Just had a thought

I was reading a post on dailyKos about the relative decline of the US in power in the world and how it parallels the winding down of the British empire in the early part of the last century. The thing that really strikes me is that the notion of the US as the last remaining super power, the greatest nation on earth is most important to the Christian Nationalists who would undermine that power by denying the truth of evolution, and opposing stem stell research, the absence of which will inevitably hasten the decline of America.

The last century, we were first. The first and only to put a man on the moon, the creator of the polio vaccine, the first to have nuclear capapbility. We were an engine. The Christian Taliban wants us to become insular and withdraw from the world into a womb of Christian Nationalism that nurtures and affirms their beliefs in the same way the multiculturalists would support and affirm the beliefs of all cultures.

I got to tell you, I think both approaches are wrong. I always refer to how immigrants should view the US as the free refill rule. In Europe and other countries, they often don't have free refills (or ice for that matter), but they have a wide array of cuisine. You can open your Ukrainian restaurant here, but you gotta have free refills. There is an American culture which at it's heart is secular but used to be called Civil Religion. You follow traffic lights. Have regular business hours. Start movies when advertised. You may not speak English at first, but that's always the goal. Serve free refills. Read the Dawahare's story and you'll understand.

Serur Frank Dawahare was born in a small village near Damascus, Syria, on August 18, 1888. He was the oldest of six children. He had one sister and four brothers.

Around the turn of the century Serur fled Syria to escape religious persecution. He came to America speaking no English and having very little money. He took a job in New York City in a sweat shop. There he met Selma Cury, whom he married.

So what, you say, this guy would today be looked down upon and called a potential terrorist by Bill O'Reilly? Perhaps, if not for the fact that the assimilated and built a large regional department store chain that prospers even today:

Serur's sons would shine shoes, sell newspapers, and on the fourth of July, were out selling flags. They embedded in all their children to be honest and work for what they wanted. It had to be team work.

Serur and Selma had eight sons and three daughters. They were very patriotic. They named three sons after presidents of the United States of America. Woodrow Wilson Dawahare, Warren G. Harding Dawahare, Herbert Hoover Dawahare.

In the 70's and 80's the chain followed a cautious expansion plan. The 90's have seen a new expansion bringing the total to 29.

Today there are 10 members of the third generation working in the business, one member of the fourth generation. The company plans to continue opening around three stores each year.

At one time, this is what it meant to be American. I have no problem with emmigration as long as the immigrant realizes that the reason he or she came here was to take advantage of America's promise and the only way to truly do that is by becoming American first.