1820 The segue to immigrants--our strength

If I'd asked Jane to play second banana, she couldn't have done better. She checked out my 2003 Thanksgiving post about looking for a cup of coffee:

"Many employers really do give Thanksgiving Day off. This morning I had quite a search to find an open coffee shop. Panera’s, Caribou, Starbucks, Bob Evans, Tim Horton’s, Wendy’s, McDonald’s. All were closed so employees could enjoy time with their families, or time to sleep in, or time to clean the garage.

Finally I saw an open White Castle and pulled in. I’d never been in one. No house newspaper or classical music, just big windows and small booths, but the coffee was excellent. Perhaps because it was a holiday with no baggage for them, there were two Hispanics, an Asian woman, a developmentally disabled man, and a Canadian supervisor (I don’t know that, but his haughty attitude and countenance reminded me of Peter Jennings, so I’m calling him a Canadian) working the pre-dawn hours. I’ll have to stop back tomorrow--they wouldn’t take a $20--and said I could pay next time."

Jane of Sisters of the Tender Heart writes a wonderful blog about being a librarian, a mother, a wife and a Catholic, commented:

"OK, I know you're going to sigh and move my blog to your lefty bloggers listing (as if you had one), but isn't it ironic on Thanksgiving only minority groups have to work: two Hispanics, an Asian woman, a developmentally disabled man, and a Canadian supervisor. . . a Native American would have made it perfect."

To which I replied:

"Yes, that would indeed be the liberal view. The conservative view is that this is the land where immigrants are still welcome, where even when their English is barely passable, they can work if they want to, that they were given the choice, and were probably paid double time for a holiday, even though to them it was just another day. And the happiest guy in the store was probably the developmentally disabled, because he really wants to make a contribution to society and White Castle is giving him that opportunity.

And the Asian lady probably has a daughter in college, and the Hispanic who now rides a bicycle to work in the dark is saving for a car, something he'd never be able to afford in the old country.

Is this a great country or what?"

Thanks for the set up Jane--today let's be thankful for our country's immigrants--current and past. My ancestor immigrants came in the 1600s and 1700s, looking for freedom of religion and a better life (religious discrimination in the old country prevented them from owning land, starting businesses, etc.). I would mention the Native Americans in this essay, but some are offended if you mention the Bering Straits immigration.