His father is Canadian.

Anyway, it doesn’t matter what barriers people try to create. People will move onto new lands to search for opportunity. Humans have been doing it since they gained the ability to walk on two legs and set their sights on the horizon.

At this rate, no one will want to move here pretty soon.

I support the general ideal of the society they apparently intended, as opposed to the one they were leaving. But when people in 2009 who probably aren’t Constitutional scholars tell me about what the Founding Fathers were about and kind of gloss over the slavery and the misogyny, my detector goes off.

Nearly everything they did and every way they lived tells me they were in it for the white male landowner and everybody else was less of a person. While I have always applauded their courage in forming a new country, let’s please not ignore what they actually did or romanticize their intentions.

According to this article, Feilhaber’s parents were both born in Brazil, thus making him ineligible:
http://www.boston.com/sports/soccer/articles/2007/06/15/feilhaber_going_with_the_flow/

We know what kind of society they wanted to create because we can read their journals and diaries. What we know is that the founding fathers were of different minds of what it mean’t to be an American. Similar to the debate today. It’s not surprising that Soccer which reflects the diversity of America would finnd itself suffering from those who have a much narrow view.

Remember that some Founding Fathers were againsnt slavery. Nathan Hale for instance. Others supported it and others were against it for very narrow reasons.

“give us your poor, your tired . . .”

I agree with you that “this is who we are”. It is the clearest statement on Soccer! thanks!

Looking at proposed legislation Stephen is right. Take a look at “birthright citizenship” laws that have been advocated over several years by the Federation for American Immigration Reform and those who choose to represent their views in Congress. Stephen is quite accurate in his statement. The growing attack on the 14th Amendment is actually quite frightening and a component of these anti-immigrant groups.

http://www.immigrationpolicy.org/index.php?content=p091609

Good piece but skewing facts undermines the argument and leaves it open to criticism – tighten up my friend.

And how do we know what kind of country the Founding Fathers intended to create in terms of immigration? Just because THEY were immigrants doesn’t necessarily mean they envisioned a country full of people from all over the world.

We’re still struggling, 200+ years later, to figure out what their intent was with respect to “a well-regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State,” so what makes you think that old white men who thought that only other white, landowning men should be voting and making laws (and, indeed, were the only “people” that mattered) would be open to the melting pot concept?

That said, yes, immigration reform could be a hindrance to US soccer, in that our very existence as a country is due, in very large part, to immigration. This is what we are. This is who we are. Our national teams reflect that. May they always.