oh wow. what do you think?

so this email was forwarded to me today…stating (and i quote)”WHAT HAPPENED TO THIS IDEA??”

Theodore Roosevelt’s ideas on Immigrants and being an AMERICAN in
1907.

“In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person’s becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American…There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn’t an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag… We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language… and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people.”

last time i checked…”english” wasn’t the first language spoken here…right? what does it mean “to become in every facet an american”?

**update**

here is another email i received commenting on the forward…

**When my father came to this country, he proudly became a citizen. We celebrated his 50 years as an American citizen. He had to study and be tested. He had to work for the privilege which he holds very dear, yet he never forgot his motherland. He has said to us again and again, “Greece was my mother, America my chosen stepmother. I would gladly defend and give my life for both. But if either makes a misstep towards humankind, I will be bold enough to say so. There can be no blind loyalty.”

Just thought I’d share… **