Thread: Fudging on English as National Language

I saw this coming. Incontrovertible proof that the US Senate is completely out of touch with the American Public and reality generally.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12866975/

Senators at odds over English's status in U.S.
Lawmakers approve 2 resolutions on language; Bush backs both measures

The Associated Press
Updated: 12:34 a.m. ET May 19, 2006


WASHINGTON - Whether English is America’s “national language” or its national “common and unifying language” was a question dominating the Senate immigration debate.

The Senate first voted 63-34 to make English the national language after lawmakers who led the effort said it would promote national unity.

But critics argued the move would prevent limited English speakers from getting language assistance required by an executive order enacted under President Clinton. So the Senate also voted 58-39 to make English the nation’s “common and unifying language.”

Supporters agreed that both measures are largely symbolic.

“We are trying to make an assimilation statement,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., one of two dozen senators who voted Thursday for both English proposals.


Bush backing
White House spokesman Tony Snow said Friday that President Bush supports both measures.

“What the president has said all along is that he wants to make sure that people who become American citizens have a command of the English language,” Snow said. “It’s as simple as that.”

Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., disputed charges that making English the national language was racist or aimed at Spanish speakers. Eleven Democrats voted for his measure.

The provision makes exceptions for any language assistance already guaranteed by law, such as bilingual ballots required under the Voting Rights Act or court interpreters. It also requires immigrants seeking citizenship to demonstrate a “sufficient understanding of the English language for usage in every day life.”

The Homeland Security Department is in the midst of redesigning the citizenship test and some groups have been concerned about efforts to make the test more difficult.

Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo, offered the alternative. The only Republican to vote solely for Salazar’s “common and unifying” language option was Sen. Pete Domenici of New Mexico, whose home state’s constitution prohibits discrimination on basis of inability to speak, read or write English or Spanish.

Both provisions will be included in an immigration bill the Senate is expected to pass and send to conference with the House, where differences will be resolved.

President Bush, who often peppers his speeches with Spanish words and phrases, toured an unfortified section of the border in the Arizona desert Thursday, where he endorsed using fences and other barriers to cut down on illegal crossings. The Senate on Wednesday voted to put 370 miles of fences on the border.

Bush’s border visit was part of his efforts to win over conservatives balking at his support for a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants and a new guest worker program.

Bush asked Congress for $1.9 billion Thursday to pay for 1,000 Border Patrol agents and the temporary deployment of up to 6,000 National Guard troops to states along the Mexican border.

Lawmakers' displeasure
His request was not warmly welcomed by some key senators.

Sen. Judd Gregg, chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, delayed a vote on Bush’s promotion of U.S. Trade Representative Rob Portman to White House budget director to show his displeasure. He said Bush’s request calls for using money for proposed for border security equipment to pay for operational exercises.

Sen. Robert Byrd, the Senate Appropriations Committee’s top Democrat, complained that he had offered amendments providing for border security nine times since 2002, only to have the Bush administration reject them as extraneous spending or expanding the size of government.

“If we had spent that money beginning in 2002, we would not be calling on the National Guard today,” Byrd said.

A bipartisan coalition of lawmakers supporting the immigration measure continued to hold through the week. The group was able to reverse an amendment that denied temporary workers the ability to petition on their own for legal permanent residency, a step to citizenship.

Bill supporters restored the self-petitioning with the condition the federal government certifies American workers were unavailable to fill the jobs held or sought by the temporary workers.

© 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

This Senate would be at odds with a proposal that the American Flag is the proper symbol of this nation.

I'd guess that you could get at least 30 votes against that proposition.

If English isnt made official I think the outcry will be deafening...I will be inconsolably angry they will have a problem I think.

Do we have a list of names of those Senators who voted against this English for national language amendment? I suggest we send them a brick with the words traitor to your people and your country. You need to pack up your personal effects, vacate your desk, your services are no longer needed by your employers! Sorry for the previous post, sometimes I have my problems with this puter.

Originally Posted by nittygritty

Do we have a list of names of those Senators who voted against this English for national language amendment? I suggest we send them a brick with the words traitor to your people and your country. You need to pack up your personal effects, vacate your desk, your services are no longer needed by your employers! Sorry for the previous post, sometimes I have my problems with this puter.

Here it is:

NAYs ---39
Alexander (R-TN)
Allard (R-CO)
Allen (R-VA)
Bennett (R-UT)
Bond (R-MO)
Burns (R-MT)
Burr (R-NC)
Chambliss (R-GA)
Coburn (R-OK)
Cochran (R-MS)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Craig (R-ID)
Crapo (R-ID)
DeMint (R-SC)
Dole (R-NC)
Ensign (R-NV)
Enzi (R-WY)
Frist (R-TN)
Grassley (R-IA)
Gregg (R-NH)
Hatch (R-UT)
Hutchison (R-TX)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Isakson (R-GA)
Kyl (R-AZ)
Lott (R-MS)
Lugar (R-IN)
McConnell (R-KY)
Roberts (R-KS)
Santorum (R-PA)
Sessions (R-AL)
Shelby (R-AL)
Smith (R-OR)
Stevens (R-AK)
Sununu (R-NH)
Talent (R-MO)
Thomas (R-WY)
Thune (R-SD)
Vitter (R-LA)
Not Voting - 3
Bunning (R-KY)
Martinez (R-FL)
Rockefeller (D-WV)

Golly, look at all those Republicans who voted against this. You have to assume that Bush was against this, as well.

Here's the link: http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/r ... 0132#state

Jeff Sessions was on CSPAN today going on about the detriment to our country if we give these illegals amnesty yet he votes against english as the official language of this country? What the heck is that?

On a list under another topic his name was not on the list. That list is under the general discussion forum. I knew something about that was fishy as I did listen to his speech to the senate today and he seemed to be totally against amnesty or a guest worker program so I could not see him voting against english as our main language.

It may be that the vote I posted above was a protest vote.

Here's how they voted on making English the official national language as opposed to just being the "unifying" language:
http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/r ... vote=00131

Grouped By Vote Position
YEAs ---63
Alexander (R-TN)
Allard (R-CO)
Allen (R-VA)
Baucus (D-MT)
Bennett (R-UT)
Bond (R-MO)
Brownback (R-KS)
Burns (R-MT)
Burr (R-NC)
Byrd (D-WV)
Carper (D-DE)
Chafee (R-RI)
Chambliss (R-GA)
Coburn (R-OK)
Cochran (R-MS)
Coleman (R-MN)
Collins (R-ME)
Conrad (D-ND)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Craig (R-ID)
Crapo (R-ID)
DeMint (R-SC)
DeWine (R-OH)
Dole (R-NC)
Dorgan (D-ND)
Ensign (R-NV)
Enzi (R-WY)
Frist (R-TN)
Graham (R-SC)
Grassley (R-IA)
Gregg (R-NH)
Hagel (R-NE)
Hatch (R-UT)
Hutchison (R-TX)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Isakson (R-GA)
Johnson (D-SD)
Kyl (R-AZ)
Landrieu (D-LA)
Lincoln (D-AR)
Lott (R-MS)
Lugar (R-IN)
McCain (R-AZ)
McConnell (R-KY)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Nelson (D-FL)
Nelson (D-NE)
Pryor (D-AR)
Roberts (R-KS)
Santorum (R-PA)
Sessions (R-AL)
Shelby (R-AL)
Smith (R-OR)
Snowe (R-ME)
Specter (R-PA)
Stevens (R-AK)
Sununu (R-NH)
Talent (R-MO)
Thomas (R-WY)
Thune (R-SD)
Vitter (R-LA)
Voinovich (R-OH)
Warner (R-VA)

TRAITORS.....EVERY ONE OF THEM.
THIS IS THE LIVING END TO THESE SENATORS CAREER'S. WELL WE KNOW WHOS NOT ON OUR SIDE, AND WHO IS... IT IS NOW PLAIN TO SEE THAT THEY HAVE SOLD US OUT. i AM STUNNED.
I WEEP FOR US WE GOTTA GET UP, GO TO THE WINDOW, OPEN IT, AND YELL.."WE'RE MAD AS HELL AND WERE NOT GONNA TAKE IT ANYMORE!!!!!" AND THEN LETS FIRE THEM WITH ALL OUR POWER OF THE PEOPLE. MAY THE FORCE BE WITH US.

I have written to Senator Dole about this; I will let all of you know what her reply is and how long it took for her to respond.

Steve
editor@alipac.uc