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English

You live here. Speak the language. 'Nuff said!!

Perfect: The Liberal Logic!!!

The only way to unite the country is to divide it!!

I am a little confused here,

(not because the article is written in English!) but because our paper carried an AP report that stated the immigration bill was close to being signed according to Mitch McConnell. The article said it would be voted through before the July 4th holiday. Did I miss something?

Attribution

Have our Congressmen become so sneaky and corrupt that they try to slip things unnoticed into the Laws of the Land as they write them? If so, every sentence should have written at the end of it the name of the author. We must demand transparency from these purveyors of National Perversion. Make every word, thought, and deed attributable to its author. Secrecy is the rail on which subversion rides.

Spanish equals anger

The attempt to make this a Spanish-speaking nation is the main reason the grassroots got riled up. The amnesty bill probably would have passed quietly in the Senate because your average Joe and Jane soccer mom wouldn’t have care. But, the annoyance of having to deal with multiple languages on a daily basis was the catalyst that energized both Democrats and Republicans. They don’t have to be political junkies to be aware of the Mexican takeover of this country. They are reminded everyday on the phone, billboards, radio, television, stores, instruction manuals, ATM machines, our president and every which way they turn. They realized this must be stopped.

Voting and the Language

Well I've always said that having ballots in foreign languages is counter productive to a valid election/voting process. The vast majority of information available on candidates and issues is in English. That available in other languages is too limited, probably too biased and all too unnecessary, since you have to read and write english to be a citizen, to be anything but detrimental to the process. But I had not taken that reasoning to the next level as has Ms. Shlafly.

Not only do I not know what foreign language media outlets are saying about issues of importance to me and mine but just what the hell is a candidate saying in a language I don't understand? Don't I need to know that to understand the candidate? One of my biggest beefs with the media is that it puts a filter on what candidates say and I have to seek out ways to get the full gist so I can judge the words fairly. But if those words are first to be interpreted I have no hope of really knowing.

We do an enormous diservice to the entire voting process by offering ballots and voting information in foreign languages. By so doing we encourage those so served by ballots and information in their own language to continue to indulge in and cleave to information sources that are at best very limited and far more probably very biased. That is simply wrong. For candidates to campaign in a foreign language is simply more of the same, evidences the candidates misundertanding of that which binds us together-a common language, and does not create the informed voter that should be using all available resources to evaluate issues, not a limited and biased resource. And just why the hell does the candidate have to speak in another language anyway? The voting public should have free and unfettered access to all of a candidates public utterances and thoes subject ot interpretation violate that trust.

Basic

It is basic that any successful endeavor will and does have a common language. Further, all the words should have the same definition no matter who speaks or writes them. Otherwise, you get chaos and Babel.

We let this cat out of the bag with ebonics and accepting slang. Redefinitions such as good is bad and bad is good in the name of self esteem or something. What you accept, you promote.

english should be the official language

My parents were immigrants to this country. LEGAL immigrants. They learned English before they came, but my dad always had a pretty bad accent. Us kids learned perfect English - my SAT verbals were 720. That's how you succeed in America - you learn English, as well as history, math, etc.

Unfortunately, many immigrants don't come here to succeed, if they did, they would learn English. Bilingual education is a big culprit, btw. It's expensive, and keeps kids in a linguistic ghetto.

I don't have any problems with immigrants speaking whatever language they are most comfortable with in private or in public, or of private businesses offering foreign language services.

However, the FEDERAL government, and all government agencies, including public schools, should be run in English. And certainly, if you want to be a citizen, you should have to prove English fluency, as well as at least some understanding of the history of this country.

no more repubs

Well said. I usually disagree with you posts but you hit this on the head. This is not a political issue but an issue of national survival. Forget Dems/Repubs; both sides want it for different reasons. You are right that it is a money grab by both sides and a vote grab by the Dems. The Repubs are trying to garner some of those votes as well, but will not. Bush is completely ignoring the electorate, as is McCain et al. He has committed hari-kari and can not win the GOP nod now or ever. Keep up the pressure on Congress, Bush will sign if it gets to his desk.

Virginia Patriot

How did the march in DC go last weekend? How was the turnout?

No Foreign Language TV & Radio

Not only should we demand that English be the official language, we need to get some lawyers to sue the FCC.

I live in the Los Angeles, aka Mexifornia, area and most of the TV & Radio stations now broadcast solely in the Spanish Language.

Since the airwaves are supposed to be a public trust, how is that Spanish broadcasts benefit the public good. How were their broadcast licenses ever granted in the first place.

We are being invaded by Mexico and allow TV and Radio stations to aid and abet the invasion.

If you have not heard the broadcasts, you should know they have programming that constantly talks about the reconquesta movement(reclaiming the Southwest to Mexico).

In Los Angeles it was Univision and others that organized the Illegal marches last year. They encourage Illegals to apply for social services. In short, they aid and abet Illegal Immigration by advocating breaking our laws.

Would we have allowed Russian only TV and Radio during the Cold War?

IMHO-It is no accident that the elites have allowed this to happen. One could make the argument that this is an orchestrated attempt to balkanize America.

Concentrate on the House?

No - too early too give up hope. Better to make those calls and send those emails. Go to each senators web site and give them an earfull.

no more republicans

Your 4:33PM. Can you clean it up a bit. I would like to know your point but your writing got mixed up and your point seems somewhat convoluted. Generally speaking when writers refer to Dems they are talking about the Washington crowd of Legislators not mill workers. The Dems in Washington are not worried about their jobs for at least another 18 months. Dems have had an insidious impact on our immigration policy through the person of "Fat Boy" Ted Kennedy and others (all Dems), the Hart/Celler Immigration Act of 1965 is still the essential Act that controls our immigration policy. At the time it was enacted Ted Kennedy said: "The bill will not flood our cities with immigrants. It will not upset the ethnic mix of our society. It will not relax the standards of admission. It will not cause American workers to lose their jobs." Kennedy was the Immigration sub-Committee Chairman at the time the 65 Act was signed by the "Big Dumb Texan" LBJ. Remember "Life is a Bi*ch and then you have to live with the Communist leaning Democrats".

Bush and Immigration

President Bush has failed us and is an embarrassment, and Hillary Clinton would be a disaster.

I speak languages and agree entirely with Schlafly's assessment on the English language. Illegal immigrants are arriving in such numbers and in group sizes that allow them to remain in their linguistic and cultural environment. This is not good. Many are also coming from cultures with values distinct from that of the U.S. Instead of valuing self-reliance and independence as do my fellow Americans, they rely heavily on their nuclear families and traditions which, again, are distinct from ours. They believe that the government, the "patron" or the person in charge is responsible for taking care of them. This accounts for their "demanding" attitude toward our elected government and their attitude toward the church as their patron, and why they always defend another person of their group. If I know someone is commiting a crime or doing domething stupid, I report it and don't care what ethnicity, religion, sexual preference or other group that person belongs to. It's immaterial to me. We're a nation of laws and not of "mafia" families.

Non English Ballots

Ok. Let's look at the why. It's pretty clear the elected Democrats (don't want to offend good Dems here) have pushed this and issued the requirement. And as you all agree, you must speak English to become a US Citizen. To vote you much be a US Citizen and speak English. So what are the Dems in Congress trying to do? Duh!

They are the original party of "Vote early, vote often". Oh and they are the ones who keep voting down needing a valid proof of citizenship to vote. Now come on. Are we stupid?

I couldn't resist.

To Jackman

Re "Comprende, Amigo?": Aunque no soy amiga suya, si, comprendo---aqui no se permite hablar espanol. I am an elderly American WASP lady with ancestors on these shores since the 1630's. I am not Hispanic and do not look Hispanic but I happen to speak Spanish. A year or so ago a chain of haircut shops where I live passed a rule that nobody in the store could speak Spanish, not even workers on their breaks eating lunch in their break room talking to each other. The rule was soon challenged in the law and overturned but, meanwhile, I was not allowed to chat in Spanish with the girl who cuts my hair.

Just wondering, Jackman, do you happen to speak any language besides English?

lilly

"What does "English Only" have to do with border security? This sounds more like fear that American identity will be compromised if a second language is permitted to take root here. And yet Canada has two official languages---signage must be in both English and French. Switzerland has three official languages"

I'll try to explain it in a manner that won't confuse you.

20 million people sneak into this country. 20 million people don't speak English. Millions more sneak into this country every year. Millions more don't speak English. 20 million people are criminals. 1 million people are hard-core criminals or terrorists. BORDERS NOT SECURED.

This is the United States of America. This is not Canada. This is not France. This is not Switzerland. This is not Mars. This is not even Mexico. In the United States of America, we speak ENGLISH.

lilly

BTW, since you brought up France, shortly before prime minister Jacque Chirac left office, he expressed concern that the huge influx of African immigrants in a very short period of time, mostly Muslims, was compromising French culture, language and identity. Now, why would someone with whom the left has seen eye-to-eye make such a profound statement? Can it be that the same country that you so desperately wish to emulate is anti-immigrant?

Speaking of the immigration bill, see:

This just in from Yahoo's news

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070618/ap_on_go_co/immigration_tactics

" Rare tactic may allow immigration votes "

By JULIE HIRSCHFELD DAVIS, Associated Press Writer 56 minutes ago

Only in the arcane world of the U.S. Senate could a quirky gambit known as a "clay pigeon" make the difference between passage of an important immigration measure and its death at the hands of opponents.

Democratic leaders hope the complex maneuver — which makes use of the Senate's labyrinthine rules to insist on votes on amendments — will frustrate conservatives' attempts to derail the embattled immigration bill, instead putting it on a fast track to passage next week.

Majority Leader Harry Reid (news, bio, voting record), D-Nev., said he would revive the bill to legalize as many as 12 million unlawful immigrants late this week. To do so, though, he needs backing from 60 senators, and a way to guarantee votes on a tentative list of 22 Republican and Democratic amendments whose consideration is seen as vital to satisfying key waverers.

The so-called clay pigeon is how he's expected to do it, under a strategy that was still taking shape Monday.

The tactic gets its name from the target used in skeet shooting, which explodes into bits as it is hit. In the Senate, an amendment is the target, and any one senator can demand that it be divided into separate fragments to be voted on piecemeal.

Under the tentative plan, Reid as early as Friday would launch his target — an amendment encompassing all 22 proposals — and shoot it into its component pieces. The Senate would then vote on ending debate on the immigration measure, which would take 60 votes and limit discussion of the bill to 30 more hours. After that interval, all 22 amendments would have to be voted on, with little opportunity for foes to interfere.

Ironically, the move is usually used by mavericks — not leaders — to slow down legislation, not free it from a procedural thicket.

Sen. Tom Coburn (news, bio, voting record), R-Okla., used it last year to protest a bill he complained included excessive spending. By offering and then dividing an amendment that targeted 19 items he deemed offensive, Coburn was able to insist on votes on individual projects.

"It's a brilliant way to gum up the works," said Robert B. Dove, a Senate rules expert who was the chamber's referee for 36 years.

The maneuver appears to be a relatively modern innovation; Dove said he first became aware of it in the early 1970s, when then-Sen. Jim Allen, D-Ala., a master of parliamentary procedures, used it against a bill pushed by the then- majority leader, Sen. Mike Mansfield, D-Mont.

"I remember people being dazzled when he did this," Dove said.

Reid's plan has its risks, chief among them further inflaming the vocal conservative opponents who have vowed to do whatever they can to kill the immigration measure.

Wesley Denton, a spokesman for Sen. Jim DeMint R-S.C., called the plan a "stunning" effort by Reid "to choke off debate and handpick amendments." He threatened that Republicans would unleash the same tactic on the majority in the future.

"I've seen ideas like this really backfire. You pay a price for this kind of thing," Dove said, noting that the Senate functions almost entirely on consensus. "It can be done — I've seen it done — but it's a difficult maneuver."

Remark to cookie-

cookie wrote:
"They believe that the government, the "patron" or the person in charge is responsible for taking care of them. This accounts for their "demanding" attitude toward our elected government and their attitude toward the church as their patron..."

This reminds me of something I read in an El Paso newspaper about the explosive growth of "colonias" near Juarez (just across the border). People move into empty desert at the outskirts of the city, build houses out of corrugated tin and cinderblock, and eventually there are enough people living without basic services that they go demand the government to provide them! "We are poor, you have to help us" is the refrain.

Per Wikipedia: Colonias are basically illegal subdivisions created by rural settlers and are found near the U.S. - Mexico border. The lack of clean water and proper plumbing infrastructure is due primarily to the fact that the settlements were established spontaneously without the approval or assistance of the proper government authorities. The population of a colonia will usually grow rapidly well before its infrastructure needs are realized by the closest established towns or government officials.

lilly: good points, bad points

lilly, there's no reason for making the U.S. bilingual. The fact that a few countries make bilingualism work doesn't mean we should emulate them, because there's no guarantee it would work here. Why risk it?

Your other points are good points. We Americans aren't very good at learning foreign languages. But some of this has to do with the schools. Twenty years ago, there was a big push for more emphasis on teaching foreign languages in our schools, but from what I can tell, the teaching is just as bad as it always was. My niece recently completed her second year of Spanish, but I doubt that she could order a taco in a restaurant in Mexico.

I myself just completed a year of college Arabic, but I too would have a hard time ordering a meal in an Arab restaurant.

A huge change in how we teach foreign languages is needed.

OMEGA DAYS

If you think you can get by in Arabic by using Rosetta Stone, you're crazy. Rosetta Stone's Arabic software is good as a vocabulary builder, but it is worthless for conversation. Maybe the other Rosetta Stones are better for conversation. I wouldn't know, but I do know that the Arabic one is just a vocab builder.

And yes, you can go to a foreign country and hope to count on the good will of the people you run into, but it doesn't always work. Plus you may get better service if you know a little bit of the local language.

I believe the French are like us in their hostility to other languages, but I don't think that is part of human nature, since there are other cultures where it is expected that one will learn another language. In Scandinavia and Holland, for example, people assume that few others will know their language, so they take the time to learn other languages.

And as for your example about the Pentagon and Russian, yes, the Pentagon could translate something like that quickly IF they knew it was important and IF there weren't 20,000 other things that they thought might also be important. Those are two big ifs.

I feel strange defending lilly, but for years I've heard about how our armed forces and intelligence agencies are always short of people with knowledge of foreign languages. I've never heard anyone contradict that, so you'll have to do a lot better to persuade me otherwise.

nonnulla verba

Nonnulla verba in altera lingua vobis habeo: e pluribus unum.

Jobs Americans will do!

MEET THE AMERICANS ELITIST SOLD OUT

WATCH

http://controlcongress.com/uncategorized/march-for-america-rally-john-konop-on-video

no more republicans

I quoted Kennedy to show you your side on this issue is the side that created the problem. Democrats are left leaning and many are life long Communist. Immigration to them is a wedge issue devised to split the loyalties of this country. They have reeled you in like a mullet and you have become a bait fish to catch other unsuspecting fools. You are an anathema to freedom or to put it in the words of Lenin, "You are a willing idiot" that is working with the Communist/Socialist to take over this great country.

Fake Job Ads defraud Americans

Fake Job Ads defraud Americans to secure green cards

Watch this instructional video as to how fake out the system to not hire American workers and find cheap foreign workers at tax payer expense!

WATCH

http://controlcongress.com/uncategorized/fake-job-ads-defraud-americans-to-secure-green-cards

It's beyond me

As to why these Senators, and this government altogether, with the exceptions of a few good Senators and House members, are ignoring the people. I mean the American people. They are listening to La Raza, big business, and all the special interest groups of Mexico.

They must be getting a lot, or else they would worry about losing their jobs. Or maybe they think the American people will just forget about it by election time rolls around for them. We do forget so much. So many have forgotten 9/11. they figure if we can forget that. Surely we can forget them giving a few million Mexicans amnesty.

rattle their cages in Washington!

CALL YOUR SENATORS! Tell them NO to Scamnesty, and throw in that English needs to be our OFFICIAL language!
________________________________________________

Frustrated by Senate response?
Some have expressed chagrin and consternation at only form letter responses from Senators...

You have to expect that once a Senate aide figures out what the posture of your letter/e-mail is, s/he sends you the programmed response that will best stroke you. Don't worry about that --> they track the humor/tenor of the letters, and that gets conveyed to the Senators. they KNOW that middle america is irate-- they need to keep hearing that to steel their willpower to stand up against the power lobbies for America.

It is NOT true, as some allege, that it is pointless to write and call people in Congress. While there is NO QUESTION that they are more swayed by the $ and lobbying of the organized special interests, they ARE noting that the wrath among the voters is on the other side. This explains the disconnect between what they are trying to cram down on us and surveys of the American people which show that enforcement is the priority among 72% of us:

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/just_26_favor_senate_immigration_plan

Cong. Peter King (R-N.Y.) and others noted that it was Middle America which killed Scamnesty in the House last year. All Congressmen must seek re-election every 2 years, so they are more conscious of the righteous indignation in the voting booths than the Senators who are elected for 6-year terms.

I urge anyone reading this to see the listing just below of the 15 waffling Senators per Lou Dobbs, Laura Ingraham and others. We should ALL CALL OR E-MAIL them, even if we are not their constituents. If you want guidance on what is best to say, go right here:

http://www.numbersusa.com/actionbuffet

See their list of the wishy washy "flippin' 15" Senators... they also have targeted e-mails/faxes you can send free here.

If you want to go directly to the Senators' OFFICIAL web sites, you can do so here... you are just a few clicks away:

http://www.congressmerge.com/onlinedb/index.htm

If you need to get updated on the EGREGIOUS and INIMICAL implications of the pending Scamnesty, check these out:

http://www.heritage.org/Research/Immigration/wm1076.cfm
http://www.numbersusa.com/hottopic/2454talkingpts.html
http://www.grassfire.org/
http://www.firesociety.com/article/12134/
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/just_26_favor_senate_immigration_plan
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/15/AR2007051502022.html
http://www.fairus.org/site/PageServer?pagename=research_researchd74c
http://capwiz.com/usbc/index_frame.dbq?url=http://capwiz.com/usbc/home/
http://vdare.com/misc/070607_economist.htm
http://stopspp.com/stopspp/?page_id=11

America's VERY SURVIVAL is at stake... DON'T SIT IDLE AND WAIT for others to take simple steps that YOU can take to let the voice of freedom be heard. Modern America CANNOT BENEFIT on balance from the importation of the uneducated, indigent, willfully culturally disparate.

We will morph into the third world barrio that these wretched souls are trying to escape if we so not stanch their unbridled tsunami flow, aided and abetted by the Conspiracy Of Evil. The lifeboat will founder, and your children will be burdened with bilingualism, balkanization, myriad social pathologies (crime, drugs, illegitimacies, dropouts, multiculturalism, gangs, barrio blight) and a monster welfare state. Say it ain't so, Jose! Comprende espanol?

Artful Myths about ILLEGAL Aliens

Have you noticed that when the advocates and apologists for ILLEGALS state their cases that they seem vacuous, lame and facile on the surface? Consider:

DISINGENUOUS FALSE PREMISES AND SCARE TACTICS:

The "undocumented" are just doing jobs that Americans won't do that we must have done... they give more than they take; they are a net positive... they pay into S.S. funds they will not get back... they have lesser rates of crime than legal Americans... they simply want to share in the blessings of America just like the rest of us, which they have every right to do... resentment against them is racist/xenophobic-- they are really no different from prior waves of immigrants who were also resented, but who assimilated and made America great... they want
to assimilate and learn English... the proposed legislation is not really amnesty... Americans generally believe in a path to citizenship for those already here... we cannot simply round up and deport 12-20 million... the only crime they have committed is akin to jaywalking.

DEMYTHOLOGIZING REALITIES & INCONVENIENT TRUTHS:

1) ILLEGALS ARE INDEED taking many jobs that Americans will gladly do, driving down wages, and permeating myriad concomitant social pathology problems (crimes, barrio blight, drugs, gangs, illegitimacies, dropouts, balkanization, diseases) like a terminal cancer, inexorably eventually destroying the host body.

2) ILLEGAL aliens do NOT contribute more than they take, because the government services alone used by the uneducated indigent GREATLY EXCEED any minimal taxes paid (mostly sales taxes, etc.). Heritage calculates that each household headed by the undereducated indigent (legal OR ILLEGAL) will drain over $1 million in the course of a lifetime:

http://www.heritage.org/Research/Immigration/wm1076.cfm

3) Presidente Jorge has already committed to send already unfunded and threatened S.S. funds south to Mexico, and ILLEGALS would become eligible much sooner than American taxpayers... Amigo Jorge promised THEM while visiting in Mexico recently that he would work for THEM on this Scamnesty legislation! That is TREASON-- PURE AND SIMPLE!

4) Latino rates of crime and other inimical social pathologies are, sadly, pandemically troublesome (the reasons are irrelevant to this discussion really-- facts are stubborn things), and worse among the poorer ones like most coming in ILLEGALLY (more than half have only a 7th grade education, assuring the snowballing of the associated social problems):

http://www.amren.com/Reports/Hispanics/HispanicsReport.htm
http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=M2Q5ZWZiOTU2OTY1YWEyZDFiYTliNTRmMzk0ODIwMmE
http://www.immigrationshumancost.org/index.html

5) They are MOST ESPECIALLY NOT "just like prior waves of immgrants" in several ways... there are far more at once, there is no ocean separating them from the old cultures, they are clinging to same with no desire to assimilate, and the PC/multicultural ilk is aiding and abetting their ethnocentricity with bilingualism. Furthermore, America is a VASTLY different nation socio-economically than it was when many LEGAL immigrants came here historically-- we can benefit on balance today ONLY FROM EDUCATED, SKILLED IMMIGRANTS, which is NOT the norm among the great unwashed running across the border.

6) The pending Scamnesty is PRECISELY that, and the all-in implications are HORRENDOUS fiscally and socio-economically:

http://www.firesociety.com/article/12134/

7) Americans are rightfully indignant about the nonfeasance of the govt. which has allowed the ILLEGAL invasion to become an infestation. It is NOT that we are afraid of diversity as Presidente Jorge lamely and disingenuously opined-- we
already are the most diverse nation on earth! Ad hominem braying about "racism" is the calumny of artful scoundrels with no positive arguments for their pro-ILLEGAL apologia. When polled HONESTLY, Americans rightfully have profound concerns about unbridled immigration, especially ILLEGAL
invaders... per Rasmussen, "(72%) OF VOTERS say that it is VERY IMPORTANT for the government to improve its enforcement of the borders and REDUCE ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION":

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/just_26_favor_senate_imm
igration_plan
http://www.cis.org/articles/2006/back906.html
http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=20530
http://www.grasstopsusa.com/

8) The artful ploy that "we cannot deport 12 million" is a false argument-- TRUE enforcement of EXISTING LAWS would result in attritive repatriation at THEIR expense-- the same way they got here... we need only the political will to
reflect the desires of over 70% of Middle America.

9) The facile, remote "elitist" PC theories of bilingualism and multiculturalism are doomed to failure. Even in countries with essentially the same ethnicity and culture, bilingualism alone creates crises. Multiculturalism is an abysmal
failure everywhere. There can be no "melting pot" with these plagues.

10) As to scurrilous Geraldo-ilk suggestions that "these good people" are committing minor crimes akin to jaywalking in crossing the border, this is but the first of what become serial patterns of lawbreaking including tax dodging, identity fraud, welfare cheating, etc., ad nauseam. Even eunuch Chertoff admits that at least 2 million are felonious criminals! [Since he admits to 11 million ILLEGALS being here, he is suggesting that fully 18% are guilty of felonies!] To
suggest that they are less prone to serious crimes (see Geraldo) is simply a bold-faced lie!

http://www.amren.com/Reports/Hispanics/HispanicsReport.htm
http://www.immigrationshumancost.org/index.html

Here's a New Word for You

Look this up in the dictionary: "operationalize". Here, I'll save you the trouble. It means, find a way to put into action and practice something you're just talking about. Exactly HOW do you propose teaching English to the famous 12 million? How would you operationalize this?

One option is a big network of night-school classes. Even if people buy their own workbooks, you still have to provide a building where classes will be held (needs money) and you still have to pay teachers (needs money). If you use audiotapes, you will have to buy the tapes, headphones, and tape players (needs money). And you will need to duplicate everything in day classes as well, because all people holding down jobs won't be free to come at the same time.

Those screaming "Learn English!" are often the same people who want to close down government-funded schools. They don't even want to fund basic literacy for their own children. So do you want to privatize this learning of English? Do you think an immigrant working for substandard wages in a hotel kitchen, who can barely feed himself and keep a roof over his head and is walking to work because he can't afford the bus fare, can afford to pay tuition? (And don't forget that if he's illegal he may also owe fines.)

You're for homeschooling? Do you propose that conservative mothers skilled at homeschooling volunteer, perhaps through church programs, to teach English to immigrants?

Women who stay at home taking care of little children and the elderly are the last to learn the language of a new country because they're never with people who speak it. Perhaps something could be arranged on television? That needs MONEY.

Men (and women) who work where everybody speaks their own non-English language will quite naturally communicate on the job in that language (eg Spanish in the restaurant kitchen). Many immigrants will have poor opportunities for learning English as they pursue their daily work. I think of the Mexican women who work at my health club---the English they exchange with club members consists of "Good morning" and "thank you" and "no problem".

So how are you going to OPERATIONALIZE the learning of English by a few million people?

JFP

That's pretty funny, Rosetta Stone for Arabic. Guess what, you're crazy if you think that I'm going to travel to any of those countries listed on the Bureau of Consular Affairs WARNING LIST:

FROM

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_1764.html

Lebanon 06/14/2007
Saudi Arabia 06/14/2007
Chad 06/11/2007
Colombia 06/04/2007
Côte d'Ivoire 06/01/2007
Iran 05/31/2007
East Timor 05/11/2007
Nepal 05/07/2007
Eritrea 05/02/2007
Yemen 04/30/2007
Philippines 04/27/2007
Uzbekistan 04/25/2007
Congo, Democratic Republic of the 04/24/2007
Sri Lanka 04/05/2007
Afghanistan 04/04/2007
Algeria 03/22/2007
Central African Republic 03/06/2007
Kenya 02/06/2007
Burundi 01/24/2007
Nigeria 01/19/2007
Israel, the West Bank and Gaza 01/17/2007
Haiti 01/10/2007
Indonesia 01/09/2007
Pakistan 12/05/2006
Syria 11/13/2006
Sudan 10/05/2006
Iraq 08/28/2006
Somalia 06/05/2006
Bosnia-Herzegovina 03/30/2006


Hmmm...many of these speak Arabic, and from each country have a different dialect of Arabic that includes words not included in a vocab builder, only the locals know what certain words mean. And, unless you worked for the CIA, or military, you could only guess at what they mean.

The example I gave was an actual article from a Russian website talking about DPRK willingness to stop making weapons grade plutonium in July 2007. If that is not a good enough reason for the Pentagon to take notice, I don't know what is. It means that DPRK is not about to jeopardize their newest imports of food they desperately need. I think thats a pretty big IF satisfied. Unless of course they don't value our contract, and are lying to us again, nah, I think they need the food.

Strange thing is about human nature, we all like security, safety, and do not like change. We fear change. We like to be around friends and family that are like us (no matter what color or country). That we suppress those urges to resist change so that we may better understand others is one of our nations greatest assets. We have ascended far beyond other countries because of our ability to change, yet it is human nature to maintain status quo. We have stretched as far as that rubber band of tolerance can stretch, before it snaps apart. Its time for illegals to change, learn English an start moving MY nation forward instead of backward, which is their nations philosophy--backwards. That backwards pathology came with them, they know no better, its time to change, the only way to change them is to send them back, and do it the right way, learn English, fill out the English form for US Citizenship, then and only then will they know that our culture is different in so many positive ways that they will hunger for it, not suffer in silence.

As far as intelligence, I saw a CSPAN program awhile back on Arabic intelligence. She was a sub contractor for the US government translating Arabic websites looking for terrorist jargon for the CIA to follow up on. She did say that it was nearly impossible for us to hire translators knowing that their background checks could not be verified because they could not ask the right questions, could not contact the right networks in the middle-east, and when the government was through with the services of the translator, for whatever reason, they could not become US citizens! Even though they provided priceless info on the enemy, they were sent back to the middle-east, where they were seen as 'infidels' with a fatwa on their heads.

Yeah, I'm taking a vacation in the middle east...

The Mexican KKK

La Raza has more of a voice in our Senate with the likes of Ted Kennedy, Mr Kyl, McCain, Lott the President then the 80 percent of the American Citizens who are demanding this anarchy being promoted as Immigration Control be tossed.


Anyone think these men are IGNORANT OF HOW RACIST THE MEXICANS ARE?

LA RAZA?

I dare anyone to go read their racist trash on their own web site.

No way could the President or Kennedy and McCain be ignorant of how racist and bigoted those people are.
And they are given the Red Carpet Treatment.

The Mexicans coming here are truely racists and bigots and will NOT learn English cause they want the USA to be Mexican and not American

Project Payback! YYEEESSSSS!!!

http://paybackproject.com/

Jeff Sessions

Senate Proposal is Full of Holes

Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) has been a stalwart proponent of curbing illegal immigration and reforming the legal immigration apparatus in a truly meaningful manner. To that end, on June 4, in the middle of the first round of floor debate on the so-called grand bargain immigration bill, Sen. Sessions issued a press
release listing egregious loopholes in the proposal, ncluding flaws effecting border security, chain-migration and assimilation policies.

In prefacing the list, Sen. Sessions indicated that he is deeply concerned about t! he numerous loopholesfound in this legislation, which he sees as mo re than technical errors, but rather symptoms of a fundamentally flawed piece of legislation that stands no chance of actually fixing our broken immigration system. Furthermore, Sen. Sessions said, Many of the loopholes are indicative of a desire not to have the system work.

Flaw No. 1: Sen. Sessions pointed to perhaps the biggest flaw by noting that the enforcement trigger fails to require the U.S. VISIT system  the biometric border check-in/check-out system established by Congress in 1996, but never implemented  to be fully functioning before new worker or amnesty programs begin. Without the system in place, the U.S. has no method of ensuring that workers and their families do not overstay their visas.

Flaw No. 2: While most Americans tell pollsters they want less immigration, this bill dramatically increases overall immigration. It TRIPLES chain migration through the year 2016  all the while sanctioning a mass importation of low-skill foreign w! orkers and, by extension, a mass importation of poverty into this country.

Flaw No. 3: Illegal aliens get legal status before enforcement begins;

Flaw No. 4: The triggers require no more agents, beds, or fencing than current law mandates;

Flaw No. 5: The completion of background checks, including checks against criminal and terrorist databases, is not required for the granting of amnesty (in this bill, it is referred to as probationary status).

Flaw No. 6: Criminals of all kinds  including gang members, some child molesters, and absconders (i.e., aliens who have already had their day in court and who are now subject toremoval [covering more than 636,000 fugitives) are eligible for the bills mass amnesty;

Flaw No. 7: Illegal aliens with terrorism connections are not barred from getting amnesty. An illegal alien seeking most immigration benefits must merely show good moral character.
http://sessions.senate.! gov/pressapp/record.cfm?id=275456
310 Sixth Street, S.E., Washingt on, D.C. 20003 (202) 543-1341
http://www.NumbersUSA.com

Flaw No. 8: Illegal aliens granted amnesty or guestworkers imported via the new Y temporary worker program can claim the Earned Income Tax Credit, which will cost taxpayers billions in just 10 years;

Flaw No. 9: Affidavits from friends are acceptable as evidence of satisfying requirements for amnesty, thus invit fraud and more illegal immigration;

Flaw No. 10: In-state tuition and other higher education benefitswill be made available to current illegal aliens that are granted [amnesty>, even if the same instate tuition rates are not offered to all U.S. citizens, a violation of current Federal law, which mandates that educational institutions give citizens the same
postsecondary education benefits they offer to illegal aliens;

Flaw No. 11: New visas are created for individuals who are prone to overstaying their period of authorized admission  namely, the new par! ent visa, which allows parents of citizens, and the spouses and children of new temporary workers, to visit a worker in the United States. Not only is this term a misnomer, but also an
invitation for high rates of visa overstays because it specifically allows the spouse and children of new temporary workers who intend to abandon their residence in a foreign country, to qualify to come to the U.S. to visit. To obtain the visa, one must only post a $1,000 bond, which will be forfeited when, not if,
family members of new temporary workers decide to overstay their 30 day visit. Workers should travel to their home countries to visit their families, not the other way around;

Flaw No. 12: To be granted amnesty, illegal aliens need not pay back income taxes;

Flaw No. 13: Social Security credits for work done while in the United States illegally will be granted to [a>liens who came to the U.S. on legal visas, but overstayed their visas and have b! een working in the U.S. for years, as well as illegal aliens who apply for Z visa status but do not qualify; and

Flaw No. 14: The criminal fines an illegal alien is required to pay to receive amnesty are less than the bills criminal fines for paperwork violations committed by U.S. citizens, and can be paid by installment, which means that the fine for illegally entering, using false documents to work, one-tenth the fine for a
paperwork violation committed by a government official.

PLEASE DO NOT BE WEARY IN WELL-DOING -- You will beat Big Business, Big Media, Big Religion, Big Academe and Big Open-Borders Foundations only if you join with hundreds of thousands of your brother and sister citizens today and tomorrow in every action possible.

English as the language of America

I recently wrote the FCC asking why Spanish language radio and TV are not required to furnish English transcripts of content. The short answer was, 'if it isn't obscene, then we don't care'. Does any non-Spanish speaking American know what goes over the Spanish radio airwaves?

Would it surprise anyone that instructions are given on how to secure illegal drivers licenses and where to obtain false identity documentation?

If you don't speak Spanish and monitor a station in real time, you'd never know. And you might be shocked at what the illegals out there are listening to.

I don't know what it takes to promulgate an FCC regulation requiring all stations broadcasting in foreign languages to have transcripts of their progrtaming furnished in English. If for nothing else, at least to show what the programing is and allow others to challenge the stations' licenses come renewal time.

Who can get the ball rolling for something like this? While the FCC dithers over obscenity over the airwaves, the latino illegals are getting info on how to steal identities, obtain fraudulent documentation, and who knows what all else - - without the FCC giving one whit and without the average American having the means or ability to check or verify.

For Those who Don Spicky Español.

The fact that they have their news or any programming in another language isn't to me a problem. I, in fact, speak, read and write excellent Spanish, but not any other language with the exception of Southern(that's a language isn't it.?.).

However, in some of the above posts the observation is made that if politics is done in another language then how will the bulk of Americans know what has been said or promised.

That's where I come down. All politicking should be done in the English language, and any candidate who regularly and insidiously does campaigning in another language should not get our votes.

In the first place, voters have to speak some degree of English to be citizens. In the second place there should be no secrets. Nothing the rest of us can't listen to and understand.

I can tell you that some things are translated quite differently than they are understood by the target audience, so that no translations can be acceptable since they are definitely unreliable.
Someone is going to tell us that a translation will be made available for all foreign speeches. Don't accept that, they are unreliable.

Just so you have a small idea of what I am saying, when they say American, they mean everybody from the tip of North America to the other tip of South America. And they call that, ONE CONTINENT, the American continent. So therefore, we are not called Americans, but usually North Americans or United Statezers. That's when polite language is used.

That is only a very small example. Plus when Spanish is used they are very accustomed to double and triple meaning to what is said. They are accustomed to not believing anything told to them by a politician since they have always been lied to. Better get used to that folks because we are now heading down the same road.

"Operationalize?" Why?

Lilly, why should we "operationalize" anything?

Those who aren't here legally aren't entitled to anything but a trip back across the border. Its not our responsibility to teach them anything other than respect for our laws.

Those adults who are here legally have the same responsibility to learn English on their own that previous generations of immigrants had and can use the same methods -- private instruction which they pay for themselves and, where applicable, private charity through churches and community groups. The children should be immersed fully in English in school. Just as in the past they'll learn.

Additionally, trust what an immigrant said -- "Turn off the Spanish TV".

OMEGA DAYS

You claimed that Americans could use Rosetta Stone to get by in a foreign country. I said that wouldn't work with Arabic. You come back and say you wouldn't go to Arabic-speaking countries anyway.

Do you actually think you've won a point here? You haven't. You lost one.

As far as the Russian website is concerned, I have no idea what point you are getting at, and life is too short for me to bother. Maybe you want to say it again in different words, trying to be as clear as possible what point you are making, and I'll try again.

And as far as the translator situation goes, why are we using foreigners to translate when we should be using Americans? This was lilly's point. We are so afraid of foreign languages that we don't bother to learn them. Then we must use foreigners in war and intelligence, and their true loyalties are always in doubt. Nor would that change even if we did give them all citizenship after we were done with their services.

What you said actually supports my (and lilly's) view rather than you own.

And as far as your rant about immigrants learning English goes, I've already said I agree with that, so there's no need to bother repeating it.

I just heard from

Numbers USA, they had a report that in the House, Representative King and other Republicans are writing the House version of this bill. It is to inforce the laws already in place, Build the fence already alloted for, which is about 700 miles, with 23,000 new border guards.

They don't think the Senate bill will pass in the HOuse.

And also, it will make English the offical language of the United States.

JFP-last time.

I don't want you to be confused, and I don't want you to take this offensively, none of us should--it is a good discussion of a larger problem.

1. lilly said "It seems that some Americans not only want English only spoken here at home but also in countries where English is not the locally spoken language." I was bringing up examples of how far US citizens will bend when we need to for the sake of acceptance and immediate gratification--the lifestyle we are so accustomed, we do not expect anything from people in a foreign country. But we do expect the citizens to speak English here. We expect it because we cannot understand them, but for them to survive here, they have to understand us.

2. Your criticism of me 'getting by' on Rosetta stone was a mute point, I was referring to an effort on my/our part to LEARN, which had nothing to do with Arabic--which by the way you brought up, perhaps because you took a class in it, very difficult language to learn from what I understand, you're lucky if you can recite the alphabet after the first year. lilly was inferring that we are lazy Americans, much like the way the Europeans look at us when we visit.

3. The example of the Russian language was used to illustrate the lag time in deficiency in communication, or more often, miscommunication, that we often have when trying to gather information from intelligence sources. That is one reason we fell into the WMD-in-Iraq trap--faulty intelligence. So I admit that communications are critical in this example--the example infers such.

4. On a person to person basis, when two people misunderstand each other because they speak two different languages, there is absolutely NO communication. No one gains satisfaction. No one is on the same page. No actions are taken.

5. You said, "And as far as the translator situation goes, why are we using foreigners to translate when we should be using Americans? This was lilly's point. We are so afraid of foreign languages that we don't bother to learn them." What? Who's afraid of what? No sense. And where are you going to find Americans who speak fluent Iraqi Arabic --other than a few professors from India, Pakistan? You lost your own point. I made the point that we already have problems finding and keeping translators, we can't keep up with the thousands of Arabic websites, and other communications by our enemies, who by the way do not want us to know what they are doing, we are losing a war because of miscommunication. And we are losing our own domestic war by not accepting an official language--again a miscommunication.

6. Miscommunication is my whole argument. JUST LEARN ENGLISH WHICH WILL STOP THE MISCOMMUNICATION THAT IS CAUSING TWO WARS, FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC, WE'LL GET ALONG JUST FINE--IF AND WHEN YOU BECOME LEGAL!

There's MY point. I think most of you on this website got it the first time it posted at June 18, 10:31.

no more republicans

You are so pathetic.

Did you turn your rock over today.??.

Get lost.

the Peoples' House to the rescue

"nanna" mentioned that the House is contemplating a SANE immigration bill-- REAL enforcement first, rightfully making English our OFFICIAL language, etc. Those folks have to stand for re-election every two years, and their very number (435 or so) means that it is harder for the Chamber/miscreant employer lobby, La Raza, etc., to buy them off.

The Peoples' House derailed the prior Kennedy-McQuisling Scamnesty some months back... we might need to count on them again. I was surprised that Harry Reid's stunt derailed cramnesty temporarily in the Senate, but the swine there will likely shove the pig-in-a-poke with lipstick upon us. Still, the House can stop them! Let feckless quisling Presidente Jorge sit there waiting for that signing ceremony! He can moan about it in espanol with Menendez, Martinez, Gonzales, Salazar, and Gutierrez! [Anybody notice an arguably ethnocentric/racist agenda in that cadre?! Duh!!]

Has anybody noticed how the MM says there is strong "Republican base opposition" to the pending scamnesty bill? That is an artful dodge... truth be told, 65% of democrats feel strongly that we need to seal the darn border and enforce the laws before we fret about what to do with the 20 million invaders (18% of whom even eunuch Chertoff dubs felons):

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/just_26_favor_senate_immigration_plan

I have seen several news analysts/commentators with some sense note that they have NEVER seen such a disconnect between mainstream America and Washington on an issue. NOBODY in Peoria is losing sleep about "bringing people in out of the shadows" or worrying about the "rights" of ILLEGAL aliens. HOWEVER, MANY citizen taxpayers ARE worried about how in heil to stop them from crashing our border, stealing jobs, permeating pandemic social pathologies (crime, drugs, gangs, diseases, illegitimacies, dropouts, decimating schools, and barrio blight) and milking social services and welfare.

English?

I don not believe we should have the language of our former colonial rulers as our own official language. I don't want to say petrol instead of gas. I will not spell color, colour and I will not refer to my smokes as fags! Speak American, dammit!

To lilly

I don't know about where you live, but I know at least Florida and Tennessee have vocational training for hispanics. I can't believe that any minority can't get federal aid to learn anything they want.

And I do know of churches that will teach English as part of there ministering programs.

It's not a problem of no resources. It's a problem of the will to do it.

To onceamarine

Thanks for the kind words. Actually I was educated a) Between sixty and seventy years ago and b) 50% of the time outside the United States in private schools. So your theory, however well-intended, doesn't hold.

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.