Volunteering

My wife Connie and I have been volunteering in a number of different venues for some years now.  Many people have a restricted view of what happens in a volunteer position, believing that it consists mostly of low-skill administrative tasks - filing forms, and so on.

We have volunteered at Dulles Airport's Information Desk which gives one exposure to people from around the world, answering their questions, helping them get from one place to another, meet their relatives, and so on.

Currently, we volunteer at Great Falls Park, part of the National Park Service.  Again, there are people from other countries who are eager to learn about that beautiful place on the Potomac River.  It's fun to try to communicate with them in the smattering of languages that we know.  Taking hikes on the park grounds, helping lost visitors and explaining park history is also great fun.

I volunteer with the local police department, filming their recruit classes, and then preparing a video that shows the successes and embarrassments of their multi-month program.

In an earlier posting, I described my efforts with the National Honor Flight network that brings WWII vets to the National WWII memorial here in Washington D.C.  Now, that's something that is truly worthwhile and an honor to meet those vets and interview them.

So.  Why don't you consider calling a museum, park, airport or other public place in your area that uses volunteers.  They will teach you what you need to know, and I believe that you will find it fun and rewarding.

Citizenship Redux

Isn't it interesting that soon after the Republicans took a pounding in the 2012 election from non-white immigrants, that the issue of providing a "path to citizenship" is back on the table.

I predict that both Dems and Republicans will sign on to any measure that increases the pool of their potential voters.  So the end result might be that neither side benefits.  Even though some voters may be taken in for a while by the Republican's support of a citizenship measure, eventually, they will be seen as the same white man's party that they have been in recent memory.

There is an interesting aspect of the current proposed legislation that I wonder about.  I think we can all agree that any person born here can automatically be a citizen if they wish.  Those minors who were brought here by their parents who crossed the border illegally are a grey case.  Perhaps they could be given citizenship under certain conditions. 

The case that I puzzle about the most is those adults who immigrated illegally.  Why should they be allowed to become citizens under any arrangement?  Why not restrict them to permanent residence, like so many others with "green cards."  Why should they have the same outcome, including the right to vote, as someone who waited the requisite time and followed all the rules?  I think not.