A national soccer event over the weekend illustrates what I consider to be a disturbing trend relating to immigration and American culture.
I'm not alone in my opinion that America is the greatest nation on earth. I've stressed the importance and need for all immigrants to become Americans in their heart and soul. Even the seal of the United States includes the Latin phrase, E pluribus unum, which translates to "out of many, one." America has long been celebrated as a "great melting pot," with immigrants adopting to the culture and adopting one common language, English. The problem is that there is far less of a melting together which has been replaced with an "in your face" attitude of rebelliousness to assimilation.
In case you didn't hear, the majority of a 93,000-member crowd of mostly Hispanic spectators booed the U.S. soccer team when it played the Gold Cup Final against Mexico in the Rose Bowl (Mexico defeated the USA team 4-2 on Saturday.) Obviously the crowd holds its allegiance with its former homeland.
I'm shocked to hear Mexican team fan Victor Sanchez, a U.S. citizen, who told the L.A. Times: "I love this country, it has given me everything that I have, and I'm proud to be part of it. But yet, I didn't have a choice to come here, I was born in Mexico, and that is where my heart will always be."
I'm ashamed and saddened that there are people here like Mr. Sanchez who feel that way. In other words, Sanchez seems to only care that the USA can offer him a better standard of living - through the economy and infrastructure made possible by 230 years of democracy and wars to defend freedom where young people died on foreign soil - with an allegiance elsewhere. Mr. Sanchez represents a growing menace to the nation's sovereignty; he calls himself a U.S. citizen with his heart and allegiance elsewhere.
I can certainly understand the angst of U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard who watched the entire post match ceremony conducted in Spanish. He angrily said: "You can bet your a-- that if we were in Mexico City, it wouldn't be all in English. It never ceases to amaze me all that stuff."
Of course, we've seen the same type of stuff here at home with portions of local graduations being recited in Spanish, which I find interesting given that schools are about educating immigrants to master English for success in life. Truthfully, calling for English to be spoken here is not a racist position but one of compassion since success in America relies on one communicating in English. Indeed, we've come a long ways since the days of Theodore Roosevelt, who understood the importance of a common language when he said, "We should insist that if the immigrant who comes here does in good faith become an American and assimilates himself to us he shall be treated on an exact equality with every one else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed or birth-place or origin.... If he tries to keep segregated with men of his own origin and separated from the rest of America, then he isn't doing his part as an American. There can be no divided allegiance here. . . We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language, for we intend to see that the crucible turns our people out as Americans, of American nationality, and not as dwellers in a polyglot boarding-house; and we have room for but one soul loyalty, and that is loyalty to the American people."
Contrast that to American soccer fan Roy Martinez who expressed being "worried" when he showed up to the weekend game wrapped in an American flag.
The soccer demonstration underscores not just a divide in culture in language but a divide in values. I doubt if any of those pro-Mexican soccer fans watching Saturday's game really care about the history of the U.S. and how the nation was formed or about why it's important to remain vigilant about protecting our rights or even about the importance of voting. No, I suspect that very same crowd which booed the American team is more concerned about what this nation can do for them, as a people, while it step on the country and its values. In short, they are nothing short of opportunistic users.
The Benzigers came to the United States in 1870 from Switzerland. You won't see me flying the Swiss flag outside my house, nor hear me speaking the Swiss language nor rooting for any Swiss athletes during the Olympics. We settled things long ago that we were proud to be Americans - to the core. Damned proud of it too.
How do you feel? Let Jeff by e-mailing him at jeffb@cerescourier.com
I'm not alone in my opinion that America is the greatest nation on earth. I've stressed the importance and need for all immigrants to become Americans in their heart and soul. Even the seal of the United States includes the Latin phrase, E pluribus unum, which translates to "out of many, one." America has long been celebrated as a "great melting pot," with immigrants adopting to the culture and adopting one common language, English. The problem is that there is far less of a melting together which has been replaced with an "in your face" attitude of rebelliousness to assimilation.
In case you didn't hear, the majority of a 93,000-member crowd of mostly Hispanic spectators booed the U.S. soccer team when it played the Gold Cup Final against Mexico in the Rose Bowl (Mexico defeated the USA team 4-2 on Saturday.) Obviously the crowd holds its allegiance with its former homeland.
I'm shocked to hear Mexican team fan Victor Sanchez, a U.S. citizen, who told the L.A. Times: "I love this country, it has given me everything that I have, and I'm proud to be part of it. But yet, I didn't have a choice to come here, I was born in Mexico, and that is where my heart will always be."
I'm ashamed and saddened that there are people here like Mr. Sanchez who feel that way. In other words, Sanchez seems to only care that the USA can offer him a better standard of living - through the economy and infrastructure made possible by 230 years of democracy and wars to defend freedom where young people died on foreign soil - with an allegiance elsewhere. Mr. Sanchez represents a growing menace to the nation's sovereignty; he calls himself a U.S. citizen with his heart and allegiance elsewhere.
I can certainly understand the angst of U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard who watched the entire post match ceremony conducted in Spanish. He angrily said: "You can bet your a-- that if we were in Mexico City, it wouldn't be all in English. It never ceases to amaze me all that stuff."
Of course, we've seen the same type of stuff here at home with portions of local graduations being recited in Spanish, which I find interesting given that schools are about educating immigrants to master English for success in life. Truthfully, calling for English to be spoken here is not a racist position but one of compassion since success in America relies on one communicating in English. Indeed, we've come a long ways since the days of Theodore Roosevelt, who understood the importance of a common language when he said, "We should insist that if the immigrant who comes here does in good faith become an American and assimilates himself to us he shall be treated on an exact equality with every one else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed or birth-place or origin.... If he tries to keep segregated with men of his own origin and separated from the rest of America, then he isn't doing his part as an American. There can be no divided allegiance here. . . We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language, for we intend to see that the crucible turns our people out as Americans, of American nationality, and not as dwellers in a polyglot boarding-house; and we have room for but one soul loyalty, and that is loyalty to the American people."
Contrast that to American soccer fan Roy Martinez who expressed being "worried" when he showed up to the weekend game wrapped in an American flag.
The soccer demonstration underscores not just a divide in culture in language but a divide in values. I doubt if any of those pro-Mexican soccer fans watching Saturday's game really care about the history of the U.S. and how the nation was formed or about why it's important to remain vigilant about protecting our rights or even about the importance of voting. No, I suspect that very same crowd which booed the American team is more concerned about what this nation can do for them, as a people, while it step on the country and its values. In short, they are nothing short of opportunistic users.
The Benzigers came to the United States in 1870 from Switzerland. You won't see me flying the Swiss flag outside my house, nor hear me speaking the Swiss language nor rooting for any Swiss athletes during the Olympics. We settled things long ago that we were proud to be Americans - to the core. Damned proud of it too.
How do you feel? Let Jeff by e-mailing him at jeffb@cerescourier.com
