We are one nation, but unity is at risk

The Denver Post ^ | 09/30/2007 | Richard D. Lamm

[george76]

"The histories of bilingual and bicultural societies that do not assimilate are histories of turmoil, tension, and tragedy."

- Sociologist Seymour Martin Lipset

Americans have an almost blind faith in the melting pot. Not without reason. Our greatest national achievement is fashioning a common identity out of a wide variety of races, nationalities and ethnic groups.

The melting pot melted and we became (with a few lumps) one nation and one people. We did not create a perfect world, but we became a unified nation with a common identity, common language and common allegiances. E Pluribus Unum (From Many, One) is both a promise and a challenge.

Today, that unity is at risk. Immigrants make up more than 10 percent of our population, which has only happened once before in our history, and they are disproportionately Spanish-speakers who can (and do) maintain contact with the old country. We have never taken so disproportionate an amount of immigrants from one linguistic group.

So the numbers, the proximity, the incessant flow of Spanish-speaking immigrants, year after year, are building up a bilingual, bicultural society within our society. The tradition that people would drop old loyalties and join us in our polity is disappearing under these pressures. Now some immigrants can vote for both president of Mexico and president of the United States (the latter in either English or Spanish), and we have abandoned the idea that we "foreswear all other allegiances."

[Lancer_N3502A]

We’re not a melting pot; we’re a collection of side dishes.

[goldstategop]

Richard Lamm is a Democrat. Former Governor Of Colorado.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[durasell]

Diversity isn’t our weakness, it’s our strength. But we do need a common language.

[hedgetrimmer]

Your comments are straight out of the globalist playbook, which by the way, is very anti-American. The ONLY thing you globalists want to spread around the world, is the tentacles of the transnational corporations. If there was truly a desire by the globalists to spread American culture and freedom, they wouldn’t be committing cultural genocide on America right now by forcing political correctness, and eliminating constitutional government with their regional councils and “free trade” agreements.

[fr_freak]

Diversity isn’t our weakness, it’s our strength. But we do need a common language.

You're joking, right? Please say you're joking.

[durasell]

No, not joking.

[isrul]

The pro illegal crowd will surely view this as hate speech.

[Tennessee Nana]

“my local paper recently ran an ad for election precinct workers — bilingual only needed. “Bilingual,” in today’s jargon meaning, of course, “Spanish/English.”

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Only American citizens are suppose to show up at the polling places to vote and naturalized citizens must speak read and write ENGLISH to be naturalized...

Why the need for SPANISH speakers at the polls?

[Travis McGee]

[Travis McGee]

It's at least an even bet that the USA will lose the SW in our lifetimes.

[george76]

[NewRomeTacitus]

Put me down for three boxes of Thin Mints.

Wait a minute...those aren’t Girl Scouts!

[fr_freak]

Well, allow me to advance my alternative theory: our strength is our unity despite our diversity. The idea that a nation can even survive with a non-unified population is ludicrous. The specialty of the USA has always been that we could absorb people from different ethnic backgrounds and make them identify as Americans. Not many countries have been as successful as we have been in that regard.

The diversity of languages, cultures, and races of the people who immigrate here are obstacles to be overcome in the quest for national strength and, up until we got ourselves into a situation where 1/10 of the population is now foreign-born people, most of whom hold primary loyalty to another nation, we were doing just fine.

[durasell]

You contradict yourself. First you say we absorb people from other countries, then you say it’s an obstacle. You can’t have it both ways.

[fr_freak]

You contradict yourself. First you say we absorb people from other countries, then you say it’s an obstacle. You can’t have it both ways.

What's so contradictory about that? I said that the differences between people that we absorb from other countries are an obstacle to be overcome in our quest for national unity. Once we establish enough common cultural elements within these new immgirants for them to see themselves as Americans, instead of Mexicans or Chinese or Russian, then we have achieved what should be our goal - unity despite our diversity. Please explain to me what this contradiction is.

[narby]

No one has the right to squat in America and no one has the right to aid and abet lawbreakers.

And the government does not have the right to break it's laws and violate the constitution (or at least the existing interpretation of the constitution). It's a sad state of affairs, but it really is impossible to remove any large number of illegals. It's not some conspiracy by Bush or some Illuminati, but instead the result of our political system being designed to make it hard to pass laws, and easy to prevent passage of laws you don't like.

The Congress can't pass laws that will throw out illegals, because the left doesn't want that. And it can't pass laws that make them legal, because the right doesn't like that. It would take a large and determined majority to do either one, and that majority doesn't exist. The result is a horrible status quo that nobody likes.

So again I'll point out that trying to do the impossible (removing aliens) is a waste of time and political capital. The best we can do is fight locally to advance the english language and attempt to assimilate as many mexicans as possible. Yeah, they don't want to be assimilated, so we'll have to pursuade them. Yeah, it will be a hard job. But there is no other real alternative.

[narby]

Your comments are straight out of the globalist playbook

If that were the case, then why did I make the case that we should find ways to spread the american culture abroad, instead of allowing the reverse to occur?

My point is that in the end, I don't believe it will possible to remove these illegals, so we need to make lemonade with the lemons we've been given. Wasting our time with useless "close the border" attempts that will prove to be impossible will only make things worse in the long run.

I've been predicting for several years that any efforts to remove large numbers of illegals would prove to be impossible, and so far I'm right.

[JasonC]

Language has nothing to do with it, it is the commie left that has gone traitor and left the country.

[dforest]

Pardon me, the common language in the US is English, the culture is also United States of American.

People are legally welcome here to enjoy our culture, language, and bounty. They can bring parts of their place of origin as long as they participate legally in the unique US experience and realize they have to melt in with the pot. If they do not like our experience they are also free to return to their place of origin.

Is that so hard?

[wjcsux]

So again I'll point out that trying to do the impossible (removing aliens) is a waste of time and political capital. The best we can do is fight locally to advance the english language and attempt to assimilate as many mexicans as possible. Yeah, they don't want to be assimilated, so we'll have to pursuade them. Yeah, it will be a hard job. But there is no other real alternative.
Oklahoma is demonstrating that if you punish employers who hire illegals, the illegals leave. Problem solved.