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Monday, June 18, 2007
Phyllis Schlafly :: Townhall.com Columnist
It's Official: Americans Want English
by Phyllis Schlafly
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"Please be advised that we have finalized the process of translating the Free and Reduced Price School Meals Application package into 25 different languages . . . Arabic, Cambodian, Chinese (Mandarin), Farsi, French, Greek, Haitian, Hindi, Hmong, Japanese, Korean, Kurdish, Laotian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Samoan, Serbo-Croatian, Somali, Spanish, Sudanese, Tagalog, Thai, Urdu, and Vietnamese."

(Note the discrimination of this list: it omits German and Italian. Does this mean that (a) German and Italian immigrants see to it that their kids learn English, or (b) we no longer accept immigrants from Germany or Italy, or we are still angry at Germany and Italy about World War II?)

Univision, the nation's most-watched Spanish-language television network, has announced it wants to host a Spanish-language TV debate among the 2008 presidential candidates. After specifying that all questions would be asked in Spanish, Univision condescendingly said that candidates may either answer in Spanish or use a translator if they answer in English.

Republican National Committee Chairman Mel Martinez says this is a "terrific" idea. Martinez is part of the reason why contributions to the Republican Party have dropped so low that the party has laid off all its telephone solicitors. The Univision invitation illustrates why it is important to recognize English as our official language. Since only citizens may legally vote, and being able to speak English is a requirement for naturalization, there is no necessity for candidates to speak to voters in any language other than English.

When a candidate uses a language other than English (as Mitt Romney is now doing in radio ads), it's like whispering behind the backs of most voters. This is unacceptable because the candidate may be making promises or concessions or innuendoes to a minority bloc, and because the process tends to divide the electorate into political pressure groups.

The English language is the greatest force we have for national unity. It would be a tragic mistake to diminish it.
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About The Author

Phyllis Schlafly is a national leader of the pro-family movement, a nationally syndicated columnist and author of Feminist Fantasies.
 
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Reply # 1
Date: Jun 20, 2007 - 1:51 AM EST
TO lilly re: to various
My question on your point number one, lilly:

Is it really necessary to translate menudo into English?

I have no trouble recognizing filet mignon, crepes suzette, gyros, tabouleh, or goulashe, do you?

That's among the neatest things about the English language: we incorporate and adopt thousands of foreign words into our vocabulary with ease and with no ill-effect to our understanding.

And on point number two: I suppose here you are arguing for Spanish-language advertising in print, TV, and radio. I would concede, for example, that if we had a million Chinamen here to build us another railroad, that it would be, not only the decent thing to do, but good business sense too, to advertise in Chinese (provided, of course, they all came from the same locality in China; if they came from Liaoning, Hunan, and Sichuan your advertising budget would have to be tripled -- not good for the bottom line).

The problem before us is a bit thornier, however. It's that land-bridge that, rather than promoting a cutting of the umbilical cord, serves instead to strengthen it. So much so, that MANY Latinos (and remember, I live here in so. AZ) are arrogant and proud of their Hispanic-ness. So proud, indeed, and so disdainful of white Americanos who took their land from them in the war with Mexico in 1848, that they think this land is theirs!

So they arrive, descend on us, or whatever, already with a sense of entitlement.

But I digress.

To many Latinos it is a matter of pride to keep their language, keep their first loyalties to Mexico, and for some, to promote a re-taking of the area they lost a century and-a-half ago. NOT GOOD.



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Reply # 2
Date: Jun 20, 2007 - 12:44 AM EST
Lilly
I apologize for believing you to be a typical but thinking liberal. I too, am an independent thinker, and no matter how much I generally agree with someones statement or position I will take exception to nonsense or mistaken facts.

I too, have spent some thirty years out of the country. Even as I write you, I am out of the U.S. I speak, read and write fluent Spanish with multiple accents.

So in a very real sense I quite understand you better than before. As I said previously, your logic is good. The problem is there are not only too many at this time, but their numbers will swell to twice or more what they presently are unless we stop it now.

I believe that the average American, whether his reasoning is good or not, recognizes that there is a very real threat with the actual immigration (migration), and that something different has to be done and now.
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