[Despondent]

I got this in an email, and would like to share. It could be a hoax; it certainly doesn't seem real...


33 Senators Voted Against English as America's Official Language June 6,
2007

On Wed, 6 Jun 2007 23:35:23 -0500, "Colonel Harry Riley USA ret" wrote:

Senators,

Your vote against an amendment to the Immigration Bill 1348, to make
English America's offical language is astounding. On D-Day no less when we
honor those that sacrificed in order to secure the bedrock character and
principles of America. I can only surmise your vote reflects a loyalty to
illegal aliens.

I don't much care where you come from, what your religion is, whether
you're black, white or some other color, male or female, democrat,
republican or independent, but I do care when you're a United States
Senator, representing citizens of America and vote against English as the
official language of the United States.

Your vote reflects betrayal, political surrender, violates your pledge of
allegiance, dishonors historical principle, rejects patriotism, borders on
traitorous action and, in my opinion, makes you unfit to serve as a United
States Senator... impeachment, recall, or other appropriate action is
warrented.

Worse, 4 of you voting against English as America's official language are
presidential candidates: Senator Biden, Senator Clinton, Senator Dodd, and
Senator Obama.

Those 4 Senators vying to lead America but won't or don't have the courage
to cast a vote in favor of English as America's official language when 91%
of American citizens want English officially designated as our language.

This is the second time in the last several months this list of Senators
have disgraced themselves as political hacks... unworthy as Senators and
certainly unqualifed to serve as President of the United States.

If America is as angry as I am, you will realize a back-lash so stunning it
will literally rock you out of your panties... and preferably, totally out
of the United States Senate.

The entire immigration bill is a farce.. your action only confirms this
really isn't about America; it's about self-serving politics... despicable
at best.

"Never argue with an idiot; they'll drag you down to their level and beat
you with experience." ~ anonymous

The following senators voted against making English the official language
of America:

Akaka (D-HI)
Bayh (D-IN)
Biden (D-DE) Wants to be President?
Bingaman (D-NM)
Boxer (D-CA)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Clinton (D-NY) Wants to be President?
Dayton (D-MN)
Dodd (D-CT) Wants to be President?
Domenici (R-NM) Coward, protecting his Senate seat...
Durbin (D-IL)
Feingold (D-WI) Not unusual for him
Feinstein (D-CA)
Harkin (D-IA)
Inouye (D-HI)
Jeffords (I-VT)
Kennedy (D-MA)
Kerry (D-MA) Wanted to be President
Kohl (D-WI)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Leahy (D-VT)
Levin (D-MI)
Lieberman (D-CT) Disappointment here.....
Menendez (D-NJ)
Mikulski (D-MD)
Murray (D-WA)
Obama (D-IL) Wants to be President?
Reed (D-RI)
Reid (D-NV) Senate Majority Leader
Salazar (D-CO)
Sarbanes (D-MD)Schumer (D-NY)
Stabenow (D-M)


"Congressmen who willfully take actions during wartime that damage morale,
and undermine the military are saboteurs and should be arrested, exiled or
hanged."

~ President Abraham Lincoln

[Deepsycher]

Next thing that could happen if that idiot gets his own riley way assuming it is real: "Lets have a vote of America's official skin colour."

"Never argue with an idiot; they'll drag you down to their level and beat
you with experience." ~ anonymous

Maybe he is experienced in dragging people down with these silly politicial statements and tying to beat people to his experience when they fall for it.

I could see this happening too "Make hot dogs and burgers America's official food. If you vote against I think you should all deserve to be hanged as war deserters.

I reminds me of the series "Bomb the bastard."

This post has been edited by Deepsycher: 03 October 2007 - 11:32 AM

[Spoon Poetic]

I agree with Dee. We're a country built on immigration. English is the most widely spoken, sure - but to make English our official language is an insult to all the other cultures and peoples that made and continue to make this country exist.

This article is a bit dated, but it gives a nice little summary of concerns: click
This article, too: click

I can't seem to find if the bill made it through the House. At least they're not trying to make English the "official" language; just the "national" language. Ha. I still find it in poor taste.

[Despondent]

I guess this just reinforces the claim that conservatives are racist homophobes dead set on smearing the champions of virtue.

My immigrant ancestors DID learn the language, and they passed this NEW language onto their descendents. The fact that virtually every packaged good is now printed in spanish isn't going to continue the noble tradition of LEARNING THE NATIVE TOUNGUE; it permanently removes any need (or desire) to.

[Spoon Poetic]

But see, I don't see why English has to be the "native tongue," when the country was founded by multiple peoples with different languages. The Spanish were here before the English, the French were here for just as long, too.

[Jen]

This debate is as old as the "No Irish Need Apply" signs -- in fact, it's way older. The fact of the matter is -- and there are numbers to back it up, too, incidentally, which I can look up when I'm not at work -- that show that non-English-speaking immigrants continue to learn English and assimiliate, if anything faster than they did 50, 100, 150 years ago. Whether or not English is the official language, it's the de facto language of business, commerce and culture in this nation, and no one -- least of all immigrants, who came here for that very reason -- thinks differently, really. Are there lots of people who speak to each other in public in their native tongues? Sure. Are there supermarkets/bodegas/movie theaters/etc./ where English isn't the de facto language? Of course -- and there always have been. (German, Swedish, French -- what have you.) No offense to Despondent, who I adore and always have! But I think this debate gets put into a context of "TODAY'S immigrants won't learn" -- and historically, it's not only not true, it's totally in keeping with that's happened since the first boat landed.

[Deepsycher]

Since the first board landed: I still think of immigrants as the people who invaded what they called the new world in the same way this man wants English to be the official language as it appears for trying to make everything the same in some respects to what I think of as standards. I don't like standards most of the time as they are set out so rigidly.

This post has been edited by Deepsycher: 03 October 2007 - 02:33 PM

[Despondent]

No offense taken, Jen. I get warm feelings when I think about the folks on this forum, you and yours particularly, and that's why I usually don't hang out in the debate club where arguments and stances become quite personal. But every now and then something comes around that stirs my conservative soul and I just wanted to share.

It's not that I want people to speak only English and nothing else. But blatant pandering deserves to be ignored called out.

[civilian_number_two]

I suppose the whole thing is about whether they can scale back the use of Spanish in government offices, allowing them to hire more people who don't know both languages. Here in Canada, we have two "official" langauges, which means advancement in any government office is difficult for folks who don't speak French. This is because as an official language, French has to be available to anyone who demands it. I think by suggesting English as a sole "official" language, they hope to make a situation where Spanish-speaking people can't demand service in Spanish.

Denying that "official" status is just good business; there are loads of Spanish-speaking people in the Union, and it'd be good to be able to help them. The thing is, even if the language isn't "official," you can still offer customer support. Several government offices in Vancouver offer Cantonese support, and with good reason: 50% of the population of the City speak Cantonese. I suppose the flipside would be to try to make two official languages. That's probably make the writer of the original email flip out for real.

[Trumble Trickly]

http://www.snopes.co...englishvote.asp

[Slade]

This whole thing is ridiculous. I think that English is an important language to learn in the US because it's so prevalent, but this country should not have an official or national language. We're one big melting pot of cultures, and it ignores our history. It's also not the least bit important to me. I have no need of the nationalism or ethnocentrism that this sort of movement and the silly chain letter entails.

[Ninja Duck]

I've always scowled and shook my fist at the fact that Europe and the rest of the world speak multiple languages like it's natural, whereas America, who's supposed to be kind of important in the world or something, can only speak one language and not particularly well at that. (Or maybe I'm just thinking of the President.) So if it takes an invasion of immigrants to learn us to get with the times, will, so be it.

I think there's a possibility Spanish could be come the dominant language in the future, though. America doesn't even have 300 years of history to look back on yet, so there's not a whole lot of precedent to say that our language can't be replaced. After all, Hispanics already out number blacks, so it's only a number of time before they outnumber Americans too. (Joking...)

[Bond]

After all, Hispanics already out number blacks, so it's only a number of time before they outnumber Americans too. (Joking...)

Are you?

Anyhow, I find Spanish a bit too difficult; French is my fancy.

[Spoon Poetic]

French is harder than Spanish, only by a little bit. And useless unless you go to France or certain parts of Canada.

[Despondent]

Trumble: for the record, I created your avatar 4 years ago. Snope that.

Most tax paying Americans speak primarily english. The fact that we're allowing the country to be invaded by earnest folks seeking to send their money home isn't the point either- We're losing our birthright and blindly giving it away to the mexican nation within us.

I'm just sayin. You dwellers of the world: do you want me and twenty million of me to come and work in your country, have children who will be citizens, and pervade your culture without permission?