Study the true meaning of Statue of Liberty

Raleigh Sutton's Oct. 21 letter to the editor "Live up to the Statue of Liberty poem's meaning" is totally inaccurate. The statue, whose official name is "Liberty Enlightening the World" - not Liberty Inviting the World - has nothing to do with immigration.

The statue was a gift of friendship from France to help celebrate the alliance between both countries during the American Revolution. The poem to which Mr. Sutton refers, "The New Colossus," was written by Emma Lazarus three years prior to the statue's 1886 dedication to help finance construction of the statue's pedestal. Lazarus died in 1887, and 15 years later a group of her friends had her poem inscribed on a plaque and placed inside the pedestal.

The federal government played no role in this event.

I suggest that Sutton read Robert Suro's July 5, 2009, op-ed that appeared in The Washington Post: "She was never about those huddled masses" (https://www.montanamile.org/national_news/art_national_2009jul05.html)

Sutton also should be reminded that this country is a sovereign nation whose citizens are born with the right of self-determination that includes deciding who and how many foreign-born people are given the privilege - not the right - of living among us. The more than 1 million Americans who have died in the service of this country since its inception deserve better than a distortion of the facts.

Dave Gorak, Executive Director

Midwest Coalition to Reduce Immigration

La Valle, Wisconsin