Once again Sean Gastonguay is taking his ‘Christian’ and patriotic family on a dangerous ocean voyage because he believes in real American values.  He’s also afraid of immigration reform.  Is he the face of real America?  Or something else entirely?

What is the face of the ‘real’ American?  Is it white only?  Is it someone who comes primarily from a Native American background?  Or, is it blond?  Is a ‘real’ American someone who was born here, and hails back to the first boat load of illegal immigrants to arrive at Jamestown, or the first boat load of illegal immigrants who landed at Plymouth Rock?

Is the granddaughter of my dear friends from India, and now proud American citizens any less of an American than my great-niece, Cutie Catie, who has the whole Jamestown, Plymouth Rock, DAR pedigree?  Are Zehra and Mushtak any less American because they are naturalized? What about my friends Carol & Juan, or Nana & Ryan.  They are naturalized.  I guess, because Carol and Juan are from Mexico makes them less American than say, Steve King, Ron Paul, Patrick J. Buchanan, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham or even Glenn Beck?  Oh, wait, they are pure lily white.  Maybe that’s the difference.

Just who is a real American?  Is it someone who has Native American ancestry, or someone who does the John Wayne thing?  Is a real American someone who marches against war or someone who serves?  Does a real American represent only one ideology or is a real American someone who is born here, votes, and is a good citizen?  If you put it that way, the ones who aren’t ‘real’ Americans – the ones who want to destroy our country, to have a revolution, to support the militias, or even someone like Larry Klayman who is suggesting we have a revolution to overthrow the duly elected President of the United States, isn’t much of a real American at all.

Is a real American someone who supports the country, tries to abide by our laws and works with everyone to make this a better nation, or are people like Charles and David Koch real Americans because they want to use their vast wealth to literally turn this country into something the Founding Fathers would never recognize?  Are people like Ted Cruz, who has a shaky pedigree, at best the real Americans or are people like the humble immigrant who works hard, every day, a real American?

The hate spewed by the far right is amazing.  I guess what doesn’t even shock me is the values shown by the far right.  Blond, bimbo, guns, and fake opera.  It’s the fake opera that really gets me, and how ‘extensively’ this genius trained.  If you know anything about opera, it is a life-time of training.  Not watching someone lip-sync on YouTube.  If she knew anything…, if her supporters knew anything…?

If a person is Hispanic, there is something wrong with them, according to those who work with and for the John Tanton machine.  Are they the real Americans, people like Michelle Malkin who writes for VDare, or Mark Kirkorian, or any of the other white nationalists who write for publications like VDare, the Social Contract Press, or other Tanton entities?  Are they any better than were Denise McNair, Addie Mae Collins, Cynthia Wesley, or Carole Robertson whose lives were to tragically taken on September 15, 1963?  Just who is the face of Real America?

“...There’s an implicit message that Vail should also be American because she is white. American, however, is not a skin color. Right now, 49.9 percent of all American children under the age of 5 are not white, the Census Bureau reported in June.  According to the AP, a majority-minority shift could take place within the next 30 years. …”

Are John Tanton’s minions from Numbers USA, FAIR, and so forth and so on any better than Sergio Garcia, who is a DREAMER, and now an attorney?

“…Allow me to explain. My father, who is now a U.S. citizen, applied to have my status adjusted, for me to have a green card. This was 19 years ago and I still don’t have one.

Not having a green card has opened a Pandora’s box for me. I have had to fight for my right to be able to one day fight for others. On Sept. 4, 2013, I reached the highest court in the state of California — perhaps something that to most would seem a lofty goal in their law careers, but not to me, since I was there to fight my own case. And given the limited amount of time provided by the court, I was not even able to say a word. I allowed the grown-ups to do the arguing for me: private counsel, the California State Bar attorney and the attorney for our very own state Attorney General….”

Not only are they racist, they’re also dumb, stupid, ignorant, and just plain, dumber than dirt.  Evidently real American patriots don’t comprehend the difference between India and Egypt.  They don’t know the difference between someone who is from India and someone who is Arabic. They can’t even tell the difference between someone from India and someone who is African-American.

I haven’t watched the Miss America Pageant in over 25 years.  I did watch this clip, which showed the patriotic “All American” blond from Kansas to be as dumb as dirt, if not stupider than stupid.  She was so dumb she did not even pay attention to the fact that she was not from New York.   She learned Nessum Dorma by watching YouTube!  I guess she is also so STUPID that she doesn’t realize that it is a tenor aria?

I don’t think American should want to claim this bimbo. This is one of the worst things I’ve ever had the misfortune to hear.  How the hell did this dingbat ever get that far?

Let’s face it, the woman looks like the All-American …. whore!  I think what this does do is portray just how abjectly out of touch the far right, tea party, FOX news crowd is with reality.

To be honest, the US isn’t the only country that has problems with a status quo face for national identity

.

“…In Vladimir Putin’s fair Russia, Miss Russia 2013 – ethnic Tatar beauty Elmira Abdrazakova – was barraged with thousands of hate messages and ethnic slurs from alleged Russian nationalists. Accused of “not looking Slavic enough”, Miss Abdrazakova eventually shut down her social media pages. Some detractors demanded a ban on ethnic Tatars and Shors from participating in beauty contests, and others decreed, “a gypsy woman cannot be the face of Russia”. One critic obligingly explained that owing to her “oriental parts of face”, Miss Abdrazakova could aspire to be Miss Uzbekistan or Miss Tajikistan, but not Miss Russia, which apparently requires a European countenance.

Meanwhile, in Fiji in 2012, a mixed-ethnicity Miss Fiji with straight hair was castigated for not being “Fijian enough”. The choice of Torrika Waters, who is part-European and part-Fijian, was denounced by many indigenous Fijians, who felt that her mixed heritage did not represent Fiji accurately. She was also criticized for not having a buiniga, the colloquial term for the naturally frizzy hair indigenous to Fiji.

And what of staggeringly diverse India, where public reaction has oscillated between euphoria about Miss Davuluri’s breakthrough, and scorn for “bigotry” endemic in America? India’s Euro-centric beauty standards have arguably been even worse. Some question whether Miss Davuluri would even have a chance to win Miss India because of her dark skin tone.

Moreover, xenophobia and racial profiling of Indians from the north of the country – whose features are often distinctive from the majority of India’s population – is rampant. There is not one prominent mainstream film actress of northeastern descent. Make no mistake; in the 60-year-long history of Miss India, there hasn’t been one northeastern winner, or even one who deviates from the (relatively) light-skinned prototype….”

This is what we women describe as a skank:   [Derogatory term for a  female, implying trashiness or tackiness, lower-class status,  flakiness,… Can apply to any race, but most commonly used to describe white trash.]  In many ways, Theresa Vail does represent Tea Party America – skanky.

We aren’t quite sure what Ms. Vail wants to do with her life, but Davuluri, who is 24, wants to be a cardiologist, like her father.  According to one report, she chose to sing opera, because she’d never sung opera in her life.  She should never be allowed to sing it, either.  Trust me.

“…That said, people sure do love Miss Kansas, Theresa Vail. She has quite a bit going for her. For starters, she is the second woman from the Armed Forces to compete for Miss America. Secondly, Vail has two big tattoos that she rocked unabashed during the contest, which was a first: One is the insignia for the U.S. Army Dental Corps on her left shoulder and the second is the Serenity Prayer on her right side. In terms of hobbies, she used to race motorcycles until she was forced to quite for breaking her finger. Also, she’s an expert M16 marksman. She knows how to skin a deer and has mad archery skills. Oh yeah: She also sings opera and she double majored in chemistry and Chinese at Kansas State. …”

This is a woman whose extensive operatic training came from You Tube.

Maybe The Pink Flamingo has a problem in that some of my dearest friends are from India, and are now very proud American citizens.  Their two daughters are just as American as my 2 nieces and nephew.  Their granddaughter is as much an American as my great niece, Cutie Catie.  Perhaps I just have an affinity for the Indian culture.   The color palate is amazing.  Their fabrics are to die for.  Their fashion industry is starting to grow, thinks to Bollywood.

Why can’t this be the image of a ‘real American’?  I’d much rather consider someone like Nina Davuluri the face of America than the America of Ron Paul.

The problem with stupid racists like those who support Ron Paul is that they are, well stupid.  They are ignorant.  They need a little course in social studies.  It makes you wonder, is someone who is like Pam Geller the real face of America?

“...Exploiting the anniversary of a national tragedy to advance a nativist agenda was not limited to members of the organized Islamophobia movement, unfortunately. William Gheen, president of the anti-immigrant group Americans for Legal Immigration PAC, sent an email to supporters stating, “The illegals are trying to hijack the cockpit of America’s government!”  He then urged them to use 9/11 as a rallying point to bombard “pro-amnesty supporters” using social media and by calling government offices. After being scrutinized by various media publications, Gheen refused to redact or apologize for his comments. Instead, he sent another email to subscribers reaffirming his stance. “ALIPAC being hit by opposition anti aircraft fire tells us we are over the correct targets!” Gheen wrote. These events show that nativist groups – even in the face of tragedy – will stop at nothing to advance their bigoted and intolerant agendas. Whether or not they are effective in their efforts, the Islamophobia movement, as well as the anti-immigrant movement’s blatant and disrespectful actions must continue to be acknowledged and recognized as a threat to the collective healing and peace that so many other Americans are working towards…”

What you should know about Theresa Vail, is that she is Glenn Beck, another real American’s all-American choice to be Miss America.  If that isn’t enough to make one want to put things in context, I don’t know what else would.  After all, we know about Beck’s idea of real Americans.  You might want to read some of the comments, but do so before eating.

So much of the far right version was shockingly exposed by Dana Perino a few weeks ago when when she said that people who did not fit into the FOX News, far right version of just who a real American is – should leave the country.

Real Americans include:

• Conservatives
• Liberals
• Moderates
• Christians
• Muslims
• Jews
• Hindus
• Buddhists
• Atheists
• Hispanic
• Tea Partiers
• Progressives
• Rich
• Poor
• Middle Class
• Women
• Men
• Black
• White
• Chinese
• Native peoples
• Arabs
• Indians
• Japanese
• Mexican
• Vegatarians
• Paleo dieters
• Gays
• Lesbians
• Union workers
• Single parents
• People who don’t like guns
• People who worship guns
• Young
• Old
• Middle Age
• And…. Barack Obama  (get over it)
• Even stupid far right idiots

Maybe my real problem is the fact that I don’t consider this the real image of America.  I have as much of a problem with this specific image being ‘real’ America.  A real American is not necessarily someone who is conservative, part of the tea parties, and worships the Founding Fathers.  In fact, I’ve always thought that real Americans had the ability to think for themselves.  Why is the smirking image of a flim-flam showman who is rumored to have a little problem with what goes up his nose, the image of a ‘real’ American?

Let’s face it, you want to know what is really pissing off the far right?  They still can’t get over the fact that THIS is now the image of Rea Americas.  They can’t deal with the fact that basically half the country is no longer their favorite color – white.  They can’t handle the fact that they aren’t the be all and end all.

The opera fanatic in me can’t let this one end without a little example of how Nessum Dorme should be sung.  It is a tenor aria.  Men are tenors, blond skanks from Kansas aren’t.  Oh, theoretically they can be, but I’m just not seeing it.  The reason I am not using an American for this is because the US basically doesn’t produce all that many great tenors.  We produce barihunks like Sherrill Milnes, and amazing sopranos like Beverly Sills and Leontyne Price.

Now, for those who claim that “Miss Kansas” is an opera singer, well, listen and learn.  THIS is how Nessum Dorma should be sung.  Unfortunately, we will probably never hear it sung as amazingly as the late, great Luciano Pavarotti could sing it.

The only time I’ve ever heard a woman sing Nessum Dorma and do it amazingly, is the great Aretha.  I guess this just proves Aretha can sing anything.  Instead of trying to sing it like opera, she sang it like Aretha.  (FYI, your humble blogger considers Aretha one of the greatest voices this nation has ever produced.  The others being, in no real order:  Elvis, Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Beverly Sills, Leontyne Price, and the greatest of them all – Sherrill Milnes – Real Americans!).  There will never be another Aretha!  She’s another Real American!

One other little thing.  I think tattoos on women are hideous.  If a woman wants to wear one, then hid it where the sun don’t shine.  I don’t like them on men, either.  I think they are repulsive. There are very few exceptions to my rule.  I do, though, have an exception. In keeping with my rant about opera, let’s just go with what may, be one of the greatest interpretations of Verdi’s Iago.  That one works.  Tats on a skank don’t, especially in the Miss America Pageant.  Oh, and her taste in shoes is deplorable.  Let’s face it, Miss Kansas should have stuck with her bow and arrow.  She is, though, so dimwitted she probably would have missed and shot FOX’s hysterical ninny Todd Starnes in the tush.  Now that would have been must see TV.

P. S.  If you are a regular Pink Flamingo reader, did you really think I was going to mention opera and not mention Dmitri Hvorostovsky?  The Iago is amazing.  If I were attending the performance last Saturday, I would have booed the conductor for sandbagging him with the volume of the orchestra.  If I booed when it was done to Sherrill Milnes, then I would do the same for Hvorostovsky.