BEING AN AMERICAN; WHAT DOES IT REALLY MEAN ?
Well, here we go again. I’ve given the readers a break and I have taken a little break to try to refresh my thoughts. As you can see from the title, I have been thinking about being an American and what does it really mean. I can and will tell you what I think it means; but, what I really want to accomplish is for each of you to study the title and decide for yourself what it means to you. I think that you might agree with me after giving it some thought.
You see, I think this is the greatest nation on earth and I am both proud and thankful to be an American. We have a “Constitution” and a “Bill of Rights” that guide us each step along the path of being an American. As important as these documents are, we must realize that our “rights come from our Creator” and that these documents only support the “rights from our Creator” in a legal manner. America was founded on basic “Judeo-Christian” beliefs. So, it only makes “COMMON SENSE” that each of us thank “GOD” for the opportunity of being born here instead of anywhere else, like maybe Indonesia, Kenya or Iran. The people born in these places, as well as all Communists countries, have no basic instinct into the freedoms of this great country. Therefore, when someone emigrates to this country they must be educated in our ways, language, culture and laws. In early America, most immigrants came to this country through “Ellis Island” and there were requirements and a test which had to be passed to prove each immigrate deserving of the title of “AMERICAN”. Boy has that changed! I have a dear friend that became a U.S. citizen a couple of years ago and she was so proud. We had a really big party for her with all her friends in attendance with all the red, white and blue decorations. There were tears in everyone’s eye when she said in her speech “Just how proud she was to finally be an AMERICAN”. It took her about five years to get through all the red tape and to take her nationalization test. After she passed, she told me “I studied so hard because it was so important to me; but, I was disappointed in the simplistic questions on the test. It was so simple that I could have passed it and never studied. It really should be much more demanding a test for such a prize as citizenship”. Stop for a moment folks and think about this. We, as a nation, are giving this wonderful prize of citizenship and not demanding very much in return.
Not only have we cheapened citizenship; but, we no longer even care if the immigrants become citizens. We have cheapened it by bestowing all the rights of citizenship without requiring that they become citizens. We have lost our way. Not only have we lost our way; but, we have, or, are in the process of losing our culture. In an effort to not offend the immigrants, we have robbed not only ourselves but the immigrants themselves. We have robbed them of that prideful feeling of EARNING citizenship and TRULY BECOMING AN AMERICAN. Some of my most prized processions are the ones I had to “work my ass off to get”. The two that I prize the most are my wife and daughter and believe you me when I tell you they made me earn their respect. Of course, the “Runt” is making me work also.
Now to prove my point I’m going back to 1907 when a President, Theodore Roosevelt, made a speech about immigration. I have mentioned how I feel; but, I will never be able to say it any better than he did. It is something that should be said again and again and every “AMERICAN” should hear it and never forget it. The following is a exert from his speech:
Theodore Roosevelt’s ideas on Immigrants and being an AMERICAN in 1907.
‘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 person’s becoming in every facet 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… 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
I know that some liberals will hardily disagree with this “one American” thing, but I do not care. It is time for us to become “ONE AMERICA” again and that truly does require no more of this African-American or Mexican-American or Jewish-American. We are all and must be AMERICANS – FIRST AND FOREMOST! Maybe we should pay more attention to, “ONE NATION, UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL”. “How sweet the sound”! That truly is what being American is all about and it only makes “COMMON SENSE” to spread the word.
My Daddy's Common Sense 