thank you, thank you, for so eloquently putting my thoughts and feelings into words and print!
Always, fearlessly, speak the truth! —Charisse M. Burks, Detroit
Blame the media
After reading the articles by Jack Lessenberry ("What matters is Detroit," Metro Times, Jan. 30) and Larry Gabriel about the conundrum that Mayor Kilpatrick has placed himself in, I believe they will continue to have much more to report as the truth unfolds. —Robert P. Thibodeau, Detroit
Ban the burn
JoAnn Watson, Detroit City Councilmember, deserves accolades for meeting with local environmentalists to try to shut down the city's incinerator ("Burning issue" Metro Times, Jan 23).
While downtown Detroit looks cleaner and appears to have benefited from Roger Penske's privately financed cleaning crews, children living near the incinerator, very close to downtown, are hospitalized for asthma at three times the national average. In fact the entire downtown area, which includes the medical center, Cultural Center, and Wayne State University, are constantly showered with toxic metals like lead, mercury and cadmium from burning garbage and trash collected from Detroit and nearby cities. Then there are substances like hydrogen chloride, sulfur dioxide and dioxin, which cause a variety of illnesses like cancer and respiratory diseases as well as global warming.
Detroit is long overdue to begin curbside recycling, as some suburban cities have done for years. The city can also generate additional revenue and jobs with a recycling program. The illusion of a "clean downtown Detroit" needs to be replaced with the reality of toxic-free air for both residents and workers in the city.
But the mayor needs to act immediately. A decision to shut down the incinerator needs to be made by June of this year. —George Corsetti, Detroit
Heavy CREEM
Thanks for your excellent articles on CREEM ("Sour CREEM," Jan. 16, and "CREEMed," Jan. 23, Metro Times). I really appreciate your perspective and your willingness to address the issues. I recently reviewed the 1984 "Best of CREEM," that Bill Holdship edited. It made me really wish that he had edited the book. (I also found it humorous that Duran Duran was in the CREEMRock Hall of Fame, published in that special edition.)
As someone that was 14 in 1979, when I discovered the magazine, I can't tell you how much the combination of humor, irreverence and intellect meant to me. As I've recently been going through back issues, I've been reminded of how much of my teen dialogue came straight from the pages of CREEM.
Thanks for all the great work. —Steve Crawford, Eldridge, Iowa
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