I am reading an interesting book about the Mississippi River. It really is a history of the US in the first half of the 20th Century. Between 1900 and 1915, 15 million immigrants entered the US (there was not a legal vs. illegal issue then) mostly from eastern and southern Europe.

They were not always greeted with open arms. In St Louis a German-American defended Germany in an argument, a mob stripped him naked, wrapped him in an American flag, dragged him through the streets and lynched him.

The Attorney General created the American Protective League...informers who spied on neighbors and coworkers.

In West Virginia, police forced 118 immigrants (members of an early union) to kiss the American flag.

In Centralia, Washington, a union office was attacked and one of the union guys dragged off. He was beaten...all of his "three piece ensemble" cut off. Probably in a bit of pain, he asked the gang to shoot him. They did after they hung him from a bridge. Coroner ruled it suicide.

In Indiana a jury deliberated two minutes and acquitted a man for murdering an immigrant who yelled, "To hell with the United States."

Here in Orange County the Hispanic population has grown 10% in five years, the Asian population has grown 22% in that same time (statistics in this morning's Orange County Register.)

I objected to the use of the word "them."