So CNN is running a small story today that I think is worth mentioning on the 4th of July. While presiding over a citizenship ceremony for a group of soldiers who are naturalizing today (it is actually quite common for immigrants to use the military as a path to citizenship), Biden said, "As corny as it sounds, damn I'm proud to be an American. Thanks for choosing us. You are why America is strong."
Biden said this to a group of military people naturalizing after years of serving in the Army or Marines etc. But the same sentiment is appropriate for any immigrant. It is fitting to think about immigrants on the 4th of July. Where would the United States be today without immigrants like Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Paine, John Paul Jones, and eight (out of 56) signers of the declaration of independence.
5 comments:
Wish I could say that.
I will admit that I am an American, but proud went in December, 1969, when I witnessed my first of three massacres of unarmed Vietnamese.
I wish that I had not lost my faith over there because I would love to sure that all of you "patriots" would rot in hell for eternity.
Patriotism and militarism are not the same. That's GOP talk.
I'm going to guess that's why Anonymous put "patriots" as opposed to simply patriots. I'm going to further guess that those "patriots" were doing the appalling things Anonymous witnessed in the name of America, hence Anon's loss of pride in being American.
Talking about immigrants into the US is very much the same as talking about immigrants into Aus - for those of us living in the commonly recognised US/Aus of today, they brought a lot of wonderful things (and still are); for the indigenous peoples, they brought death, destruction, and a still ongoing legacy of pain.
Immigrants have brought a lot to the UK too, and countries like it, with the difference being how long it's been happening for, and the exact contexts: some 'immigrants' were actually colonising forces such as the Danes/Vikings or the Romans, others were from countries that were part of the British Empire, still others were non-consenting immigrants, i.e. slaves. All brought good things, and without the same indigenous issues as in more recently colonised nations.
But I would say nice things about immigrants, being one myself now :-)
Sheesh! I try to say something nice about immigrants and the haters come out of the wood work!
Hey, I'm not a hater, I'm an immigrant! :-)
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