I want to take a contrary view from much of what I see and read these days.
Many of our ancestors came to America under dire circumstances.
Some came seeking freedom from peasantry, serfdom, and slavery in Europe, China, and other parts of the globe.
Some arrived here as slaves from Africa.
Many came escaping famine in Ireland, and religious persecution in most of Europe, and maybe the worst of all, the Holocaust.
Our forefathers endured many wars including World War II, the Vietnam War, and the costliest of all, the Civil War.
They lived through the Jim Crow era, the Spanish Flu pandemic, the polio pandemic.
Many lived through the Great Depression, the dust bowl, and many weather-related catastrophes.
My point, is that however your ancestors arrived in the U.S., we owe them our respect and everlasting gratitude.
They endured all, so that we can now live in freedom and prosperity.
I love this country, knowing it is very imperfect, and many wrongs have occurred.
I love it warts and all.
You, and I are owed nothing.
Reparations are repugnant and absurd.
Phil Turner
Sequim