I know some women who sleep with men for money. Does that make all women whores?
Take a deep breath now. There are over 40 million people in the US who are of Latino heritage. The VAST majority of those people are no less American than the guy named Parrinelli who celebrates Columbus Day (very popular with Italians) or the guy named McCarville who celebrates St. Patrick's day. They are Itallian-Americans and Irish-Americans. I am not fond of people who use there heritage as a prime identifier, but truth be told, nearly all of us are descended from people who came from somewhere else. Generally, the more generations you are here, the more likely you are to identify with America and less likely to identify with your country of origin. I know 10th generation Hispanics who can barely understand any Spanish. I also know second generation Canadians who may look and talk like us, but who will go on an on about the wonders of the Great White North.
We are a melting pot. The operative word there is "melting." Little melts instantly. Somethings melt more slowly than others. Similarly some cultures assimilate faster than others. Depends as much on the heat under the pot as it does on the ingredients in the pot. I think the heat needs to be turned up a bit and those wishing to be Americans need to know that English is a requirement, love of our country is a requirement, and I would like to see some sort of service requirement imposed on those wishing to be naturalized. If they are young enough they should have to put in a couple of years with the armed services or National Guard. If they are older there is all sorts of community service which could help instill an appreciation for our country and culture.
Anyway, didn't mean to jump down your throat or anything, but please remember that someone could have been saying a similar thing about your family a couple of generations back...
re post 204 - Well said.