On one hand, you got these people who say just want to live without fear. They fear getting deported and they fear thier family members getting deported. They're afraid of the police. They say, "what jobs are we taking? We do jobs NO ONE wants! How are we harming ANYONE?! Why do Americans have to be so racist?" And to a point, they're right.

However, there is a flip side to all this. Do we just keep letting immigrants come illegally and take a drain off our health care and educational system? What about those who have followed the rules of legal immigration? Their contribution in keeping crops cheap sorta balances the price of what they drain from us. I think.....

I even had to take an offical position. The students asked me, "Santino, are you coming to work Monday?" I say, "I understand why you guys protest. There are some serious problems with the way they are treating you guys. However, Casandra is coming Monday and has a hard time teaching the class alone. Plus, all the absences hurt the school district. The mass leaving of a large percentage of students will likely mean less money available for programs. *this is true, we recieved a memo from a VERY worried school district* I mean, there will still be millions going to the protest. Your education is important. Plus, if you want real change, vote and donate money to organizations that support your cause. That's what the politicans fear. The protest gets your issue on the newspaper and raises awareness. Though this could lead to a backlash. So be careful"

They still plan to be absent Monday. I have rent to pay. I can't leave Casandra hanging, for even students tell me how hard a time Casandra *the teacher* has without me. Even with both of us, its difficult. You got 20 students. Since its a mixed ESL class, you got people at 5 to 6 different levels of English. Some just got to America with 0 writing skills, some can have a semi-fluent conversation. So you cirriculum can't be so easy it makes the advanced ones bored. But it can't be so hard that the beginners are lost. Its a delicate balance.

So I know that attending Monday will give me a negative point in thier eyes. Though I don't even know what should happen. I mean, I feel bad for situations like, an illegal mother and a citizen child. Should the mom be deported? You CAN'T deport the child. What about those that just don't wanna live in fear anymore. And I wonder about that. What if that was me? It almost was. I'm a first generation hispanic. *and italian* My mom came from Guatemala. Some part of me feels a connection, but another says, we can't let this illegal thing run rampant. I think that we should just give them amnesty one time and close off the option to do that again. I do believe in a wall. Infact, I think we should have confederate *fake* illegals cross with real ones and pass on the info of their locale to the immigration.

Who knows what will happen. I wonder what the backlash to this action will be. I just don't see this making people more sympathetic to the cause. It raises the awareness, but it doesn't mean it will be a good one. It'll just be another way for people to say, "see, they don't really care about America."

One wonders if this whole immigration thing is a ploy by democrats to corner the vote. It'd be a huge blow to the G.O.P. Everything that is happening leds me to think about how the G.O.P. will lose power come November. And then, I think the democrats will avenge the Clinton impeachment will an attempt of thier own. I wouldn't be surprised. Damn parties are both oppurtunist. *sigh* Hopefully, they add more to the grants available. :D