Thread: Friendswood divided over English plan

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/spe ... 79433.html

Immigration

About 80 people packed City Council chambers as Mayor Pro Tem Chris Peden spoke for seven minutes, including two minutes about his English proposal. Eleven residents also spoke about the issue.
Kim Christensen: For the Chronicle
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Dec. 6, 2006, 10:19AM
Friendswood divided over English plan
Councilman and residents air their views at tense city meeting


By THAYER EVANS
Chronicle Correspondent


FRIENDSWOOD — Tempers flared and City Council clashed Monday night in this affluent Galveston County city over a proposal that would let voters decide this spring whether to make English the city's official language.
Last month, Mayor Pro Tem Chris Peden said he would ask the city's charter review committee to explore the possibility and wants it to appear as a proposition on the city's May 12 ballot.

Since then and again Monday night, the League of United Latin American Citizens denounced the proposal and threatened to campaign against it. The organization also has indicated it would take legal action against the city if the measure is approved.

About 80 people packed City Council chambers as Peden spoke for seven minutes, including two minutes about his English proposal. Eleven residents also spoke about the issue.

Resident Charles Reeves said he would vote for the proposition.

"You're free to leave if you want to speak another language," said Reeves, 38, a mortgage broker who has lived in Friendswood for four years.

Resident James Montemayor opposes the proposal and said the debate about English has spilled over to the schools, where he said his sons have had to deal with derogatory comments.

"The city has probably opened a Pandora's box here," said Montemayor, 48, an independent contractor.

City Council members Jim Hill, Jay Horecky and John LeCour also voiced support of the proposition while Laura Ewing and Mel Measeles opposed it.

"What establishing English as an official language does is give a baseline," Peden said. "The city of Friendswood is going to publish everything in English. Our meetings will be held in English. If you want to address the City Council, you'll address the City Council in English. If you want to apply for something, the forms will be written in English. Now that does not in any way mean that they cannot or will not or should not be written in another language. That just simply means the official language of the city is English."

Ewing said she thinks people should learn English and be able to speak it, but is against it being the city's official language.

LeCour said he thinks all city employees should speak English for safety reasons.

Mayor David Smith said he doesn't think the city should be discussing an official language.

"This is not the venue for these kinds of discussions," Smith said.

"I understand why it comes up. In my opinion it's because our state and national legislatures have not addressed these issues yet. People are using city councils or lower levels of government to express their opinions about that."

LULAC's Houston-area director, Rick Dovalina, encouraged the city to pass a resolution, not an ordinance that makes English the official language in Friendswood. He said several Hispanics have indicated to him that they are concerned about the city.

"I'm getting calls from people who are saying, 'Well, are we not welcome in the city of Friendswood? Are we not supposed to shop there anymore? Can we visit our friends? Can we eat and go out to restaurants in Friendswood? Are we not welcomed?' " Dovalina said.

In October, the Friendswood council voted 6-1 to approve a resolution that urges President Bush and Congress to enforce the Immigration and Nationality Act, which governs primarily immigration and citizenship in the U.S.

Last month, the north Dallas suburb of Farmers Branch passed ordinances that declared English the city's official language, approved fines for landlords who rent to illegal immigrants and directed police to screen those in custody to see if they are here illegally. In September, Farmers Branch mailed a copy of a similar resolution to Friendswood and requested that City Council pass its own version of the measure.

People need to get a clue. Of course you can still speak Spanish in Friendswood or Farmers Branch or Hazleton. That is not the issue. No, you will not have the language police tracking you down if you speak a foreign language in your home or in public. These ordinances involve official city business, etc. They do not involve the control of your language when you are out shopping or in the park.

These ordinances only help, they do not hurt. When I lived in Argentina for two years as a missionary, I had to learn Spanish. I didn't go around expecting the people to speak English to me. I did not expect the police or other government officials to bend over backwards to communicate with me. I HAD to learn Spanish or I would starve! I had to adjust to the country I was living in. I had to adjust to their customs. I did not try to force them to change or adjust to what I was used to, i.e., carpet, a/c, McDonald's on every corner, no nutria for dinner, etc.

I don't mean to sound corny or dated, but...RESPECT THE LAND OR TALK TO THE HAND!!!

The organization also has indicated it would take legal action against the city if the measure is approved.

It wasn't that long ago, I would never have dreamed that anyone could or would oppose English as the official language. We are sinking! The LULU-Lacs are a disgrace!

LULAC's Houston-area director, Rick Dovalina, encouraged the city to pass a resolution, not an ordinance that makes English the official language in Friendswood. He said several Hispanics have indicated to him that they are concerned about the city.

"I'm getting calls from people who are saying, 'Well, are we not welcome in the city of Friendswood? Are we not supposed to shop there anymore? Can we visit our friends? Can we eat and go out to restaurants in Friendswood? Are we not welcomed?' " Dovalina said.

These calls HAVE to be coming from Illegals! Why would any legal resident ask such stupid questions??

"I'm getting calls from people who are saying, 'Well, are we not welcome in the city of Friendswood? Are we not supposed to shop there anymore? Can we visit our friends? Can we eat and go out to restaurants in Friendswood? Are we not welcomed?' " Dovalina said.

I'll bet his phone's been ringing off the hook as it should be. They're getting very, very worried.

Originally Posted by Dixie

"I'm getting calls from people who are saying, 'Well, are we not welcome in the city of Friendswood? Are we not supposed to shop there anymore? Can we visit our friends? Can we eat and go out to restaurants in Friendswood? Are we not welcomed?' " Dovalina said.

This is such an absolute crock. Why would requiring official city business to be conducted in English have anything to do with people not being welcomed to visit friends, shop, or go out to eat in restaurants? They are just using this as an excuse. There is no other country in the world that I know of that has this much controversy over using its own language. This just needs to stop. I would like to ask LULAC this question: how many Latin American cities conduct their city business and print their government forms routinely in a language other than Spanish? I would be curious to know. And if they do not, why not?

Every now and then we need to be reminded of what a wise president once said:

"In the first place we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the man's becoming in very fact an American, and nothing but an American...
There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag, and this excludes the red flag, which symbolizes all wars against liberty and civilization, just as much as it excludes any foreign flag of a nation to which we are hostile...We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language...and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."
--Theodore Roosevelt, 1919