Editor,
My father used to say I was born in a log cabin (i.e., the Stanford Hospital). Now that I am approaching 70, I am proud to say, “I am a dreamer.”
For example, I dream that one day the law will be color blind, no one will be denied health care for any reason, at a minimum community college will be tuition free, the water people drink will be clean and most of all my children will live in a peaceful world.
I also dream about today’s dreamers — the hundreds of thousands of young people who were brought to this country when they were little and now face deportation. I want their nightmare to end so they can remain here.
Dreamers always have shaped the American landscape. From Plymouth Rock to the Silicon Valley, their dreams have been the driving forces behind our economic, social and cultural revolutions. I don’t know for sure, but I’m guessing the next big innovations could easily come from a handful of today’s DACA dreamers.
When I was a boy growing up in Palo Alto, my dream was to play left field for the San Francisco Giants. When I realized I couldn’t hit a curve ball, I began dreaming about going to college. After I graduated from USC, I dreamed about working on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. Two years later, my dream was to surf in the Seychelles. The following decade, I dreamed about living in Laguna.
My point is, I have lived a long, wonderful life. Nearly every one of my dreams has come true. With this last thought in mind, I want today’s DACA dreamers to have the same opportunity to dream big like I did.
Dr. Martin Luther King and music legend John Lennon often spoke about dreams. I would never pretend to be as eloquent or talented as they were, still, “I have a dream.” The best part is, “I’m not the only one.”
Our Founding Fathers literally dreamed up a new nation. It’s time to honor their dream by allowing today’s DACA dreamers to live in that new nation.
Denny Freidenrich, Laguna Beach
