First of all - I'm Proud of MY HERITAGE"
For over 200 years my family has been in this country. I cannot vouch for every ancestors legality but I am certain that at least six generations have been here legally. They left the countries of their birth to find a better life. Not for one instant did they attempt to change America into anything resembling the land they left. They had the intelligence to understand that to hang on to the "old ways" was to subvert this fine new land.
I am proud to say that not I nor anyone in my immediate family insists on being called Irish American, Italian American, English American, Native American, Norwegian, or German American, although we may have originated from those countries. If we speak any native tongue, other than english, it is within our own family or communities and we do not wish to burden our systems with insisting that all government, educational, or professional material and teaching be presented in many tongues.
Whether all of my ancestors came to this country legally, or not I cannot say, but they did come. They worked hard, gained legal status when they could, and made their own way. They did not live on welfare. They paid their own way. They paid their taxes. This great nation was built by peoples of many races, ethnic backgrounds, and religious beliefs. It is what makes us great.
My ancestors have lived the history that makes this country great. They have fought for the freedoms that this country enjoys, not only for themselves, but in theaters around the world. One cannot truly believe in human rights and not stand up for the rights of others.
My ancestors believed that the people of this nation must be united, for the nation to survive. Unity cannot be maintained when division by language, race, or religious zealots is rampant. My ancestors learned to speak the language of the land. They taught their children the language of the land. And they expected others to speak the language of the land. That language, by the way is English. They learned to accept people for who and what they were, based on their actions, not on their color or religion.
I have lived to see the meaning or Freedom in this country changed to mean the ability for each of us to do what we want, when we want, to whom we want, and we must be treated as we want. That is a true bastardization of the FREEDOM that we as a nation enjoy. The basic freedoms provided by the Constitution of The United States are those freedoms of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. Those freedoms carry an inherent responsibility on the part of each citizen to balance his "Freedoms" with those of others. There should be no expectation for special compensation for the individual who sees his or her rights as carrying more weight than the rights of others.
I no longer "Work" but I'm not idle.
A little history
After working for over 35 years and working my way from pumping gas to engineering aircraft engine component test equipment I was put out to pasture early in the early '90's
Being fortunate, I was able to say goodbye to the working class, and retire on a small but adequate stipend.
My employment history has given me a great wealth of knowledge in many different fields which has allowed me to move away from the city where I maintain my own home and grounds which can at times keep me quite busy.
I tried my hand at working part time, but decided that I would rather give those not as fortunate as myself the opportunity to earn a living.
A recreational coder.
For a while, when I was employed, my job was to maintain electronic test equipment used in the overhaul and repair of aviation electronics critical to the flight systems of aircraft of all sizes and types. Though this was a job, it was a job that I had chosen, and so I enjoyed filling this position.
I have found that I still enjoy sitting in front of a computer for hours on end, and have self taught myself some programming and web page coding. I have found that with the wealth of information on the internet, learning many skills is easy, if I just apply myself.
I Love to putter with Wood
To relax, I find myself, creating projects both large and small using wood. There is a great feeling of satisfaction to create something that is pleasing to the eye and functional or even fun.
You may find me helping the Vets.
As a Vet who returned from serving in Viet-Nam, after the Tet offensive, only to find that serving my country was considered a bad thing, I made a resolution that I would do what little I could to help those wounded warriors that I can. I volunteer at a couple of organizations to help keep vets in touch, and to provide for vets and their families who find themselves unable to feed or clothe themselves. Some are still in the service and it appalls me that sometimes even our healthy vets are unable to provide for their families.