Some in Cicero take issue with flying of Mexican flag in park

Chicago Tribune ^ | October 2, 2008 | Joseph Ruzich

[forkinsocket]

In a town once predominantly Eastern European but now mostly Mexican, there's a flag flap blowing in the wind.

Cicero residents recently complained that the Mexican flag was flying at the town's new Cicero Community Park.

Although the U.S. and Illinois flags, as well as a sports flag, are flown there, some longtime residents accused town officials of being un-American and demanded the Mexican flag be taken down.

"We are at war and you're flying a foreign flag?" Susan Masek, 56, said at last week's town meeting. "We want that flag down. This is the United States. Only the American flag should be there."

Cicero resident Helen Brave, 75, said she was shocked to see the Mexican flag flying when she attended the opening of the South Laramie Avenue park, which is touted by town officials as their version of Millennium Park.

"You know, it really hurts me," Brave said. "There were a lot of different people at the park, including Polish, Lithuanian and Italian people. Yet they were flying the Mexican flag?"

Cicero Town President Larry Dominick—who is up for re-election next year and often must juggle the concerns of both longtime residents and newer Hispanic residents—said last week that the Mexican flag was flown during the park's Labor Day weekend opening in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month.

He said the flag was taken down shortly after but put up again around Sept. 15 to celebrate El Grito, a holiday honoring Mexico's independence.

The flag was taken down last week, Brave said.

[forkinsocket]

.

[Mr. Mojo]

In a town once predominantly Eastern European but now mostly Mexican...

And did those Eastern European immigrants ever fly the flags of their former countries while in Cicero? Nope. Why? Because they were proud to be Americans in every sense of the word, and thankful to be out of their former prisons.

The residents (both legal and illegal) who insist on flying Mexican flags are a disgrace to our land, and should exit post haste.

[mrsmel]

He said the flag was taken down shortly after but put up again around Sept. 15 to celebrate El Grito, a holiday honoring Mexico's independence.

Isn't it up to Mexico to honor Mexico's independence?

[pennboricua]

they should honor it in Mexico when they return there.

[muawiyah]

Actually, most of them arrived in the United States when it was still "Austria-Hungary" or Poland. By the time they had enough money to buy a flag (undoubtedly not the first priority of immigrants) it was a all a bunch of other places.

Then a whole lot of history began and for Eastern European origin people the United States became HOLY GROUND, and whatever else they might have thought about exile in this distant and very foreign country, their minds were transformed in an instant.

[puppypusher]

This same crap is occurring in New Haven,CT. on the town green.They have the Mexican flag right below the American flag and on the same pole.

[concentric circles]

"the flag was put up again around Sept. 15 to celebrate El Grito..."

I thought September 15 was Occupation Day, celebrating the day in 1847 when U.S. forces began the occupation of Mexico City.

[09Patriot]

I think that town is being highly intolerant of our future citizens once Obama or Mccain grants them amnesty. that still might be construed as a hate crime to complain about their flag
/liberal mode off

[AEMILIUS PAULUS]

We will be required to salute the Mexican flag.

[DryFly]

Seems to me that Cicero is right there close by to Skokie. Hmmmm....

Auslander Raus!

[dragnet2]

Illinois?

He said the flag was taken down shortly after but put up again around Sept. 15 to celebrate El Grito, a holiday honoring Mexico's independence.

Who ever is behind this, needs to be out of a job.

[dragnet2]

This same crap is occurring in New Haven,CT. on the town green.They have the Mexican flag right below the American flag and on the same pole.

Tear it down.

[grannyheart2000]

I grew up in Brookfield a small town fairly close to Cicero...my town was mostly people whose heritage was similiar to Cicero....we were proud americans and as each new family immigrated here (especially after WW2)they quickly assimilated and became americans.
Wondered when reading this post on flag in Cicero whether it was just the “older” generation making the protests...I fear that our younger folks have grown up in a “PC” world and will just go along with anything for fear of making someone mad....this is what will end America as we used to know it....watching Obama and his appeal to the college kids almost makes me sick to my stomach as it is to typical of “brainwashing” the young and before they grow old enough to realize what he stands for it could be too late.
I fully expect to see the mexican flag flying here in Ga. at some of our county buildings...that is the day I know we have lost the fight.........

[09Patriot]

appropriately named town. Cicero
For this day’s work, lords, you have encouraged treason and opened the prison doors to free the traitors. A nation can survive its fools, and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treason from within. An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he is known and he carries his banners openly against the city. But the traitor moves among those within the gates freely, his sly whispers rustling through all the alleys, heard in the very halls of government itself. For the traitor appears no traitor; he speaks in the accents familiar to his victims, and he wears their face and their garments, and he appeals to the baseness that lies deep in the hearts of all men. He rots the soul of a nation; he works secretly and unknown in the night to undermine the pillars of a city; he infects the body politic so that it can no longer resist. A murderer is less to be feared. The traitor is the carrier of the plague. You have unbarred the gates of Rome to him.”

except in this case they dont speak in familiar accents.

[Pontiac]

except in this case they dont speak in familiar accents.

Don’t they?

Those who speak for multi-culturalism that I hear speak in unbroken English. Their words are easy to understand.

They tell me that my culture and heritage are at the very best no better than those of the people that come to my country illegally and at worst are inferior.

Their words tell me that if I oppose open borders that I am filled with hate; that I am xenophobic. They tell me that although the people that come here with out papers do not understand our system of government and do not pay taxes they should be able to vote in our elections.

Their words are very clear to me it is their logic that is foreign to me.

[holyscroller]

Your words also describe Obama.

[TLI]

We will be required to salute the Mexican flag.

It will be a cool, breezy, comfy day in hell, friend.

[Polybius]

And did those Eastern European immigrants ever fly the flags of their former countries while in Cicero? Nope. Why? Because they were proud to be Americans in every sense of the word

Most likely, yes, they did, just as immigrants and their children and grandchildren do in the rest of the U.S., generations after they left the Old Country.

You are creating imaginary immigrants to populate an imaginary America that never existed.

Lithuanian Flag raised in Downtown Chicago ...... To commemorate Lithuanian Independence Day the Mayor's office of the city of Chicago has autorized the raising of the Lithuanian flag at the Daley Center Plaza. The flag will be flown on two days, Feb 14th and Feb 16th. Arrangements for the flag raising and it's provision were made through the offices of Lithuanian American Council. The 375 square foot flag will be flown from the five-story flagpole which flanks the world famous Picasso sculpture located on the plaza.

Now how about a modern day Pulaski Day Parade:

Or a modern day Columbus Day Parade:

Or a modern day St. Patrick's Day Parade:

Or going back in History to the days of the Irish Brigade:

Immigrants forget the Old Country of their ancestors and Old Stock Americans forget the regional heritage of their Old Stock American ancestors once they are so "Heinz 57" that they have no clue where their grandparents were born and where their grandparents grew up and they don't care.

Ethnic heritage and being "American" are not mutually exclusive.

A fifth generation Irish American that knows that his Irish immigrant forefather fought in the Irish Brigade under it's green battle flag adorned with the symbols and Gaelic language of the Old Country has a hell of a lot more "American heritage" than a "Heinz 57" American who has no clue where his ancestors were in 1863 or in 1917.

To such Americans, this is "heritage":

[longtermmemmory]

The Greek Flage is raised in may city halls in honor of Greek independence day on March 25.

In fact one of the FIRST foreign aid efforts of the United States was independence of the Greeks from the ottoman empire in 1821.

glad cnn was not around then.

[Atlantian]

I grew up in Cicero. My parents were Polish-Slovakian. All four of my grandparents came from the old country and the first thing they learned was English. They never expected a thing from the government.

And they became American citizens as soon as they could.