An open letter to my Chinese American friends

Dear Friends,

As the 2016 Presidential election is just 2 weeks away, I am compelled to express my thoughts towards this critical time in our nation’s history.

Like many of you, I am a first generation immigrant who embraces freedom, liberty and opportunity. These are the attributes of what America is all about. Often times I’ve questioned, how is a nation that has accomplished such greatness and has been a beacon of hope for the free world， also one of the youngest countries on earth. Is that a coincidence? I doubt it.

A great nation like America wouldn't have achieved so much without a stable, time-tested political system that time and time again brings assurance and confidence to its people. Until recent years, I had great confidence in our system. What has changed? Being a construction professional, I understand how important "foundation" is to a building. If a foundation is compromised, all the structure and the contents in the structure are subject to destruction.

The same is true of the foundation of our nation that largely depends on its people upholding the most important document, the Constitution of the United States of America.  It was created to serve as a series of guiding principles for citizens and officials to conduct their public affairs. However, over the past few years, I’ve witnessed the deterioration of our principles in an alarming way.

Recently, I sensed the foundation that made our nation great has been undermined. The very fabric of our nation has been torn apart by the two extremely different ideologies. It has been further fueled by "Political Correctness", which has driven our people further apart rather than uniting us.

What are the telltale signs?  Social issues, such as same sex marriage and demand for transgender bathrooms may not pose immediate dangers to our society, but they are sure signs of "Moral Bankruptcy".  And while refugee settlements may sound good as a humanitarian effort, this imposed policy could force the continued transformation of America. One can argue that the United States is a nation of immigrants, but it's not hard to tell the difference between immigrants from the past who cherished and embraced American values and are grateful citizens vs recent refugees who came from "Known Terrorist Countries" looking to change the American's way of life and reject the idea of assimilation, while demanding rights under their own set of laws and values. To succumb to this ideology will jeopardize the very sovereignty of our nation.

I am a registered Republican and I believe in Republican core principles; limited government, individual liberty and low taxes while ensuring equal treatment for all people, respecting the sanctity of human life, protecting traditional marriage, safeguarding religious liberties, protecting freedom of speech, and supporting the right to keep and bear arms. While these may sound like political rhetoric, these are the values that I hold dear to my heart.  And I know many of you share this idea.

As a nation,we are at the cross roads.  This election may very well be the pivotal point of our country’s history. We cannot be silent anymore. We must take the stand, stand for righteousness, stand for upholding the Constitution and stand for a Great America.

Yes, we can Make America Great Again!

Jay Lin

A Chinese American Patriot who voted for Trump

给美国华人同胞的公开信

离开2016年总统大选只剩下两个星期。目前激烈的选战局势，促使本人不得不就这个影响美国未来的历史性时刻发表看法。

和许多朋友一样，我是第一代移民，当年带着崇尚自由和追求理想的信念来到这片充满机会的国土，而美国也成就了许许多多移民的梦想。我常常问自己一个问题，作为一个世界上年轻的国家，美国在短短时间里取得了瞩目的成就，成为自由世界希望的灯塔，这难道是偶然的吗？

美国之所以成就今天的卓越地位，其原因在于它有一个稳定的、久经考验的政治制度。美国的政治体制，一次又一次为国民带来信心和保障。但最近几年，我的所见所闻，使我对这个制度的信心受到了打击。有哪里不对劲吗？

作为一名建筑行业的专业人士，我知道“地基”对于一个建筑物的重要性。如果根基遭到破坏，房屋的整个结构以及所有材料都将毁坏。

这个道理对于我们国家来说是一样的。而美国的根基，很大程度上取决于本国的人民是否珍惜并维护最重要的法律文件——宪法。美国宪法是我们的立国之本，为公民的行为和官员从事公共事务提供了一系列的指导原则。然而，在过去几年中，我亲眼见到我们的立国之本遭到的严重侵蚀，其恶化程度令人担忧。整个国家长期以来的团结局面，现在被两种截然不同的意识形态撕裂。所谓的“政治正确”潜规则，不但无法团结我们的国民，其不断膨胀的势头反而使大家走向进一步分裂。

以下是我所看见的警讯： 社会议题方面，类似同性婚姻合法化和对变性人厕所的要求，虽然没有对我们的社会造成直接的危险，但这些政策无疑已经显示社会道德破产的迹象。 难民的安置方面，虽然听起来出于人道主义的好意，但这强加于人的政策很可能迫使美国社会继续转型。虽然我们可以说，美国本来就是一个移民国家，但我们不难看到，如今的难民主体和美国的传统移民有本质的区别。传统的移民珍惜、并拥抱美国的价值观，他们怀着感恩的心成为这个国家公民，并安居乐业。而近期的难民大部分来自“已知的恐怖主义国家”。很多人带着改变美国社会生活方式的想法。他们不但拒绝同化，同时还寻求在新大陆继续推广他们自己原有的一套法律和价值观的权利。对这种意识形态的屈服，将危及我们国家的主权。

本人是登记的共和党党员，信奉共和党对于政府的核心原则：一个受限制的政府；崇尚个人的自由；低税收；保护所有人的平等待遇；尊重人类生命的神圣性；保护传统婚姻；保护宗教自由；保护言论自由；支持人民拥有和携带武器的权利。虽然这些听起来像政治口号，但这些也都是我内心所珍视的价值观。我知道很多朋友深有同感。

我们的国家，现在正站在十字路口上。这次选举可能是美国历史的转折点。我们不能再继续沉默下去。我们必须立场鲜明地站出来，支持正义、维护宪法，为了我们的后代，让美国的伟大得以延续。

没错，我们可以让美国再次伟大！

林怡正

一个投票给川普的华裔公民