As a 9 year old boy, before the Berlin Wall was built, I escaped from East Germany with my mother, father and sister. You could cross to West Berlin before the wall, but were always at risk of being pulled off the subway by East German guards.

My father was imprisoned for activities opposing the East German government's confiscation of our business. We managed to smuggle out some money and in 1957 escaped.

My father died a few weeks later and through his brother we were sponsored to immigrate to the United States. In those days, your sponsor was financially responsible for you and no welfare or other benefits were available to even legal immigrants.

When we arrived in the United states in 1959, we came here with the intention to become Americans. We learned to speak English quickly, as an 11 year old it was easy and I learned to speak the language in 3 months. I was put into the same grade in school as I attended in Germany and no one translated anything for me. Total immersion is by far the best way to learn any language.

We intended from the first day to become Americans and adopt the American culture. I believe the only German custom we retained was to celebrate Christmas and give presents on Christmas Eve.

What little German culture we retained was done so privately and in conjunction with learning and accepting the American culture. After all, this culture made America the success story that it was. Sadly, now all that has changed. I sometimes refer to what immigrants now want to do is to slaughter a goat on the front yard to roast it on an open fire instead of accepting the culture that is prevalent here and has led to the prosperity this country offered.

Today's immigrants legal or illegal, have chosen to continue their often failed ways of living that brought them here in the first place. Yet they often refuse to adapt.

The first thing should always be to learn the language of the nation they have chosen to live in. they can not expect to be economically successful without speaking the language fluently. What kind of work can a non English speaker in the U.S. expect to find? If he or she can't speak the language of commerce, then the job will usually come with a broom or a shovel. That is the reality of immigration.

Learn to speak English anytime you are in public and even at home for practice. Adopt the customs of your host nation and never speak glowingly of your country of birth while denigrating the greatest nation on earth. Not the perfect nation but the nation of opportunity if you but do what's necessary and adapt to it. Then the melting pot will truly work for everyone.

Fred Speckmann
commonsenseforamericans@yahoo.com