-Caveat Lector-
Firstly, the post shows trends in other 'friendly' nations.
What has happened in Germany and other European nations, friendly since
WW2, is the introduction of foreign (to them) labour to assist in areas
where they had employment gaps (skills and desire to work). Where I lived
(around 15 miles from Frankfurt in Hessen), there also lived a large group
of Turks and other Moslem groups. In about 1993, there (and in other
areas) were large demonstrations because there was a trend (attributed to
citizens from the newly reacquired 'East' Germany) of harassing people in
hostels in other parts of the country. Obviously, this was five or six
years ago. Yet, I have read other news items from various sources
indicating this is not an isolated trend; France, for example, was having
some dealings with Algerians, I believe; Spain, for example, was
considering erecting fences to stem the flow of immigrants from North
Africa.
Also in the WSWS article:
"In response to the social crisis, this wing of the party is seeking to
mobilise the racist dregs of society. This was clearly the content of their
campaign against dual nationality, which Koch began in Hesse against
considerable opposition even from within the CDU itself. Their motto "Yes
to integration. No to dual nationality" was obvious hypocrisy."
One of the big issues is expending Marks on social programmes equitably.
Then, closer to home, this is a current theme in the SouthWestern U.S. with
the tide of immigrants, as well.
As far as your questions/comments:
: I don't believe that it is possible to have citizenship in the US and
: another country at the same time. Am I wrong about this? If I am correct
: does that make our country racist on that basis? Are you suggesting that
: if a bill were placed before Congress to make it possible for US
: citizens to also have citizenship in another country that anyone who
: campaigned against such a law would be by definition a racist?
Yes, it is possible to have dual citizenship: U.S./Israeli, e.g. When I
first joined the military, I was in school with a fellow who married a girl
who was eventually required to return to Israel to fulfill some national
obligation. Sir George Bush, following his last term as President of the
U.S., subjected himself to the Queen of England.
As far as making our country 'racist'? No, we are the melting pot.
Campaigning against such a law would be perhaps 'protectionist' or
'nationalist'; however, given the 'melting pot' heterogeneity that citizens
of the U.S. comprise, I don't think so. When traveling to other nations,
European or Asian, there are marked distinctions between groups; perhaps,
it would be more easily applied there as the article indicates.
>From the Christian Science Monitor
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 6, 1999
MILITARY MELTING POT
Noncitizen soldiers in US ranks
• Immigrants boost recruiting, but raise concerns about a foreign-legion
military.
Dave Moniz
Special to The Christian Science Monitor
COLUMBIA, S.C.
As he walks the sandy ridges and pine barrens of his mammoth training base,
Col. Jack Carter notices something different about his new recruits. Many
of them are from Germany, Mexico, Russia - even Jamaica.
The new faces under the Kevlar helmets symbolize a subtle but significant
shift in America's armed forces - one that is helping fill depleted ranks,
and raising new concerns about the makeup of tomorrow's military.
Throughout the armed forces, noncitizens with legal US status accounted for
about 7,500 of the new recruits in 1997, according to the Navy Times. In
the Army alone, the number of immigrants donning fatigues has risen from
2,200 in 1995 to 3,100 last year.
Immigrant soldiers, signing up at a time when all the services are
struggling to find new members, are making the difference between a
difficult and a disastrous recruiting year.
They are also raising sensitive questions about whether the Pentagon is
creating a new caste system in the military - in effect, heading toward a
foreign legion protecting US citizens.
"I don't think [there's] any effort to recruit foreign nationals," says
Colonel Carter, chief of staff at Fort Jackson, the Army's largest training
base here. "But many show up on our doorstep looking for opportunity."
For now, the percentage of noncitizens joining the Army is still relatively
small. In 1998, the figure was 4.2 percent, up just slightly from 1997.
Army commanders often praise the work ethic of immigrants, noting that many
are motivated and patriotic as new converts to American democracy. For
example, Carter says about 10 of his base's recent "soldiers of the week"
are foreign nationals.
Many newcomers also view the US military as benevolent peacekeepers - doing
good on the world stage. "I recruited in the Philippines for a number of
years, and they see us as the good guys," says Frank Shaffery, chief of
plans and policy for Army recruiting at Fort Knox, Ky. He says they often
see the armed forces as "something that is structured, something with
security, and something that has a positive image in their life."
Still, the idea of immigrants shouldering M16s doesn't thrill everyone. The
stellar reputation of the Army's foreign recruiting pool, in fact, was
damaged last month when it was revealed that one, Egyptian Ali A. Mohamed,
went from Army grunt to terrorist in a few short years. Mr. Mohamed, who
served as a supply sergeant at Fort Bragg, N.C., was recently charged with
assisting Osama bin Laden, the Saudi dissident accused of masterminding the
deadly embassy bombings in Africa.
While Mohamed's case appears to be an aberration, military officials point
out they don't target illegal immigrants to fill job vacancies. Nor do they
place legal immigrants in sensitive jobs such as intelligence or Special
Forces.
Nevertheless, without this new recruiting base, notes former Army training
battalion commander Tom Wall, the services would not have made their
quotas. Last year, for example, the Navy fell some 7,000 sailors short of
its goal.
One other concern about the growing presence of immigrant soldiers is that
they will exacerbate socioeconomic divisions in the military. Lyle
Hendrick, a former Special Forces officer who runs a corporate security
business, says it's a difficult balance.
New immigrants, he says, "sometimes make better soldiers than US teenagers.
They value American citizenship much more than people born into it and are
much prouder than people given citizenship by birth."
But Mr. Hendrick says there is cause for concern because foreign nationals
are filling the ranks that US teens are increasingly rejecting. "Is the
country ripe to become a French Foreign Legion?" he asks.
Retired Army Gen. Bruce Blount, who once commanded Fort Jackson, agrees. He
says if the percentage of immigrants continues to increase, it raises the
question of a whether the country has recruited a mercenary force. "It gets
further and further away from the image of the American public."
The rise of new immigrant soldiers raises other questions as well. Would
they be willing, for instance, to go to war against their former homelands?
Most experts don't believe that would be a problem, citing the case of
Japanese-Americans who fought valiantly for the US in World War II.
<Picture: bullet>Before bookmarking this page in your browser, click here.
<Picture: bullet>The URL for this page is:
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----------
: From: Howard R. Davis III <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
: To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
: Subject: Re: [CTRL] Germania: 02-12
: Date: Friday, February 12, 1999 9:26 PM
:
: -Caveat Lector-
:
: Alamaine Ratliff wrote:
: >
:
: > The CDU campaigned on an openly racist platform. In face of heavy
: > opposition within the CDU itself, their candidate for state premier
: > initiated a campaign against the introduction of a new citizenship law
by
: > the federal government. Under certain conditions, the new law would
enable
: > immigrants to acquire a German passport without giving up their
original
: > nationality. It would also guarantee children born in Germany the right
to
: > citizenship.
: >
:
: I don't believe that it is possible to have citizenship in the US and
: another country at the same time. Am I wrong about this? If I am correct
: does that make our country racist on that basis? Are you suggesting that
: if a bill were placed before Congress to make it possible for US
: citizens to also have citizenship in another country that anyone who
: campaigned against such a law would be by definition a racist?
:
: Howard Davis
:
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CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic
screeds are not allowed. Substance—not soapboxing! These are sordid matters
and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright
frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects
spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL
gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers;
be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and
nazi's need not apply.
Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector.
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