With all the talk over Trump’s new proposed immigration policy restricting asylum seekers to just well-heeled super-models and a few wealthy despots fleeing the persecution of the outraged citizenry left behind after they looted their respective treasuries, I thought we should revisit the Emma Lazarus poem at the foot of the Statue of Liberty. As a refresher, it reads as follows:
The New Colossus
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
With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
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| Emma Lazarus Poem at base of Statue of Liberty |
The first part of the poem refers to the Greek Colossus of Rhodes, a statue that stood near the Mandraki harbor entrance. To find the place you just head southeast out of Athens and travel about 210 miles to find Mandraki. Bring your water shoes because this place is an island in the Aegean Sea. The original statue was about 70 cubits tall so you could fit four of these things end to end in Noah’s ark but then you would only have had enough room for maybe a unicorn or two.
The Statue of Liberty was also around 70 cubits tall (108 feet). Her feet are 25’ long so she would take a size 879 Adidas. Hell, with feet like those, this lady could have water skied here from France. However, I digress, as is my wont.
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| In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash |
Since Occupant Trump (he occupies the White House, he doesn’t really work there) isn’t a historian, he doesn’t know that he has the perfect argument in the first part of the poem without going to the “huddled masses” portion. You see the poem is titled the New Colossus, and it is referring to the original ancient statue to the sun god, Helios. That statue was erected to celebrate the end of an invasion. In fact, it was built from monies raised by selling the equipment left behind by their attackers. It was the Siege of Rhodes and it took place in 4th century BC. They got 300 talents from the sale of the siege equipment.
For the curious among you, a talent is the value of 26 kilos of pure silver. In today’s market, with silver going for $555.89 a kilo, 300 talents would be worth $4,335,942. You did want to know that, didn’t you?
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| Trump honoring the sun god Helios |
Now, conservative sources are trying to say that Trump is justified in his new restrictions because the old laws were even more stringent. They quote the 1882 Immigration Act. That bill instructed Treasury officials to inspect immigrant ships for public charges. That law reads, “If on such examination there shall be found among such passengers any convict, lunatic, idiot, or any person unable to take care of himself or herself without becoming a public charge … such persons shall not be permitted to land.” With the lunatic-idiot logic alone, how do we permit Air Force One to land when returning from other countries?
The new immigration position is trying to spin the intent of the Lazarus poem to indicate that it was meant to welcome European immigrants and not those south of our border. Well, if that were true, why is the statue facing in a southeast direction that has her looking toward Africa, not Europe? I understand her back being turned toward New Jersey and maybe not wanting to see those folks, but if she were beaconing Europeans (aka white people), shouldn’t she be facing north by northeast?
The statue’s official name happens to be "Liberty Enlightening the World." This enlightenment apparently didn’t brighten the mental acuity of Ken Cuccinelli or his authoritarian-in-chief, Donald Trump. They seem to be playing the conservative fiddle and singing the lament that the brown and black immigrants from south of our border are welfare hogs and are draining our resources.
The truth of the matter is that undocumented immigrants are not eligible for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, sometimes referred to as food stamps), regular Medicaid, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). Undocumented immigrants are ineligible for health care subsidies under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and are prohibited from purchasing unsubsidized health coverage on ACA exchanges. They may be eligible for very few benefits that would protect life or guarantee their safety in emergency situations and certain nutrition programs for women, infants, and children. In a somewhat unrelated matter, undocumented immigrants regularly contribute to Social Security but are ineligible to collect any benefits.
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| Colossus of Rhodes, One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World |
For those among you who would chastise me for pointing out that the original Colossus of Rhodes was all about a victory over an invasion and that perhaps Trump could read this and use that knowledge to his advantage, I have two points. First and foremost, Trump doesn’t read. He certainly would never get this far in anything. He can barely read a teleprompter. Secondly, I would point out that Lazarus was using his poem to show the contrast between the Colossus of Rhodes and this new beacon of hope. His first line reads, “Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame.”
So, with that I will conclude with:
“Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
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| Emma Lazarus |
Note 1: Emma Lazarus, who wrote The New Colossus, was born and died in New York City. She was from a large Sephardic Jewish family. The Lazarus side was from Germany and her mother’s side was from Portugal. She spoke English, German, French, and Italian.
Note 2: The Statue of Liberty was sculpted by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi who patterned her from the Roman Libertas (Roman Liberty Goddess). Mr. Bartholdi used his mother’s face for the statue. At her feet is a broken chain symbolizing the recent (1886) abolition of slavery. Given that Jim Crow would last another century and we would now still be divided over the oppression of people of color, perhaps that symbol was premature.
* The Orange Immigration Policy refers to the Orange Foolius in the White House who came up with an immigration plan that is based on the color of your skin. You now need to be orange to come to this country.
Trump was asked to comment on this post but he just peered out from behind a closed door.
