E pluribus unum

Do We Even Teach the Meaning of That Anymore?

E pluribus unum is Latin for "Out of many, one." It has traditionally been the motto of the United States adopted by an Act of Congress in 1782. It was intended to unite us as a people. Despite our varied backgrounds we are all brethren in that we share our citizenship as Americans. The United States has been described as a 'melting pot' because we all gelled together in society. Today we seem more like a 'tossed salad.' We are developing into a bilingual balkanized society, and that does not bode well in my opinion.

Over 25% of our nation's population is Hispanic now, and in some states they outnumber Caucasians. Illegal immigrants still cross our southern border in droves, and it is estimated that there are about 22 million in our country now. As a pharmacist who worked in Florida for many years I can tell you that assimilation is NOT a priority among these people; it is not even a consideration. Hispanics have their own television shows, radio programs, magazines & newspapers, and even their own supermarkets! Why on earth should they bother learning English? Well, the obvious answer is that because not only will it open doors of opportunity for them, but it also allows them to better understand the language of the founding documents and thus attain a better understanding and appreciation for America. You know what happens when you import tens of millions of people who come from countries that do not share our values? You get a whole lot of voters, which may result in a drastic alteration of the nation because they come from cultures that are okay with things like socialism, communism, and big government. They have little to no regard for things like individual rights, private property, or the right to a trial by ones peers, for example.

Recently I saw a story that caught my eye (https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2017/07/06/linda_sarsour_asks_muslims_to_form_jihad_against_trump_not_to_assimilate.html#!). Apparently, activist Linda Sarsour, co-chair of the 2017 women's march against Donald Trump, called for a "jihad" against the president at the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) convention in Chicago. She straight up said, "Our number one and top priority is to protect and defend our community, it is not to assimilate and please any other people and authority." The end of that sentence is telling. She defiantly says that her people have no interest in pleasing "any other people and authority." Imagine inviting someone into your house, you ask them to take off their shoes at the door, and they say "screw you" and track mud all throughout your house. Would you ever invite them back into your house ever again?

I have a question, why on earth would we allow such people to immigrate into our country? If they have no love for America, have no interest in becoming American, have no respect for our people or our authorities, then why should we feel any obligation in allowing them to come here? Sarsour concluded, "Our top priority and even higher than all those other priorities is to please Allah and only Allah." So what if she runs for office? What if someone in her click becomes a Congressperson, a Senator, or attains some other prestigious position in our government? Are you going to sleep well at night with someone like this in charge of our government?

I want our politicians top priority to be to we the American people. I want them to respect our founding fathers, our founding documents, and the values our country stands for. I want our citizens to be proud Americans, and I want our immigrants to want to assimilate. Is that too much to ask?