A forward I finally agree with

[implexant]

Got this from my uncle, thought you all would enjoy it.

This says it all!

After hearing that the state of Florida changed its opinion and let a Muslim woman have her picture on her driver's license with her face covered, this is an editorial written by an American citizen, published in a Tampa newspaper. He did quite a job; didn't he? Read on, please!

IMMIGRANTS, NOT AMERICANS, MUST ADAPT. I am tired of this nation worrying about whether we are offending some individual or their culture. Since the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, we have experienced a surge in patriotism by the majority of Americans. However, the dust from the attacks had barely settled when the "politically correct" crowd began complaining about the possibility that our patriotism was offending others.

I am not against immigration, nor do I hold a grudge against anyone who is seeking a better life by coming to America. Our population is almost entirely made up of descendants of immigrants. However, there are a few things that those who have recently come to our country, and apparently some born here, need to understand. This idea of America being a multicultural community has served only to dilute our sovereignty and our national identity. As Americans, we have our own culture, our own society, our own language and our own lifestyle. This culture has been developed over centuries of struggles, trials, and victories by millions of men and women who have sought freedom.

We speak ENGLISH, not Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, or any other language. Therefore, if you wish to become part of our society, learn the language!

"In God We Trust " is our national motto. This is not some Christian, right wing, political slogan. We adopted this motto because Christian men and women, on Christian principles, founded this nation, and this is clearly documented. It is certainly appropriate to display it on the walls of our schools. If God offends you, then I suggest you consider another part of the world as your new home, because God is part of our culture.

If Stars and Stripes offend you, or you don't like Uncle Sam, then you should seriously consider a move to another part of this planet. We are happy with our culture and have no desire to change, and we really don't care how you did things where you came from. This is OUR COUNTRY, our land, and our lifestyle. Our First Amendment gives every! citizen the right to express his opinion and we will allow you every opportunity to do so. But once you are done complaining, whining, and griping about our flag, our pledge, our national motto, or our way of life, I highly encourage you take advantage of one other great American freedom, THE RIGHT TO LEAVE.

If you agree -- pass this along; if you don't agree -- delete it!

AMEN

-Chris

Tolerance is a two-way street. Immigrants should understand the culture they are entering, as well as us understanding something about them.

Sure, we don't want to offend them to the point of rudeness (eg making Muslim ladies take off their garb in the presence of men). But there are sensible solutions to all of these issues without changing the fabric of the society itself. But immigrants MUST understand the basic concepts of the society they chose to enter, and live within them.

Cheers
Mick

[TheBurningCat]

As a person who's from a country whose culture is poorly devloped and very much borrowed from other cultures I embrace as many new things as I can.

[SPEEDO]

I grew up in the 40's and 50's and there were many different cultures where I lived. Polish, Greek, Italian, Portuguese, Lithuanians just to name a few. But I do remember one thing they all had in common and that was to learn the culture and the language here, It seemed like they took a lot of pride in doing this. But in todays society it is us that are being taught to adapt to these cultures. I had to laugh the other day when I made a phone call to a business and the first question on the answering machine was in Spanish. I thought to myself this is truly getting out of hand and we need to capture back our culture before we lose it altogether.................