ON BEING AN AMERICAN

"In the first place we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the man's becoming in very fact an American, and nothing but an American... There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag, and this excludes the red flag, which symbolizes all wars against liberty and civilization, just as much as it excludes any foreign flag of a nation to which we are hostile... We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language... and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."

Theodore Roosevelt 1907

Yet we purport to align ourselves with America on these very same principals. I wonder how Theodore Roosevelt would have viewed Australian and New Zealanders 'only' being allowing to wear both medals:

"for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin...There can be no divided allegiance here"

GOD BLESS AMERICA

US Medals

Sect 1a. All medals issued by foreign governments to U.S. military personnel are legally authorized for personal ownership and display by American military personnel and veterans under U.S. and U.N. law.

Sect 2a. However, the Department of Defense may restrict wear of certain medals on the U.S. military uniform based on a particular medal's "competitive" status with a similar U.S. medal. For example, the Vietnam Wound Medal was not authorized for wear on the U.S. military uniform because it competes with the American Purple Heart medal. And the Vietnamese Air Service medal was similarly not authorized for U.S. miilitary wear because it competes with the U.S. Air Medal. In contrast, there is no U.S. military medal competing with the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry, Civil Actions or Campaign medals. Hence, these medals were authorized for wear on the U.S. military uniform prior to the January 1974 Edict.

Explanation for U.S. Military Uniform Wear Restrictions of Foreign Medals

The United States military currently issues the Vietnam Campaign Medal, for veterans of the Vietnam war, but only provides a ribbon with 1960 bar. The actual medal is no longer issued except by private dealers in military insignia. The Vietnam Campaign Medal is considered a foreign award by the U.S. government, with the U.S. equivalent award known as the Vietnam Service Medal.

The Gold Urinal

Before the 2001 inauguration of George Bush, he was invited to a get-acquainted tour of the White House. After drinking several glasses of iced tea, he asked Bill Clinton if he could use his personal bathroom.

When he entered Clinton 's private toilet, he was astonished to see that President Clinton had a solid gold urinal.

That afternoon, George told his wife, Laura, about the urinal. "Just think," he said, "when I am president, I could have a gold urinal too. But I wouldn't do something that self indulgent!"

Later when Laura had lunch with Hillary at her tour of the White House, she told Hillary how impressed George had been at his discovery of the fact that,in the President's private bathroom, the President had a gold urinal.

That evening, when Bill and Hillary were getting ready for bed, Hillary smiled, and said to Bill, "I found out who pissed in your saxophone."