Thread: Pelosi tries to force S/Army to hire Illegals

Mi Casa, Sue Casa
Nancy Pelosi tries to force the Salvation Army to hire people who can't speak English.

Monday, November 19,
2007 12:01 a.m. EST

It's been less than a week since New York's Sen. Hillary Clinton and Gov. Eliot Spitzer had to climb down from their support of driver's licenses for illegal aliens. Now House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has moved to kill an amendment that would protect employers from federal lawsuits for requiring their workers to speak English. Among the employers targeted by such lawsuits: the Salvation Army.

Sen. Lamar Alexander, a moderate Republican from Tennessee, is dumbstruck that legislation he views as simple common sense would be blocked. He noted that the full Senate passed his amendment to shield the Salvation Army by 75-19 last month, and the House followed suit with a 218-186 vote just this month. "I cannot imagine that the framers of the 1964 Civil Rights Act intended to say that it's discrimination for a shoe shop owner to say to his or her employee, 'I want you to be able to speak America's common language on the job,' " he told the Senate last Thursday.

But that's exactly what the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is trying to do. In March the EEOC sued the Salvation Army because its thrift store in Framingham, Mass., required its employees to speak English on the job. The requirement was clearly posted and employees were given a year to learn the language. The EEOC claimed the store had fired two Hispanic employees for continuing to speak Spanish on the job. It said that the firings violated the law because the English-only policy was not "relevant" to job performance or safety.





"If it is not relevant, it is discriminatory, it is gratuitous, it is a subterfuge to discriminate against people based on national origin," says Rep. Charles Gonzalez of Texas, one of several Hispanic Democrats in the House who threatened to block Ms. Pelosi's attempts to curtail the Alternative Minimum Tax unless she killed the Alexander amendment.
The confrontation on the night of Nov. 8 was ugly. Members of the Hispanic Caucus initially voted against the rule allowing debate on a tax bill that included the AMT "patch," which for a year would protect some 23 million Americans from being kicked into a higher income tax bracket.

Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, a moderate from Maryland, was beside himself. Congressional Quarterly reports that he jabbed his finger on the House floor at Joe Baca, the California Democrat who chairs the Hispanic Caucus, and yelled, "How dare you destroy this party? This will be the worst loss in 10 years."

Mr. Baca was having none of it. "You see this on the [voting] board?," he yelled back. "This is against me. This is against me personally." Luckily for Democrats, C-Span's microphones did not pick up the exchange. But it was audible to reporters in the press gallery. They also heard Rep. Luis Gutierrez of Illinois say that English-only efforts were symbolic of "bigotry and prejudice" against those who speak other languages.

After testy negotiations, the Hispanic Caucus finally agreed to let the tax bill proceed after extracting a promise from Ms. Pelosi that the House will not vote on the bill funding the Justice and Commerce Departments unless the English-only protection language is dropped. "There ain't going to be a bill" with the Alexander language, Mr. Baca has told reporters.

Sen. Alexander says that if that's the case, "thousands of small businesses across America will have to show there is some special reason to justify requiring their employees to speak our country's common language on the job." He notes that the number of EEOC actions against English-only policies grew to some 200 last year from 32 a decade ago. In an attempt at compromise, he has offered watered-down language that would still allow the EEOC to file many actions, but he says House Democrats rejected it.





Mr. Alexander says his battle is about far more than what language is spoken on a shop floor. "The EEOC actions turn diversity, our greatest strength, against the interests of our common future as Americans," he told me.
The late Albert Shanker, head of the American Federation of Teachers, once pointed out that public schools were established in this country largely "to help mostly immigrant children learn the three R's and what it means to be an American, with the hope that they would go home and teach their parents the principles in the Constitution and the Declaration that unite us."

Mr. Alexander says that noble effort is in danger of being undermined: "We have spent the last 40 years in our country celebrating diversity at the expense of unity. One way to create that unity is to value, not devalue, our common language, English."

The battle over Mr. Alexander's amendment is about whether a consensus that used to unite liberals and conservatives in this country can continue to hold. If it can't, expect the issue to become a flashpoint in the 2008 elections. Republicans have their political problems with Hispanics over some of their approaches to illegal immigration, but they may be nothing compared to the problems Democrats have if they continue to cave in to their anti-assimilation extremists.



http://www.opinionjournal.com/diary/?id=110010881

Joe Baca, the California Democrat who chairs the Hispanic Caucus.

I've met this @/Hole in person at a Community Meeting. He represents the City of "Rialto, Ca," and he's got a mouth on him that won't quit.

Apparently these Hispanic congressmen are American in name only. It seems their ethno-centric behavior belies their actual Americanism. After all, they think they must pander to the rest of them. If the truth be known, I believe most legal Hispanics have NO problem with English being the language. Sensible people realize that this Nation is English-speaking and employers should have the FREEDOM to require it on the job. There is nothing more NON-sensical than a ethno-centric progressive liberal with a chip on their shoulder.....can you say Hispanic Caucaus???

gofer wrote:

There is nothing more NON-sensical than a ethno-centric progressive liberal with a chip on their shoulder.....can you say Hispanic Caucaus???

Exactly!!!!!!!
Speaking of "Bigotry"!! What make you any exception???

As a customer, I find it rude for the employees to be chatting it up in any language, instead of working. Secondly, it really angers me when they are talking bad about people and the customers don't know what they are saying. I wish more people would complain to management about this rude behavior. At least speak up and ask, "what did you say"?

What is the difference between not being able to read, speaking or understanding English than being ignorant? Seriously, everything being said to you and around you is incomprehensible so you are really like an idiot in an English enviornment. At least an illiterate English speaking individual can speak and understand English.

Some people get bent about people using cell phones and some get bent about the wrong language in the wrong environment. "When in Rome, do as the Romans".

Dixie

Wouldn't you call this "Counteracting our "Immigration Laws'?. or in "Laymen" terms. "Assimaltion"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As I recall, the Salvation Army case the employees were clothes sorters.

I wonder if a "No talking while working" policy excpetions for Supervisors and all communication must be in writing or taped would be legal?

The workplace is often one place where U.S. citizens are asked to give up our "rights" everyday. I see no reason why the right to speak in a language we prefer above that of a language our employer prefers should be different.

This can't be filed under ethnic or racist because they are able to speak English or at least had to opportunity to learn.

As a customer, I find it extremely rude to hear any other language but English when in a customer service environment. I hate it when I get on the phone and someone can't speak the language well enough for me to understand it. That is AWFUL! They don't get what I mean, and I don't get what they say. Gee, you'd think it would be uncomfortable for them in places in this country where English is mostly spoken..... but no, they don't assimilate.. and frankly, in my view that can be a multitude of nationalities.

I spoke to a woman from Poland who immigrated here from Germany after the war. She said she was taught English, and how to 'eat here' and how to set a table .. many proper things she said. So I asked her what she thought of our issues today (she's 87 now).. and she said OH MY GOD, It is a privilege to be in this country! She said it makes her very angry that ANY nationality is not assimilating to us. She was required to do so, and she felt it was a respectful thing to do, and felt HONORED to learn all those things we did, as Americans.

I'm a Democrat and proud of it.. my whole family is but my brother (My Mother swears she will convert him, as none of her children would be anything BUT Democrats LOL). And ALL of us believe that anyone that wishes to join our country are welcome, if they come legally, are able to speak and understand English .. AND if they assimilate to us.

My 2 copper. Thanks for all you do!

All lot of it has to do with upbringing. In my family, it was considered rude to speak our native language in front of people who did not speak it. We were taught manners from early childhood. If you didn't work, you didn't eat. We never accepted any entitlements (even if there were such programs), it was a matter of honor. If you didn't earn it, you don't deserve it. Those were our family values and we assimilated in the FIRST generation, not the 2nd or 3rd!

These non-assimilating illegal aliens are obviously not taught manners, believe it's ok for girls as young as 12 to be having sex and babies, they are taught the ways to take advantage of the US (as if we owe them), they are taught that their race is above others (also known as racism), think it's ok to steal someone's ID for their purposes. Don't believe it? Trust your own ears and eyes. It's happening all around us.

They also heard Rep. Luis Gutierrez of Illinois say that English-only efforts were symbolic of "bigotry and prejudice" against those who speak other languages.

Luis Gutierrez! Here's another worthless anti American pieces of crap of a man. somebody tell me what does "bigotry and Prejudice" have to do with language?

These Demacrates are going to lose everything with the stand they are taking on Spanish verses English, and pro-illegal.

I guess we should be glad to see them strangling themselves ever time they open their mouth. :P