>We live in the great melting pot and you don't even appreciate it.

I felt like jumping in here, hope you don't mind.

I don't believe America is a melting pot any longer. The term was used to describe people from all over the world, regardless of race, creed or color, coming to America and blending their culture into the American culture. I describe what America is now as a salad. Those same people from all over the world, regardless of race, creed or color, are coming to America, but instead of blending they are retaining more of their own culture, even that which runs contradictory to our American culture. As such we are more and more a mixed bowl with the older generations represented by the blended dressing. And of course as time goes on and we realize how fattening dressing is, the less of it we use.