A place where Jo Ann Fitzgerald discusses every day topics. This can be local or international issues - from hot topics to Federal Elections. I am the family historian, so I talk some regarding family genealogy as well.
I hope everyone had a great holiday season as much as they could while staying safe from the virus.
We're pretty safe here in Victoria in Australia. We do keep having small outbreaks, but mainly, after the second wave, have kept them at bay. We are hopeful they will keep up the good work in the contract tracing team.
Anyhow, stay safe and we hope and wish everyone had a great holiday season.
I'm determined to get back into blogging as it seemed to get left behind during last year, so I have a huge list of prompts I can sit back and write about.
My grandmother, Genowefa Wojtkowska, in later years known as Jean Schmitz, arrived in Ellis Island on September 19, 1920 with her mother, Maryanna Wojtkowska.
Ellis Island Ship Manifest arriving Ellis Island port New York page 2. Credit
This when they immigrated from Poland to the United States via the vessel "New Rochelle". They left Danzig on August 29, 1920. It took them 32 days of travel.
New Rochelle renamed in 1920 in which my grandmother and great grandmother sailed upon. Credit1 and Credit2
Ellis Island Ship Manifest leaving Danzig page 1. Credit
What did they need upon arrival at Ellis Island?
The answer is simple - Not much. They had to list where their final destination was and if they could read and write. It was this simple. This was the process at Ellis Island.
The answer is No. The 1917 Act implemented a literacy test that required immigrants over 16 years old to demonstrate basic reading comprehension in any language. This my great grandmother did (above) as you can see by the column if they can read yes/no.
The US did bring in a quota system in 1921 under the Emergency Quotas Act of 1921. This was only to limit the amount of people because the ports were so busy. A really good explanation is here with a video.
In fact, visas were not required until 1924 when stricter visa laws came into effect under the Johnson-Reed Act.
By this point, many of the people in the US today had ancestors who already went through this, and many other ports, to settle into the USA.
During 2016-2019's culture of "my ancestors came over legally" doesn't stand up because today there are so many more hurdles to jump through to get into the US, than back in even in 1926 when my grandfather arrived.
"there were no numerical limitations on immigration, no requirements to have an existing family or employment relationship with someone in the country, and no requirement to obtain a visa prior to arriving" - American Immigration Council
When my grandfather, Mathias Schmitz, in later years known as Mathew Schmitz, arrived in Ellis Island in April 1926, he did have to have a visa, which he did and it was noted on the ship manifest.
My grandfather, Mathias Schmitz, ship manifest in April 1926 when he came to the US page 1. Credit Not all manifests were capturing visa numbers at this point.
The vessel my grandfather came over from Germany on. Credit1 and Credit2
1926 German manifest translated of my grandfather (in red) going to US. Credit
1926 German manifest in German of my grandfather (in red) going to US. Credit
By 1930, manifests paperwork had started to capture visa numbers. My grandfather went back to visit in Germany. His entry is the last on the cropped page above. Credit
My grandmother and great grandmother came over while their country was at war with Russia before the Iron Curtain fell. In fact, they could have even been classified as political refugees because of the fighting.
They knew, just like many of the women and children today, if they were to be sent back, it would have meant they would have either been sent somewhere else or imprisoned. It would have more than likely meant death. These are the exact same problems some of today's immigrants are dealing with.
In fact, if you look at my grandfather and where he lived during 1926, the area was part of Occupation of the Ruhr where there was military occupation of the German Ruhr valley until 1925 due to defaulting on war payments in the 1920s by Germany. That's when a treaty called the Locarno Pact in 1925 took place. This was to increase Germany's confidence among its people. One point of the pact was to leave the area, Rhineland, where my grandfather lived as permanent demilitarisation of the area. One of the ideas of why my grandfather left was because I think he didn't believe this would continue once the area was released to Germany. I think this, combined with the German Mark falling, probably prompted him to leave Germany.
I believe all my ancestor's who came to the USA, including the ones who enter in September 1920, wanted what was written on the Statue of Liberty as it was the first beautiful, magical thing (my grandmother's words) they saw and believed in. Even today when I see videos, like below, it sends tingles down my spine.
I believe the "The New Colossus" says it all.
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
I first saw these words when I was a child, and he ones bolded above are the most important and what we understand growing up. I consider these words very important next to the pledge of allegiance.
There can be laws put into place, but everyone still needs to treat each other with respect due to a living person. There has to be a way to work through problems and not just send the people back to places where they might end up dead for trying to get a better life. They worked through problems like these back 100 years ago, and did it with respect and consideration.
We're all adults and it's time adults started treating others like this as this is what is sorely lacking in today's society. I think everyone is forgetting one of the basic things they were taught growing up.
One of the last time I posted, I started to say how Trump and Hitler are similar. Well tonight, during some reading on one of my ancestors, who came from Germany, I came across a newspaper article and it was scary.
Here's the quote I read aloud.
This is an exact quote by Hitler in The Courier-Mail (Brisbane, Qld. : 1933 - 1954) on Mon 16 Mar 1936 on Page 13
There's been talk from many different people about how Trump is like Adolf Hitler. Don't believe it? I can hear all of his supporters groaning and complaining at full blast now, so calm down all. Again, I deal in reality and facts....so let's take a look at this doing fact checking. Now I've tried my best to get websites from Trump and the presidency where facts are about the wall. Unfortunately its not that easy.
Yes, they both wanted a wall. Hitler got his wall called the Atlantic Wall. Trump wants his wall along the Mexican border.
What was the Atlantic Wall? It was an extensive system of coastal defense and fortifications built by Nazi Germany between 1942 and 1944 along the coast of continental Europe and Scandinavia as a defense against an anticipated Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied Europe from the United Kingdom during World War II.
Hitler's rationale was in "ordering additional men to the Islands and having decided the defences were inadequate, lacking tanks and coastal artillery, the Organisation Todt (OT) was instructed to undertake the building of 200-250 strongpoints in each of the larger islands." Take from the Atlantic Wall website.
Trump
While Trump isn't planning, or his public reasoning anyway, to build his wall for anything other than "national security of the United States. Aliens who illegally enter the United States without inspection or admission present a significant threat to national security and public safety." People are probably going to say these aren't the same things. Fine, then how would to take the next statement in the same document?
"Sec. 2. Policy. It is the policy of the executive branch to:
(a) secure the southern border of the United States through the immediate construction of a physical wall on the southern border, monitored and supported by adequate personnel so as to prevent illegal immigration, drug and human trafficking, and acts of terrorism;"
Credit The wall being considers and temporarily put up is the black line
This document is off the White House's website from an executive order folks. If you don't believe me then click on the links above and see where they go. I hate to tell you, they are both using the same reasoning for a wall but its just along very different borders.
Its a Match: Trump's rationale is very much like Hitler's if you take a look at each of these statements. Its for the defense in either regard.
Press Restrictions and Freedom of the Press Hitler
There are more than one website which goes into how Hitler controlled the newspapers and radio. Before he was in power, he had controlled about 3 percent of the media. When he got into power, he decided what was to be written and by whom. One history museum puts it like this:
Credit - The last paragraph is almost the same as Trump's fake news comments
"Newspapers were greatly used by the Nazi Party to spread the party line. Newspapers were commonly purchased in an era that pre-dated television and along with the cinema and radiowas the primary mode of spreading information – information that the Nazi Party wanted to control. Hitlercame to power on January 30th 1933 and almost immediately set out plans that would give the Nazis total power over all newspapers. Once Chancellor, Hitler was in a position to implement from a propaganda viewpoint what he had written about in ‘Mein Kampf’".
It continues:
"...The Nazi regime deployed the radio, press, and newsreels to stoke fears of a pending “Communist uprising,” then channeled popular anxieties into political measures that eradicated civil liberties and democracy. SA (storm troopers) and members of the Nazi elite paramilitary formation, the SS, took to the streets to brutalize or arrest political opponents and incarcerate them in hastily established detention centers and concentration camps. Nazi thugs broke into opposing political party offices, destroying printing presses and newspapers."
Trump
Almost since the start of Trump's nomination, he's gone around bad mouthing reporters and the press. However, since he's took his oath as president where he gave his allegiance to protect our constitution, he's come right out and said "Fake News" that many times, its all you heard for MONTHS. Journalism is taking facts, putting some information around it and telling it how you see it. What the information is, is dependent on how the person or organisation see's what they are writing. This being said, there's always something that it factual about the news no matter what.
This being said, if you take a look at the first amendment, it says:
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."
I can hear people now saying "It says Congress NOT President get your facts right." I am looking for factual information but as you can imagine its tough. One article I found says: "As Thomas Jefferson wrote to a friend in 1789, “Our liberty depends on the freedom of the press, and that cannot be limited without being lost.” and this is why so many are concerned about this step Trump has been taking and balancing on. In fact, many other presidents, starting with George Washington, have used the press to communicate to the people and a good reason why its there. This is the reason why there is a Press Secretary, so the president can get out his message. It is normal for one side to be upset what others write about it. I know I've watched over many different administrations and that's normal and the reason why the first amendment is there.
Now getting back to "It says Congress NOT President" comment. If you remember the President takes an oath that states "Before he enter on the execution of his office, he shall take the following oath or affirmation:--"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States." and is part of Article II Section 1 of the US Constitution. It says preserve, protect and defend the Constitution not go after people who try and use this freedom.
It does say "He shall have power, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, to make treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur;" and "He shall from time to time give to the Congress information of the state of the union, and recommend to their consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient; he may, on extraordinary occasions, convene both Houses, or either of them, and in case of disagreement between them, with respect to the time of adjournment, he may adjourn them to such time as he shall think proper; he shall receive ambassadors and other public ministers; he shall take care that the laws be faithfully executed, and shall commission all the officers of the United States."
And according to Article 2, Section 1 of the US constitution, he cannot get rid of or cancel out our first amendment rights. Nice try. And he has tried to limit and get rid of the free press. Trump "suggestion that the FBI should “consider putting reporters in prison” has been decried as a dangerous new assault on press freedom and prompted a call to action by American journalists who have been jailed in the US for their work." which is trying to limit the press by jailing them for doing their jobs within their rights. Note: This isn't exactly what I had in mind but it does cover Trump's Tweet about the fake news and controlling the news.
If you look at what Hitler did when he controlled the newspapers and what Trump says in the video above, its the same thing just different words. The problem is Trump doesn't have control of the media (meaning newspapers, radio and TV) but if he could, the way he's talking it would be the same thing as what Hitler did and what Trump has been trying to do - control what's being shown on TV. From cancelling the Press Secretary's briefings, to calling everything in site "fake media" he's trying to control what's going on with what's being released. However, the people who follow him do not see this as the same thing. If you can't believe this then look at what he's been doing - rejecting all news media to have a sit down interview with him; however, only one channel he does this for - Fox News. Talk about control and I'm wondering if he's got stock or some other investment within this company to give them unprecedented access to the President. Its something worth thinking about.
Part 1 Conclusion
As you can see, by using facts, there IS an eerie parallel between them. I'm not saying they are the same, but if we're not careful the US has serious reasons to be concerned because we could end up having the same problem as Germany back in the 1930's and 1940s.
