Join the new world

My fellow Americans:

Tonight we sit on the precipice of a new day in our nation.

Over the past three months we have seen a steady stream of new Turkish immigrants who band together under the flag of the iNCi. This immigration has forced us to question the meaning of citizenship, and of community. And as with all immigrations, we have been forced to face our own prejudice and fear of the unknown.

There were some, there are some still, who would attempt to belittle our legitimate feelings with derogatory labels. Citizens have been called racists, xenophobes, and the purely vulgar.

However, the fears we share are for the cohesion of our community. A large group of folks who, in majority, have great communication difficulties pose a very real threat to that cohesion. They will vote, but they can hardly participate in the debates and discussions, without representation and imperfect translation.

And this is a social game.

We can only guess at the motivations of each individual iNCi member. The debates within our community focus on supposition, though two dozen or so iNCi individuals have reached out to assuage our fears. These people (and they are people) mostly assure us that they come without malice or ill intent.



On February 25, our community heard a different message, regardless of intent. We saw an iNCi, whom we barely know, attempt to politically take over and dominate our Congressional government. And this appeared a gauntlet, thrown down like a sneak attack on Pearl Harbor.

And we responded. We rallied as America has always done. With our elected government sitting idly by as seat after seat was being lost in the Congress, a grass roots leadership emerged, representing all corners of the community, and fought to retain a majority interest in the government.

Members of my community, Americans of all backgrounds, here is where we sit today. From my vantage, I continue to see a lack of leadership from our elected representation. There is no defined public policy to guide us as we move forward, essentially leaving you, the community, to find your own way.

Again.

I can assure you of two things tonight:

The first is that the parties who defended this nation on February 25th will be prepared, with or without your elected government, to do so again if necessary.

The second, that without leadership on the issue you will be left to formulate your own consensus opinion, and, being in fear for your community, you will, in great majority, become angrier and more set in a defensive posture.

And so I’m here to share a simple message tonight: I hear your fears, they are real, they are legitimate.

Your government has failed you, the policy of integration and acceptance, while noble, cannot be forced upon an insecure populace. That the government failed to prepare an advanced defense on February 25th is deplorable.



However, while we should remain prepared and vigilant, we should also continue our attempts to integrate the iNCI into our community. We should not set any different expectations for these citizens than we set for any others.

The iNCi should be allowed to participate in our leadership and Congress at a rate that fairly represents their population.

They should be full functioning Congressional members.

Benchmarks must be set to establish trust between our two communities. Because we are two communities, while at the same time members of one nation. Those benchmarks must be public for all to see. And then together we may grow our trust.

We have had a battle, a border skirmish. And while it might take a few skirmishes, there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that the established community in The United States would win any war. We are thousands strong, they are hundreds.

I hear your fears, they are legitimate. Prepare for war, if you must, but extend the hand of forgiveness and friendship too. If we must fight, we will. But for now let’s walk more softly. There is always the stick. There is always that.

This should not be our goal, however. The higher mission, the nobler calling, is the difficult but achievable goal of friendship and cooperation.



We should trust with measure, offer friendship with sincerity, and verify with conviction. Where your leadership is weakest, you must step forward.

Take the first step my friends. Bring down the rhetoric.

Peace ~ Friendship ~ Public leadership