Friday, January 13, 2006

Myriam: What's Another Year?

What's another year? That old Johnny Logan Eurovision song is playing in my head. I am driving myself crazy and everyone around me with my melodious voice. What's another year? I keep saying to myself, over and over. I am trying to justify to myself and to my family why I am still here after 15 years and still undocumented. They can not understand why I would want to live in this country and not get documented, but it's not as if I don't want to get documented.

Every year I live in hope that this is the year; this is the year that we'll get legalized. Then it will all have been worth it. Let's face it, another year is nothing when you're in your 20s; like I was when I came to the USA. Like everyone else, I came for the craic and the adventure.
But now I'm in my 30s and life has changed. I want a different life, my priorities are different I do not want to live in the shadows anymore.

America has being my home for 15 years that is a lifetime, I love it here, and I want to stay here but I am at my wit's end. I need to be become a legal resident, I need to be able to live, work and play without looking over my shoulder. The time is now for action; All Irish, Irish-American and anyone else who would like to join in on the lobbying effort has got to do so now. The McCain Kennedy bill is the best solution, so the next few weeks and months are vital.

We've got to email and fax your local congressman/woman, your local senator and get the word out - SUPPORT THE McCAIN/KENNEDY BILL. What's another year? Well this is the year for our voices to be heard. And hopefully we'll hear it in Rory Dolan's in Yonkers on January 27th.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

As an Irish American I feel ALL ILLGAL IMMIGRANTS should be deported. If you come here ILLEGALLY you are A CRIMINAL. I am proud of my heritage and ASHAMED of ALL ILLEGAL IRISH. YOU ARE ALL CRIMINALS and this will not be forgotten. SHAME ON YOU!

Anonymous said...

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Anonymous said...

Reading the last two comments made my blood boil!Good for you ' real irish american' that your status in this country was determined by your family coming here 200 years ago.You could have some ounce of compassion though for those here today that are not quite as fortunate.Newsflash to you also-things are very different nowadays than they were 200 years ago when your family came here and I imagine the legal requirements from back then and now differ greatly.Your view that 'we should all go home and return legally' just highlights how little your knowledge of immigration issues is.You should do some more research.Do you seriously believe if it were as easy as that,we wouldn't all be jumping on the next plane home?? We don't stay here with the intention of always being illegal,there's nothing great about it-we don't glorify it at all.We do stay here because we have hope.Hope that there are people who can help us to have the chance to become legal so we can lead normal lives.Where's the greed in that?Obviously we want to contribute to this country as every other citizen does.You say you are 'ashamed of what we have done'. We are ashamed to have you call yourself 'Irish American'.If you really were, you wouldn't be so self-rightous and might actually appreciate your heritage enough to open your mind a bit and support immigrants today ,as I'm sure others did for your family all those years ago.

Anonymous said...

Well said 'corklady',i agree with you completely, i wouldnt have put it so nicely myself though!mcgowan and real irish american ye are so full of crap!I wish ye knew how stupid yer comments are when yer realy trying to sound smarter than everyone else

Anonymous said...

How dare you McGowan and RealIrishAmerican speak as ugly as you have. I have never known a more hard working, trustworthy and honest ethnic background. I too am IrishAmerican amongst other things. My Irish born boyfriend came here 4 years ago never intending to stay this long, however acquired a job after only being here a week and a promise from his American employer to send in the paperwork...4years later where is that paperwork. This man has helped out many, many fellow Americans...before, during and after Hurricane Charley especially but other hurricanes as well. He is an extremely hard working man as are all the Irish I have met. He has taught my children many values and respect that American children don't seem to have anymore. He has taught many children horseback riding, etc I have yet to meet any Irish who would not be an asset to this country. Don't ever judge someone until you have walked in their shoes. Though you call yourself REAL IrishAmerican maybe you should think about what you are saying before you type, these people have long paid their dues and quite frankly know more about the United States and American history than American born citizens do. Shame on you McGowan for saying they are criminals...should we dare dig up the skeltons in your closet? Perhaps if you are so ashamed you should drop the Irish and just keep American.

Anonymous said...

McGowan and Real Irish American are the criminals in this country, guilty of forgetting where they came from. I am proud to be pure breed Irish, thank God the comments from both of you are the comments of mutts!! I am not ashamed of anything I have ever done in this country to make my life better. How nice for you to be born here and to talk about your family coming here legally 200 years ago, there was NO ONE here they had to let friggin people in, how great for you. Jesus people like you should have been born to a third world country then you'd know how hard it is to make a life for yourself.
How dare you call yourself Irish, have either of you ever stepped foot in Ireland. Real Irish American stop being embarrassed of yourself and just stop reading what the REAL IRISH people are talking about, you obviously don't know the Irish at all. I have become a citizen of this country and believe me I was treated like a criminal by immigration and mind you in a office where hardly anyone spoke english?? I am now trying to help my sister who lives in NY ilegally as she wants to be here but they wouldn't give her a visa. She has nothing left in Ireland both parents don't live there and my brother is in London. She's very lonely in NY but really trying to make a life for herself and I'm proud of her!
Piss off McGowan and RealIrishAmerican!!!!