Also, commentary by Lalo Alcaraz:
I have mixed feelings on the Syrian refugee crisis. Of course, we know that Republicans are turning a well established US refugee program into a political football by playing on terrorism fears and anti-Muslim fervor. On the other hand, our people have not fared well early on with some refugees, mainly the ones depicted above. I guess all we can do is give thanks that Syrian toddlers and their families are far less likely to do harm to our people than the violent religious fanatic depicted above. On a totally unrelated note, Happy Thanksgiving!
Is it fair to say that (other than Native Americans) almost everyone in this country it descended from some sort of refugee? We all have reasons to be thankful.
Why did your ancestors come to this fair land? There must have been some reason they wanted or needed to leave their home for the new world. Personally, I have ancestors who fled the Nazis, others who were sent far away for breaking the law, others who fled looking for a better opportunity. America accepted them with open arms (for the most part, or at least gave them a fighting chance). Have we forgotten that America once was, and still should be, a great melting pot for humanity?
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I am proud to say that two of my daughter in laws are native American (mixed) so six of my eight grandchildren are Native Americans. Two even know who the full blood grandmother (great great, etc) is so they know their tribe and their 1/32.
My relatives came from England in about 1613 to the Jamestown area. All are magistrates and then lawyers. My father a 16th generation. Before England there is thought on-line that they may have come from Germany. I will live the rest of my life thinking that they were victim of anti-Semitism and moved to England because one) we are short) and 2) intelligent.
My mother’s side were Scotch-Irish, the orange men. Came here to farm in the Pittsburgh area in 1803 where land was going for $1000 an acre a bit later after the war of 1812. Andrew’s son Thomas hated farming so became a lawyer, Judge, then started the Mellon bank, now New York-Mellon. Someday I hope to find whether my mother’s family was Saxon or Norman. My branch descended from the oldest son who died early from smoking before the fortune was made.
Oh, and Washington comes in from both sides. Queen Elizabeth the second comes in from one side, ironically from a branch who came to this country, then married back into royalty-her mother.
None of my relatives was involved in Native American destruction. “The End of an Era by John Wise, tells of their interactions with the Indians. They just lived with them.
I’m happy to be a mutt descended from skalywags and saints, idiots and brainiacs, good and bad and mostly in between. Ancestry is really interesting and fun to look at but what really makes me proud is I’m a parent of kind and compassionate adult children. I take credit mainly for not having fucked up too badly both as parent and son.
I’m thankful for many, many things and one is this site and its commenters who have given me so much to chew on over the years. Thanks IK and all contributors.
We are all mutts under the Sun, and contrary to popular belief science teaches there is only one race – The Human Race. Or is it the Rat Race :-).
Happy Thanksgiving all, and thanks to IK for a little piece if sanity here in cyberspace.
Who you are:
Francis Deng wrote “the Dinka of Sudan” pub 1971
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Deng
The boys in Sudan had/have to memorize 26 generations of their ancestors.
I spent yesterday in the kitchen, so I’m playing catch up today. I’m also getting tired of cooking the turkey dinner, but it makes my family happy, so there you are.
On my mother’s side, I’m not sure how far we go back, but I am related to Lincoln. I think even earlier ancestors than him are on the family tree because my mom said we were eligible for the DAR. My father’s side came over with Lafayettes Army. The male was paid to serve for someone with money who did not want to fight. Thus he took that persons name. The female came as a laundress with the army. I’ve oftened wondered if “laundress” has another meaning in those circumstances. đŸ˜‰
So I’m not sure about the saints, but definitely the skalywags are there.
“Well, yes,” that logic goes, “but, in order to preserve what we’ve built, we must keep those OTHER people out.”
If we don’t, then the values iterated in the Declaration of Independence and written in to the Bill of Rights may eventually be applied to every person who live in our fair country, and where will our “exceptionalism” be found, then?!?