TR on Immigration and being an American

[mike17l]

In 1907 Teddy Roosevelt made these remarks on immigration:

"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."

I like it.

 

[danielle]

I agree with one national flag and language, but feel immigrants have every right to speak their native tongue, fly their native flag, and love their country of origin

 

[wade]

 

[l0ck_0ff]

put INS and your car and drive around lol

i saw a video of a guy gathered 5 immigrants to help him fix his house got them in the truck and took them to the INS office and they all scattered it was funnyXD

 

[wstphal]

I agree with one national flag and language, but feel immigrants have every right to speak their native tongue, fly their native flag, and love their country of origin

I agree, as long as they speak English as well & love this country too. And I am flexible on the English thing if they come to the USA as an older adult as it is so much harder to learn another language that they might never be fluent in English. As long as they TRIED to learn English, that counts for adult immigrants in my book.

Now, if they don't make sure their kids who are born in the USA are bilingual, that's another story!

 

[l0ck_0ff]

I agree with one national flag and language, but feel immigrants have every right to speak their native tongue, fly their native flag, and love their country of origin

if immigrants really loved their country they wouldnt have left. to me if you come to america speak our language and fly our flag if you wanna speka your language and fly your flag stay in your country. thats the way i look at it. too many places now require spanish speakers. last time i was in trffic court a guy could speak spanish and translated he got off for free. even though he broke the law. even if your legal or illegal you should not move to america to fly your native flag and bring your native stuff here. thats how i feel. i dont care bout people moving here but move here to fly our flag and love our country not the one you came from

 

[UniqueSnakes]

And here you guys go again with another BS drama that is going to cause more members to dislike each other... Thanxs Mike!!! By the way don't bother to reply to my comment because I'm not going to open this thread again..

 

[wilomn]

And here you guys go again with another BS drama that is going to cause more members to dislike each other... Thanxs Mike!!! By the way don't bother to reply to my comment because I'm not going to open this thread again..

Got some ostrich in your bloodline?

What's wrong with wanting to be American? What's wrong with being proud enough to be part of this country that you learn to speak the language?

 

[ComoxCorn]

if immigrants really loved their country they wouldnt have left. to me if you come to america speak our language and fly our flag if you wanna speka your language and fly your flag stay in your country.

This is the kind of statement I would expect to see in a thread like this. It really brings out some people's true colors.
I agree with Hector...just another thread to cause division amongst members.
Sorry Mike that not everyone was born as white english speaking card holding Republicans.

 

[danielle]

Theres nothing wrong with learning English if you have come here to live permnently...it should be required and believe me I get frusterated with the amount of resources used on immigrants legal or not to see many do not feel English as a second language is important. Classes for immigrants are free in Maryland and that isn't cheap so theres no excuse for that. On of my parents is an immigrant and she as well as the rest of my family speak both Italian and English fluently.

However, to say immigrants should not love their homeland or fly their own flag is downright racist, ignorant, and closed minded. People don't leave their country of origin because they do not love their country. War, the countries economic and political state, along with quality of live are what bring people here and if we had been born elsewhere we may have made the same choices. Afterall unless your Native American your an immigrant yourself and English was not the US's first language...people need some history lessons apparntly

 

[wilomn]

Theres nothing wrong with learning English if you have come here to live permnently...it should be required and believe me I get frusterated with the amount of resources used on immigrants legal or not to see many do not feel English as a second language is important. Classes for immigrants are free in Maryland and that isn't cheap so theres no excuse for that. On of my parents is an immigrant and she as well as the rest of my family speak both Italian and English fluently.

However, to say immigrants should not love their homeland or fly their own flag is downright racist, ignorant, and closed minded. People don't leave their country of origin because they do not love their country. War, the countries economic and political state, along with quality of live are what bring people here and if we had been born elsewhere we may have made the same choices. Afterall unless your Native American your an immigrant yourself and English was not the US's first language...people need some history lessons apparntly

Pride in your heritage is great.

But no matter where you come from, if you're a citizen HERE, then America needs to be primary. Fly your home country's flag, great, but don't put it above the Stars and Stripes.

 

[danielle]

Oh my let me reiterate many people come here out of necessity and not love for the US. Why is that a problem? Whether my neighbor loves the US or not doesn't affect me one bit. Fly your flag, both flags, or no flag...its a piece of flipping cloth people.

I have a problem with illegals and those who do not pay taxes because that actually affects our countries economic state, I have a problem with immigrants stealing SS #'s to get benefits because that affects our countries economic state, and I have a problem with immigrants expecting health care, food stamps, and housing because again that affects our economy. However, nit picking about flying a freaking flag or speaking your native tongue is absolutely ridiculous to me. Everyone should take pride in their country of origin and if you leave your country you don't leave that pride or language behind. Yes if you move here learn to speak, read, and write in English and work hard like the immigrants of the past did, but other than that why should people not hold onto their heritage?

 

[desertanimal]

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...

Whatever will the Texans do? :shrugs: :grin01:

But seriously. If the Mexicans in my neighborhood shouldn't put up little Mexican flags on their doors on Cinco de Mayo, then neither should the state legislature fly the AZ flag. Nested loyalties--loyalty to your family, church, neighborhood, and state--either do or don't imply divided loyalty. But if nested loyalty implies divided loyalty for the Mexicans, then it implies it for the people with confederate flags in the back windows of their pick-ups, too.

Regarding the language issue, I also think that people should be given the opportunity to and should make the effort to learn English. But you also need to recognize that that simply isn't possible for some immigrants. Adult immigrants who had the opportunity to go to school and learn their native tongue well, like we all did, can (and usually do) learn English. Adults who've been out of school working in fields or construction since they were in the second grade, who never learned the basic grammar of their own language, can't. The human brain just doesn't work that way with language. If you didn't learn the basic structure and function of ONE language as a child, you can't learn the basic structure and function of a foreign language as an adult.

 

[l0ck_0ff]

However, to say immigrants should not love their homeland or fly their own flag is downright racist, ignorant, and closed minded.

i never said they cant love their origin country but if you come here and put up a flag the flag above it should be the american flag. its not racist or ignorant.

ignorance is not knowing so thats not ignorance.

racism is hating another because of skin color. i fly the confederate flag here. does that make me rasict? no! but to come here and not learn english but expect a job and welfare is downright insane. i have several black/mexican friends i go to a predominatly black school. but i fly the confederate flag. the american flag was flying high and mighty on ships that brang slaves here. http://www.federationofstates.org/flag.htm but all im saying is if you do the paper work to come here legally learn english at least and fly our flag. my neighbor is polish she came legally here. she HAD to learn english and thats the way it should be.

 

[danielle]

Yes learn English I'm with you there, but to say they must fly the American flag is rubbish

 

[wstphal]

Everyone should take pride in their country of origin and if you leave your country you don't leave that pride or language behind. Yes if you move here learn to speak, read, and write in English and work hard like the immigrants of the past did, but other than that why should people not hold onto their heritage?

Perfect. Just perfect.

 

[danielle]

Should Americans be proud the flag was flying high while we stole other humans from their country of origin btw? And the first slaves were brought here before America had an American flag

 

[wade]

if immigrants really loved their country they wouldnt have left. to me if you come to america speak our language and fly our flag if you wanna speka your language and fly your flag stay in your country.

Jason, I have to think a statement like this would indicate that you really don’t understand very much about why immigrants come to America. It has nothing to do with a dislike or hatred of their country of origin. I find that kind of attitude to be rather insulting.

For those of you that think this conversation is going to cause a rift in the CS membership. That’s ok. I like to think we can have a good discussion on a controversial subject and disagree with each other and then part friends. I know that is not possible for everyone but I believe we’ll survive.

I think you need to distinguish between legal and illegal immigrants. I believe that illegal immigrants are criminals that have broken the law and should be treated accordingly. That seems pretty simple, I don’t know why it is so hard to implement.

I think that legal immigrants, weather they are citizens or not, should be granted the type of treatment and hospitality anyone would expect to receive. I understand the difficulty of learning a new language and sympathize with those who are trying to learn. I love it when I go into a grocery store and see a 10 year old kid acting as interpreter for his mother. I am infuriated when I see foreign families speaking only foreign languages. Not teaching their children English.

No one should be ashamed of their heritage or be asked to turn their back on it. I happen to be Swedish, Dutch, German, Welch, and some other stuff. That makes me a white guy with no strong background in any particular country. I also look like everyone else. I don’t have any problems with African Americans, even the ones who can’t trace their genealogy to Africa. Why shouldn’t a Mexican fly a Mexican flag. Hell they still fly the Rebel flag in a lot of places in the good old USA.

What is paramount is that UNITED WE STAND. You must be an American, with a foreign heritage. You must be an American first and foremost and above all else. When Roosevelt said, “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” He was talking about one allegiance and I believe that with all my heart.

 

[desertanimal]

. . . but if you come here and put up a flag the flag above it should be the american flag. . . . i fly the confederate flag here. . . . but i fly the confederate flag. . . .but all im saying is if you do the paper work to come here legally learn english at least and fly our flag.

I hope that everywhere you fly the confederate flag you fly the American flag above it, because, as I'm sure you know, the confederate flag is not our flag.

So, do you?

 

[Michael823]

put INS and your car and drive around lol

i saw a video of a guy gathered 5 immigrants to help him fix his house got them in the truck and took them to the INS office and they all scattered it was funnyXD

Despicably out of touch. Just the way you put this statement makes my skin crawl, and you clearly have zero understanding of humanity. "Gathered 5 immigrants"? Like they're animals! "Took them to the INS office and they all scattered it was funny"? Again, terribly out of touch. It was funny? So do you actually have integrity to state what you believe, or is it just humorous to you?

Maybe some of you haven't looked outside, or you're unable to see change very well, but it's 2010... I repeat, 2010!!! Sorry we all can't be the epitome of American culture, and if someone could please explain to me what being rooted strictly as an American means, I would greatly appreciated it.

I understand that learning English would make things much easier for everyone, but people are failing to see that everyone, includes those who immigrated here. And if they want to fly, whatever flag they choose, higher than the American flag... that's their right. I don't fly a flag at all, and seeing I was born in America, does that make me less American. Hell no! And I have every right to fly any flag I choose to, if I decide that one reflects my culture more.

Wake up, it's 2010! This is MY country too, so don't go around dictating how "American" MY fellow citizens should be, thanks!!!

*Not aimed at the OP, just people who make remarks like the one quoted, who have no compassion for those who they see as different*