Ingrid - I hope this isn't just a shoot and run. I'd really like to have a dialog with you about your comments, so please return and back up your statements. First of all, I want you to know that I love people of all races, religions, ages, body types and shoe sizes. I'm sure I'd even love people from outer space. The only thing I hate in this world is injustice, of which there is plenty. My song is not about race or hatred. And it is not mean-spirited or ignorant. I've studied this issue in depth and, although I do have strong convictions about my opinion, they are not based on racism, hatred or mean-spiritedness. Please read the lyrics (I've pasted them at the end of this message) and tell me if I'm wrong. My song is about our government's lack of attention to our own immigration laws. I welcome immigrants to the U.S. I have many friends who have come here legally from all over the world. They've learned Americanese (as opposed to English, which is another language), they obey our laws, they pay taxes and many have gone through the long process of becoming U.S. citizens. They love America and they are proud to have the privilege of living here. They wave the American flag, not the flag of their homeland. To a person, these friends are as appalled as the rest of us to see how our government has made a mess of the immigration issue. Because of the lax enforcement of our laws we now have an estimated 12 million illegal aliens living in the U.S. An invasion is underway and our government refuses to address the matter with any kind of meaningful aggression. Our immigration laws were set up to monitor and limit the number of people coming here from abroad to live. Our economy and infrastructure cannot support an uncontrolled influx of humanity. Last May I watched as illegal immigrants banded together and demonstrated in the streets of many of our cities, Denver among them. They were demanding rights as Americans while waving the flags of their homelands. What's up with that? First of all, if you're in this country illegally, how do have any rights, other than human rights? Secondly, if life was so bad in your homeland that you had to leave there to find a better life in the U.S., why wave the flag of the land that couldn't give you the quality of life that you desire? Whether you come here legally or not, you should at least respect the privilege of living in America and rejoice in the fact that there are opportunities to be had here that you couldn't find in your native land. Don't disrespect that privilege - embrace it and love it. Learn the American language and culture and become an American. If I saw that happening in the Latino or Asian or Arabic communities then my song would be pointless. But I don't see that. I see people demanding things they have no right to. I see a stubborn refusal to learn our language. I see foreign flags waving in our streets in protest of our established laws. I see identities being stolen from U.S. citizens who are now facing financial ruin at the hands of illegal immigrants. I see gangs of illegals putting drugs on our streets and killing innocent citizens. I see a strain on our economy based on the impact of the displacement of U.S. citizens by illegals in the workplace. Illegal workers don't pay taxes and yet they are somehow "entitled" to health services, economic assistance and other benefits that should be reserved for tax-paying U.S. citizens. The implications are vast and horrific if we allow this to continue. Ingrid, I need to know how any of this speaks of racism or hate. It's about law and order. It's about economic impact. It's about crime. And it's about preserving our national security and identity. Don't tell me that I don't have sympathy for people living in oppressed conditions in third world countries, because I am a humanitarian. But we can't allow the whole world to live here - the country would collapse. I ask you to read through my lyrics below and respond to what I've said here. I truly do welcome your opinion. CAN YOU GET ME IN? WELL, I WROTE MY CONGRESSMAN TO LET HIM KNOW CHORUS: CHORUS: SO, CAN YOU GET ME IN? …etc. BRIDGE: NOW ON THE 4TH OF JULY I PLAN TO MAKE SOME NOISE CHORUS: TAG LINE:
Words & Music by Bob Haworth
Copyright 2006 - Three Cats Music, BMI
All Rights Reserved
THAT I’M THINKIN’ ‘BOUT HEADIN’ DOWN TO MEXICO
AND I WAS HOPIN’ HE COULD PULL SOME STRINGS
TO GET ME IN
YA SEE, I DON’T WANNA BOTHER WITH LEGALITIES
NO PASSPORTS OR VISAS, IF YOU PLEASE
I’M JUST ASKIN’ FOR THE SAME DEAL THERE
THAT WE GIVE THEM
AND I SAID,
“CAN YOU GET ME IN? CAN YOU GET ME IN?
I MIGHT STAY FOR AWHILE AND PRETEND I’M A CITIZEN
BUT I DON’T WANNA LEARN THEIR NATIVE TONGUE
AND I WON’T PAY TAXES – THAT’S NO FUN!
I JUST WANNA START A BRAND NEW LIFE
IF YOU CAN GET ME IN”
NOW I PLAN TO TAKE THE WHOLE FAMILY
ALL MY COUSINS, MY SIBLINGS AND EVEN AUNT BEA
WE’D ALL LIKE JOBS AND A REAL NICE PLACE TO LIVE
I WANT MY KIDS IN AN ENGLISH SPEAKING SCHOOL
I WANT FOOD STAMPS AND HEALTH CARE – I’M NO FOOL
‘CAUSE ALL THAT STUFF IS MY PREROGATIVE!
WELL, LAW AND ORDER ACROSS THE BORDER
IT DON’T MEAN A THING TO ME
IT’S SO EASY WHEN THE WHEELS ARE GREASY
JUST OPEN THE GATE AND TOSS AWAY THE KEY
MIGHT THROW A LITTLE PARTY FOR ME AND THE BOYS
WE’LL GO WAVIN’ OUR AMERICAN FLAG ALL OVER TOWN
WE’LL DRINK BUD AND COORS AND HAVE BARBECUE
TALK BASEBALL, APPLE PIE AND MOTHERHOOD TOO
AND WE DON’T WANT THE LOCAL POPULATION
TRYIN’ TO PUT US DOWN
SO CAN YOU GET ME IN? CAN YOU GET ME IN?
I MIGHT STAY FOR AWHILE AND PRETEND I’M A CITIZEN
BUT I DON’T WANNA LEARN NO ESPANIOLE
PRESS “ONE” FOR ENGLISH, THAT’S ALL I KNOW
I JUST WANNA START A BRAND NEW LIFE
IF YOU CAN GET ME IN
NOW PLEASE MR. CONGRESSMAN – CAN YOU GET ME IN?
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