Patriotic prayer in Spanish creates controversy

I would like to clarify a few assumptions some narrow minded people have made. The pastor in question is my Aunt by marriage. (And for the record I'm a white American: quarter Italian, 1/8 Native American-- pure mutt like most Americans ;). My aunt is not illegal as some of you presumptuous jerks have assumed. In addition, she speaks English very well for someone who came to 'The States' as an adult. But like most people, prays in her native language because it is far easier to speak with sincerity when you are not having to translate your thoughts into a secondary language. For those who have no tolerance for someone to express American patriotism in a language other than English... All I can say is "Wow!" Seriously, I'm in awe of your ignorance. I'm trying to figure out your thought process. How do you determine who has a right to be proud of being an American? I'm sure those who have made these small minded statements were born here. Probably their grandparents were born here too. Not everyone has the luxury of being handed citizenship to a great country filled with freedom and opportunity. Many have had to fight, and earn a chance to prosper. I ask you, who do you think has a better understanding of what it means to be a proud citizen? God Bless all those who have commented with love, and spoke to unite our melting pot of a country. God Bless all those who spoke with an ignorant tongue;please grant them insight.

I am an African American Mother-in-Law of daughters from two different countries. I love my daughters-in-laws. Their families accepted my African American sons without blinking an eye. At their weddings, people flew in from cities across this nation and even came from overseas. One son is now deployed. My diversed and cultured families are all law abiding, Christian, tax paying, hard working, secretaries, models, actresses, doctors, lawyers, college professors, business and restaurant owners, hotel and land owners and chefs to NBA teams. I cringe when I hear about what you say they are not doing, because I know better. Whenever someone needs help, they jump to their rescue, when someone becomes ill and cannot pay their bills, they jump in and help, when someone has to go to the hospital, they take off from their business or work and take them, when someone loses a father or husband, they help get that family back on their feet. They are the most loyal and loving people that I have met in my entire life. When was the last time you helped someone in your own family that needed help? When was the last time you helped your neighbor? Your co-worker? Your church? Your Pastor? Your child's teacher, coach, band director, PTA and their school? Your boss? Your handyman? Your babysitter? Stop talking and texting so much and help and love people for who they are. We all could learn a lesson on this matter. Minister Marva L. Dowdin www.MarvaLDowdin.com

@Pitbull--You stated what many people here state, namely that people need to come here legally, that people need to follow the rules, etc., etc. Yes, and people need to follow traffic laws, pay their taxes, not litter, etc., and in a perfect world all those things would happen, but we need to deal with the reality of the situation, not talk about some utopian world that doesn't exist. The reality is that US immigration laws have not been enforced for generations and as a result millions of undocumented people now live in the US and many have been here for decades. Because we haven't enforced the laws, our economy has become completely dependent on cheap immigrant labor in just about every sector but mainly in agriculture, service industries, and construction. If these millions of people were deported tomorrow our economy would collapse and we would sink into a depression the likes of which we have never seen. Rather than coming up with draconian laws to suddenly enforce that which was not previously enforced, we need to create a way for these people to legalize their status. Too many people in the anti-immigration camp are unwilling to accept reality and instead want to opt for completely unworkable solutions.

I for one am not an immirgrant. I was born here in the US. Yes my fore fathers many many years ago came here from another country. I am an American, no hyphen American a born and raised in the good old USA. I am tired of hearing that we are all 'immigrants" WE ARE NOT! If you want to enjoy the uSA come here legally and become a US Citizen through NATUALIZATION, not by forcing yourself on to the American people, by coming here illegally.

@emstisme--I'm not sure to whom you are directing your comments in your posting, but I'd like to respond. I live and work in Southern California, the immigrant "epicenter" in our country, and as a public school teacher in a heavily immigrant community I can safely say that I am as qualified as anyone to comment on some of the issues you've raised. You imply that immigrants show little interest in assimilating into US culture and prefer to cling to the culture of the mother country, but I can state without reservation that that is an incorrect assumption. First-generation immigrants who come here as children and who attend public school completely assimilate, adopting English as their primary language and participating fully in all the stereotypically "American" activities at school. Second-language acquisition is always more difficult for adults, especially when they are not fully immersed in an English-speaking environment, but that has always been true in this country, whether for Italian immigrants in New York, German or Scandinavian immigrants living in the Midwest, etc., etc. For adults there are always the constraints of work, family, survival, etc. that prevent fluency in English. But almost without exception, children of immigrants completely assimilate linguistically, socially, and culturally into US culture. To say otherwise is to ignore the reality of the lives of immigrants throughout this country.

Polls taken by the Winston Group in 2007 and Zogby International in 2006 indicate that, by more than 2-1, immigrants themselves say the U.S. should expect new immigrants to learn English and by a 9-1 margin Hispanic immigrants believe learning English is essential to succeed in the U.S. I fluently speak/read/write four languages, but that doesn't change the fact that I expect public "business" to be conducted in English, our adopted language. It's understandable for immigrants to be eager to preserve their culture in their homes, amid fellow immigrants, etc. It's also reasonable for those of us already assimilated into the American culture to expect them to do the same. It's NOT reasonable to come here, expecting this culture and society to bow to your asinine needs, all so you can enjoy the benefits of the personal freedoms found here but not adopt the local culture in your public life. @LingLing...if you believe the massive amount of physical evidence already found, Native Americans were also immigrants to this continent. Many cultures had visited, settled and populated this continent long before they existed. But that's not even the point. We're not talking about what happened 20,000 years ago, pre-Clovis, or even 500 years ago. We're talking about the present, where there is a country of people on this continent who've adopted English as their language and require a minimum score on an English competency test before allowing citizenship to immigrants. 30+ states have laws enacted for just that, to make English their official language. I'm committed to ensuring that all (legal) Americans share in the economic, social and political benefits of having a common language. Aren't you?

My Spanish-speaking ancestors have lived in what is now the United States since the late 1500s. I am an American and I love my country dearly. But my family takes great pride in being bilingual and many of my siblings and I have gone on to learn a third and fourth language. The reality is that Spanish will never replace English as the dominant language in this country. People who fear its presence are really just showing their own lack of education by remaining monolingual. If you are unable to understand a simple patriotic prayer in Spanish, perhaps you should do something to remedy your own ignorance rather than complain about it not being said in English. Yes, this is America, but it's a country where English and Spanish have coexisted for hundreds of years, and if you believe in God you must realize that He speaks all languages equally well and rejoices in the message, not the language in which it is expressed. The thing that causes Him dismay is when His children dismiss His commandments by treating one another with the contempt as shown in the many of the letters here.

English is the language of his country. Having a prayer given at a 4th of July celebration in simply another indication that "La Rasa" trumps being an American by the hispanic population.

English is the language of this country. Having a prayer spoken in Spanish is another indication that among the Hispanics "La Rasa" trumps being an American.

Unless you're Native American, we're all immigrants to this country. That's why I'm proud to be an American, because of our diversity. Maybe all you hatemongers and bigots need to go back where you cmae from, because it's totally unAmerican to not repespect all cultures that make up this great nation.