Is there too much division in America?

[Franklin Richards]

Last I checked, treason is still punishable by death.

 

[JLBats]

I tell you, I wish we lived in the age when you could challenge a man to a duel.

 

[BlackLantern]

Last I checked, treason is still punishable by death.

I thought that was only in a time of war, was it punishable by death....

 

[Nivek]

Last I checked, treason is still punishable by death.

And Karl Rove is still walking around.

 

[Nitehawk013]

But do you not find it interesting that in his own post, he contrasted the educated and enlightened with the patriotic, and somehow still found blind patriotism winning out?

Educated fools because it is primarily Academia, the supposed intelligencia and enlightened, who are always the first in line to trash America and extol Communist countries, savage dictators and all around dirtbags. They tend to run full speed into every opportunity to talk about how evil America is, how terrible we are, how heartless the country is, ect.

And these are the "educated fools" who then indoctrinate college students to think the same way. "Well Prof Numbnuts said America was bad so we must be. We should be more like Cuba. That Castro is a great man".

Why do I think patriotism is beautiful? Because for all our errors and flaws, and yes we have some, we are still the greatest country on this planet. We still do more to aid and help hurting nations than any other. We still run to the rescue whenever there is a major crisis. We stick out our hand to offer aid to even countries who stab us in the back. We are the bright city on a hill. We are the beacon to the oppressed. We are the greatest hope of the world in a natural sense. We are the proof that Capitalism works and is a thing of beauty, while all the other "isms" have failed miserably (Communism, Socialism, Fascism, etc). We're the greatest bc we do allow for freedom and differences. You can question and challenge government, thumb your nose at every moral fiber that held the country togather, indulge in outright horrid behavior and yet at the end of the day...you're allowed that right. YOu can be offensive on every level, and yet you are allowed that right becaus ethis nation was built on the strength that no matter how much we disagree with each other, we are still Americans.

Thus my problem with this multi-cultural trash. It's no longer "we are all Americans". It's we just live here, but we will maintain our allegiance and ties to our "homelands". After all, whats so special about America that it deserves our allegiance? This multi-cultural, celebrate where you came from, refuse to assimilate trash does nothign but weaken the fiber of our country.

 

[Nitehawk013]

I tell you, I wish we lived in the age when you could challenge a man to a duel.

Super. Conservatives have almost all the guns.

 

[Franklin Richards]

I'm a liberal but I'm also a Texan. You think you have more guns than me?


Bring it.

 

[The Senator]

Super. Conservatives have almost all the guns.

Yeah, that's right, only conservatives own guns and support gun rights...

 

[Nitehawk013]

I didn't say only. I said they have almost all of them.

Like even you said, traditionally it is primarily GOP/Conservatives that supprot gun rights/second amendment.

 

[BlackLantern]

Thus my problem with this multi-cultural trash. It's no longer "we are all Americans". It's we just live here, but we will maintain our allegiance and ties to our "homelands". After all, whats so special about America that it deserves our allegiance? This multi-cultural, celebrate where you came from, refuse to assimilate trash does nothign but weaken the fiber of our country.

I see your point here....I think the issue is some feel that trying to assimilate to America feels as if they are abandoning their culture when that really isn't the case at all

 

[The Senator]

Educated fools because it is primarily Academia, the supposed intelligencia and enlightened, who are always the first in line to trash America and extol Communist countries, savage dictators and all around dirtbags. They tend to run full speed into every opportunity to talk about how evil America is, how terrible we are, how heartless the country is, ect.

And these are the "educated fools" who then indoctrinate college students to think the same way. "Well Prof Numbnuts said America was bad so we must be. We should be more like Cuba. That Castro is a great man".

That is the most childish thing I have seen posted in this thread. I have never held a communist country on a higher pedestal than the United States (unless we're talking about the business sector, in which case I wholeheartedly believe that China is one of the best countries for business right now), and I don't think I'm going to. None of my professors have even acted that way... the only professor I had who was biased towards another country was a New Zealander, who was biased towards-- wait for it-- New Zealand, his country of origin.

The academics in this country should be the ones in charge of our government. They are the ones who learn how this government functions, they are the ones who can bring about real political transformations, they are the ones who truly know what the Constitution says and how it should be interpreted. It is important that people who know this system inside out are in charge of it. We just spent eight years under the guidance of a man who knew very little about politics, who knew more about business and tried to govern this country as if it were a business, only to fail miserably in the process. We might have to deal with eight years under the guidance of a man who has admitted he knows very little about economics, who has convinced his supporters that he is entitled to the presidency solely because he was tortured in Vietnam.

Seriously... military service, business qualifications, "small town values"... none of that should matter in our political system. What should matter is knowledge of the system, and whoever has that knowledge should be in charge.

As much as I don't want to make the comparison, because I know you will read it and say "France is GROSS! EVIL SOCIALISTS! " instead of actually reading my points... but look at France. They train their children to become bureaucrats. The smartest students are selected by the government to go to school to learn how the French political system works. Being a bureaucrat is considered one of the highest honors in French society. And while I am aware we are not entirely comparable to France politically, I think that is one aspect of their government structure we should consider implementing here in this country. We need the smartest men and women in the room to lead this country and organize our federal agencies, and it doesn't make sense that we leave so much of our country's governance in the hands of Bucktooth B. Redneck from Backwoods, South Tennissippibama.

Thus my problem with this multi-cultural trash. It's no longer "we are all Americans". It's we just live here, but we will maintain our allegiance and ties to our "homelands". After all, whats so special about America that it deserves our allegiance? This multi-cultural, celebrate where you came from, refuse to assimilate trash does nothign but weaken the fiber of our country.

You couldn't be further from the truth with that claim. Multiculturalism is the acceptance of each of our differences, because all of our differences fall under the umbrella of an American society. The Constitution itself even expresses the notion that we should have different values, particularly the first amendment. Moreover, most immigrants who are here love this country just as much as you or I do. But to say that they come here solely to live here while remaining close to their homelands is a bit of a stretch. People should value their heritages. I would not expect someone to move here and automatically renounce their countries of origins; we didn't do that when the Irish moved here in the 1800s, we didn't do that when the Jews migrated here from Russia... we shouldn't do that at all. Those who want to live here seek a better life and the promise of America. But they have so many memories rooted in their homelands that they continue to keep that connection simultaneously. It should be expected, and it should be encouraged.

It goes against the founding principles of this country to suggest otherwise.

 

[The Incredible Hulk]

there's a fine line between national pride, patriotism, and blind allegiance.

Sadly most people in this country support anything we do without question, and call it "patriotism."

Considering we're a nation founded on questioning authority and standing up to the status quo, that's somewhat troubling.

 

[Malice]

Super. Conservatives have almost all the guns.

Talk about a generalization.
Gun rights to me, is not being conservative...to me its not violating the Constitution...

Just my 2 cents...

 

[Nitehawk013]

It shouldn't matter where you come from. You live here. You have your opportunity for a great life here. You have your freedoms here. Peopel are bleeding and dying for you here.

I don't give a flip about my ancestors in europe. I am an American. Your homel;and isn't doing diddly hot squat fo ryou. You are in this country. So be faithful to this country. Show allegiance to this country. Support this country. Otherwise, go home to your old country.

You aren't african -american. Your American. 99% of them have never seen or been to africa, so spare me the "thats my homeland" garbage. You aren't asian- american, or arab-amaerican or any other stupid hyphenated group. If you come here, and are a citizen then you are an American. Your homeland isn't doing anything for you. This country is.

 

[The Senator]

It shouldn't matter where you come from. You live here. You have your opportunity for a great life here. You have your freedoms here. Peopel are bleeding and dying for you here.

I don't give a flip about my ancestors in europe. I am an American. Your homel;and isn't doing diddly hot squat fo ryou. You are in this country. So be faithful to this country. Show allegiance to this country. Support this country. Otherwise, go home to your old country.

You aren't african -american. Your American. 99% of them have never seen or been to africa, so spare me the "thats my homeland" garbage. You aren't asian- american, or arab-amaerican or any other stupid hyphenated group. If you come here, and are a citizen then you are an American. Your homeland isn't doing anything for you. This country is.

99% of African Americans don't claim that Africa is their homeland...

 

[BlackLantern]

I don't want to go to Africa....it smells there and everyone is shooting at one another

 

[The Incredible Hulk]

you sound like you're mixing up the term "Homeland" with "National Heritage"'

Germany would only be my homeland if I still lvied there (hence the term), however I can be of German national heritage or German-American meaning that my ancestors came from there. Nothing wrong with the latter.

 

[danoyse]

99% of African Americans don't claim that Africa is their homeland...

And their ancestors didn't exactly come here by choice, either.

 

[The Overlord]

Multi-cultural BS is a pretty apt and great way to sum it up. I tend to like Teddy Roosevelts words on the subject.

"There in no place in this country for hyphenated-Americans".

"Every immigrant that comes here should be required within 5 years to learn English or leave the country".

"There can be no 50/50 Americanism in this country. There is room for only 100% Americanism, only for those who ARE Americans and nothing else"

"The man who loves other countries as much as his own stands on a level with a man who loves other women as much as he loves his own wife."

And just for good measure..."The pacifist is as surely a traitor to his own country and to humanity as is the most brutal wrongdoer".

Considering America really belongs to the Natives, aren't you not a real American as well and thus foreigner and thus deserve the some mistreatment you seem to think is okay for others different from yourself?

 

[BlackLantern]

Considering America really belongs to the Natives, aren't you not a real American as well and thus foreigner and thus deserve the some mistreatment you seem to think is okay for others different from yourself?

Black people were bought here forcefully.....so that invalidates the 'real American' bit

 

[danoyse]

It shouldn't matter where you come from. You live here. You have your opportunity for a great life here. You have your freedoms here. Peopel are bleeding and dying for you here.

I don't give a flip about my ancestors in europe. I am an American. Your homel;and isn't doing diddly hot squat fo ryou. You are in this country. So be faithful to this country. Show allegiance to this country. Support this country. Otherwise, go home to your old country.

You aren't african -american. Your American. 99% of them have never seen or been to africa, so spare me the "thats my homeland" garbage. You aren't asian- american, or arab-amaerican or any other stupid hyphenated group. If you come here, and are a citizen then you are an American. Your homeland isn't doing anything for you. This country is.

That's nonsense. Just because you're an American you need to cut off your family still living in foreign countries? You can't be proud of your own heritage anymore? You have to just disregard all the struggles and sacrifices my ancestors made to get me where I am today, or do we just take the 'what have you done for me lately' attitude? Do we not look at the mistakes we've made as a country and try to make it better?

Patriotism is more than sticking a flag ribbon magnet on your car and singing Lee Greenwood songs at the top of your lungs.

 

[Nitehawk013]

Yes yes. We took it from the natives so we are bad and shouldn't disparage other immigrants form coming here.

I'd say we've done wonders with the country in the past 200+ years that had we not taken it...would not have been accomplished. Our taking of the country has been a blessing to the entire planet.

 

[BlackLantern]

As a society, we are becoming more and more isolated from each other....the rise of the internet, social networking sites, coupled with school shootings, child molesters etc....we are confining ourselves in little bubbles

 

[danoyse]

Yes yes. We took it from the natives so we are bad and shouldn't disparage other immigrants form coming here.

I'd say we've done wonders with the country in the past 200+ years that had we not taken it...would not have been accomplished. Our taking of the country has been a blessing to the entire planet.

:facepalm

 

[The Overlord]

Black people were bought here forcefully.....so that invalidates the 'real American' bit

But techically only Natives can be the only people that can be considering actual natives of america, hence the name, everyone else is ultimately a foreigner here. The natives were here first and were here for thousands of years, before any Europeans or anyone else.

Yes yes. We took it from the natives so we are bad and shouldn't disparage other immigrants form coming here.

I'd say we've done wonders with the country in the past 200+ years that had we not taken it...would not have been accomplished. Our taking of the country has been a blessing to the entire planet.

So what are you saying "screw the natives" their rights don't count. How do you know the natives wouldn't have created a beautiful society if the Europeans. They were ultimately more peacful then the Europeans.

The fact is, you are a foreigner, only natives are true natives of America, so yeah, it does sound like a bit of double standard to disparage other immigrants and their cultural practices, when you yourself are ultimately foreigner.