I have gotten into arguments many a time over this attitude. To cite just one case where Domincans on my block flew their flag during Dominican holidays and yet refuse to fly the Stars and Stripes on July 4. In another case I overheard a conversation among some Mexicans in a bodega deriding this country and government. These occurences I run into almost every day, even after 911. These people are here to establish "Colonias", they are willing to take our money and live here, but if they had their way they would set up separate nations and states. Because I speak Spanish, these people will tell me things they would never tell an "anglo".
I have seen the same phenomenon and attitude among Middle Easterners.
As I have stated previously on another thread as well as this one. Most immigrants today have no intention of assimilating or integrating into the general society or of becoming Americans. Indeed many of these people have particularly anti-american attitudes. As far as they are concerned if things don't go well they are just one cheap airplane ticket back home. They have the easy option of returning back home. The immigrants of a century ago had no such options. Theirs was a one way trip ticket and they knew by coming here there was no turning back. They came here to stay and to become Americans. That in the end is the significant difference.
They also did not have a political establishment that pandered to them by establishing a separate language educational system to perpetuate the separatness. The Balkanization of this country is the direct consequence of the "multiculturalist" policies promoted by the Democrats in search of a voter base and the corporate Republicans in search of cheap labor and profits.
That is the reality we face.
Being an immigrant I am not naturaly oppsed to immigration. However, I am opposed to immigration if the only purpose of the immigrants is to come here and colonize this country without having any intention of assimilatiing and becoming Americans both culutraly and linguistically. If they come here just to suck on the big US tit without contributing to the country then it's not worth having them here.
The immigrant who on the day of citizenship proudly calls himself an "American" WITH the "intention of assimilating and becoming American both culturally and linguistically" is all we can ask. THAT is the legacy of an "American."
You really hit the nail on the head with that statement and your eloquent post
My grandparents immigrated legally from Italy 80+ years ago. My husband's grandparents immigrated nearly 100 years ago from Germany. There was no public assistance, no one to insist that Americans become bi-lingual so they could communicate with my and his grandparents and their ilk. It was sink or swim, or go back home.
My grandparents were proud to be Americans. They learned to read, write and speak English. They became citizens, pledging to uphold American values and traditions. My grandfather built up his own business and passed on his good work ethic to his children and grandchildren.
The situation we face today with alot of immigrants and "illegals" is quite different. They come here to get what they can and nothing else. They care not for becoming Americans and insist that we either learn to speak their language or endure being talked about in a language we don't comprehend. Due to the PC police we allow it to continue to happen or else we are branded as bigots.
Talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place.....