Thread: The United States of America and The English Language.

It's been a long twenty four hours for me. Though I have been busy, I've haven't been too busy to ponder something that interested me. Last night I responded to a post by 93camaro on Hispanic groups filing a complaint to the (FCC) Federal Communications Commission.

I took the time last night to respond to that post. I did a little research and came up with the only issues the FCC deals with.

After thinking about all of that I decided this is important to discuss also. English is our "legal citizens" official language. The English language is a very important part of our history and our heritage.

Many years ago President Theodore Roosevelt once said "We have one language here, and that is the English language, and we intend to see that the [assimilation] crucible turns our people out as Americans."

Today America's linguistic unity, which enabled the melting-pot crucible to forge one nation out of millions of immigrants from all over the world, is under attack as never before. Record numbers of non-English speaking immigrants threaten to overwhelm the assimilative process. And instead of encouraging new immigrants to acquire the English fluency needed to succeed in our society, the policy of our government is to promote "diversity" by operating in ever growing numbers of foreign languages.

Arizona have been in and out of court several times regarding "English as a Second Language." Our Federal Government is spending an outrageous amount of money teaching "non English speaking students." I have no problem with people speaking their own language in their homes and within their communities. That was their original language and I am not implying they have no right to use it.

Personally I am in total agreement with Theodore Roosevelt, We Should Have Only One Language Here and that is The English Language. Though the Hispanic community has filed a complaint with the FCC, I have some of my own complaints.

Before you hear my complaint list I want to go on record as saying I have friends all over the United States and some overseas that are Caucasian, Hispanic, Black, Oriental, Vietnamese, African and the list of my friends and associates goes on from there. I don't unless someone brings up the topic see color in people. In reality we are all the same color, just with a difference in the skin pigmentation. Along with that we all bleed the same color blood. I share that with you so that no one accuses me of being "racist." That is something I have never been and will never be.

I do also believe there is a major difference between being "racist" if you will and having "values" that you believe everyone needs to respect or honor.

1. I'm tired of seeing Hispanic people talking and as you walk up and they see you, whether that is in a grocery store line or anywhere, you can generally hear them speaking English, until you get closer and they notice you and then all of a sudden they are speaking fluent Spanish.

2. I'm also tired of those situations when they do that and turn around and look at you and make sure you see them and are laughing, and I believe though I may be wrong, that's because they get much humor out of knowing I or we can't understand a thing they are saying. I find no humor in that and think it's extremely rude.

3. As far as their complaint to the FCC, I watch and listen to a lot of the major news networks whether on television or radio. I tend to think that what they are hearing and then thinking is "Hate Talk" or "Hate Radio or Television" isn't truly about Hate, it's just that they don't like our opinion or what some are saying and they construe that as Hate. Anotherwords if our opinion doesn't agree with their opinion then they are making an assumption that we "Hate Them."

We have a constitutional right to "Freedom of Speech" granted by our Constitution. Freedom of Speech is but one thing of many that make our Country great and make our country one that many want to relocate to and go through the process to become Americans.

4. I have to think that it would only make sense to have the FCC that has licensed the Hispanic channels and networks to adjust the rules of their laws and find a way to make the Hispanic networks either broadcast in English since they are in America, or run the text of what they are saying across the screen Radio stations could by dually simulcast to run the Hispanic version along with the English version. That might even help those that can't speak Englisih to learn.

5. I don't believe our Government should make our schools bilingual to where all students have to learn Spanish. I think it should be the parent's and childrens decision as to what languages they want to learn.

6. One last thing that disturbs me is the electronic answering systems that via computer pick up our initial calls. They state if you want to hear this in English push 1 and then we still go through both dialogs prior to being transferred to a live person. I believe when we push 1 we should be transferred over to an English speaking person. The reverse for the Spanish speaking customers.

It appears we as American's are going to have to become more vocal on each issue that our Federal Government tries to put through to make sure we keep our Constitution the Great Document and Rule of law for the United States of America it is.

I have many friends, some of which are my best lifelong friends that are Hispanic and they did what it took to become an American, and are now 100% proud of their Legal United States Citizen status. They also are upset and the Illegal Immigration problem we are having across America. Their attitude is "We did what it took", "They need to do what it takes", or they need to go back to Mexico.

Take action by sending an email to your Congressional representative without charge through ProEnglish requesting that they support the English Language Unity Act, H.R. 997, sponsored by Rep. Steve King (IA). H.R. 997 would make English the official language of the United States and would repeal Pres. Clinton's Executive Order 13166, which requires that English-speaking U.S. residents finance translators for non-English speaking residents.

http://capwiz.com/proenglish/issues/ale ... d=14928441

The companion bill in the Senate is S. 991 sponsored by Sen. James Inhofe, OK.


Other national organizations promoting making English the official language of the United States:

English First
http://englishfirst.org/

U.S. English
http://www.us-english.org/view/20

Common sense is no longer common practice. They're NOT going to do away with spending millions of dollars to accommodate Spanish-speaking people and big businesses make billions of dollars by marketing to and spending money on Hispanic consumers --- IN Spanish! Just look at Corporate sponsors advertising on Hispanic media outlets. All big corporations pandering to Hispanics in their own language.

Texas2Step,
Thanks for responding. I've been writing Washington, calling emailing and doing everything I feasibly can in a day. At least I'm giving it my best shot.

legalalien

I appreciate you taking the time to respond. I totally agree with you. I dare say our cents and dollars is their common sense or so it seems.

I have a concern myself with Corporate America. Seems to me if our American Corporations would keep their businesses either here in the U.S. or pay the Mexican Citizens a liveable wage for working for them in Mexico then maybe half of the problem would be solved.

When I lived in California in the late 70’s, I experienced culture shock, when I realized that it was possible to go for blocks, sometimes miles, and the only things that were written in English were the street signs. A few years ago, I visited my friend’s small hometown in upstate New York, and there was a Mexican immigrant part of town where even the streets had been renamed to have Spanish names.
This is outrageous. If I wanted to live in Mexico, or Spain, or China, or Vietnam, etc., I’d move there.
Canada, and other countries where dual cultures try to coexist, prove that this is not the way to do things. There is just too much friction and fighting for control over the domination of a country’s lifestyle, and it makes life more confusing for everybody.
This is evident in Africa and the middle-east, where the colonial powers arbitrarily divided up land without any regard to traditional ethnic and tribal boundaries. Most recently, it is showing up in the infighting in Kyrgyzstan, where Stalin had split ethnic groups apart, for his own weird convenience.

Change is needed in America, and it needs to go further than just making English the official language.
It should be illegal to have Anything in another language than English.
This goes for labels on anything, or in any products, including instruction manuals.
I know it is easier to make one instruction book for a product, so it can be sent to any country, but I don’t like to search through a manual for the English section.
Any election materials, drivers’ tests, textbooks, street signs, advertising, names of businesses; anything and everything, should be in English.
And, there should be no option for any automated phone menus (those obnoxious things should be outlawed, anyway) for any language other than English.
If you want to live here, then learn to communicate in English, or go home and stay there.

This would not be so much of a problem if these other cultures were not trying to overcome and displace the standard American culture, through isolationism and very high birth rates. There have been unique non-English store names for years, but, these were exceptions, and it was still evident, walking or driving down any street, that one was living in America.

As for trying to get corporations to Voluntarily go to an English only system, forget about it.
The people who run corporations, worldwide, have been taught that there is no morality, absolutely none, when it comes to business dealings. This, in itself, is a huge problem.
I was listening to an interview on NPR, a few years ago, and the guy being interviewed was asked if he felt it was wrong for a corporation to do immoral things.
He said that there was no morality when it came to a corporation. The only goal of a corporation, and the people who run it, is to make money for the corporation and its shareholders.
He was then asked if he personally felt any remorse at night for having hurt people through his dishonest leadership of his corporation.
He very quickly and very calmly said, “No.â€

50sKid,
Thank you for taking the time to respond to my post.

I have to agree with you. If I were to move to a foreign country, I would learn the language so that I could meld in to the community. I think that is horrible that the things you experienced in California in the 70's and then visiting your friend and the renaming of all those streets were renamed in the Spanish Language.

Your most eloquent opinion was truly appreciated and I thank you for that.

I do also agree that there needs to be a Change in America. A Change in many areas. I was most fascinated with your sharing about the radio interview you listened to with a Corporate Executive. What a disgusting human being he is. Though he's following policy, sometimes policies need to be changed.

You seem to be quite the intelligent person so I would like to ask you a question and get your take on it. If American Corporations that moved their companies to Mexico to gain cheap labor along with huge Tax Breaks were to pay a wage to the Mexican Citizens that would allow them to support their families, and if our Government pulled their Tax Breaks, would we have as many Illegals trying to cross our borders?

Thank you once again.

And now we have another spliting over language … the Netherlands has elected a Flemish speaker that wants two countries of Flemish and French... Are we to be next?

Hello Justme,
I totally agree with you regarding countries and language and the splitting of countries.

We are currentrly battling to be next with the "English as a second language. Sad, but true.

Personally I am in total agreement with Theodore Roosevelt, We Should Have Only One Language Here and that is The English Language.

I also agree with you regarding your input and Theodore Roosevelts quote.

Thanka for responding.

Sher

I think that even if the wages and tax savings were adjusted, many people would still try to move here, because America still has more freedom and opportunity (even though the powers-that-be are working overtime to “hope and changeâ€