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In a message dated 8/7/01 9:36:09 PM Central Daylight Time, waltzer19@webtv.net writes why he, Bill Maher, doesn't pick on some other ethnic group to hold up for ridicule, e.g., like his own, Bill quipped: "Italians are more colorful and they don't complain as much"

   Perhaps that's the VERY reason we find ourselves ridiculed and degraded and falsely generalized, as the polling study showed that 74% of all other Americans viewed Italian-Americans as mob related.  Maybe a little more complaining in the form of Federal complaints of discrimination and law suits and letters, letters, and more letters might just put an end to our being "more colorful and they don't complain as much" preconceptions, which, thus far has made us fair game.  I hate to say it, my genetic brothers and sisters, BUT no one will come to our rescue but ourselves and it appears that at present many are content to "be colorful" and "not complain"  -- not to mention the Judases amongst us who will portray and betray us any which way they need to for the almightly do$$ar.  

   To those of you who are complaining, keep up your wonderful observations, which you are sending out to the "offenders," as they seem to be having some effect, although one would not know it from the likes of Bill Maher, ad nauseam.  One suggestion:  when you send out your letters, you might include cc's to any pertinent organization and individual which/who you feel might be interested in what you have to say.  In this way your voice will be heard in more places than in just the place you are complaining to.  Saw this cc's to the world work once exceptionally well in getting rid of a dictatorial boss who had ridden her way to top management on the back of those below her.  She proved too embarrassing of a detriment for management to endure when everyone on the cc list found out what type of person she was.  She very soon accepted an "early" retirement, which top management assured the cc recipients had nothing to do with the cc's which blanketed the world.  Too, if your letters are telling and precise in their accuracy about the offender (we must ALWAYS be polite, of course, as we don't want to be thought of as being merely another "colorful" Italian) then too the offender doesn't want too many people to know of such accuracy regarding their crassness and stupidity and they'll tread lighter on us for fear of being humiliated in the eyes of their peers and others, especially those from whom they draw their enjoyment$.  Too, such cc's will show a ground swell developing and there is nothing worse that our politicians or media people fear than a ground swell, which may be directed at them because they don't or won't deal with a problem brought to their attention.   Bill Maher might find us "colorful" and "not complain as much" but if he finds us "irritating" and creating problems for him and his network I'll bet that he and they will find another group on whose back they derive their comfort$ very quickly.  

   Benjamin Franklin said, "Constant complaint is the poorest sort of pay for all the comforts we enjoy."  Thus, IF we can get enough complaints to enough people then, perhaps, those who get their comfort$ at our expense will find the toll they have to pay for such comfort$ a bit too much for their efforts.  Who knows, we might just WIN!!!!! 

   What do we have to lose, except being thought of as "colorful" and a group who will continually take insult and ridicule in a supine position and "not complain as much"?  Can you imagine describing such contributions by such luminaries and heroes as Da Vinci, Brumidi, Humbert Versace, John Basilone, Amerigo Vespucci, Jake La Motta, John Ciardi, Jim Cirillo, Christopher Columbus, et al as "colorful"?  What a put down of Italian contribution to the world.  Such a shallow view of Italianism, but then there is "Nothing more daring than ignorance" nor "None so blind as the blind man" or when "Ignorance thinks the rest of the world blind" yet "The sky is no less blue because the blind man does not see it."  Keep exhibiting your fighting spirit, my fellow activists, for we have "miles to go before we sleep," for I do not believe such ignorance as categorizing Italians as merely "colorful" will disappear without our taking some strong opposition against such blindness and ignorance.  "Patience is bitter but it fruit is sweet," said Rousseau, and as individuals of Italian ancestry we have always fought against many such aggressors attempting to overwhelm our Spirit and ALWAYS WON by our patience and persistence.  

   We have but to look at what we turned into from immigrant wheelbarrow pushers and ditch diggers to what we are as a people and individuals today, as an example of what strength flows through our veins and minds.  We must keep faith with those who came before us to this land and the benefits they gave us by their sweat and toil, our pride and independence being the least amongst many, and what they might expect of us, their offsprings, when people dismiss their contribution as but "colorful."  The secret to our success is ours already:  CONSTANCY OF PURPOSE!!!   

   Bob Miriani  

BobandDotM@aol.com