Also outraged

I, too, am outraged by the recent displays of racism and xenophobia on this editorial page in the last few months. Natives of Shelbyville, you should be ashamed. Unless you are Native American, your ancestors were immigrants, too.

Let me first state that I do not own a business and I am not making any "huge profit" from the immigrants. I am just a non-native resident with a job. However, I LIKE Hispanics. They bring their own rich customs and culture and it makes Shelbyville a better, more interesting place.

You should know that half of our county used to be Mexico. When those illegals jump that fence or cross that desert, they are arriving in their own land, which was mostly stolen from them in the 19th century. America is not a white continent. The brown men were here first.

The immigrants, illegal or otherwise, come here because of poverty in their own land. No one leaves his town and his family unless he is forced to do so. The United States bears some responsibility for the economic situation in Mexico. For one thing, NAFTA has failed to bring prosperity as promised. It just increased profits for the American factories that have relocated south of the border. Our foreign policy has always been to look out for number one.

No one is forcing us to change the language we speak. If you choose, you can learn Spanish in our public schools or universities. You can also learn French, Russian, Chinese, German or Portuguese. I know plenty of people who are striving to acquire another language.

I hate slogans like "It is time to take our country back." Who has invaded us? Which foreign soldiers are kicking in our doors? We, on the other hand, have invaded another country militarily. Our soldiers are kicking in their doors. How do you feel about their acting on "It is time to take our country back."

Papers, visas, permits and even borders are all artificial. What is real is our common humanity, our common desire to be warm, to feed our children, to care for our relatives, honestly, by our work. Shelbyville is a wonderful place. Let it be wonderful for all

Elizabeth Mandeel,

Shelbyville