We, the people of the United States of America, are a nation with a multicultural heritage. We must be accepting of our many cultural backgrounds and integrate them to be one national blend, co-habitating with a cohesive bond of national pride. As a member of the global community, I feel the United States needs to be respected as a strong, credible nation. We must set an example of mutual respect and admiration for our fellow citizens. Equal opportunity is only the beginning of the total commitment we must all make in order to survive the next century. We can no longer consume ourselves with self-indulgent, special interests. It is a time to incorporate ourselves as “one nation, under god, indivisible, with liberty, and justice for all.”

This has been our commitment for the past 200 years and should continue to be so. If we can, through setting an example of mutual respect, show the world that people of diverse heritages can triumphantly unite, we may, in turn, have provided the catalyst needed to guide the world towards a true global community.

David Miner

Oakdale