I recently received an unusual birthday card from a family member, a devout Catholic, that caught me off guard. For years she and her husband, who is a Catholic deacon, have known of my involvement in the immigration restriction movement, and they have never commented on the many news stories I've sent them dealing with an immigration policy that is destroying this republic. During family gatherings, they've never once raised the issue. So, about a year ago, I decided they were just too committed to doing God's work that the Church says includes "welcoming the stranger," i.e., illegal aliens, and I stopped sending them any immigration-related material. And I wondered recently whether they were wondering why I suddenly had fallen silent on our issue. But back to the birthday card: It was like most greeting cards that say we're "special" and that the senders are somehow "richer" for knowing us, etc.,etc., but this one was different because above the printed Hallmark message were these hand-written words:

"And thank you for your hard work for our country."

Our country. Our country? Don't get met wrong. I like this person, I like her a whole bunch. She's a spirited individual who is highly educated and for years has worked with Alzheimer's patients and their families. She cares, no question about it. But does she care enough to join the rest of us in working hard for her country? And why did she choose this particular year to thank me for my work on our issue? Could her living in North Carolina have something to do with what appears to be a sudden change of heart brought on by the realization that this country is incapable of ending world poverty and political persecution by taking in the millions of people who want to come here?