Hot Topics in our Country

[eliminator]

Since this is in the news daily I though this was appropriate for our Forum.

We are very fortuniate to have the opportunity to own a Cobra. We can also do with it pretty much what we want to and when we want to (within the law of course). This is pretty much the case with almost anything we do, guess you could say this is included in the Freedom and the Rights we enjoy in the USA. So it really gets to me that people from ouside the USA can come here and enjoy our Freedom and Rights then little by little create changes in culture and traditions to suite them, and we sit back as a country and let it happen.

This is an Editorial sent to me that sums it all up!!

Will we still be the Country of choice and still be America if we
continue to make the changes forced on us by the people from other
countries that came to live in America because it is the Country of
Choice??????
>>
Think about it!
>>
>>All we have to say is, when will they do something about MY RIGHTS?
>>
>>
>>I celebrate Christmas...........but because it isn't celebrated by
>>everyone..............we can no longer say Merry Christmas. Now it has
>>to be Season's Greetings.
>>
>>It's not Christmas vacation, it's Winter Break. Isn't it amazing how
>>this winter break ALWAYS occurs over the Christmas holiday?
>>
>>We've gone so far the other way, bent over backwards to not offend
>>anyone, that I am now being offended. But it seems that no one has a
>>problem with that.
>>This says it all!
>>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.............
>>f ounded 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 to
>>take advantage of one other Great American Freedom.......
>>
>>THE RIGHT TO LEAVE.>>
>>

[wlewis]

Amen! Wish I could have stated it so eloquently!

[ericeckhoff]

Thanks Rick !

God Bless America !

[Slither]

Yah Rick, this is well put. This whole notion of multiculturalism is nothing more than the deification of behavior, and every radical behavior group is going to jump on the bandwagon for it. There is nothing wrong with celebrating one's roots and culture, but when the behavior associated with culture begins to rule... where behavior is placed above personal dignity:eek:... then we have a problem. This confusion/subterfuge is a major driving force in the slide that is described in your post:mad:.

That said, there are still groups that carry the burden and sting of prejudice against them. I think that this is part of what motivates this movement, and is part of what precipitated this movement in the first place (though, not all of the groups involved suffer prejudice... i.e. standing against illegal or immoral behavior is not prejudice). While not all of the involved groups are socially or morally acceptable, some groups have a legitimate concern and they might abandon their cause if prejudice were eradicated.

Another big part of this is the attack on the Church. Your post touches on this several times as it alludes to God being chased from the public square. One of the acceptable forms of bigotry is that against the Christians:mad:!

Your post brings up some great points...

Wow, this is some heavy stuff!

[Aggressor]

Pass these comments to everyone you know and let them understand with no uncertainty that there is a change in the wind. I am deeply offended as are most Americans by subcultures existing within the bounds of our cultural tolerance that make no effort to adapt to our national standards and heritage. To compound the error we are "Enablers". Misguided attempts at political correctness by inept lawmakers make us second-class citizens in our own country. Spanish is not our national language. Nor is French, Swedish, German, or Portuguese. There is no precedent to force school systems to teach any mandatory language other than English within our borders. I take offense at being asked what language I want for my MAC machine transactions. This is America - We deal in transactional American English- period. Our immigrant families all changed with great rapidity to fit into this American culture. They wanted to join - to be an American. They did not give up their individual family/national identities, but they did make every effort to fit in as part of the American "melting pot". This was a source of our greatness as a unified nation. It's time for action- to do everything that we can to stop coddling and enabling minority subcultures. Citizenship, rights, and acceptance have to be earned. This effort must be bourne of the current subcultures. Our families all paid the price and future immigrants must also shoulder similar cultural change.
-Geary

[juanone]

Guys: At the risk of being misinterpreted, there is a greater depth to the problems with, as you guys call it, multiuculturalism, than what is described here in your comments.

I know that this is a Cobra Forum and not a political forum but since you brought it up here is my response. I was born outside of the United States, and yes, I am proud to be here in the US and served proudly in the military for over 9 years, however, some of the comments some of you are making about the "subcultures" are perhaps somewhat driven by fear and ignorance and it offends those of us who have come to the US from our native countries in search of the same things that all of our ancestors that came long, long, long, long before us, with our cultural baggage in tow. Languages, myths and customs all the same. All we need to do is read the following:

"The wimpy Church fathers contented themselves with just writing against and occasionally excommunicating such heretics as the Gnostics (http://www.rotten.com/library/religion/gnosticism/). The decision to pursue this philosophical approach stemmed largely from unfavorable odds. Even after assimilating Rome, there weren't enough good, solid Christians in the power base to make the use of force an attractive option. http://www.rotten.com/library/history/inquisition/inquisition4.jpg By the 12th century, this had changed, and the Church suddenly realized the sword is actually a lot mightier than the pen.
The first implementations of this policy were the Crusades (http://www.rotten.com/library/religion/crusades/), which involved sending armies out to forcibly convert those who didn't agree with the Pope (http://www.rotten.com/library/bio/religion/popes/) (specifically the Muslims (http://www.rotten.com/library/religion/islam/) inhabiting the Holy Lands). The first Crusade went really well, but subsequent efforts to recapture the magic were miserable failures.
After a series of embarrassing setbacks, the Church turned its attention inward, busying itself with the task of rooting out the disloyal and misguided within its own domains, primarily Europe.
That's when the Inquisition was born.



The Inquisitors came up with numerous gadgets to work within this restriction. They included:

http://www.rotten.com/library/history/inquisition/inquisition3.jpg The Judas Chair: This was a large pyramid-shaped "seat." Accused heretics were placed on top of it, with the point inserted into their anuses or genitalia, then very, very slowly lowered onto the point with ropes. The effect was to gradually stretch out the opening of choice in an extremely painful manner.
The Head Vice: Pretty straightforward concept. They put your head into a specially fitted vice, and tighten it until your teeth are crushed, your bones crack and eventually your eyes pop out of their sockets.
The Pear: A large bulbous gadget is inserted in the orifice of choice, whether mouth, anus or vagina. A lever on the device then causes it to slowly expand whilst inserted. Eventually points emerge from the tips. (Apparently, internal bleeding doesn't count as "breaking the skin.")
The Wheel: Heretics are strapped to a big ol' wheel, and their bones are clubbed into shards. Not very creative, but quite effective.Methods of execution (http://www.rotten.com/library/death/execution/) weren't much better. Since death was the eventual outcome, the skin-breaking point was rendered largely moot. While burning at the stake was the most widely used method, being cost-effective and providing a fun spectacle for the whole family, there were other approaches used in special cases:
Sawing: Heretics were hung upside-down and sawed apart (http://www.rottenstore.com/torturetshirt.html) down the middle, starting at the crotch.
Disembowelment: Not the nice kind of disembowelment, where a samurai slits you wide open like a fish and you die in moments. No, that's not good enough for the Inquisition. A small hole is cut in the gut, then the intestines are drawn out slowly and carefully, keeping the victim alive for as much of the process as possible.
The Stake: Depending on how unrepentant a heretic might be, the process of burning at the stake could vary wildly. For instance, a fairly repentant heretic might be strangled, then burned. An entirely unrepentant heretic could be burned over the course of hours, using green wood or simply by placing them on top of hot coals and leaving them there until well done."I know the above seems a bit harsh, however, what is at the core of the above concepts you are describing is all around us.

Food for thought.

[Joe LaFives]

I appreciate your point of view. Your example of the Roman Church is not jermain however that is more an example of "Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely"

Embrassing ones ethnicity is a fine thing. We all need to remember where we came from but to attempt to subvert the existing culture through mob rule or to disobey the laws of the land is a problem

I think Teddy Roosevelt said it best:

"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."

[juanone]

Hence the beauty of our Democracy, You speak, I speak. Equal rights, for Presidents, for you and for all of us.

by the way: jermain???
ger·mane http://cache.lexico.com/dictionary/graphics/AHD4/JPG/pron.jpg (https://secure.reference.com/premium/login.html?rd=2&u=http%3A%2F%2Fdictionary.reference.com%2Fsearch%3 Fq%3Dgermane) ( P ) Pronunciation Key (http://dictionary.reference.com/help/ahd4/pronkey.html) (jhttp://cache.lexico.com/dictionary/graphics/AHD4/GIF/schwa.gifr-mhttp://cache.lexico.com/dictionary/graphics/AHD4/GIF/amacr.gifnhttp://cache.lexico.com/dictionary/graphics/AHD4/GIF/prime.gif)
adj. Being both pertinent and fitting. See Synonyms at relevant (http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=relevant).

[Brent]

"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."

Perfect!

[juanone]

Define American People.

[Brent]

I believe he defined it very well:

"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."

[will butterworth]

I am totally put out with washington, I have never seen so much white collar crime, politicians in hot water, misinformation, disinformation--if it comes from washington it is a lie.I am frightened of washington, not moscow, now I understand why our fathers put a second amendment in the big document--that,s ment to keep washington straight. I fear we are stumbling into the beginning of our demise as a great nation.Will-alabama 2 cents for the day.

[eliminator]

Will, that's exactly why I posted this to begin with. I see things going on in Washington I don't like. Seem's like the all want the Glory and the Money but the majority don't have the Ba!!s to grab the immigration issue and do something about it. I thought thats why all these great Senators and Congressmen were in Washington, to come up with solutions to our country's problems.
Ever since the current law was penned back in 1965 it's been a total disaster.
(believe thats the date that the then Junior Senator Ted Kennedy hammered it out).

Of course there are other related issues, here in Louisville we have Thunder over Louisville, this is an Air Show, Military and Civilian, and Fireworks Show. It is a kick off event to the KY Derby. Well the immigrants that are here from the war torn areas protested that they don't want the American Military in the Air Show because they represent the death and destruction caused by air strikes and aerial bombing. Bullsh!t, they are not citizens of the US and they shouldnt even be allowed to protest, but they are under our laws. Why aren't these people in there own countries working on solving there own problems and protesting there???

And now I understand in Louisville public schools they are considering not using the terms BC (Before Christ) and AD (Anno Domini, in the year of the Lord), both used with dates. Because it may offend people of other religions.
What are these people drinking????

[eliminator]

Juan,

One aspect of being a citizen allowed you to do this!

Do you remember?

I, _____, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God." (Title 10, US Code; Act of 5 May 1960 replacing the wording first adopted in 1789, with amendment effective 5 October 1962).

[juanone]

But I bet you don't remember your serial number. Not your social security number.

[eliminator]

Af14900214

[juanone]

B90-0049
RVN 1969-1971, talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time sticking out like a sore thumb stuck up your butt.

[Slither]

Juan, I think you took the turn a little wide with your response that details the shortcomings of human beings that acted poorly in the name of the Church (notice that it is the human element in the Church that messed things up:rolleyes:). This has been acknowledged as a dark time in Church history, but it does not corrupt all that the Church has stood for over the years. I missed the connection to multiculturalism...

Please do not take offense to this thread. We are glad that you are here with us, and I personally thank you (and all Vets) for your sacrifice in serving in the military during a rough period of time.

That said, I think that there are some legitimate concerns being voiced here. Don't be fooled: the American dream is most definitely under atttack:mad:!

[will butterworth]

Yeah, i got it. Now, that other number ,here goes---ra14821435. And also--remember in school and everywhere when we pledged allegiance to the flag. And raised our right hand to die in our countries defense.Washington has been asleep and let this happen, heck, I could detect the storm gathering from dumb-backward alabama ,years ago with the muslim situation, and immigrant . Now, how many insurgents have slipped into the country to do it harm down the road? Will-alabama

[Aggressor]

Something for consideration. The Washington distrust is well founded. However, politics is a very dirty business. Nice guys yield little political authority. I figure a 70/30 split is about what anyone can expect from their representatives. In essence, 70% of their efforts are in our interest and 30% is spent greasing their own pockets. But realistically this is all anyone can expect. It is a dirty game! Jimmy Carter was a lame duck. To be a great president - you have to be king - King Rat - the best and dirtiest wheeler-dealer. It is by wheeling and dealing that this dirty job gets done. Put fears aside and get a realistic view ... Do you honestly want your government to be ineffectual? Look back without the rose-colored glasses and you will find the founding fathers were not the cream of society. More like land owning, literate, scrappy, drunkards with Ben Franklin being one of the finest womanizers a person can aspire to be.
Criticize Washington but do so with a sense of what it takes to do the job at hand. Our country is not perfect but then again it never was.
-Geary

[Mike Geddes]

Gentlemen......You are only looking at the tip of the iceburg.

Geary summed it up in a nutshell.....there are 'subcultures' and 'enablers'
All countries have them, and while our leaders listen to these right wing
bleeding heart do-gooder's your 'system' , like many others will gradually
errode.
I'm originally from the UK but now live in Canada.....I've seen the change
take place in both places.....and it continues to amaze me how it is allowed
to continue.....Canada's attititudes and systems tend to follow the UK's, but
about 10 years after........Here's a few things to think about.

In Canada we are classed as a bi-lingual country..EXCEPT in Quebec...where
you must legally speak FRENCH......Watch out Florida and California...You
will soon be speaking Spainish.

In the inner city of East London there are Mosque's where some bozo fanatic
shouts out prayers every morning at 5 AM, from the tower...thats a wake up
call.

The English National football team was not allowed to wear the red St. George
cross on their shirts as it offened the Arab's, due to it being used durring
the Crusades.

At Christmas I was told that I could not go to one of the local pubs I have
used in the past as it was now a Muslim pub....wow....they do alcohol.!!!!!

In 2005 49% of all births in London (pop. 20 million) where to women who
were NOT born in the UK. Other big cities in the UK had similar percentages.

Our cities in Canada, like those in the US have developed large 'subculture's'
and they all want their our rights.......I've seen the end results of their rights
in the UK...and I say Screw Them.!!!....When in Rome do as the Romans do.

When I go to another country on vacation, I honour their codes and standards.
I'll stand up for their national Anthem, and live by their laws while I'm there.
And I expect them to do the same when they cross the shores of my country.

The prospects for our future and our kids are bleak.......The bleeding heart
bozo's will take care of that........Make me King of the World for a couple
of years.....I'd solve a whole mess of things.

Cheers......Mike

[Aggressor]

Mike , I was in the old section of Quebec city to make a conference presentation in 1989. I spent many hours prior to the trip with an summer intern who was well versed in conversational French. What I discovered in Quebec was that no one understood English .... until they saw that you were making an honest effort to communicate in their language and were not being the "Ugly American". Ya know it's just amazing how Quebec natives learn instant English and become very helpful when a sincere effort is made on your part to respect their culture. It is also very amazing how quickly 3 years of high school French will fail you. -Geary

[eliminator]

Geary,

Your points are well taken.
However I just never remembered all this Politically Correct BS. And we nevered seemed to take into consideration what anyone else though when we decided to do something, look at Truman and Rooservelt.
These actions all started arriving in the mid 60's during the VietNam War, a war that we were not allowed to win.
What has made us a great Nation is the fact that we did and have done what we needed to do. There was always an end or ending.
Politics dirty! What about War, but you do what you have to do to come out on top.
"Do you honestly want your government to be ineffectual?"
That's my point, it is to a certain degree right now! We have gotten to the point of trying to please everyone and nothing is getting done.

[Joe LaFives]

Juan:
Thanks for the heads up on germane - what was I thinking? I also misspelled embracing - just typed too quickly. In any event, things seem to really be out of control. Just listened to a quick blurb on headline news about the ACLU defending a life sentence prisoner that wants to have a sex change paid for by the state.

[Aggressor]

Rick,
The Vietnam debaucle enraged all of us, but our current military machine is child of this era. Not worth the lives lost
but because of them we all learned and an attitude was born. There is a strong culture undertow arising and political correctness will see the pendulum swing back toward center. Yeah baby - how about them affirmative action programs! After forty years + of a leg-up its time to
phase them out. Kick out the crutches and have all humans stand up toe to toe in a fair and competitive environment. The biggest minority we have in this country today are young white males. Women in the arts, black history month, Hispanic ....... -All of these kept lables single these groups out and make them "special" - a target. Ya wanna fire up some groups, how about "Whitey Week", or August is "Cracker Celebration Month". After all fair is fair. Minorities should be screaming to end this singling-out and should be working to be mainstreamed "Just treat us like humans - nothing special but as Americans with human dignity". For a minority woman with military background to outscore a white male on a job application because of a 30 point scoring advantage is wrong. Add native American to the mix and it's 40 points.(Commonwealth of PA civil service application for employment)
It only degrades the position by filling it with a possible 60% qualifier.

It just gets down to Americans treating Americans like Americans. If you live in our country Americans are your family and you must treat each and every one with this respect. But if you are not culturally American you must asimliate to be American. If no effort is put forth to be American you will not be American. Nothing is Free!
-Geary