FAMILY TREES HELP DEBATE GROW CONGRESS MEMBERS WHIP OUT PERSONAL IMMIGRATION TALES.Byline: LISA The first personal computer to include integrated software and use a graphical interface. Modeled after the Xerox Star and introduced in 1983 by Apple, it was ahead of its time, but never caught on due to its $10,000 price and slow speed. FRIEDMAN Washington Bureau WASHINGTON -- From tales of Italian and Irish grandparents grandparents npl → abuelos mpl grandparents grand npl → grands-parents mpl grandparents grand npl landing at Ellis Island Ellis Island, island, c.27 acres (10.9 hectares), in Upper New York Bay, SW of Manhattan island. Government-controlled since 1808, it was long the site of an arsenal and a fort, but most famously served (1892–1954) as the chief immigration station of the United to a reminiscence rem·i·nis·cence n. 1. The act or process of recollecting past experiences or events. 2. An experience or event recollected: "Her mind seemed wholly taken up with reminiscences of past gaiety" about a father who fled czarist Russia to find refuge in America, members of Congress are shaking the history from their family trees This is an index of family trees available. It includes noble, politically important and royal families as well as fictional families and thematic diagrams. Europe
In an attempt to personalize the ever-polarizing debate over immigration policy An immigration policy is any policy of a state that affects the transit of persons across its borders, but especially those that intend to work and to remain in the country. , dozens of lawmakers in the past several months have publicly invoked their heritage. While the stories underscore the deeply personal nature of the issue, analysts also say that trotting out immigrant credentials has been a useful tool for politicians of both parties as they seek to sway public opinion in the high-stakes immigration immigration, entrance of a person (an alien) into a new country for the purpose of establishing permanent residence. Motives for immigration, like those for migration generally, are often economic, although religious or political factors may be very important. debate. ``You can make any point with it,'' University of Virginia political analyst Larry Sabato Larry J. Sabato (b. August 7, 1952) is the Robert Kent Gooch Professor of Politics at the University of Virginia, director of their Center for Politics, and a political analyst. He was called "the most-quoted college professor in the land" by the Wall Street Journal in 1994. noted of the myriad immigrant-ancestor stories emanating from Washington. ``Most of them came legally, so people who oppose (citizenship for illegal immigrants) can say, `My people did it the right way.' Then, people who want the immigration bill say, `This is what America is based on, immigration,''' Sabato said. Indeed, Senate Judiciary Committee The U.S. Senate established the Committee on the Judiciary on December 10, 1816, as one of the original 11 standing committees. It is also one of the most powerful committees in Congress; among its wide range of jurisdictions is investigation of federal judicial nominees and oversight of Chairman Arlen Specter Arlen "Phil" Specter (born February 12 1930) is a United States Senator from Pennsylvania. He is a member of the Republican Party, and was first elected in 1980. Biography Early life and career , R-Pa., as well as the panel's leading Democrat, Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., both supporters of a measure legalizing millions of undocumented immigrants, said their own parents' struggles highlight the need for legislation that offers illegal aliens a chance at citizenship. ``My own family is Exhibit A,'' Specter said in a recent Senate floor speech. ``My father came to this country in 1911 when he was 18 because the czar wanted to send him to Siberia. He preferred Pennsylvania, so he came to the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. .'' ``This situation,'' Specter said of the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in the U.S., ``is a test of our humanity as a nation and the values in which we believe in the United States.'' Among Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, lawmakers, both Reps. Hilda Solis, D-El Monte, and Linda Sanchez, D-Lakewood, protested in the names of their parents a House version of the bill criminalizing illegal immigrants. ``As the daughter of immigrants, I am offended by this bill,'' Sanchez said. Meanwhile, lawmakers who favor deporting illegal immigrants or forcing them to leave the U.S. by eliminating jobs and benefits refused to be outdone out·do tr.v. out·did , out·done , out·do·ing, out·does To do more or better than in performance or action. See Synonyms at excel. in the heritage department. ``I never knew my grandfather, because he died at 25 years of age, literally working himself to death, possibly on buildings like the Twin Towers,'' Rep. Phil Gingrey, R-Ga., said during the House debate in December. A descendant of Ellis Island immigrants himself, Gingrey said, ``I certainly share the compassion and the intense feeling with regard to our love in this country of immigrants, and we do welcome them.'' But, he added, ``As we all know, the times unfortunately have changed drastically and what we are trying to do with regard to border security is not just to protect our own citizens, but to protect every person who comes to this country legally seeking a better opportunity.'' Added Oklahoma Republican Rep. Ernest Istook, ``As the grandson of immigrants, I have a deep and personal appreciation for the desire and courage it takes to leave your home in search of a better life. My parents were born in Hungary and they came to America legally through Ellis Island. ``I welcome and embrace those who come here and do so legally, but entering our country illegally is different, very different,'' he said. For now, legislation addressing border security and illegal immigration is at a standstill. The House and Senate are holding hearings throughout the country, with one by Rep. Howard ``Buck'' McKeon, the Santa Clarita Republican who chairs the House Education Committee, exploring the impact of illegal immigrants on the work force. While the Republican-engineered hearings have largely been designed to run out the year's legislative clock to avoid voting on legislation that legalizes undocumented immigrants, they also have included their share of pathos and personalized tales. At a Senate hearing in Miami last week, Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is by law the highest ranking overall military officer of the United States military, and the principal military adviser to the President of the United States. , cried as he talked about his Italian immigrant father. Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., called Pace's comments ``enormously moving'' and said, ``We just hope our colleagues in Congress can hear it.'' Meanwhile, CNN's Lou Dobbs, a high-profile advocate for a hard line on illegal immigration, wrote an editorial excoriating the Senate for having ``no shame in continuing to try to blur the line between legal and illegal immigration.'' The hearing, he wrote, was an ``insult to the nation's top general.'' Ira Mellman, a Los Angeles-based spokesman for the Federation for Immigration Reform that advocates a hard line on illegal immigrants, said he doesn't think politicians' family stories change any minds. ``Everybody just about has a personal story about immigration in their history, and we are all beneficiaries of having made that decision in the past. But it doesn't dictate what the policy ought to be today,'' he said. Most lawmakers, Sabato agreed, are preaching to their own choirs. ``There are good stories on both sides, so which stories do you pick?'' he asked. ``The ones that support your position.'' lisa.friedman(at)langnews.com (202) 662-8731 |
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