thanks, eric.

folks who immigrate here (by choice) tend to represent the upper echelon of folks who dont already have it made in their native countries.

my german ancestors for example, came here because in germany in the early 1800s (not sure really exactly when) there was no choices for the individual. the burgermeister decided who got opportunities. for the most part whatever station your father occupied you were put there as well.

so the ambitious who werent already doing well came here for economic and religeous freedom.

the asian folks who make it here have to be pretty tenatious to get here. some chinese i know pretty well went to south america and lived and worked there for years before the opportunity to come here came up.

being captured from a tribal cultute and imprisoned and then enslaved for several generations is a whole different matter. individualism was harshly punished. escapees were brutally treated. ambition equally repressed. yesser and nosir were all that were allowed. true feelings repressed. learning to read was against the law.

so now for the last 40 years it has been illegal to discriminate in many different ways but the system and our society has been able to perpetuate a lot of de facto discrimination.

so people do have choices. do they all make good choices? no. will they ever? i pray so. are they coddled? i dont think so.

what happened in NO doesnt surprise me at all. of course hindsite is pretty easy.

tom w

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.