Sicilian Culture: The News & Views: S.1909 & Vote for The Wartime Violation of Italian Civil Liberties Act

Sicilian Culture

The People, The History, The Culture

The News & Views
(March 4, 2000)
Bob & Dorthy Miriani, of St Lois Missouri,
have given me permission to share this Letter to their US Senators:
Dear Senators Bond and Ashcroft:
Please co-sponsor S.1909 and vote for The Wartime Violation of Italian Civil Liberties Act.
My grandfather, Bernard Bonfilio, was 79 years of age when the Enemy Alien Act was enacted and applied to him. He had been in America for some 50+ years and had been a loyal American for all of those years. He was not able to become an American Citizen, although he held Permanent Resident Status, as he was poorly educated and did not speak English. He raised seven children on the wages of a coal miner in Southern Illinois and was never in trouble with the police, nor where or have been his children, nor his grandchildren, nor his grandchildren's children. Many of his grandchildren served in our Armed Forces, myself included in Korea, and all were honorably discharged.
When my grandfather, Bernard Bonfilio, had to register as an "enemy alien" he was 79 years of age and had a very bad heart condition, in addition to suffering from Black Lung Disease from his many years of working in the coal mines. The police confiscated his flashlights, but did not confiscate his shortwave radios nor cameras as he was too poor to own such, for any extra money he had went to supporting his children, so that his family would not have to go on welfare. His having to register at the post office as an "enemy alien" was very hard on him, both physically and emotionally. Physically because of his deteriorating physical health and emotionally as he was very hurt that his adopted Country, which he loved very much to the exclusion of his Country of origin, would believe him an "enemy alien;" especially, since his grandchildren were serving in our Armed Forces which he encouraged their doing.
He was, of course, placed under the restrictions of the Enemy Alien Act, so that he could not leave his home between 6PM and 6AM nor go beyond 5 miles of his home. That our government would take the precaution of confiscating his flashlights because it believed my grandfather would do such things as signaling the Italian Air Force as they flew over Illinois is ludicrous and farcical -- not only because he was a loyal American but too because he could barely walk and seldom if ever left his front porch due to his poor health. He died a very agonizing death at the age of 82 due to Black Lung Disease.
On behalf of myself, my wife, my parents, my relatives, and my grandmother and grandfather, all loyal Ameircans, I would like to urge you to please co-sponsor and vote for S.1999 to right the injustice my grandfather had to endure, as did all other loyal American-Italians during the implementation of the Enemy-Alien Act.
Hopefully, such a miscarriage of justice will never be enacted again as such legislation was a blot on the honor of our American Founders' sense of how to treat loyal Americans.
Thank you for your kind consideration of our request.
Sincerely,
Bob Miriani, M.Ed.
Dorothy Newton Miriani, Ph.D.

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