Post 9/11, Is Coming to America Still Worth the Journey?
EDITOR'S NOTE: Shortly after September 11, 2001, New America Media editor and author Andrew Lam received a letter from his cousin in Vietnam, posing a simple question: Is coming to America still worth the journey? Following is Lam's response. This letter, originally published by Pacific News Service in 2001, has been updated by Lam, who reflects on his cousin's question, ten years later.
Dear Cousin D.,
Is coming to America Still Worth the journey? Since 911, your question has sprung from many corners of the world, and the answers may trouble the hearts of those who once dreamed of the grandeur of America.
In a way the dust cloud from the destroyed World Trade Center a decade ago hasn’t fully settled. It continues to veil our nation’s once blue and gracious sky. To live in America these days, I’m sad to say, is to accept a new set of norms.
First and foremost is the erosion of civil liberties. Mass deportation of undocumented immigrants who toil on our land has become the new norm, and those without proper papers get swept up in wide sweeping government dragnets, and many sent to detention centers to await deportation. Never mind that they leave husbands, wives, and children behind who lead shattered lives.
Documented immigrants too face unfair treatments. Those who were found guilty of a crime – sometimes a misdemeanor offense – could render you eligible for deportation. A classic case: A construction worker peeing in the street was arrested for indecent exposure. He was sent back to Cambodia, a country he has no memories of since he fled as a little boy. He left behind a wife and several children in the United States.
But the erosion of rights is not limited only to immigrants; it extends to all citizens as well. It erodes slowly but surely at the core. Nowhere is this more obvious than at American airports, where talk of dissent, even in a casual conversation, might likely cause you to be reported. Arrests happen when someone or another mentions the word bomb, even as a joke. Even an accent can land you in jail: A South Asian man was arrested for allegedly making a terrorist threat at Chicago O’Hare airport. What did he do? He purportedly said the word “pump” to the TSA agent who heard it as “bomb.”
My real fear, however, is that it’s the country itself that has become a kind of mega-airport. With the extension of the so called Patriot Act, the U.S. government can probe deeply into private lives, as this new law gives the FBI power to obtain records without a warrant, wiretapping anyone it deems a suspect, an act that overrides the constitutional rights of citizens. In such a new America, one checks one's tongue, one checks up on one’s neighbor, and one’s neighbor does the same.
While America once stood for freedom and democracy, it is not clear what the nation stands for these days. Abroad, two wars are being waged in the name of security but at home, that insecurity defines the general mood of the populace. In the last decades, we have condoned torture in the form of waterboarding, and we kidnap foreign citizens and call it "extraordinary rendition." We assassinate our enemies by using drones in the sky, and we call the killing of innocents who are caught in all of this war against terrorism “collateral damage.” It is yet another new norm – a bitter pill – that we learned to swallow.
The country is willing to override law in the name of security, and nowhere is this more atrocious than the holding of suspects at Guantanamo. These people, some who were as young as 14 when caught, remain indefinitely incarcerated, their human rights robbed without due process. These days, I fear that to be a patriotic immigrant is to love the ideals of America despite what the United States is doing in the name of patriotism and security.
And as far as I am concerned the only good patriotism is a civilized one. Blind patriotism always leads to a bloody end, and an unchecked government that functions behind a veil of secrecy should never be tolerated. For when a society hides behind the apparatus of draconian policy, one that has no check and balance, the only logical outcome is injustice and cruelty.
So is coming to America still worth the journey, you ask? Not so long ago, who would have thought to ask such a question? Once, the American Dream, or rather, the dreaming of coming to America, was like a siren’s call that caused the movement of millions from many an ancient homeland and stirred the souls of many millions more.
Alas, to reach the American shore these days is a much more difficult undertaking, with fewer ready-made promises at the horizon. People are still coming, albeit at the threat of deportation and false arrests. They come, in spite of everything, because their willpower is made of fire and steel.
You who dream of the ideal of America, you should come. The America that once inspired millions can still live on in the eye of the newcomer. And the ideals remain; those that we all aspire to, everything you and I have ever dreamed of -- transparency, opportunity, due process, fair play and a promise of expansion and progress. America is where you work hard and earn respect, build a home and raise your kids, and where, with determination and a clear vision, you can rise to your highest potential. America tolerates difference, understands diversity and assumes you are innocent before proven guilty. America allows you to practice your religion, protects your privacy and encourages you to dream. It is a place where you can speak your mind and disagree with your neighbors, your politicians, even your government, without fearing violence or arrest.
So my answer: I still want you to make this difficult journey, but you must be prepared for the challenges ahead. And I'll let you in on a secret about this American Dream you spoke so fondly of: It is you who renews it. Without you, who dreams the American dream, the country is in danger of becoming old and senile. Without your energy, we would weaken. Even if we don't know it yet, we all desperately need to be reborn through your eyes.
Andrew Lam is author of "Perfume Dreams: Reflections on the Vietnamese Diaspora" and "East Eats West: Writing in Two Hemispheres." His collection of short stories, "Birds of Paradise" is forthcoming.
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Anonymous
Posted Sep 9 2011
never seen an aluminum tube full of kerosene do so much damage.
Anonymous
Posted Sep 9 2011
I think the lack of comments says a lot about the level of fear, not from terror abroad, but of terror from the government, the Fed and Wallstreet . These acts terror, both social, economic and otherwise, are breading the violence that is overtaking our nation. The return to Constitutional constraints and faith in God are the only hope for a return to true liberty and freedom. What we have now is Dukes of Hazard freedom. Only freedom that the Law will allow. The winning ticket? Ron Paul and Dennis Kucinich for Pres. and V.P. 2012.
Anonymous
Posted Sep 9 2011
nope
Anonymous
Posted Sep 9 2011
....As a veteran of Iraq, I feel the need to remember the coward attack on that day, but, as a warrior I must say, we're a country that rises to its feet when knock down and rises again and again..And remember we must,however, doing it the way the media wants(us) to remember isn't right either, it's like a wound where salt is poured in, it hurts!! that is why we must always be prepared and prevent this from happening again...support our men and women in the military for they are our first line of defense, lets honor all of the people that died needlessly on that day and all of our soldiers that have paid the ultimate prize for the freedom that we all enjoy....God Bless the United States of America...!!
Anonymous
Posted Sep 9 2011
Ironically, the journey is a choice for those whose cultural and religious background is aggressive and intolerant towards women, gays and other religions. And failure to actively participate in these acts of aggression does not excuse acquiescence and an enabling attitude toward others who do. The ultimate hypocrisy is to come to a country whose values of freedom and tolerance are diametrically opposed to this mentality for economic gain and to maintain those values here.
Anonymous
Posted Sep 9 2011
In all honesty, no. I'd advise those who want to immigrate to western countries to go elsewhere. 9-11 screwed up everything to a point that this country will never be the same ever again. There is too much hostility and too much everything gone wrong here. If I had enough money, I'd leave here at the blink of an eye and trade in my US citizenship for some other countries citizenship. When a country starts to attack it's own citizens for the benefit of foreign interests or outside influences, it means being a part of that national organizational entity is worthless, making the organization worthless. The sum is equal to the parts. When you view the parts as worthless, the sum, or organization becomes worthless as well. It just isn't worth it to be a part of America. Sorry.
Anonymous
Posted Sep 9 2011
>>>"[America still has] transparency, opportunity, due process, fair play.... tolerates difference, understands diversity and assumes you are innocent before proven guilty. America allows you to practice your religion, protects your privacy and encourages you to dream. It is a place where you can speak your mind and disagree with your neighbors, your politicians, even your government, without fearing violence or arrest."
I disagree strongly. The levels of secrecy are at an all time high. Most of those other qualities are negated by the monstrously destructive, counter-productive fraud of marijuana prohibition.
More than 800,000 good Americans are made second-class citizens for life because of a marijuana arrest - every year. They will forever face huge obstacles to decent employment, education, housing, government benefits, travel, and will always go into court with one strike against them. They can even have their CHILDREN taken away.
If you speak your mind about this horrificaly Un-American persecution of millions of people who prefer near harmless marijuana over addictive, very harmful alcohol, you can lose your job and/or your freedom.
The destruction of freedom by this fraudulent prohibition was integral in setting the public up for the more loss of freedom with the Orwellian named "Patriot Acts."
Until we end this persecution of millions of Americans, we will never approach real freedom again.
Anonymous
Posted Sep 9 2011
The USA was incredibly stupid and ignorant to have voted for Bush , although I believe he was never really elected into office . That first election was rigged , and after that , he started a phony war with Iraq who did not have weapons of mass destruction and had no connection to Bin Laden although Bush and his henchmen repeatedly knowingly lied to the Americans saying they did , to create fear and justification for the treason they were committing .
Bush also knew no US president has been elected out of office during war time (although he very nearly was) and before the citizens could figure it out they blindly followed this evil president .
At very least Bush's lies have caused many thousands of American citizens deaths and changed to a large degree how the USA is perceived abroad .
The USA needs to begin to heal and show the rest of the world that we realize that as a society we made a terrible mistake by being dumb enough to have voted for Bush and were gullible to have believed his lies , and WE THE PEOPLE are going to reopen a massive investigation into the whole 9/11 situation . and have all the folks responsible exposed and legally held accountable in a court of law .
When these tyrants , liars and killers are fully exposed and brought to justice the world can begin to feel good about the USA again , but until that happens the world has every reason to be afraid .
Free To Think?
Posted Sep 9 2011
America was supposed to be the last stand on Earth for true freedom. The founding of our infant nation came with incredible sacrifice -- this is where my pride for America stands firm. A Constitutional Republic cannot survive if our personal Liberties are not absolute. The soul of America is almost dead, because we have so many laws that restrict any possibility of moving forward. Weather you are black, white, asian, hispanic, native American.. you are my equal fellow countryman. Government's function is to protect Liberty across the board, in a free society, for all citizens. Only when this happens.. we will be the most powerful and prosperous nation on the planet. If we live in fear, we are oppressed and unproductive. I honestly care not, how much the government prospers -- as long as they carry out their civic duty to follow the Constitution, and take pride in our sovereign nation. Please free the people to pursue life, Liberty, happiness, and individual pursuit of industry.
Anonymous
Posted Sep 9 2011
What kind of leftist anti-Americans constitute the readership here? What a bunch of BS! If you all feel so oppressed here and dislike the patriotism, get out! Go back to wherever ou came from! If you were born here may I suggest you try out Algeria, Zimbabwe, North Korea, Cuba or some other proletarian paradise. Get your whining, disloyal ass out of here!
Anonymous
Posted Sep 10 2011
As a mature disabled US military veteran I can assure you that being a patriotic American is much more than flag waiving, fireworks and whistling Dixie. Because most Americans appear to be asleep at the wheel and following the fantastic lie machine, the good ole USA is rapidly become a Dystopia. We must off your butts and do our homework, our civic duty and get informed. To start with study this: http://www.ggarchive.org/articles/falseflag.html and for a little entertaining truth, analize the meaning of these:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EsMMkiEgQs&feature=youtu.be
and
http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/mon-august-15-2011/indecision-2012---corn-polled-edition---ron-paul---the-top-tier
Bless God America.
Anonymous
Posted Sep 10 2011
As a mature disabled US military veteran I can assure you that being a patriotic American is much more than flag waiving, fireworks and whistling Dixie. Because most Americans appear to be asleep at the wheel and following the fantastic lie machine, the good ole USA is rapidly become a Dystopia. We must off your butts and do our homework, our civic duty and get informed. To start with study this: http://www.ggarchive.org/articles/falseflag.html and for a little entertaining truth, analize the meaning of these:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EsMMkiEgQs&feature=youtu.be
and
http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/mon-august-15-2011/indecision-2012---corn-polled-edition---ron-paul---the-top-tier
Bless God America.
Anonymous
Posted Sep 10 2011
The corporate outsourcing of most of Americas financial strength has made us weak and mean.
The fear mongering on the farthest left and farthest right and the far fetched ideas of what we can and should do in a DEPRESSION (recession, my butt) to bring things back needs tobe settled.
The concept of letting the most wealthy off the hook (when they take money out of biz and in vestments that personal income is NOT creating jobs here and is usually spent foreign too) Would you let your rich uncle share the rent at a discounted rate when you were unemployed and he was living large off your rent and utilities ?
He'll just eat out when you run out of food?
One of my friends, a vet , 7 operations lots of pt and care and equipment and soon to get his $22k hearing aides and a lifetime of $3k a month checks and lots of medical care and more shows some of what the wars are costing the vets and the taxpayer - for life times.
107,000 homeless vets adding to the many mostly single disabled adults in the road is SHAMEFUL, as was the VA before Obama started getting repairs online which will take years to be 100% implemented as they are impacted with new cases too.
Wen we lost our AAA rating as Congress said no to Obama's first plan- for the first time all the countries wiht AAA ratings had universal care.
We used to be # 1 in most things, but now are doing it poorly for the benefit of a few. Are we moving back be a mostly 2 class country? Have we sold out the next generations?
Can we fix it ?
Anonymous
Posted Mar 25 2012
Hmm how can anyone make any judgement when one fails to know the fact of who,why and who benefited for someone or a number of someone's made million's or perhaps a billion or two off from those attacks and where did the four trillion dollars go that was being investigated to be investigated no more.Why did we attack both Iraq and Afghanistan when the perps were Saudi's some financed by the Prince's sister,ah yes more questions than answers and like JFK's assination we will never know the facts.!!!
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