Patriotism
Opening my e-mail this evening I recieved a very personal one that to me touches very close to home and my views. This e-mail came from a very close and dear friend. Here is the meat of the e-mail>
I dont have a problem with this.. I appreciate it. My family is sincerely from everywhere but we became Americans and speak English.. not German, Filipino/Spanish/Brazilian. My grandfather was very adamant about it.(I could have, There is nothing wrong with knowing it.. dont read into anything). And what they came through to make it so, well I am grateful. . There are great reasons why we are not speaking: French or Spanish .. like right now, and it has alot to do with the freedoms we bear today. Our identity that represents "American" which I believe in.
Now the message that was referred to. The following statement was made in 1907 by then President Teddy Roosevelt.
"In the first place we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the man's becoming in very fact an American, and nothing but an American...There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag, and this excludes the red flag, which symbolizes all wars against liberty and civilization, just as much as it excludes any foreign flag of a nation to which we are hostile...We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language...and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."
Theodore Roosevelt 1907
WOW .... powerful words of welcome. I have blogged many times on the topic of immigration or should I say lack of immigration but invasion to this country. I do not deny anyone from coming here to better themselves or their family. What I do deny and am upset with is those who come here fleeing oppression and poverty. Seeking political refuge, yet once here doing all they can to change America into that in which they have fled.
Lowering educational standards, forceing the rule of minority onto the majority. The blatant rewriting of American History into some falsehood of American oppression which never ever existed.
My heritage is a mix. German, Deutch, English, Welsch, Cherekee, and Irish. Do I celebrate my heritage ..... hell yeah. Oktoberfest, St. Patricks day,the Trail Of Tears. I hold all this important to me. I speak a little German, love a good Irish ballad, and still respect the Queen. Do I place any of this above being born an American. NO!!!!
I am but one of many who can trace family roots to major historical events in this great country. The feud between the Hatfields and McCoys, part of family history. The boomers in Oklahoma .... my relatives were there. One relative of mine founded a collage ... Randolph Macon Collage in Virginia. While looking at family history a will was discovered where one relative left his only sole possesions .... several slaves.
My family fought on the Union and on the Confederate sides of the Civil War, the Mexican war, the Spanish war, WWI, WWII, Korea, I seved in the Persian Gulf proudly during Desert Shield and Storm in 91. Along side me and in each confrontation served Blacks, Whites, Hispanics, Native Americans ... known as Indians. Did they serve as individuals ..... NO! They went to each action as Americans. What not in the Civil war you say .... well time to get ride of the rewrite on history people. Little known fact here , yes there were Blacks who did fight on the side of the south and not by force either. Go check it out, learn something.
Immigrants came here from all over the world because they wanted to be American. Not like today where a free ride is expected. Italians worked hard on the streets in New York, the Irish built westword on the railroad, as the Chinese built eastword.
Was life tough for them .... ever here of the phrase "not a chinamans chance in hell". A phrase that came from the way the Chinese did the blasting through the mountains to build the railroad. Not a very safe job or a long lasting one.
Hispanics fought valiantly in the independance of Texas. We here of Davy Crockett, Jim Bowie, and ice water in the viens of Col. Travis defending the Alamo, but look at the Hispanics that fought along side bravely to become AMERICAN. Sam Houston himself had hispanics in his Texas army. Look at the proud tradition of the texas Rangers and those that were hispanic and Black. All proud to be American and Texan.
The pride that the Navahoe talkers had during WWII. Did they fight as Navahoes .... they fought as Marines. Which means if you sit down and ask them American.
One of the proudest days in my life was to see the look on my ex-wifes face and the pride she carried when she became an American Citizen. She studied night and day, cried at times because at first she didnt understand the Bill of Rights. A concept that was foriegn to her at first. But when she took the oath of aledgence I was teary eyed as was she.
I was offended but not as much as she was when several there took the oath in foriegn languages. She worked hard on her command of the english language and was offended by those who did not. She felt that they cheated.
This is a common feeling among many immigrants who wait years to take this oath. The come here to be Americans not someone who just lives here. I had an instructor who is French ... needless to say some hot discusions there on ideology. However we were in total agreement on the way certain groups are dividing this country into small ethnic groups who want to be and live like they did before they came here.
I have ranted enough .... to sum it up. On a plaque it says "Give us your tired, give us your week, your huddled masses .." I say welcome to all who want to be American, to those that don't .... THERE'S THE DOOR USE IT!!!
I dont have a problem with this.. I appreciate it. My family is sincerely from everywhere but we became Americans and speak English.. not German, Filipino/Spanish/Brazilian. My grandfather was very adamant about it.(I could have, There is nothing wrong with knowing it.. dont read into anything). And what they came through to make it so, well I am grateful. . There are great reasons why we are not speaking: French or Spanish .. like right now, and it has alot to do with the freedoms we bear today. Our identity that represents "American" which I believe in.
Now the message that was referred to. The following statement was made in 1907 by then President Teddy Roosevelt.
"In the first place we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the man's becoming in very fact an American, and nothing but an American...There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag, and this excludes the red flag, which symbolizes all wars against liberty and civilization, just as much as it excludes any foreign flag of a nation to which we are hostile...We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language...and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."
Theodore Roosevelt 1907
WOW .... powerful words of welcome. I have blogged many times on the topic of immigration or should I say lack of immigration but invasion to this country. I do not deny anyone from coming here to better themselves or their family. What I do deny and am upset with is those who come here fleeing oppression and poverty. Seeking political refuge, yet once here doing all they can to change America into that in which they have fled.
Lowering educational standards, forceing the rule of minority onto the majority. The blatant rewriting of American History into some falsehood of American oppression which never ever existed.
My heritage is a mix. German, Deutch, English, Welsch, Cherekee, and Irish. Do I celebrate my heritage ..... hell yeah. Oktoberfest, St. Patricks day,the Trail Of Tears. I hold all this important to me. I speak a little German, love a good Irish ballad, and still respect the Queen. Do I place any of this above being born an American. NO!!!!
I am but one of many who can trace family roots to major historical events in this great country. The feud between the Hatfields and McCoys, part of family history. The boomers in Oklahoma .... my relatives were there. One relative of mine founded a collage ... Randolph Macon Collage in Virginia. While looking at family history a will was discovered where one relative left his only sole possesions .... several slaves.
My family fought on the Union and on the Confederate sides of the Civil War, the Mexican war, the Spanish war, WWI, WWII, Korea, I seved in the Persian Gulf proudly during Desert Shield and Storm in 91. Along side me and in each confrontation served Blacks, Whites, Hispanics, Native Americans ... known as Indians. Did they serve as individuals ..... NO! They went to each action as Americans. What not in the Civil war you say .... well time to get ride of the rewrite on history people. Little known fact here , yes there were Blacks who did fight on the side of the south and not by force either. Go check it out, learn something.
Immigrants came here from all over the world because they wanted to be American. Not like today where a free ride is expected. Italians worked hard on the streets in New York, the Irish built westword on the railroad, as the Chinese built eastword.
Was life tough for them .... ever here of the phrase "not a chinamans chance in hell". A phrase that came from the way the Chinese did the blasting through the mountains to build the railroad. Not a very safe job or a long lasting one.
Hispanics fought valiantly in the independance of Texas. We here of Davy Crockett, Jim Bowie, and ice water in the viens of Col. Travis defending the Alamo, but look at the Hispanics that fought along side bravely to become AMERICAN. Sam Houston himself had hispanics in his Texas army. Look at the proud tradition of the texas Rangers and those that were hispanic and Black. All proud to be American and Texan.
The pride that the Navahoe talkers had during WWII. Did they fight as Navahoes .... they fought as Marines. Which means if you sit down and ask them American.
One of the proudest days in my life was to see the look on my ex-wifes face and the pride she carried when she became an American Citizen. She studied night and day, cried at times because at first she didnt understand the Bill of Rights. A concept that was foriegn to her at first. But when she took the oath of aledgence I was teary eyed as was she.
I was offended but not as much as she was when several there took the oath in foriegn languages. She worked hard on her command of the english language and was offended by those who did not. She felt that they cheated.
This is a common feeling among many immigrants who wait years to take this oath. The come here to be Americans not someone who just lives here. I had an instructor who is French ... needless to say some hot discusions there on ideology. However we were in total agreement on the way certain groups are dividing this country into small ethnic groups who want to be and live like they did before they came here.
I have ranted enough .... to sum it up. On a plaque it says "Give us your tired, give us your week, your huddled masses .." I say welcome to all who want to be American, to those that don't .... THERE'S THE DOOR USE IT!!!
