I am the mother of a red-headed American boy who, for years, played that red-blooded American sport, Little League baseball. He’s 22 now.

Years ago, when he was still in middle school, I saw a picture that will be forever etched into my consciousness. It was in the glossy brochure of some human rights organization; I don’t remember which. I tried to find it for this post because describing it will not convey its power. But I couldn’t.

The picture was of a little Hispanic boy, about six years old. He was sitting upright in a rigid chair, but he was fast asleep with his head and arms on a table. Next to his grubby little face, on the dirty table, was a partially sewn baseball. That he had been making. For little boys in America to play with.

This is not about child labor or fair trade. (But posts on those topics are on the horizon, you can count on it.) This is about immigration.

No matter what you think about illegal immigration, if you have an ounce of humanity in you, you can understand why people might want to take their kids to a place where they can play with baseballs instead of make them.

So they do. They risk their lives, they abandon what security and support they do have, and they bring their kids across the border. They put them in school in America. But when these kids get out of high school, they are punished for what their parents did.

They are not allowed to go to college.

Where in America are children prosecuted for crimes that their parents committed? And even if these immigrant children could be held responsible for having crossed the border illegally, where in America are juvenile criminal records not expunged? How can we justify this persecution of innocents?

The DREAM Act (Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors) would give legal status to high school students who want to attend college if they are long-term undocumented immigrants of good moral character (no criminal record). This legislation has been introduced in Congress several times and has always failed.

(Now, unfortunately, the DREAM Act is also about “allowing” these immigrant kids to join the military. If it were only a question of giving them permission to become bullet stoppers, the Act would have passed a long time ago. I would prefer that they remove the military bit entirely, of course.)

Obama, Clinton and McCain were among those who co-sponsored the DREAM Act. The last time it was voted on in the Senate, in October of 2007, Obama and Clinton voted in favor of it. McCain was, not surprisingly, a no-show. His party has been giving him flack about his attitudes towards immigration.

I lived most of my life in San Diego, a stone’s throw from the Mexican border. I also spent a good chunk of my life in the Pacific (Guam and Hawaii). These places are characterized by their immigrant populations. They are vital and interesting because of them. Not long before I moved to Paris, I lived for a couple of years in a California town that was 90% white. It drove me insane.

I’ve gotten the impression that first-generation immigrants are often highly motivated to embrace their adopted cultures, to contribute, to excel. America is shooting itself in the foot by denying these young people the opportunity to live up to their full potential.

How is it not in America’s best interests to educate its population? How is it right to deny an education to any young person with a desire to learn? If Americans were more educated, there would be no need to continually increase the number of H1B visas that are required to import highly skilled workers from other countries.

Evidently the Democrats are haggling, though; some of them are saying they won’t consider upping the number of H1B visas unless the DREAM Act is passed.

The people who cross the border have a dream. Their kids should be allowed to dream too.

If you want to help, you can sign this petition to Obama, Clinton and McCain.

I am the mother of a red-headed American boy who, for years, played that red-blooded American sport, Little League baseball. He's 22 now. Years ago, when he was still in middle school, I saw a picture that will be forever etched into my consciousness. It was in the glossy brochure of some human rights organization; I don't remember which. I tried to find it for this post because describing it will not convey its power. But I couldn't. The picture was of a little Hispanic boy, about six years old. He was sitting upright in a rigid chair, but he was fast asleep with his head and arms on a table. Next to his grubby little face, on the dirty table, was a partially sewn baseball. That he had been making. For little boys in America to play with. This is not about child labor or fair trade. (But posts on those topics are on the horizon, you can count on it.) This is about immigration. No matter what you think about illegal immigration, if you have an ounce of humanity in you, you can understand why

To be fair, I’m doing the same thing for Hillary that I did for Barack in the previous post, so you can compare what the two have in store for you.

Here are all of Hillary’s issues (from www.hillaryclinton.com):

America’s Standing in the World | Education | Energy & Environment | Family | Government Reform | Healthcare | Immigration | Innovation | Iraq | Middle Class | Rural | Strengthening our Democracy (voting issues) | Veterans | Women

The information on Hillary’s pages is not as clearly organized as that on Barack’s. She covers fewer key issues. There is also a lot less specific information on Hillary’s pages (and she is the candidate who’s primary criticism is that her opponent is all talk and no substance).

Don’t just take my word for it. Compare, for example, Obama’s and Clinton’s pages on education.

This is the thing. Hillary is smart. She’s capable of doing the job. She knows the ropes. But there is a lack of dynamism in her that I think will be crucial in our president at this point in time.

I also have to agree with my favorite society columnist, Mark Morford, who pretty much says it all here:

See, unlike Hillary, Obama can’t be effortlessly demonized. He doesn’t have Hillary’s infamous laundry list of faults and transgressions, the enormous built-in wall of hate the right already has for her, her gender, her husband, everything she represents and carries forward from the Bill Clinton era. Smart as she is, Hillary has truckloads of baggage. Obama has but a tiny carry-on.

I am convinced (as are many others) that if Hillary is the Democratic nominee, McCain will be president.

Are you prepared to live with that?

To be fair, I'm doing the same thing for Hillary that I did for Barack in the previous post, so you can compare what the two have in store for you. Here are all of Hillary's issues (from www.hillaryclinton.com): America's Standing in the World | Education | Energy & Environment | Family | Government Reform | Healthcare | Immigration | Innovation | Iraq | Middle Class | Rural | Strengthening our Democracy (voting issues) | Veterans | Women The information on Hillary's pages is not as clearly organized as that on Barack's. She covers fewer key issues. There is also a lot less specific information on Hillary's pages (and she is the candidate who's primary criticism is that her opponent is all talk and no substance). Don't just take my word for it. Compare, for example, Obama's and Clinton's pages on education. This is the thing. Hillary is smart. She's capable of doing the job. She knows the ropes. But there is a lack of dynamism in her that I think will be crucial in our president at this

Once, years ago, my friend Kim brought me a handmade bracelet from Africa. She told me the villagers had dismantled nearby phone lines for the copper to make it.

Did you know that 13% percent of Americans either throw away their pennies or toss them into penny jars? That’s a lot of copper. I was so broke in college that at the end of the month I had to roll pennies for groceries. I made a game of it with my preschool son. I learned to like rolling pennies. It’s relaxing.

The things we take for granted.

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Once, years ago, my friend Kim brought me a handmade bracelet from Africa. She told me the villagers had dismantled nearby phone lines for the copper to make it. Did you know that 13% percent of Americans either throw away their pennies or toss them into penny jars? That's a lot of copper. I was so broke in college that at the end of the month I had to roll pennies for groceries. I made a game of it with my preschool son. I learned to like rolling pennies. It's relaxing. The things we take for granted. Today, Annet Tumuhaise and four friends in Uganda want to grow their small business in "home products sales." They need $1,700, which they plan to use to buy supplies. I don't know what they make. Maybe bracelets. They've applied for a loan through kiva.org, a new nonprofit microfinancing organization that makes it possible for little people with a little money to help little people without any. This is how it works: You go to the kiva site, where you can see all the projects people hav