We are Americans

Forty-nine people brutally murdered in Orlando, and Fabiola Santiago writes half a page about taking offense at comments by Sen. Bill Nelson under the headline Political cowardice?

She correctly quotes Nelson’s comments in a CNN interview at the site of the shooting that, “We’ve got to think of ourselves as the common denominator of Americans, not as hyphenated Americans off on some cause.” From this Santiago takes deep offense, concluding that it is another reminder that she is not fully an American.

I think she got it wrong. Nelson’s hope is that we look to what we have in common as fellow Americans, not to what sets us apart. In his speech on the Senate floor the next day, Nelson again referred to this as our American “melting pot.” As the grandson of immigrants, I’m proud of my heritage, but I’m an American. And so is Ms. Santiago.

This story was originally published June 15, 2016 at 7:33 PM with the headline "We are Americans."