In the post above Ed points to Victor Hanson Davis’ identification of “the American way” with the right to make money without restriction.
At another point in the same article, Hanson says the following:

“Race, tribe or religion often defines a nation’s character, either through loose confederations of ethnic or religious blocs … or by equating a citizenry with a shared appearance as reflected in the German word “volk” or the Spanish “raza.” And while the United States was originally crafted largely by white males who improved upon Anglo-Saxon customs and the European Enlightenment, the Founders set in place an “all men are created equal” system that quite logically evolved into the racially blind society of today.
This year a minority of babies born in the United States will resemble the look of the Founding Fathers. Yet America will continue as it was envisioned, as long as those of various races and colors are committed to the country’s original ideals.”

At the same time, a New York Times editorial today notes the following:

“The [new immigration laws] laws vary in their details but share a common strategy: to make it impossible for people without papers to live without fear.
They give new powers to local police untrained in immigration law. They force businesses to purge work forces and schools to check students’ immigration status. And they greatly increase the danger of unreasonable searches, false arrests, racial profiling and other abuses, not just against immigrants, but anyone who may look like some officer’s idea of an illegal immigrant.
The laws empower local police officers to demand the documents of people they meet, and to detain those they suspect are here illegally. That means they can make warrantless arrests for assumed civil immigration violations, a stunning abuse of power.”

Concern is certainly justified about our nation’s continuing “committment to the country’s original ideals, but the committment of people of “various races and colors” (other than white males) is not necessarily the place to begin.