Well, Forty more years to load up on guns and ammo...

[G27]

Better keep my comments to myself...Most likely get me kicked off this site. Call it ignorance, but it is the way I feel and that won't change.

I suspect I'd have a tough time having a beer with you, but I do admire your honesty.

[Garufa]

My only request of those who come to this country on honest terms is to learn the language (English), become citizens, and do not ask us to change our culture for theirs.

I will not respect or tolerate the flag of another county being flown in this county except on an embassy.

I will not bend over for or pander to minories in this county just because it is politically correct. You live your life I'll live mine.

I will not learn another lanuage to live in a county I was born and raised in.

You don't like it? Get over it. It's America. Just respect others opinions, live your life and let other live theirs,

[Guest 22-rimfire]

I can't change my skin color whether I'm in the majority or minority. America has been becoming more "brown" for a long time. All I ask is the people have an equal chance to better themselves, be civil, and respect each other.

When jobs get difficult to get, it can be very frustrating. You're either too old or too young and either have too much experience or have too little or you're used to too much money. Always something and it has always been that way except during the best of times. Keep your chin up and keep plugging along.

[Guest mosinon]

Amen!

When I was in school America was the great melting pot. You came to America to be American. E Pluribus Unum - (out of many one).

Now they teach our kids about some "Diverse Multi-cultural Society".

It's that liberal political correctness brain washing and of our kids that is tearing our country apart.

Yeah, but no. There were public schools that taught in german right up until WWII.

The general trend, and I don't know that it has changed, is for the parents to speak the same language as the country the immigrated from and for the children to become, basically, Americans. You know, the kids speak both english and whatever their parents speak.

This is nothing new, it goes way back. It is fairly new that we want to pass laws mandating a national language and all. The closest the US ever came to having a national language was when it was proposed that german should be the language of the land.

People generally don't immigrate to America to become Americanized. They come here to make more money.

[mcurrier]

My only request of those who come to this country on honest terms is to learn the language (English), become citizens, and do not ask us to change our culture for theirs.

I will not respect or tolerate the flag of another county being flown in this county except on an embassy.

I will not bend over for or pander to minories in this county just because it is politically correct. You live your life I'll live mine.

I will not learn another lanuage to live in a county I was born and raised in.

You don't like it? Get over it. It's America. Just respect others opinions, live your life and let other live theirs,

Those would be my thoughts precisely.

[Raoul]

Yes Sir! 2010 we need to flush all the out of Congress.

They all forgot that they work for us.

We need people that understand the Constitution and follow it!

I wonder who exactly that would leave.

[mcurrier]

Yeah, but no. There were public schools that taught in german right up until WWII.

??? Being of partial German descent and having a grandmother on that side who was a school teacher from the 1920's to the 1950's, that's the first I've ever heard of that other than perhaps in the Amish communities of PA.

The general trend, and I don't know that it has changed, is for the parents to speak the same language as the country the immigrated from and for the children to become, basically, Americans. You know, the kids speak both english and whatever their parents speak.

Lately, yes, but in the past (1920's-1950's, maybe broader) there had been large groups of immigrants that discarded the language of their former countries and gave preference to speaking English because they wanted to be 'Americans' now. Obviously this is now the exception rather than the rule.

This is nothing new, it goes way back. It is fairly new that we want to pass laws mandating a national language and all. The closest the US ever came to having a national language was when it was proposed that german should be the language of the land.

????? Not sure what history book you got that from.

People generally don't immigrate to America to become Americanized. They come here to make more money.

Not any longer. They used to though. Being an American meant opportunity. Freedom. Freedom of opportunity. Do what you want (skill, craft, entrepreneurial-wise) and take the chance of making it big or failing. But the idea would be yours, not something that was dictated to you. People used to be proud to be Americans. I guess I am a member of a shrinking group that is still proud to be an American. If others would rather be something else...well, go to that country and have at it. But don't expect to have the benefits that citizenship in America provides you and call yourself something other than an American.

[Chief07]

I'm very sorry your world is so closed off that you feel the need for a race war within your lifetime.

Maybe one day you will grow up enough to know that we are all people,regardless of race or creed.

sigh...Please show me where, and when America was ever about one culture.

Since it's habitation of Europeans, America has been "multi-cultural".

And if you want to get down to the nitty gritty about it...when other cultures(other then Europeans) started to come here, it was the Americans that forced them to separate from the commons.

That's how we ended up with "China towns" etc in every major city.

Had they been welcomed into the "melting pot" then maybe today we would be this great single culture that you seem to remember.

----

It kills me that so many people here cant seem to see past their own nose, and hate others for being different.

It actually really pisses me off to see that kind of mindset here on this very board.

The very board where the whole world can see it, and bunch us all together in thatsouthern,redneck,sister lovin',undereducated hick,gun owning stereotype .

You totally miss the point.This is America. We are all Americans first.When my family came over from Germany, My Great Grandfather made all ofthe kids speak english outside of the house. It is perfectly fine to keep your heritage and speak your native language. But business and social interaction needs to be in english.As far as "China town" we also have Polish sections, German section and so forth. That is just the way the poeple settled.Understand?

[strickj]

As far as "China town" we also have Polish sections, German section and so forth. That is just the way the poeple settled.Understand?

Actually I do understand.

The reasons these sections were created is because Americans forced them away from the common areas because they were unwelcomed.

As far as the American language goes, I totally agree...well somewhat anyway.

It does piss me off that people chose to move here and not learn English as that is the most commonly recognized language here.

However, I would never want to force anyone to speak English here.

But that goes back to the whole 1st amendment thing.

The freedom of speech covers form of expression, which is tied into how you speak, or what language you speak.

[Guest mosinon]

I think I got it all from this post:

Spending time in the plains states one tends to get used to being buffeted by ferocious storms. Owing to the remarkable lack of geography in places like Nebraska, denizens can actually watch the violent outbursts of nature roll across the landscape. They'll look in the direction the storm is coming from, see the pregnant mottled gray and purple clouds moving slowly, but inexorably, closer and, thanks to years of experience, have a pretty good idea of what is going happen.

Politically, the country is the same place. With the congressional campaigns getting warmer, candidates will soon be pulling out the talking points that are of national importance and yattering about them as though they are extremely pressing local issues. One of these will be the loss of English as a national language. The immigrants of today, the argument will go, are not the immigrants of yore. These people come to our country, enjoy our economic system and can't even be bothered to learn the language, a horrid state of affairs. English is a part of America's heritage, the common thread that ties disparate places such as Provo, Utah and LA together, something much too precious to be lost without a fight. Pulling some facts together, we see that the proponents of a national language have a point. 800 newspapers are printed in a foreign tongue. Those represent periodicals that the average citizen can't read, periodicals that cater to people who can't be bothered to learn the rudimentary tenets of English to get along in our society.

The problem is a bit deeper than just people reading papers printed in a different language, at least one foreign language paper is run by agitators responsible for a violent protest turned deadly. A bomb was used and it is hard, though the media won't do it, to call the incident anything other than terrorism. Is it too much to require all papers to at least have an English translation? Perhaps that is too much, after all free enterprise and so on. But what of the young immigrants, those that should be naturally bilingual and a true asset to America? Their chances of getting ahead are being willfully hindered. One might grudgingly expect mom and dad to speak in their native tongue at home while the kids are taught in English at school. What can't be anticipated is the fact that when the kids are shuffled off to school, elementary school, they are being taught entirely in, get this, a foreign language. That is not the recipe for future American integration. The problem isn't just restricted to schools and papers. There are places in THE US of FREAKIN A that you can go and feel like a feel like you just crossed a border. Not only will English not be the residents first language, you'll be lucky if it is spoken at all.

The whole argument is very convincing until you realize that the statistics for the newspapers given were for 1890. The terrorism referred to was the Haymarket riot wherein a foreign language newspaper publisher was implicated in a bomb blast killing a police officer. The schools teaching entirely in a foreign language were found in all over the country…at the start of the First World War. The enclaves of foreign speakers alluded to shouldn't be surprises and, in fact, are tourism draws. When you visit New York City you'll likely stop in Chinatown and when you hit Pennsylvania there's every chance you'll want to pick up a handmade quilt from the Amish . Finally, the idea that current immigrants are different from immigrants of previous generations in their obstinate refusal to learn English is simply fallacious. It has always been the case that the first generation refuses, generally, to learn English while the ensuing generations adopt the language as rapidly as possible. When the debate about making English the national language flares up, and it certainly will, it will be worthwhile to remember that there is nothing new here and no reason to think that the US should be a English speaking country.

The constitution, apart from being written in English, says nothing about a national language. There was one attempt early in US history to add German as a secondary language but as far as the founders were concerned the language of the US was left to whatever the citizenry preferred to speak.

In truth, there is little reason to worry about English falling away as our national language. People will naturally gravitate to the language backed by the most cash and that is, for the foreseeable future, English. Consider that in China there are more people learning English than there are native speakers of English in England and you get the idea that English is going to be the language of commerce and wealth for years to come. In the end we are left with the realization that not only does English not require protection as our national language there is precious little to stop it from ruling the world even if we wanted to. English as a national argument is a good issue for whipping people into a frothing frenzy of nationalistic fury but good for little else

[mcurrier]

Actually I do understand.

The reasons these sections were created is because Americans forced them away from the common areas because they were unwelcomed.

People tend to congregate with those like them. No one forced them to be in these sections. 100% of people from China or Chinese decent are not to be found in 'China-town'. Many have spread around all over. Besides, if large groups didn't centralize in saturated areas I would have a hard time enjoying some good Italian food if there was no little Italy, or Laotian food if there was no little Laos.

As far as the American language goes, I totally agree...well somewhat anyway.

It does piss me off that people chose to move here and not learn English as that is the most commonly recognized language here.

However, I would never want to force anyone to speak English here.

But that goes back to the whole 1st amendment thing.

The freedom of speech covers form of expression, which is tied into how you speak, or what language you speak.

No one is forcing anyone to speak English, but if you come here and want to operate in this country, learn the language. If I move to France, I would expect to have to learn French. Why is it that other countries have much, much, MUCH tougher immigration laws than we do (i.e. Mexico!).

Quebec has ordinances that enforce having business signage in French. These days, we would consider that to be oh so politically incorrect if a U.S. state or city had a similar ordinance concerning English.

I go into two different Bank of America branches and 50% or more of the signs inside are in Spanish. That's b.s.! We are neither in Spain nor in Mexico. We are in The United States.

Having a national identity means that when people ask you what your nationality is, your first answer is, "I'm an American." Not I'm Italian-American or Mexican-American, or African-American. You're either an American first or you're not.

That's all I've got to say. If anyone wants to argue further, they either can't get it or just don't want to get it.

[trblmkr13]

Funny thing is if you got back to where ever your family is from they think of you as American

[Guest mosinon]

"I'm an American." Not I'm Italian-American or Mexican-American, or African-American. You're either an American first or you're not.

That's all I've got to say. If anyone wants to argue further, they either can't get it or just don't want to get it.

Oh I get it, you have this notion that at some point in the indeterminate past immigrants came here to be Americanized. And now people come here to take the old country with them, to turn America into little Mexico or something.

I'm here to tell you that was never the case. Not that you can't find immigrants who really want to integrate into American society, because you can, but rather to say what most immigrants want is the old country but with more money and freedom.

There is nothing surprising (or wrong) about this. If you moved to China you would likely seek out those who celebrated Christmas and stuff.I doubt you'd pitch all your traditions into the gutter just to fit in.

As for Quebec and France, well you are correct France and Quebec are trying legislate French as a language. So, if you're in France, you can't write Ping Pong you have to write Table de Tennis or some such.

I get your point, we should be more like France or something.

All that said, not much new about this either. Back in the day people worried about the Irish instead of the Mexicans. Fear of immigration is about as old as immigration. I'm not sure if the fear isn't justified but i am sure it is nothing new.

[strickj]

People tend to congregate with those like them. No one forced them to be in these sections. 100% of people from China or Chinese decent are not to be found in 'China-town'. Many have spread around all over. Besides, if large groups didn't centralize in saturated areas I would have a hard time enjoying some good Italian food if there was no little Italy, or Laotian food if there was no little Laos.

Well, that's true. People do like to be with their own.

But, all the history I've studied will tell you that the reasons for the segregation is because of the Americans not being accepting of the new comers.

Much like we're doing with Mexicans today.

I'm sure all the Mexican immigrants would very much like to become "American" but no one is is letting them do so.

That's why they can be found all huddled together in sections instead of spread out into the more commons.

No one is forcing anyone to speak English, but if you come here and want to operate in this country, learn the language. If I move to France, I would expect to have to learn French. Why is it that other countries have much, much, MUCH tougher immigration laws than we do (i.e. Mexico!).

Quebec has ordinances that enforce having business signage in French. These days, we would consider that to be oh so politically incorrect if a U.S. state or city had a similar ordinance concerning English.

I go into two different Bank of America branches and 50% or more of the signs inside are in Spanish. That's b.s.! We are neither in Spain nor in Mexico. We are in The United States.

Right. We are also not in Britain, either. English is just as foreign to this land as Spanish is.

Edited December 22, 2009 by strickj

[Kelemvor]

If somebody comes to America, as long as they work, pay taxes, and stay out of trouble, frankly, I don't give a damn.

If I go to Chinatown, Mexicotown, whatevertown and I can't communicate with someone because they don't speak English, it sucks for them because they aren't going to get my business, but I should have been prepared for that to happen because I am not in an English-speaking section of town.

The problem comes when a business hires non-English-speaking staff to service English-speakers and communication suffers. In that case, you should be angry at the business for being irresponsible, not the person, they just wanted a job.

[mcurrier]

I get your point, we should be more like France or something.

That's not what I'm saying, AT ALL.

[mcurrier]

Much like we're doing with Mexicans today.

I'm sure all the Mexican immigrants would very much like to become "American" but no one is is letting them do so.

Wrong. Firstly, most of them are not immigrants, they entered this country illegally, hence defining them as illegal aliens. Most have NOT attempted to immigrate while adhering to our known and established immigration laws and procedures. They simply walked/drove/flew/crawled/climbed/swam across our joke of a border. Sure, I'd like to be instantly made a citizen on Monaco tomorrow and receive all of the benefits of citizenship, but that's NOT going to happen. If you're going to immigrate, do it the right and legal way.

Many of them are hard working, however that does not redeem them from illegally entering this country. Many have their hands out and are draining our medical, school and welfare resources which are supposed to be for the use of actual citizens of this country, paid for by other citizens of this country. They see it as some worldly 'right' that they have to come here and put their kids in our schools and use our medical resources. And to clarify, when I say our, I am speaking of those who paid the taxes for these things to exist for our benefit. Not to have a bunch of sponges come here and soak it all up. And their own government even issues maps and other information on how to leave Mexico and come here illegally (there is even an iPod app now on how to illegally cross the U.S. border). Ironically, the actual immigration and entry laws of the country of Mexico are very strong, difficult and punishment is severe and harsh for violators of their entry/immigrations laws. How ironic! Where's the compassion for a poor American who wants a Mexican life?

Crime statistics show that an alarmingly huge percentage of people in prison for violent crimes here in the U.S. are these illegal aliens. So let's not get all warm and fuzzy about their innocent intentions for being here. They work here illegally and send huge portions of money back to their own country. They are merely taking advantage of a situation of non-enforcement by this country that has allowed them to get away with many things. Illegally crossing the border was their first crime. Taking a job when they are not legally entitled to work here is another. If they get drunk and kill people with a car (as is very common, especially here in Nashville) after having been arrested and released multiple times, what do you tell the family of those killed? Sorry, but Juan was just seeking a better life, and, yeah, little Timmy is dead, but that's the way it goes.

Why don't they go fix whatever is wrong with their own country rather than taking the easy out and coming here?

Right. We are also not in Britain, either. English is just as foreign to this land as Spanish is.

Since the Garden of Eden there had been only one language until Babylon. Now all languages are foreign, if you want to be nit picky about it.

Since English is and has been the predominant language of this country since structured government and society has dominated and saturated the land, that's the one we're going to stick with as the national language. It is irrelevant what language illegal aliens speak, regardless if 600 million of them were to flood into the country tomorrow. Just because they are increasing in numbers (illegally so) does not mean that we are going to be converting to their culture to accommodate them.

That's already been the problem and magnet that has continued to draw them here. Businesses who give them jobs. Businesses who want to make more money from an increased customer base, so they have signs in their language and have 'press 2 for spanish' on their phone systems. And the liberal left only sees an increase in their voter base by kissing the butts of illegal aliens, damn the impact that adding millions of people to welfare rolls, medical services, EVEN social security (having not paid a cent into it!).

If you feel the need to speak another language due to a feeling of guilt, or whatever, knock yourself out. Many people drive Toyota Prius cars for the very same reason - imagined guilt. Some elections are even won for that same reason.

I guess you would have all other countries be sovereign except this one. That tells me all I need to know about your beliefs and political leanings. Would you then be inclined to say, "From each according to his ability, to each according to his need" ? Just curious.

Edited December 22, 2009 by mcurrier

[mcurrier]

BTW, I don't care who comes to live here legally. Welcome!

But this issue is one that causes me to like the idea of a flat tax/fair tax/national sales tax, or whatever you want to call it, to replace 'income tax'. That way everyone pays, there is no escaping. You buy something, the tax is paid. Whether you are a citizen, tourist, here legally or illegally. I would have a lot less problem with illegal immigrants if I knew that they were paying in just like the rest of us, rather than us footing the bill and them getting all of the benefits.

Read this to try and understand -

Joe Legal vs. Jose Illegal

You have two families: "Joe Legal" and "Jose Illegal".

Both families have two parents, two children, and live in California .

Joe Legal works in construction, has a Social Security Number and makes

$25.00 per hour with taxes deducted.

Jose Illegal also works in construction, has NO Social Security Number,

and gets paid $15.00 cash "under the table".

Ready? Now pay attention...

Joe Legal: $25.00 per hour x 40 hours = $1000.00 per week, or $52,000.00

per year. Now take 30% away for state and federal tax; Joe Legal now has

$31,231.00.

Jose Illegal: $15.00 per hour x 40 hours = $600.00 per week, or

$31,200.00 per year. Jose Illegal pays no taxes. Jose Illegal now has

$31,200.00.

Joe Legal pays medical and dental insurance with limited coverage for

his family at $600.00 per month, or $7,200.00 per year. Joe Legal now

has $24,031.00.

Jose Illegal has full medical and dental coverage through the state and

local clinics at a cost of $0.00 per year. Jose Illegal still has

$31,200.00.

Joe Legal makes too much money and is not eligible for food stamps or

welfare. Joe Legal pays $500.00 per month for food, or $6,000.00 per

year. Joe Legal now has $18,031.00.

Jose Illegal has no documented income and is eligible for food stamps

and welfare. Jose Illegal still has $31,200.00.

Joe Legal pays rent of $1,200.00 per month, or $14,400.00 per year. Joe

Legal now has $9,631.00.

Jose Illegal receives a $500.00 per month federal rent subsidy. Jose

Illegal pays out that $500.00 per month, or $6,000.00 per year. Jose Illegal

still has $ 31,200.00.

Joe Legal pays $200.00 per month, or $2,400.00 for insurance. Joe Legal

now has $7,231.00.

Jose Illegal says, "We don't need no stinkin' insurance!" and still has

$31,200.00.

Joe Legal has to make his $7,231.00 stretch to pay utilities, gasoline, etc.

Jose Illegal has to make his $31,200.00 stretch to pay utilities,

gasoline, and what he sends out of the country every month.

Joe Legal now works overtime on Saturdays or gets a part time job after

work.

Jose Illegal has nights and weekends off to enjoy with his family.

Joe Legal's and Jose Illegal's children both attend the same school. Joe

Legal pays for his children's lunches while Jose Illegal's children get

a government sponsored lunch. Jose Illegal's children have an after

school ESL program. Joe Legal's children go home.

Joe Legal and Jose Illegal both enjoy the same police and fire services,

but Joe paid for them and Jose did not pay.

-

[strickj]

Wrong. Firstly, most of them are not immigrants, they entered this country illegally, hence defining them as illegal aliens. Most have NOT attempted to immigrate while adhering to our known and established immigration laws and procedures.[snip]

Sorry, man. I'm not gonna read all of that right now. Probably wont come back to read it, either...just to be honest.

I stopped after you said all Mexicans are illegals and went on a little rant about them.

For the record, I think you misread, or misunderstood my last post.

I never said that illegal Immigrants are good.

I said that Immigrants, throughout the the history of this country,have been segregated by Americans. History books will back that up.

I then made a reference to that segregation to modern day American- Mexican relations, and separation. (That's what we call an analogy)

Edited December 22, 2009 by strickj

[JReedEsq]

nothing ever stays the same. At one point the Redman was the majority. The White Euro trash that came here pretty well crapped on their way of life.

Now the worm is turning.

Personally I do not mind racial diversity even a little bit. My oldest grandson is Texican, my daughter in law is Brazilian. I do not see that I only see people I care about.

What I do mind is people who come here with the mindset of getting a free ride, and there are plenty of white people born and raised here who feel entitled to free rides.

Work, be honest, pay your taxes, take care of your yard and automobiles. Don't cuss too much, don't fight in public, don't be drunk in public and we will get along famous.

Be proud of gaining the American dream.

Do these things and I could care less about your ethnicity.

I agree with the gist of what you are saying but being predominately "euro-trash" myself (predominately Norwegian), you gotta realize that a lot of us came over long after the natives were "crapped on" and we don't particularly like being made to feel guilty about stuff that happend hundreds of years ago. When my Great-Grandparents immigrated from Norway they wanted to be Americans, they embraced the culture and never looked back. I was speaking to a Jewish friend (2nd generation American) recently who echoed much the same sentiment about his family and their desire to learn the language and culture when they arrived. His saddness was that he's afraid the British common law, language, ideals, and principles that have blessed this country may be lost in the shuffle. Ironic that to of us that are not English (at least not to my knowledge) are talking about how much this country has benefited from Anglo influence. I agree with much of your quote above but take serious exception to the "worm is turning" concept. We should be able to embrace others without having to apologize for who we are.

It now seems that too many people are forgetting important concepts of our founding fathers like "The government that governs best is that which governs least". Instead they focus of feeling entitled to certain things and they turn to the government to provide a solution to way too many of their problems. True equality requires everyone to be treated the same. I have faith that people of all ethnic/religious groups can provide for themselves without the need to demand special treatment or being handled with "kid" gloves. It is ironic that some in our government advocate discrimination in the name of equality, erroding time-honored principles in the name of "separation of church and state" and that they would allow political correctness to get in the way of common sense (see Ft. Hood). It is not new people or cultures that we should fear, but the erosion of a values and principles that have made this country great. We should strive to treat others with fairness and respect if we are to enlighten them to our values and culture.

It is a difficult balance. We must refuse to appologize for injustices from before our time or from outside our control, while preventing injustices within our control. We must must co-exist peacefully with other cultures but hold our ground firmly when others try to take our culture from us. We must be tolerant of religous beliefs that differ from ours, but we must refuse to hide our religion or to re-write the history books merely because some people aren't comfortable with the fact that our country was founded on Christian principles.

In short, we must try to live out American principles in our everyday lives. The American way of life hasn't ever been ethnic, so our real fear shouldn't be ethnic, but we should fear the general erosion of the principles that contributed to the sucess of our nation. - Proud euro trash

Edited December 22, 2009 by JReedEsq
addition

[mcurrier]

I stopped after you said all Mexicans are illegals and went on a little rant about them.

All? Hmmm. I don't remember that. I personally know tons who aren't, but whatever. I thought we we speaking of the illegal ones mostly.

Rant? Educational information maybe.

[mcurrier]

I agree with the gist of what you are saying but being predominately "euro-trash" myself (predominately Norwegian), you gotta realize that a lot of us came over long after the natives were "crapped on" and we don't particularly like being made to feel guilty about stuff that happend hundreds of years ago. When my Great-Grandparents immigrated from Norway they wanted to be Americans, they embraced the culture and never looked back. I was speaking to a Jewish friend (2nd generation American) recently who echoed much the same sentiment about his family and their desire to learn the language and culture when they arrived. His saddness was that he's afraid the British common law, language, ideals, and principles that have blessed this country may be lost in the shuffle. Ironic that to of us that are not English (at least not to my knowledge) are talking about how much this country has benefited from Anglo influence. I agree with much of your quote above but take serious exception to the "worm is turning" concept. We should be able to embrace others without having to apologize for who we are.

It now seems that too many people are forgetting important concepts of our founding fathers like "The government that governs best is that which governs least". Instead they focus of feeling entitled to certain things and they turn to the government to provide a solution to way too many of their problems. True equality requires everyone to be treated the same. I have faith that people of all ethnic/religious groups can provide for themselves without the need to demand special treatment or being handled with "kid" gloves. It is ironic that some in our government advocate discrimination in the name of equality, erroding time-honored principles in the name of "separation of church and state" and that they would allow political correctness to get in the way of common sense (see Ft. Hood). It is not new people or cultures that we should fear, but the erosion of a values and principles that have made this country great. We should strive to treat others with fairness and respect if we are to enlighten them to our values and culture.

It is a difficult balance. We must refuse to appologize for injustices from before our time or from outside our control, while preventing injustices within our control. We must must co-exist peacefully with other cultures but hold our ground firmly when others try to take our culture from us. We must be tolerant of religous beliefs that differ from ours, but we must refuse to hide our religion or to re-write the history books merely because some people aren't comfortable with the fact that our country was founded on Christian principles.

In short, we must try to live out American principles in our everyday lives. The American way of life hasn't ever been ethnic, so our real fear shouldn't be ethnic, but we should fear the general erosion of the principles that contributed to the sucess of our nation. - Proud euro trash

WELL SAID xreedx!

being predominately "euro-trash" myself

Same here. French/German/Scotch. (NOT England. Nor did we come over on the Mayflower.)

[JReedEsq]

Thanks, Mcurrier.

I spent too much time on that response when I should be working... Sometimes it is more important to be clear than to be precise. Nice to be self-employed but I gotta work to pay the bills. Guess I'll have to stay off the web the rest of the afternoon.