English Only? We Hardly knew yee!
English as a First Language
The Senate took up the Imhofe amendment the other day, which would make English the nation's official language. It passed easily, 63-34. Then, just to make things confusing, the Senate also enacted an alternative by Democrat Ken Salazar which said that "English is the common and unifying language of the United States that helps provide unity for the people of the United States." Hard to know what to make of it all, as Reuters' account is a bit confused.
But the issue is not a trivial one, nor is this just a temporary bowing to "nativist" sentiment, as it will no doubt be portrayed in the main stream media. It is absolutely vital that America remain an English-speaking country. Of course there are people here who speak other languages, as there always have been. But today, just as it was in the early 1900's when my Slovak ancestors arrived, speaking only Slovak, the most basic requirement for participation in American society is facility in the English language. My family learned to speak English, and kept their Slovak heritage, customs, and language. My Mom, and her siblings, all spoke Slovak AND English. In fact, they even taught many of their friends to speak Slovak. This is good!
My favorite politician, Harry Reid lowered the tone of the debate yet again when he said:
"Although the intent may not be there, I really believe this amendment is racist. I believe it is directed at people who speak Spanish."
Like so many things that Reid does, that comment was contemptible. Not that Harry is above race baiting or class warfare. No one will benefit more from an insistence on English as the country's language than those who come here speaking other languages, and--above all--their sons and daughters. But Reid, as always, focuses on politics, not principle. Right next door, in Canada, we have the starkest possible evidence of the catastrophic consequences of bilingualism.
Will Americans always speak other languages, YES. We are the melting pot. This will never change: schools make students learn foreign languages, colleges make students learn foreign languages, and we are constantly inundated with "embrace diversity" projects! But, I aways think back to what my grandmother told me, "Jimmy, I came to America to be an American, not to be another Slovak living in America, that is why I got my own place to live, found my own job, made my own way in America, because, after all, I didn't sneak out of my house at 2am, never to see my family again, just so I could be another Slovak living in America! I could have gotten a job with other Slovaks, lived in a house with other Slovaks, but that would not be right"
Not to sound like a Bible Blaster, but anyone recall the story of the Tower of Babel? (Genesis 11:1-9) Check out the ending!
Congressman, Col. John Kline, is a long-time advocate of legislation establishing English as the country's official language. The principle is sound, but the question is, will the legislation make any difference? To the extent that we still hear, "Press 1 for English," the answer may be No.
BaldGOP
The Senate took up the Imhofe amendment the other day, which would make English the nation's official language. It passed easily, 63-34. Then, just to make things confusing, the Senate also enacted an alternative by Democrat Ken Salazar which said that "English is the common and unifying language of the United States that helps provide unity for the people of the United States." Hard to know what to make of it all, as Reuters' account is a bit confused.
But the issue is not a trivial one, nor is this just a temporary bowing to "nativist" sentiment, as it will no doubt be portrayed in the main stream media. It is absolutely vital that America remain an English-speaking country. Of course there are people here who speak other languages, as there always have been. But today, just as it was in the early 1900's when my Slovak ancestors arrived, speaking only Slovak, the most basic requirement for participation in American society is facility in the English language. My family learned to speak English, and kept their Slovak heritage, customs, and language. My Mom, and her siblings, all spoke Slovak AND English. In fact, they even taught many of their friends to speak Slovak. This is good!
My favorite politician, Harry Reid lowered the tone of the debate yet again when he said:
"Although the intent may not be there, I really believe this amendment is racist. I believe it is directed at people who speak Spanish."
Like so many things that Reid does, that comment was contemptible. Not that Harry is above race baiting or class warfare. No one will benefit more from an insistence on English as the country's language than those who come here speaking other languages, and--above all--their sons and daughters. But Reid, as always, focuses on politics, not principle. Right next door, in Canada, we have the starkest possible evidence of the catastrophic consequences of bilingualism.
Will Americans always speak other languages, YES. We are the melting pot. This will never change: schools make students learn foreign languages, colleges make students learn foreign languages, and we are constantly inundated with "embrace diversity" projects! But, I aways think back to what my grandmother told me, "Jimmy, I came to America to be an American, not to be another Slovak living in America, that is why I got my own place to live, found my own job, made my own way in America, because, after all, I didn't sneak out of my house at 2am, never to see my family again, just so I could be another Slovak living in America! I could have gotten a job with other Slovaks, lived in a house with other Slovaks, but that would not be right"
Not to sound like a Bible Blaster, but anyone recall the story of the Tower of Babel? (Genesis 11:1-9) Check out the ending!
Congressman, Col. John Kline, is a long-time advocate of legislation establishing English as the country's official language. The principle is sound, but the question is, will the legislation make any difference? To the extent that we still hear, "Press 1 for English," the answer may be No.
BaldGOP
posted by KnightinBaldingArmor | 11:45 PM
2 Comments:
You should be ashamed to use your Slovak ancestry to support Republican social policies.
You sound clueless of the history of the vast majority of Slovak Americans in this country.
When my Slovak ancestors came to Pittsburgh to toil in the mines and mills, they were disparaged by conservatives for "polluting the gene pool" and being "Catholics who would blindly follow the Pope" and couldn't handle democracy.
Slovak-Americans, exploited by big business with no ethics and conservaties with small minds, were among the bulwark of those who supported FDR's New Deal policies that helped us to rise into the middle class. Trickle down didn't trickle down to the company towns.
Your Republican politics is unique to you and not an accurate or historic reflection of the Slovak experience in America.
Wow, so immigrants were exploited, who knew! I suppose I should have since I teach at a university. Thanks for the history lesson. But I’m pretty certain that was not my point. While that’s true, that’s not my point. Not sure if you just hate conservatives, or if you just have some bur in the saddle regarding Slovaks, either way, the explotation of an immigrant workforce is not my point!
And - oh by the way, my ancestors toiled in the same mines, fields, and factories of Pittsburgh. My ancestors also formed unions, and got beat up, and nearly killed for doing so.
I also love how you equate conservatives with big business – that’s precious. I especially enjoy the comment about “conservatives with small minds” – hey that’s really great stuff…did you get that from History 101 For Liberals?
So please, save your exploitation comments for someone else’s blog. I believe my post dealt with speaking English, which is something my proud ancestors believed in, and oh by the way, so did millions of others. Don’t be ignorant of history.
And don’t ever tell me that I should be ashamed – especially when you are posting under the cowardly anonymous label.
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