We're still in the USA, as you can tell by a lack of posts. The kids are speaking real English, they are getting to know my friends' kids, they are learning to swim and they are experiencing the other part of their heritage. . .
More to come on some of our experiences but one sprang to mind that I had to mention before we return.
We're currently on Cape Cod and were taking a walk around Hyannis, where JFK once lived, and right outside of the JFK visitor center, there were two twenty-somethings holding a picture of Obama with a Hitler-type moustache. "Impeach Obama" was printed on the bottom in large white letters. The photo was pasted directly next to a picture of the real dictator.
It was the first real negative encounter we've had since arriving here last month. My kids didn't know this, of course, which is why I didn't give a longer response to one of the demonstrators who said hello to me. I merely said, "I don't agree." What I really wanted to say was:
"You should be ashamed of yourself comparing a mass murderer to Barack Obama. . .get a history book moron. . . you are belittling the gravity of The Holocaust by doing this. . .you are naive and embarrassing. . .my German husband feels like telling you a little something about your immature, cheap and unimaginative cartoon there. . .Adolf Hitler is not synonomous with "I don't like X, so let's compare him to the last centruy's most horrific figure".
Like I said, I was with my children, and I didn't want to get into a discussion. When my son asked me why I said "I don't agree" I said that it's my right as well as theirs to say what we believe. I was really thinking "Even ignorant people have the right to free speech."
