'Melting pot' comes with time, tolerance

Steve Brixen's Sept. 23 guest opinion focused on some serious issues. Unfortunately, he failed to address or suggest any solutions. Like so many reactionaries he sets up a straw man, tells us to be afraid of it and leaves us hanging. He hopes for answers but provides none. We need more ideas and fewer diatribes. We get our minimum daily requirement of that from our president and vice president.

The easiest to refute is the immigration problem. If there weren't employers willing to break the law in order to save money on labor, there'd be fewer illegals. They come here primarily for jobs. If the jobs weren't available they wouldn't be either.

Next, one anecdote about one cleric who suggests the use of "Allah" in place of "God" is hardly universal acceptance of that notion and scarcely a threat. If Bush had kept up the chase for bin Laden and Zawahiri the terror threat might have been lessened.

Multiculturalism is a little different, but, again, no threat. My father was a Dutch immigrant. While he assimilated relatively easily because he already spoke English, he continued to share Dutch culture with his children in the form of art, ideas and holiday traditions. My wife's family emigrated from Quebec, speaking only French when they arrived three generations ago. In the 19th Century, many of these ethnic communities maintained their own towns or neighborhoods that protected their language and traditions for a time, but they were slowly and surely assimilated. Why should it be any different today? It just takes time and tolerance. Steve's a little short on the latter.

BOB WYNHAUSEN

Sandpoint