I was born and raised in the United States, I being the son of Cuban refugees who fled Castro’s tyranny to come to this country and enjoy the blessings of liberty.
I went to the public school and there learned about the unique history of these United States, and learned to appreciate and love the great Judeo-Christian heritage that helped build this nation into the greatest nation in the history of the human race, though the public school system did everything possible to play down that aspect of our history, but at the time, they were still teaching it, it had not been expunged completely from our history books.
I pledged allegiance every morning to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, under G-d, indivisible, with liberty, and justice for all.
I also had the honor of singing the Star Spangled Banner at the beginning of class every day, and I’ve been told that they no longer do this in our public schools, and it shocks me to no end.
And like many other sons and daughters of immigrants and refugees from foreign lands, the older I got, the more I learned about our great nation, and the more I appreciated its uniqueness, its exclusivity among the nations of the earth, and how blessed our nation has been under G-d.
So when I came across a poll where it is actually asked of US whether or not we consider the flag of these United States to be removed from our public school rooms, because we might offend some Hispanic children, I was shocked with disbelief.
My parents came to this country from Cuba. Never in my memory have I ever come across anyone from among the sons and daughters of immigrants and refugees who attended our public schools with me, who would have ever been offended in any way by our flag.
Indeed, as I remember, almost every student in those class rooms stood up and placed their hand over their hearts and saluted that beautiful flag when it was time to pledge our allegiance to it and to the republic for which it stands, and it was with great pride that we sang the Star Spangled Banner, humbly remembering that we were part of a great throng of people who united comprised the greatest nation on G-d’s good earth.
I never saw, even among the later arrivals from Cuba and other nations during my eighth grade class, any sign of disrespect or offense taken by our unique American traditions which we venerate to honor the memory of those who came before US, and the Judeo-Christian traditions which built this great nation and subdued this great land from sea to shining sea.
Indeed, as I recall, these later arrivals were thankful for being here, and saw themselves as guests who had the honor of having been admitted to a great and unique nation.
They never ceased to appreciate what America had done in allowing them to come to this land, and were anxious to learn about it, and its traditions, and customs, eagerly wishing to fit in as quickly as they could. I know, I spoke with these people, and as I recall my parents and many others were part of them.
It’s funny, I never considered myself different from other Americans, probably because I was born and raised here, but it wasn’t until I visited some cousins in Venezuela that I truly became conscious of what it meant to be an American.
Up until that time, I had accepted my identity in American society, perhaps taking it for granted. My visit to another country changed all of that. Especially when I was tagged by the Venezuelans “El Gringo,” and began to see just how privileged we are in this country, and how much more we had. From that time forward, I began to have a renewed American conscience, and my American identity awoke and gained new life.
There are a great many Spanish speaking American Citizens who love this great land and nation of ours, and who like many other immigrant groups who have made it to these shores before them, are proud to be a part of this great nation, and to contribute to its growth and development.
This really came home to me the time my wife and love of my life became a Naturalized American Citizen in Newark ,New Jersey about six or seven years ago.
After she took the oath and pledge, and was naturalized, she said something to me that humbled me and made me truly value having been born in this country.
She said to me, “You know, you were born in the United States, you had no choice where you were born. You didn’t have a choice like I did to become an American Citizen.
It was my choice to become an American Citizen. I wasn’t born here.” When she said this, I was humbled beyond words, and since then, she’s explained it even further.
When one becomes an American Citizen, they cease being the citizen of that other nation they originated from, and take on a new American identity, and pledge their allegiance to the American Flag, and swear to abide by the laws of this nation and the supreme law of the land; the Constitution of the United States of America.
So I am shocked to no end, and am dismayed, and filled with great horror and disgust that I hear that a large number of some of our Hispanic Communities throughout our great nation find our Stars and Stripes offensive in our land.
Why? Why would any immigrant group find the symbol of American exceptionalism something that they both despise and are offended by? The question then must be asked is whether such people are a part of our nation, or a nation within our nation.
And if they are a nation within our nation, for what purpose are they here? Why have they left their land only to come here and take offense at the symbols of this nation, and demand from US to remove those symbols on their behalf?
Would a guest to a dinner make demands to their hosts in a house that is not their own? Of course not. And if anyone take offense for being considered a foreigner in our land, it must be remembered that it is they who are offended at the symbols of our nationality, and it is they who consider those symbols alien to their sensibilities. Why are we putting up with this?
Were I to visit a foreign land, as a guest in that land, I would show the proper respect to the symbols of that land, and would do my upmost to be a good guest in that land, and not offend my hosts in that land in any way.
This is only proper etiquette. It is a sign of a proper upbringing. And it is perhaps the evident sign of civility and civilization. So, a message to those among our people who take offense at the symbols, beliefs, and traditions of our great republic; if you don’t like it here, return from the lands from which you came and come here no more.
It is very simple. You take offense at our flag, at our Pledge of Allegiance, at our national hymn, at our Constitutional representative Republic, at our liberties, and the blessings of our G-d, then return to the lands from which you came, come out from among US, and come to this land no more.
We are offended by you, and you are an affront to every immigrant and refugee who’ve come to these shores seeking freedom, who have become part of the great American experiment, and have since become a part of its history. Yankee go home? No we are home. It is time for you to leave. You’ve overstayed your welcome.
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