Melting Pots, Rainbows and Consequences

In the old days, America was the great melting pot. All the races and cultures coming together to form something uniquely American. We were a mixed race nation. Different backgrounds, but all melting together to form one country. No longer some other nationality, we were Americans. Then the metaphor changed. Now a rainbow. Instead of blending, the colors are distinct and separate. Instead of blending, now we have to hold on to the old identity. Suddenly you had African Americans, Meso-Americans, Franco-Americans, etc. Instead of remembering and adding our cultural distinctives to some new mix, suddenly you are to celebrate and preserve the foreign culture. This approach is highlighted in this news article about some teens sent home from an American school on Cinco De Mayo because they wore American flags when it is supposed to be a Mexican holiday. Wearing the American flag was disrespectful. See, it isn't about the new country, America. No, you need to keep the old one. Talk about multi-culturalism run amuck. They have cased to value unique American culture instead trying to preserve foreign cultures. But what if that foriegn culture has destructive elements? Car bomb in Times Square. Not all cultural aspects of other cultures really should be brought to our country. If you are going to be American, you should adopt the culture of America. We have to cease to feel melting together into one union or country is somehow wrong. All culture is an expression of who we are. Whatever our cultural background, we can be Americans first. This is not to say that beloved customs and cultural elements of our heritage should be abandoned or ignored. Certainly not. The immigrants who built this country contributed much of their culture to the melting pot. But they brought their allegiance to the new country, and they were first and foremost Americans with no hyphen. Just to be spiritual for a moment. This was a traditional American post, but as Christians, our ultimate identity is in the country of God. Our first allegiance is to Him with our citizenship in heaven. That being said, I think it is fine to be proud to be an American. So, hold on to your values and traditions until they blow us up, then stop.?