According to a
USA Today news article, the foreign-born population of NH grew 45% from the years 2000- 2005- putting us in the top five states. Nationally, the average shows the growth at 16%. Taken on its face, I have no problem with newcomers to our great land. I have a great friend from Columbia who is the most patriotic, civic-minded American citizen that I know. Unfortunately, he is now the exception, not the rule. (Click
here for more my prior post on the modern "immigrant") He represents the American immigrant of a different era- the era when new citizens assimilated with those already here. And everybody was taught America’s founding principles…
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I recently found an interesting passage in a copy I have of the 1929 Boy Scouts of America’s “Handbook For Boys”. I found it to be quite to the contrary of today’s emphasis on multiculturalism and diversity. The first section of the book asks, “What is scouting?” Part of the answer includes this:
“Scouting helps the Scout to value the great heritage which the past has brought to him in the life and ideals of America… Our America is the ‘melting pot’ of the world. Her strength has come from every people. Good will must be extended to these new citizens, indeed only as ‘the spirit of Brotherliness’ is present, can Liberty develop.”
Ah, the old “melting pot theory”. Do you remember learning about this when you were back in school? You know, people would come to America to shed their Old-world life in order to become Americans and live in a place where they could enjoy the fruits of their labor- free from the fear of confiscation. One people- “melted” together as Americans.
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Have you heard of Upfront Magazine? It’s a product of the New York Times, delivered through Scholastic, to public schools and then public school students, and it is not much different from the actual New York Times. For example, the September 6th 2010 issue has articles that promote workers rights in China (promoting Unions), seek to explain the complex problem with illegal immigrants (soft selling Amnesty), and then there’s the cover article–‘Americas Challenges 2011,’ a discourse on some of the issues that our new President Obama must cope with.