The best hope for America is that Americans be Americans first rather than someone else first. My heritage is primarily English. However, I do not refer to myself as an English-American. I am an American of English decent. I would take offense if someone referred to me as an English-American because my first allegiance is not to England. My first allegiance is to America.
My wife's parents are both Italian. To my knowledge she has never referred to herself as an Italian-American. Why? Her first allegiance is to America, not Italy. My grandfather on my mother's side was Dutch but never called himself a Dutch-American. My grandfather on my dad's side was Choctaw Indian, but I never heard him refer to himself as a Native-American.
I think people ought to live in the country to which they identify their first allegiance. English-Americans should live in England, Italian-Americans should live in Italy, Dutch-Americans should live in The Netherlands (Holland) and African-Americans (white or black) should live in Africa.
However, if you are an American of English decent, an American of Italian decent, an American of Dutch decent, or an American of African decent, then you are an American first and that is the thinking we need in America if we are going to be more unified.
What we use as the initial title of our country land may tell where our loyalties lie. Or worse, using country or nationality as a prefix to "American" might be an expression that we see ourselves better than other Americans or deserving of more than other Americans; a special class within classes of Americans. That is hogwash.
The Obama administration is good at promoting class-warfare in America. Let's take away some of the rhetoric that feeds that consuming fire. We are Americans. We are committed to doing what is best for America and for all of America's children. Not everyone can be first or most important all of the time, no matter where our ancestors are from. I submit to you that is exactly what President John F. Kennedy meant when he said,
We have an African-American, Muslim-American and Democrat-American sitting at the President's Desk. Everything wrong with this man is identified by his prefixes which take priority over the welfare of America. In reality, he is not an American, but an African, a Muslim (sympathizer, at least) and a Democrat. This may explain why he has absolutely no loyalty to the Constitution of the United States of America or to the welfare of Americans.
I intend no disrespect to the Office of the President of the United States; however, it is noteworthy that the person in that Office shows constant disrespect for that Office. His disloyalty encourages disloyalty throughout our land. Divided loyalties divide America. Jesus said it well -- "A house divided cannot stand." Mark 3:25. To survive, we must be unified. The best way to unify America is to determine what is right, moral and best for our grandchildren and do those things. However, to do those things we must be right, moral and concerned about what kind of America we pass on to the next generation.
Rev. Joda Collins
I make no claim that my views are shared by anyone else.
No comments:
Post a Comment