Dear Prime Minister John Howard,
It is our honor to have a message for you.
President Bill Clinton said on Saturday(June 13, 1998) a new wave of immigrants will
alter the face of America within decades and warned the nation would be put in peril if
"bigots" attempt to "shun them or shut them out".
One year after launching a national initiative on race during a commencement address at
San Diego state university, Clinton chose graduation ceremonies at Portland state
university to discuss the impact of the one million immigrants who legally enter the
United States each year.
"Let me state unequivocally, I believe new immigrants are good for
America." Clinton said in remarks prepared for delivery to some 3,000
graduates, their families and friends. "They are revitalizing our cities' they are
renewing our values, and they are reminding all of us what it truly means to be an
American." Clinton said.
His message was particularly relevant here in the Pacific northwest, which has seen a
surge of Asian-American immigrants in recent years.
Later in the days, Clinton was to visit Thurston High School in Springfield, Oregon, to
meet some of the students whose lives were shattered last month when a freshman schoolmate
walked into the cafeteria and opened fire with a semiautomatic rifle-killing two students
and wounding 22 others.
In the commencement speech, Clinton pointed to the prejudice that tormented
Irish and Chinese migrants to the United States in the 1800s. He warned;
"we are being tested again-by a new wave of immigration larger than any in a century,
far more diverse than any in our history!!" Clinton noted "there no longer is a
majority race in Hawaii and said the same will be true in California with five years.
According to population projections, within a little more than fifty years, there will be
no majority race in America." he said.
"I believe that America is honor-bound to share our country with
immigrants not shun them or shut them out." Clinton said.
Clinton said the situation imposed responsibilities on current citizens and those who
aspired to citizenship. "Honor our laws." Clinton advised immigrants "
embrace our culture, learn our language, know our history---become citizens, become
American."
He lamented that too many children of immigrants, particularly Hispanics, drop out of
school and in many cases fall to learn English. " Make sure our children learn
English must not be a distant goal---it must be our first order of business." he
said.
If bigots attempt to "shun them or shut them out", it is impossible for
"international village of our world".
Indonesia crisis put Indonesia-Chinese a economic guilty on their rich.
A uncivilized routine that transfer country's trouble to minority and immigrants is
safer and out of question.
We have found the dangerous tendency to your country. More and more people of Australia
support Pauline Hanson. Analysis said the result in Queensland would risk handing Hanson
the balance of power in the Senate.
Voters need education, because such kind of choice can stun
Australia future; just as President Bill Clinton had said "Embrace our culture, learn
our language, know our history-become citizens, become Australian". That would be a
really immigrant policy, isn't it?