Grab Your Pitchforks! American Pizza Parlor Accepts Pesos!

DALLAS - A pizza chain has been hit with death threats and hate mail after offering to accept Mexican pesos, becoming another flashpoint in the nation’s debate over immigrants.

“This is the United States of America, not the United States of Mexico,” one e-mail read. “Quit catering to the damn illegal Mexicans,” demanded another.

Dallas-based Pizza Patron said it was not trying to inject itself into a larger political debate about illegal immigration when it posted signs this week saying “Aceptamos pesos” — or “We accept pesos” — at its 59 stores across Texas, Colorado, Arizona, Nevada and California.Pizza Patron spokesman Andy Gamm said the company was just trying to sell more pizza to its customers, 60 percent of whom are Hispanic.Wal-Mart, H-E-B supermarkets and other American businesses in towns along the Mexican border accept pesos. And some businesses in New York and Minnesota communities along the northern border accept Canadian dollars. (link)

My Comment: Lighten up People! Money is only a medium of exchange. If someone can buy a pizza with Mexican Pesos it does not undermine American sovereignty. By the way, is not Pizza an Italian food? Maybe we should feel threatened that all of that Pizza is being sold in America. Real Americans eat hamburgers. Right?

What is the big deal? Why would one feel threatened that a Pizza parlor accepts pesos? The world is getting smaller. People travel more than ever. We do not live in isolation from the rest of the world. You may encounter people who don't speak English and who also happen to have another currency in their wallet. What is the difference between the foreigner exchanging his pesos for dollars and then purchasing a pizza, than a pizza parlor accepting the pesos and then exchanging them for dollars?

I had an occasion to visit a Caribbean island last year, and US dollars were accepted everywhere. I have been to Mexico on several occasions and on a recent trip I did not even bother to get local currency. On those rare occasions that I could not use my Visa card I used US dollars. Some people need to get out more; maybe, visit a foreign country. Of course, real Americans don't visit foreign countries, do they?