MELTING POT
As a young person I should have paid more attention in school. Some things were dry and boring and just skipped my retention all together. Other things I found interesting and absorbed as much as I could. Occasionally I recall some bit of information or a phrase that has not crossed my mind recently if ever once I completed school. One such term that has come to mind more than once lately is “melting pot.”
I remember my history and civics teachers proudly proclaiming that our nation is “the melting pot of the world.” I asked my children recently to tell me about melting pot and our country as they had been taught. Surprise, they didn’t seem to recall ever hearing that in class. I continued by asking what is our official language, only to receive the same reaction. As I have stated before, it seems our education system today is seriously lacking in the fundamentals. Another subject to direct our attention to at a later time would be to determine if this shortcoming is due to our educators, the instructional material, or both.
Our nation is populated with immigrants, most legal. The only citizens that were not immigrants were the American Indians. After the civil war, with an abundance of jobs and opportunities, immigration surged to millions of people every year. The United States of America has always been selective yet welcoming to immigrants from around the world. The Statue of Liberty was given to the U.S. by France in 1886 and adorned the harbor to New York City. Ellis Island was established as a port of entry to admit immigrants legally after meeting the standards set forth. Later Angel Island was established on the west coast for the same purpose. Throughout history certain groups of people were denied entry at various times. The difference then compared to now, immigrants accepted the fact they had to obtain entry legally. Today it seems certain factions encourage and assist the illegal entry to our sovereign nation.
The precedence for restricting people has been cast. Therefore it is not unreasonable to restrict some groups today. One large group that is being targeted is Muslims. Is it unjust discrimination or an act of security that this action is being considered? The first and foremost duty of the federal government is to protect the legal citizenship of our country. If the threat for terrorism is there, is it not our responsibility to use all measures available to lessen it?
The melting pot is a metaphor for bringing together different elements or peoples into a harmonious whole with a common culture. The common culture would include a common language, which has been stated as English, common dress and common living standards. Many of the immigrants today refuse to learn and use our language. Many do not attempt to contribute to society but instead try by every means possible to meet and feed at the public trough of government assistance. We have wandered from being the melting pot to being a group of sects many of whom desire to have their own laws and communities and will not assimilate into the standards established.
No nation can be sovereign or maintain self governance and remain free without secure borders and laws for both citizens and immigrants. If immigrants want so badly to leave their country of origin and sincerely come to this country should they not be forced to enter by way of legal means? If these people will break our laws to gain entry, will they not continue to break our laws while enjoying the benefits of residing here?
We must control our borders and control immigration to this country. The only way to achieve this is to elect dependable, loyal and patriotic people to act on our behalf in governing. We the people are human resource department for our federal government. We must do the proper vetting of candidates before electing them to office and thereby controlling our futures.
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