Teddy Bears No Similarity
Just got this quote in my e-mail from Teddy Roosevelt 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 man's becoming in very fact 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, and this excludes the red flag, which symbolizes all wars against liberty and civilization, just as much as it excludes any foreign flag of a nation to which we are hostile...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." - Theodore Roosevelt 1907
These are the words of a Democrat in 1907. Flash forward almost a hundred years later and what is the common sentiment among Democrats to foreigners? Around here, it seems to be “Get out of my country, you filthy, job-stealing Hispanics.” OK, so maybe that’s a bit much, but that’s what is wanted in so many words.
I bring this up because I think this is another one of those cases where the left-wingism of yesteryear is more like the right-wingism of today. The conservatives I know agree, and so do I, that it’s best for an immigrant coming into this country to learn to get around like we do or risk being stuck pumping our gas for the rest of their lives. That’s the sad truth of the matter.
"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 man's becoming in very fact 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, and this excludes the red flag, which symbolizes all wars against liberty and civilization, just as much as it excludes any foreign flag of a nation to which we are hostile...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." - Theodore Roosevelt 1907
These are the words of a Democrat in 1907. Flash forward almost a hundred years later and what is the common sentiment among Democrats to foreigners? Around here, it seems to be “Get out of my country, you filthy, job-stealing Hispanics.” OK, so maybe that’s a bit much, but that’s what is wanted in so many words.
I bring this up because I think this is another one of those cases where the left-wingism of yesteryear is more like the right-wingism of today. The conservatives I know agree, and so do I, that it’s best for an immigrant coming into this country to learn to get around like we do or risk being stuck pumping our gas for the rest of their lives. That’s the sad truth of the matter.
posted by Jaimetud at 12:47 PM
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