I was reading longhair's post about immigrants being able to speak English and it made me want to unload about what the American people in general have become.
It seems to me that we have very few Americans in this country. There is an abundance of African-Americans, Mexican-Americans, Native-Americans and all the rest of those hyphens, but very few people who proudly label themselves AMERICANS. I am not saying that Americans should ever forget their heritage, because America is a land of immigrants, those roots are very important to the formation of this country and should never be forgotten. But, I think that it is wrong to put forth your immigrant heritage before your American. Your past heritage is what brought you into the present, yet what most people forget is that it is your American heritage is what will lead you into the future. I myself am half hispanic and half English/Irish. I am damn proud of my families heritage, yet I am even more proud to be able to call myself an American. My family has fought in every American war from the Revolution on down to the Persian Gulf to insure that I will always be able to stand tall, face the flag, and know that first and foremost I am an American, who holds upon his shoulders the burden of fighting to keep on the traditons of ideals that have so soon grown "quaint". I hold in contempt all those that put a hyphen in their title. It shows me who the true enemies of this country are. I know that someone who doesn't even love America enough to be called an American, is someone who I can never trust to ensure that my rights are always guaranteed.
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>"A hyphenated American is not an American at all. This is just as true of the man who puts 'Native' before the hyphen as of the man who puts German or Irish or French
before the hyphen. Americanism is a matter of the spirit and of the soul. Our allegiance
must be purely to the United States. We must unsparingly condemn any man who holds any other allegiance."
Theodore Roosevelt, 12 October 1915 [/quote]
It seems to me that we have very few Americans in this country. There is an abundance of African-Americans, Mexican-Americans, Native-Americans and all the rest of those hyphens, but very few people who proudly label themselves AMERICANS. I am not saying that Americans should ever forget their heritage, because America is a land of immigrants, those roots are very important to the formation of this country and should never be forgotten. But, I think that it is wrong to put forth your immigrant heritage before your American. Your past heritage is what brought you into the present, yet what most people forget is that it is your American heritage is what will lead you into the future. I myself am half hispanic and half English/Irish. I am damn proud of my families heritage, yet I am even more proud to be able to call myself an American. My family has fought in every American war from the Revolution on down to the Persian Gulf to insure that I will always be able to stand tall, face the flag, and know that first and foremost I am an American, who holds upon his shoulders the burden of fighting to keep on the traditons of ideals that have so soon grown "quaint". I hold in contempt all those that put a hyphen in their title. It shows me who the true enemies of this country are. I know that someone who doesn't even love America enough to be called an American, is someone who I can never trust to ensure that my rights are always guaranteed.
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>"A hyphenated American is not an American at all. This is just as true of the man who puts 'Native' before the hyphen as of the man who puts German or Irish or French
before the hyphen. Americanism is a matter of the spirit and of the soul. Our allegiance
must be purely to the United States. We must unsparingly condemn any man who holds any other allegiance."
Theodore Roosevelt, 12 October 1915 [/quote]