My Letter to Lou Dobbs (of CNN)

I realize letters like this are usually pointless, but I had to say it, even if no one listens:

Dear Lou,

I am a 33-year-old teacher of ESL students (English as a Second Language) in a rural community on Oahu Hawaii. I used to be a fan of your show and major a cheerleader in your fight for the middle class. Your persistent tirade against the immigrant community, however, has turned me off. I wish you could see that the immigrant community - documented and undocumented - is not a "them" in the war against the middle class. They are part of the "us." They have the same struggles as the US-born middle class. They are striving to make a living, provide good education for their children and - believe it or not - to learn English, pay taxes, and become American citizens! They just didn't have the luck like you and I to born here. Take your fight to the real enemy: the Bush administration's war-hawks, the Enrons of our nation, the insurance industry, and big oil. Let the immigrant community do what "future Americans" have done for centuries: turn their hope and hard work against great hardship and adversity to become the next generation in the American dream.

Truly,

Lisa Rodvien