Rasta Vibes I

Part I.

Immigratoin & Freedom

"The preservation of peace and the guaranteeing of man's basic freedoms and rights require courage and eternal vigilance, that the least transgression of international morality shall not go undetected and un-remedied. These lessons must be learned anew by each succeeding generation, and that generation is fortunate indeed which learns from other than its own bitter experience.”

Haile Selassie I
“Speech to the United Nations” New York City, NY October 4, 1963

Our forefathers would have been proud to know that this speech took place in New York City. (Although it would have been called New Amsterdam.) At the time this speech was made, the world was a much different place than it is now, yet many of these problems still exist. This speech given by Haile Selassie I was the basis for a Bob Marley song called “War”.


The word freedom has tremendous depth. It is almost always accompanied with the blood of those to secure it. In our country we have been blessed to have so many freedoms we often take for granted. The ability to post a blog without too much interference or fear is a wonderful thing. (for those who are reading this due to the Patriot Act, I Love America, don’t worry!!) I have a great deal of respect for those who have fought to ensure that our freedoms are secured. From the Declaration of Independence to the “I Have a Dream” speech, we have been a nation who has struggled to ensure our freedoms, yet the struggle continues. As a country, we have been bestowed with the ability to grant others theirs. That makes me proud to be an American.

As a person of Jamaican heritage and a son of two immigrants, I am very nervous about our current immigration situation. The law is the law. Those who break it should not be rewarded, they should be punished by a fair & righteous justice system. If I stole a hybrid(lets say a Lexus 400h…I want ride in style!!), I could not claim that I was trying to protect the environment, but did not have the money!!! The initial act was wrong. Bottomline!! Under no circumstances should the law be violated. Yet we must examine the environment put into place that created situation. I will come back to this example.

Currently our illegal immigration situation is a very complex problem. Most immigrants simply want the freedoms that you and I enjoy. Since they have never truly been given this opportunity by our government, they have taken it, by force. This is unfortunate. What could easily be accomplished 40yrs ago is almost impossible. (Unless you are from a select group of countries.) For this last statement I turn to the Declaration of independence.


“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

…..Or unless you are from a country south of our border…then you are less than equal. A few weeks ago the statement was made by some in Washington, saying, “ These people do the jobs most Americans don’t want to do”…Profound. Hearing this, I could not believe what was being said. Immigrants were being touted as a second-class citizen openly and effectively in order to pass legislation. This was very disheartening as many good people were instantly sub-graded in status as human beings. Did our forefathers mean all men, or just the ones from countries we like? What happened to the unalienable rights given to us by the creator?? What happened to their pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness?

Marley sang these lyrics in the song “War”. These lyrics are a direct quote form the Selassie speech. Until the philosophy which holds one raceSuperior and another inferiorIs finally and permanently discredited and abandonedEverywhere is war, me say war That until there is no longer first classAnd second class citizens of any nationUntil the colour of a man's skinIs of no more significance than the colour of his eyesMe say war That until the basic human rights are equally Guaranteed to all, without regard to raceDis a war That until that dayThe dream of lasting peace, world citizenshipRule of international moralityWill remain in but a fleeting illusionTo be pursued, but never attainedNow everywhere is war, war

Surely we do not want a war, but this could what is going on across this great nation of ours. Right now citizens are patrolling the border, armed and ready to dispatch of any person crossing the border. A wall is planned on being constructed. But only one border of our nation? Are we creating another East Berlin? War is never the answer. How can we avoid this?

Long before our current immigration policy was created people from all over the world immigrated to places like Ellis and Angel Islands. The statue of Liberty stood as a beacon of hope. The Golden Gate Bridge were arms that welcomed all new comers to the shores of their American Dream. Today the most historic neighborhoods have the name of Chinatown or Little Italy. As I discussed the immigration situation with my mom, she described the early times when she first came to this country. She and my dad worked very hard to provide a comfortable life for my family. I highlighted the words worked very hard because that is exactly what our current immigrants are doing. Working very hard.

Living in California, I saw the immigration population first hand. Working in the apartment industry, a good portion of the work force tended to be immigrants. Even worse was the assumption that the companies we contracted for knew about it and this was a great way to cut cost. Uh oh….who’s breaking the law now. The ugly truth is that America has created an environment were the illegal immigrant could survive. For every person who has ever had a illegal immigrant work for them, the blame is on you. Now it is not just me who has stolen the car….we got all of corporate America going to the slammer too!!!

What a mess we have…How do we solve this?? What about the freedoms we hold so dearly?? To complete my analogy I will resolve it like this.

In order to obtain a hybrid and ultimately better the environment around me, it would be more conducive for the carmakers to reduce their profit margin making the high more cost effective. Ultimately this will have an impact as the grater good will be served in the face of pending energy crisis….How does this translate!! The government needs to make and effective immigration policy making it conducive for an immigrant to successfully and legal obtain citizenship if so desired. This will take a sacrifice on the part of the government and also corporate America but it will serve the greater good. In Selassie’s speech, he states:

“guaranteeing of man's basic freedoms and rights require courage and eternal vigilance”. He continues to say: “These lessons must be learned anew by each succeeding generation, and that generation is fortunate indeed which learns from other than its own bitter experience.”

Today as Americans we stand faced with this challenge to ensure freedom in this country for all who seek it. This road will not be easy, but neither was the one that led to this countries emergence as a defender of these freedoms we now have the ability to bestow. This will take sacfrices on all sides, both mental and physical. In the end, if we are successful, our country will shine as “One nation under God, with Liberty and Justice for all”