A Geography Lesson Is In Order

The airwaves and newspapers are full of stories about people that come here from other countries and make headlines showing their national pride for the places they have come from. Now, in my mind this is OK, but only on certain days of the year, and then should be limited to the confines of their homes or at worst yards. If you take out a road atlas or some other map the United States is outlined and labeled quite well. As far as I can tell we are not part of the great country of Mexico, Canada or any south American country, European country, Asian country etc...etc...etc...The truth and a well known fact is that people come to the United States because of what we have to offer the world, mainly a better life than they will ever have in their country of birth. For that one simple reason I cannot understand why people who come here criticize us for everything from the way we live to how we dress. I personally have heard criticism about how little fashion sense we have and how, in this one particular instance, Poland has it all over the US, oh, and that Poland makes better shoes than we do, the end is near. The individual who made that remark lives in a four thousand five hundred square foot home in a very upscale Chicago suburb call Barrington Hills, go figure that one. The there is the one from Idaho about the young man of Mexican descent who had to bring a Mexican flag to school to celebrate Cinco De Mayo and show off his Mexican pride, another dufus makes his move. When my ancestors came here they actually left their countries of birth behind them and worked as hard as they could to become Americans. They celebrated, and still do today traditional holidays in their homes and make it to an occasional festival, all the while doing it as Americans. I have never heard one of my relatives who came here from another country say that they wanted the US to be like say Slovakia, Russia, Germany, Ireland etc...etc...My mother and Dad sponsored a girl from Vietnam in the early seventies and as far as I know she has visited there several times, but has no intention of moving back there. I have also, never heard her say that anything about that country is better than here, with the possible exception that the weather is warmer than the mid west. Which brings me to today's point.

It does not matter where you come from or when you got here. Take some pride in the fact that you are here and with just a little drive and determination can have a great life. There is not a country in the world where opportunity abounds like it does here. Think for only a fraction of a second about why you came here and then do your damnedest to become a part of this great democracy, and if you can't do that right away then fake it until you finally decide to become part of life here. On the other hand, if you think we are going to adopt the life style and customs of your birth country you are sorely mistaken. No one comes here and stays permanently unless they were doing their best to get away from the oppressive countries the were born to. Give the oversize flags on the cars a rest, flying them in your yards like a foreign embassy, decorating the outside of your home like a pagan shrine and the best is the decals that cover the back window of your ride professing national pride in some country that S - - t on you from birth. Learn the language, speak the language in public, Americans are not impressed when you walk down the street speaking some unintelligible language to your companion. If what you find here is not good enough, then go back to wherever it is you came from and be happy and criticize us until the day you die, in your hovel or cave or hole in the ground. Bash us from afar, we can take it.