[laepelba]

Irma - what is "GNO"? When I said that about human rights, I meant to improve conditions IN third world/developing countries so that their people will benefit from staying in their countries of origin instead of attempting to seek prosperity elsewhere. And in my examples, I'm really talking about the United States.

I absolutely appreciate your frustrations. I, too, live in an area with many, many immigrants from many different countries around the world. I have been the object of discrimination from those who bring their own culture here and expect me to fit to theirs - including once from a student's father who does not feel that women are to be spoken to or acknowledged, which makes it very difficult to do a parent conference. I also agree that when moving to a different country, one should attempt to adapt to their culture instead of expecting vice versa.

What I'm talking about is when ALL of that has been done, there are still ignorant Americans who look at a person's skin color or listen to a person's accent and continue to discriminate. THAT is what grieves me.

I don't know how immigration trends are in other countries. But in the United States, it is a fact of life, and the grand majority of us are the descendants of immigrants. Very few of us are descended from Native American families - yet even THOSE groups of people are discriminated against by the white people. I want to say to so many Americans to try to understand the historic immigration trends in the United States.