This vote will take place on Jan 22. The forces against the English Only vote are many and the dollars are many as well. It is disappointing to see Tom Oreck of Oreck Vacuums urging defeat of this English Only measure.

Please comment at this video if you desire.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBxtUfIH ... annel_page

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bL0l5WJhRA

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January 16, 2009

English-only opponents raise $300,000

By Chris Echegaray
THE TENNESSEAN

English-only campaign financial disclosure statements filed Thursday show opponents raising nearly $300,000 to fight the measure, which goes to Metro Nashville voters Jan. 22 in a special election.

Supporters of the measure face a fine for not turning in their statements by the 4:30 p.m. Thursday deadline. The penalty is $25 for each day Nashville English First doesn't disclose its campaign finances after a certified letter is sent out, Davidson County Election Administrator Ray Barrett said. If the group delays beyond 30 days, the state steps in and can assess a fine of up to $10,000. The proposed charter amendment, which goes to voters Jan. 22, would force all Metro Nashville government business to be done in English, with the council given power to grant exceptions. Early voting ends on Saturday.

Jon Crisp with Nashville English First didn't return calls seeking comment by late Thursday. Metro Councilman Eric Crafton, who is spearheading the English-only effort, said he isn't in charge of the daily operations or the financial statement.

Past fundraising disclosure forms from Nashville English First showed nearly all funding coming from ProEnglish, a national group aimed at getting similar measures passed. ProEnglish has been labeled a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center because its founder has links to the Federation for American Immigration Reform, which was labeled a hate group.

VU opposes measure

Nashville For All of Us, the measure's main opposition group, filed statements showing Vanderbilt University donated $10,000. With international recruitment of diverse faculty, students and staff, Vanderbilt wants Nashville to be open and welcoming, and the measure wouldn't reflect that, said vice chancellor for public affairs Beth Fortune.

"We are the largest private employer in Middle Tennessee with 22,000 employees," she said. "This English-only initiative sends the wrong message. As you know, Chancellor (Nicholas) Zeppos and other university presidents have come out against this."

Among the largest contributors to the $286,025 campaign chest against the charter amendment were: Steve Turner, a Gulch developer with Market Street Management, $50,000; HCA Inc., $50,000; Caterpillar Financial, $25,000; Ben Rechter, president of Rogers Group Investments, $25,000; Gaylord Entertainment, $10,000; Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau, $5,000.

There are no contribution limits for measures, so individuals and corporations can donate whatever they want, said the state's executive director of registry of election finance Drew Rawlins.

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http://www.tennessean.com/article/20090 ... /901160343


Some of the groups working against English Only. These same groups lobby against any legislation to stop illegal immigration.


Coalition Members
Coalition for Education about Immigration (CEI)
Faith Leaders for All of Us
Nashville Community Organizers (NCO)
Nashville’s Moment Is Now

People of faith
Catholic Charities
Clergy for Tolerance
The Community Relations Committee of Nashville Jewish Federation
Interdenominational Ministerial Fellowship
Islamic Center of Nashville
The Jewish Federation of Nashville and Middle Tennessee
Middle Tennessee Justice For Our Neighbors
Pastoral Counseling Centers of Tennessee, Inc.
The Social Justice Committee of the First Unitarian-Universalist Church of Nashville

Business leaders
Bone McAllester Norton PLLC
Duthie Learning
GML, LLC
Greater Nashville Hotel and Lodging Association
Harrington Law Office
Hispanic Marketing Group
Jones Law Group
Latin Market Communications
Mario Ramos, PLLC
McNeely Pigott & Fox
Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce
Nashville Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau
Nashville Business Coalition
North, Pursell, Ramos & Jameson PLC
P&L Translations
Realtor Pat Skow
Tennessee Business Coalition
Tennessee Chinese Chamber of Commerce
Tennessee Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
The Law Offices of David Randolph Smith & Edmund J. Schmidt III
Tim McFadden Management
Tinney Contemporary
United Steelworkers of America - District 9
Ming Wang, M.D., Ph.D.

Immigrants
Kurdish American Youth Organization
Somali Community Center
Sudanese Community and Women’s Service Center
Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC)

Educators
Metropolitan Nashville Education Association
The Heart of Learning

Media
Hispanic Nashville Notebook
La Campana - Newspaper
La Noticia Newspaper
Latino News
Liberadio(!) with Mary Mancini & Freddie O’Connell
Solo Nashville-Telefutura

Political
Davidson County Democratic Executive Committee
Davidson County Democratic Women
Davidson County Young Democrats
Democracy for Tennessee
ElectBlue
Green Party of Middle Tennessee
League of Women Voters of Nashville
Libertarian Party of Metropolitan Nashville and Davidson County
Middle Tennessee Hispanic Democrats
Nashville Women’s Political Caucus
Tennessee Transgender Political Coalition

Advocates
ACLU of Tennessee
Community Nashville
Conexion Americas
Hispanic Organization for Progress and Education (H.O.P.E.)
League for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing/Ear Foundation Executive Committee
Middle Tennessee Jobs with Justice
Nashville Femme
National Association of Social Workers -Tennessee Chapter
Nashville Peace and Justice Center
OutCentral.org
Phil Michal Thomas Advocacy in Action
Planned Parenthood of Middle and East Tennessee
Stand for Children
Tennessee Equality Project
Tennessee Returned Peace Corps Volunteers
The Welcoming Tennessee Initiative (WTI)

Arts
Green Room Projects/Naked Stages
Visnulimited dba Curatorial Mangement System

Sports
Nashville Metros

http://www.nashvilleforallofus.org/About.html

http://coalition.nashvilleforallofus.org/

Psalm 91