I was naturalized as a U.S. citizen in 1972, so I could enter the military during the Vietnam War. I consider it incredibly arrogant for a newly naturalized U.S. citizen like Mr. Abdi Nor Iftin to declare which of his fellow Americans have “betrayed American values” and then claim, “I am more American today than those born here” (“Through My Lens: Those who refuse vaccine are un-American,” Aug. 6).
Over the decades I’ve lived here and studied our history, I have learned that being “American” does not consist of sheepishly following the ever-changing dictates of government. Our history is filled with heroic Americans who, many would say, “betrayed American values” and stood against the government when it overstepped its constitutional authority or created immoral laws to appease the fickle political ideologies of their time.
Out of those many groups, I would like to single out the abolitionists, who many would say betrayed their American values by breaking the law. In 1850, the U.S. Congress passed the Fugitive Slave Act. That law required that all slaves be returned to their owners, even if they were in a free state. One of the proudest moments in American history was when these Americans defied the law and continued to help slaves escape and help get them to freedom in Canada.
You need to understand, Mr. Iftin, that “American values” today may also involve questioning what might be a mass phobia orchestrated by the government to increase its power over people or enriching the business interests that control it.
Ted Sirois
Saco
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