I read this post by Mary Madigan over at Deans’ World, and  I couldn’t help but rehash my comments here.

At one time in my life, not so long ago, I was a proponent of unlimited, legal, immigration. I’ve always felt that America is great because of those who came here to make a better life for themselves. But I learned that immigrants must be given time, as well as a reason, to assimilate. Look at what has happened in Europe with their unassimilated cultures. So, I’ve backed off and realized why we have to impose a quota. Those who do make it through the process have to learn to blend in. They simply can’t just move all 300 of their relatives here and safely encapsulate themselves away from what makes America so gosh darned American.

But one thing I see in a lot of immigration debate is the false sense that immigrants must change to adapt to the ‘melting pot’ while the rest of us get to keep things just the way they are. And that’s not right.

When you add something to a pot, the entire contents change to blend the new ingredient in. When I make my spaghetti sauce, after a few hours you can no longer discern the garlic from the basil. It blends together to make a flavor that just wasn’t possible with each individual ingredient.

So, as we add stuff to the melting pot, we change as well. And it’s a good thing. We take customs, foods, sports, etc. from other cultures, blend them into ours, and savor the new product. It’s why we celebrate Cinco De Mayo & St. Patricks day as an excuse to drink, have ‘croissandwhiches’ and have flan as a dessert choice at seafood restaurants.

America. God I love this country. Stories like this remind me why I am proud to live here, why, regardless of what some Dixie Twit says, my patriotism is a good thing, and that I am glad to have served in the Marines to do my part to protect her.

Hope ya’ll had a great Fourth of July weekend!