Nobody claims that people aren't different, or that cultures are different. The problem comes in when you start deciding which culture's "superior" and which cultures yours needs "protection" from, and judging people based entirely on this cultural/ geographic (aka, racial) basis. There's nothing wrong with saying person X is better than person Y based on personality traits or even physical ability. But once you start saying X is better because he's from Europe and Y is from Mexico and therefore Y won't be allowed in the country, that's a problem.The obvious mistake you make is in assuming that a people need to make an uncomplimentary judgment about others, to simply prefer to associate with their own, at least in their own communities. That is a total non-sequitur. In our already over-crowded country, we do not need to even take in any immigration. But if we choose to, it is only common sense to give preference to those most easily absorbed into our existing societies. The fact that the "Liberals" need to accuse everyone who disagrees with them of being motivated by hatred, rather than love for one's own society, reflects what is sometimes described in the psychological analysis field as "projection." The Leftists are projecting their own hate-based motivation system on the rest of us.
Rome became Imperial because the Senate become embroiled in foolish infighting which caused the people to cry out for an emperor who changed the method of governance. It had nothing to do with immigration rates (Rome had very structured immigration, becoming a citizen wasn't an easy thing, the individual had to prove themselves worthy either through money or military service).
My point was not that there was anything wrong with Rome becoming Imperial, but that the Nation itself was fundamentally different in 400 AD than it had been in say 50 BC. That the change may have been slowed by what you refer to, does not change the fact that it took place. The original race simply did not reproduce themselves, and it has been estimated that the actual Roman stock had declined to less than 10% of the total. People make their culture, not culture people.
As to your comments about animals: We are governed by similar laws of heritability of traits, your prejudice against our four legged friends, notwithstanding. And as for horses and dogs. You will surely not suggest that there is any confusion as to whether you have a great dane or a dachshund, a collie or a poodle; or a Clydsedale or a Thoroughbred. And while betting on a horse because of its sire or dam may not always work, the stud fees commanded by some equestrian greats seem to argue pretty convincingly for the acceptance of inheritance among the experts.
But again, my point is not that we are better than the Mexican Mestizo, or the Asian Caucasian from the Near or Middle East. But we have one heritage, they have another. Why should we not seek to preserve our own? Why should they not seek to preserve their own?
And do you really think that calling other people names is a substitute for an argument?
We are under attack in the West by those who would promote the concept of an undifferentiated humanity. We need to respond with The Big Truth. Conservatives who are intimidated by Leftist name calling need to understand that that is the standard tactic of Socialism. The only way you can escape their name calling is by surrending every characteristic of your society which does not fit the Socialist premises. It is not a game any of us should play.
William Flax Return Of The Gods Web Site
Nope. I haven't said anything bad about wanting to hang with your own kind. I've pointed out the tendancy many times on this thread with no aspersions. What I'm against is deciding group X is unworthy of becoming Americas because of where they were born. I find it especially peculiar that so many of the people against Hispanic immigration use their tendancy to act like everybody else and hang with their own kind as a reason that they're a problem. Apparently it's OK for black, Italians, Chinese and Irish to form their own little enclaves but if the Mexicans do it that's bad.
Haven't flown over fly over country lately have you? Some regions of the country are over crowded. The country as a whole isn't. if people weren't so eager to crowd in on each other we could have a nice even very low dispersment of people in this country. There's only 280 million of us, I think that equates to nearly 1 sq mile per person or something rediculous like that. Definitely NOT over crowded.
There was something wrong with Rome becoming Imperial, that's what got the ball rolling that lead to Romes destruction. It stopped being Rome which was a really great place for the time and started being an obnoxious empire that stripped it's people of essential liberties. You're right it was different, but it was different because of the way the government destroyed the essense of the Roman Republic in a constant quest for more money and power. It wasn't different because of the citizenry. Rome itself was just a city, I'd be surprised if even 10% of the ending population was of true Roman stock. But again getting Roman citizenship (the only way to affect their government) was not easy. By no means did they have pell mell immigration. The Roman government screwed things up. The senate saw that they were in charge of the most powerful nation on earth and wanted to be the most powerful man in that nation. This started the infighting and led to the transformation to Empire and screwed the whole pootch up. It's all very well explained in The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire.
I don't have a prejudice against our 4 legged friends... well I don't like horses, but I understand their importance and so long as I don't have to ride one I don't care (it's really the riding I don't like, and the smell, other than that their fine beasts). Yes we have hereditary traits. My point was that those traits are such a minor part of the whole of a person (or dog or horse) as to be often pointless.
If our culture is so cool it will survive. If it doesn't it wasn't that cool. Our culture has always been made up of bits and pieces. And frankly the very concept of "American culture" is a misnomer. I've lived in LA, Chicago, Tucson and Alamagordo, and visited many others; they all had very distinct and obvious culutural differences. Different sizes of city have certain differences in culture, different areas of the country have differences in culture. There are a few constants, but even those aren't as constant as many think. Even the language varies heavily from area to area.