For us, with hope and squalor
What does squalor have to do with saving democracy? Immigrants of all eras have started their lives in our poorest neighborhoods in order to get a foothold on starting the climb to the real American dream: the dream of a decent life. This often means living in squalor. Everyone I spoke to in these neighborhoods while canvassing for the mid-term elections were polite, interested and almost all said 'thank you' for the literature and campaign pins. After a while the abandoned automobiles looked more like projects, the non-working refrigerators on the porches looked like they had been replaced with new ones, the black plastic bags of trash were waiting for a day off work to be disposed of, and yips of the herds of chihuahuas sounded musical and humane as well as being a security system. People around the world love America for its freedom and its laws. They don't love its military presence, but they respect it and, in some cases, rely on it for stability. Migrating to and ...