A Day Without Immigrants!

[Jimbo]

Not for illegal immigrants, but immigrants, did a Snopes check and found this to be true. Sound words from Teddy:
Theodore Roosevelt's ideas on Immigrants and being an AMERICAN in 1907.
"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."
Theodore Roosevelt 1907

[The Dad Fisherman]

Originally Posted by Jimbo

Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all.

I agree with pretty much everything said....but this one is up for interpretation.

This would put a pretty big dent in clubs like the Franco-American, The Loyal order of Hibernians, PLAV and other clubs that celebrate being American AND there own heritage.

Originally Posted by Jimbo

We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language

I agree with this to some extent but I find it kind of unreasonable for us to expect someone who just got here to instantly speak English. English is not an easy language to learn if you've never spoken it before.

I've heard people say that they go into 7-11's and Dunkin Donuts and are upset because the person behind the counter can't speak english (which isn't 100% accurate, they speak very little English)....do any of you know when this person arrived here? Could have been last month, yet you expect them to lose there accent and speak fluent english by now. It takes years to learn the language and that is with proper training.....which I doubt they can afford on a Dunkin Donuts salary. They are probably trying hard to understand the language and learn it...but they aren't going to get much help from someone who is all pissed off because he had to repeat his order a second time....because the person behind the counter can make sure they are understanding it right.

I'll tell you right now, they may not speak very good english.....But I definitely don't get the attitude from them that I get from some White Anglo-Saxon pimply faced kid that speaks perfect english and is a citizen.

Well I'm off my Soap-Box now...