Dear Stella:

Happy New Year! Stella and I have been talking about starting a blog for some time now, because we seem to get into interesting, controversial and sometimes bizarre situations. We have been friends for a long time. We provide a good balance for eachother. One of us is mouthy and the other is diplomatic, one of us is quick, the other is slow, one of us is admittedly mischievious and the other is completely innocent... until proven guilty. (I will let the dear reader guess which is which).

2006 was an interesting year. The beginning of May there were Immigration Marches all over the country. The Quad-Cities had a huge march from Rock Island, Illinois across the bridge to Davenport, Iowa. It was great to see so many Latino groups working together. ...and there was Stella in the background madly writing down the words to the Star Spangled Banner! Do you know all the words? Stella does. Second generation Mexicana born in the USA. I'm fourth generation Irish American being given the words to our National Anthem. Go figure.

Did you know that there are presently 25,000 illegal Irish Nationals in the US? Who makes the immigration laws anyway? I think we all should all become citizens of Mexico and Canada. That way we would only have to worry about the border with Belize and Guatamala. It's smaller and more manageable. "Imagine." John Lennon

No one really understands what people go through unless it happens to them and their families. So just for a minute imagine that you have legally immigrated here seven years ago. Five years ago you had a couple DUI's and hung out with some unsavory "friends" who were into drugs. Many people fall into the catagory of having a misspent youth. But you did your time, paid the fines, completed the classes and now you have settled down with spouse and kids. INS Home Land Security comes to your work place and takes you away. There are months in prison waiting for court dates. Your family, besides suffering the worry and wrenching grief of not having you with them, are without the main income you provide for paying the mortgage and other bills. This is HOME LAND SECURITY??? Not if it's your home!

OK, Stella. It"s your turn!