The Balkan States of America

Secretary of State Colin Powell, in a speech to "Muslim-Americans" Nov. 18, said he is attempting to expand programs within his agency to bring educators, journalists, political and religious leaders from Islamic countries to the United States.

In making his case, Powell declared: "We must not listen to the siren song of the bigots, extremists who cloak themselves in false spirituality in an attempt to divide and to weaken us."

Aside from the politically correct, Kumbaya-laden rhetoric – and the fact that now our secretary of state considers anyone opposed to this idea a "bigot" and "extremist" – Powell's advice is, in and of itself, "an attempt to divide and weaken" America.

Because our leaders have, for decades, pursued a "multicultural" policy of unlimited immigration; because they have showered immigrants with public largess instead of insisting upon strict standards of citizenship; because they have not required immigrants to assimilate American culture; and because they have ignored the dangerous, deadly, destructive damage of rampant illegal immigration – our leaders are setting our country up to become this century's mega-Bosnia.

While it might "feel good" to declare as intolerant anyone who opposes plans to open further the human floodgates into our great nation – especially as we're trying to fight a war against terrorism – the lost reality is that a society with multiple common denominators survives the long haul, not one that is increasingly hyphenated and celebratory of cultural differences.

Commonalities like language, customs and history form the lasting fabrics of a successful, peaceful society. When differences are not only emphasized but encouraged and expanded, the various factions within society tend to eventually discover that they share little. The more we discover we're not the same, the more we segregate ourselves. The more we segregate, the fewer opportunities we have to reconcile differences and avoid misunderstandings.

At that point, our problems will really begin in earnest. But aren't we nearly there already?

This is the kind of nation envisioned by Powell and, by default, President Bush who, because of petty politics, is still bleating on about a new amnesty and work program for illegal immigrants and others who may use such leniency to get into our nation and do us harm. To such "leaders," supporting short-term politically prosperous policies is much more important than being brave enough to adopt long-term strategies that build, rather than destroy, the ties the bind us together and identify us uniquely as Americans.

Already there are signs of deep division. Blacks and Hispanics say whites earn more, are offered better jobs, get better health care, better education and better homes, though, in reality, the same opportunities may exist for all ethnic groups.

People who earn less are envious and distrustful of people who earn more, all the while ignoring the fact that those who earn more often do so at great personal and financial risk, took the time to get better educated and worked their you-know-what off to get where they are.

Millions of Americans have bought into the socialist-liberal lie that all men and women are equal in terms of intelligence, motivation, ability and skills. Men and women are equal only in the eyes of God – which was the inference meant by our founders – but that's about it.

Increasingly, when we can't "have" what others have, we won't work harder to get it – rather, we'll simply complain more loudly until someone in government takes it away from those who have it and gives it to those who don't.

The Christian underpinning of American society has nearly been litigated and mitigated into extinction, all the while men like Colin Powell push for "inclusion" of other religions.

Each of these examples has been exacerbated by continued, unlimited immigration, which has led to a widening underclass our power elite have exploited for short-term political gain. If allowed to progress to its natural conclusion, this process will lead to the violent "balkanization" of America along racial, ethnic and cultural lines.

To paraphrase Edmund Burke, the only thing necessary to create a Bosnia-type ethnic quagmire in the U.S. is for good men and women to do nothing.

John Dougherty WorldNetDaily

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