Thread: Town Asked to Rescind English-Only Law

Town asked to rescind English-only law
Published: May 13, 2010 at 9:24 AM

JACKSON, N.Y., May 13 (UPI) -- The American Civil Liberties Union says it has asked Jackson, N.Y., to rescind an ordinance requiring all town business to be conducted in English.

The law prohibits constitutionally protected speech and discriminates against people with limited English skills, ACLU spokeswoman Melanie Trimble told The New York Times in a story published Thursday.

Town leaders passed the ordinance two months ago and the nearby town of Argyle, N.Y., since has passed a similar resolution. The town of Easton, N.Y., also is considering such a measure, the Times reported.

Roger Meyer, 76, a Jackson Town Council member, said he proposed the ordinance to encourage the federal government to make English the official language of the United States.

"We have records going back to 1816, and they've never been written in anything but English," Meyer told the Times. "This law isn't changing anything. It's just making it official that we're going to do what we've been doing for 190 years."

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2010/05/ ... 273757060/

Good for them, tell the ACLU to stuff it or better yet ignore them, and don't give them the time of day!

Just say NO!

If I may add why I beleive in this law......

Now granted, when I did my reasearch, it was for the californai schools.
We have a budget deficit, we need to save money. Here are some facts I will go head to head with people on

Printing = too print on one side of a paper, costs an average of 1.8 to 2.2 cents a side. This is based on average costs at 20% coverage. Numbers are from HP, Konica Minolta, Epson, Xerox
granted quality of printer determines this, and this is for the ink only

Kids in california school = 6.3 million

now, the california school board decides notes sent home to parents had to be in English on one side, spanish in the other. So every note sent home to parents, we could actually save an average of 2 cents.

so........

6,300,000
x .02
____________

126,000

this may not seem like a large number, until you realize, I quit counting last year at 125 notes my 1 daughter brough home, never mind the other two.

now, think about all the dual language printing at DMV, the IRS, it goes on and on

Bottom line: they came here, we didn't go there. Speak the language or get help from someone who does.

'Adapt to our ways!' Tiny U.S. town forces all business to be conducted in English amid fears of Spanish tidal wave

By David Gardner
Last updated at 9:13 PM on 13th May 2010

A small American town 2,500 miles away from the Mexican border has designated English as its official language.

Jackson is in New York state and its population of 1,700 is mostly white with just a handful of Spanish-speaking farm workers.

But inhabitants were determined to protect their English-speaking heritage after condemning the federal government for not acting.


Immigration wars: Migrants' rights supporters at a rally (file photo). A small New York town has passed a law ordering English to be used for all town business as supporters of Arizona's draconian immigration policy try to change America from the ground up


The legislation means that all official business in the town, which has no shops, school or church, must be conducted in English.

Council member Roger Meyer, who proposed the law, said: 'The federal government has shirked its duty by not passing English as the official language of the United States.

'I felt I would start a grass-roots movement to try to get it passed from the bottom up.'

One neighbouring town, Argyle, has passed a similar resolution while another, Easton, will debate the issue next month.

Supporters claim the moves highlight support for bolder action to curb immigration and preserve the culture which many fear is under threat in some states.

Meanwhile heated debate is being waged over Arizona’s controversial decision to grant police new laws to quiz people they suspect of being in the country illegally.

But supporters claim it underlines the undercurrent of support for bolder action to curb immigration and preserve the language and culture that many fear are under threat in parts of the US.


The small American town of Jackson in New York State

Despite a wave of condemnation levelled at Arizona – with Los Angeles yesterday banning all official business with the state – a new opinion poll found that 59 per cent of Americans supported the crackdown.

Even in Jackson, where nobody really believes there is a serious threat of a sudden flood of immigrants, town officials felt it necessary to make a stand.

‘People come here because it’s better than the place they were in,’ Mr Meyer told the New York Times. ‘If that’s the case, you should be adapting yourself to our ways. We shouldn’t be adapting to your ways.’


However, the law has put the town at odds with the New York Civil Liberties Union, which is demanding the law is repealed.

‘The English language is not under attack in Jackson or anywhere else in the state or country,’ said union director Melanie Trimble.

The civil rights group said the law was a threat to free speech and discriminated against anyone with limited English skills.

Alan Brown, the town supervisor and the only council member to vote against the measure, insisted: ‘The law would play to some people’s prejudices and I don’t think that’s a good thing.

‘This law didn’t pop up because someone has interest in and sympathy for the fact that we’ve always done our meetings in English.

‘What is a human’s greatest fear? It’s fear of whatever, of death, of terrorism, fear of what we don’t understand. We’re all afraid of the unknown. My opinion is that this is just adding to all of that,’ he added.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldne ... anish.html

Speak English Only, Small NY Towns Decree
http://www.aolnews.com/nation/article/s ... e/19477485

(I am unable to print this out.)

Correct me if wrong, but isnt it also federal law that the language of choice is English in all government meetings and transactions

i hope it spreads.

what's wrong with the present (meaning 2 decades thus far) Government they cower to the illegal aliens south of the border. English is the official language of the USA. My parents didn't learn english for nothing before immigrating to America. Hell , will they need to learn Spanish too. Both parents are retirees with one parent being deceased. and my mother is fed up with the english/spanish language she had to faced in her old age. As what she said, she didn't immigrate to the US only to retire like another foreigner with all the Spanish language in every thing we buy, transportation and bank transactions.

I have heard plenty of immigrants from other countries complain about how it is here in AZ. For a grade school child there is pressure from all teachers, cafeteria workers and even the bus driver, to learn Spanish words. A child that comes from another country is still just learning English. They get confused not knowing what is English and what is Spanish and meanwhile the parents feel pressured at home to keep them growing in their original language so that they will be able to talk to friends and family in their home country when they go to visit. For many children learning 3 languages in a disorganized way like this is simply too much. I know it is common in Europe but I don't know how they address it to make it easier for the children.

Meanwhile I hope that those little towns in upstate NY can band together against the ACLU. Somebody must fund them that wants to destroy this nation. It has been known for years. Why don't they help the poster that said he cannot get a job in his area because the employment agencies don't even have applications in English? What about his human rights, his civil rights and his citizenship rights?