[Vision2020] Words Bring Pause

[keely emerinemix]

Having taught English to scores and scores of Spanish-speaking immigrants, I 
echo the importance of learning the language of the country in which you 
live.  But it is in no way productive to give in to nativist cries for an 
"official" language when the gulf between English speakers and non-English 
speakers in this country illustrates the point far better than the Idaho 
legislature could.

keely


From: "Tom Hansen" <thansen at moscow.com>
To: "'J Ford'" <privatejf32 at hotmail.com>, <vision2020 at moscow.com>
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Words Bring Pause
Date: Sun, 11 Mar 2007 16:01:42 -0700

In my opinion, it is not so much the inherent obligation of a
migrant/visitor to learn the local language that disturbs me as much as it
is our state government wasting their time and our money in establishing, by
legislation, an "official" language.

Our nation has survived for 218 years without an "official" language.

The state of Idaho has survived for 117 years without an "official"
language.

I agree that it is incumbent upon anybody, and everybody, to learn the
language and abide by the customs of the country in which they reside.

It is that simple.

Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho

"As more and more heathens 'choose' to not have children the number of Godly
souls will increase. If the number of Christian births out number the number
of Islamic births the battle will be over in 3 or 4 generations."

- Doug "No-Clue" Farris (March 10, 2007)

-----Original Message-----
From: vision2020-bounces at moscow.com [mailto:vision2020-bounces at moscow.com]
On Behalf Of J Ford
Sent: Sunday, March 11, 2007 3:50 PM
To: vision2020 at moscow.com
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Words Bring Pause

Sorry - gotta disagree with the good Senator.  In NO other country in this
world is this type of discussion ever even taken place or considered.  You
move to a country - YOU LEARN THE LANGUAGE!  Period.

What does the Senator suggest - we all learn his father's language?  What
about the Japanese or the Latin or the Haitian or......it goes on and on and

on.

Having one language that everyone speaks, to me, guarantees that we will at
least be able to talk to one another and THAT is where democracy starts.  We

can't talk, we can't agree, we can't get anywhere.

Remember the Tower of Babel......


J  :]





 >From: "Tom Hansen" <thansen at moscow.com>
 >To: "Vision 2020" <vision2020 at moscow.com>
 >Subject: [Vision2020] Words Bring Pause
 >Date: Sun, 11 Mar 2007 14:42:03 -0700
 >
 > >From today's (March 11, 2007) Spokesman Review with a very special 
thanks

 >to
 >State Senator Edgar Malepeai -
 >
 >---------------------------------------------------------------------
 >
 >Words Bring Pause
 >
 >The Idaho Senate voted 20-15 in favor of Senate Bill 1172, declaring
 >English
 >to be the official language of Idaho, in a debate that took a personal
 >turn.
 >
 >"It's not for shutting people out, but bringing people in," Sen. Mel
 >Richardson, R-Idaho Falls, lead sponsor of the bill, told the Senate.
 >
 >Sen. Edgar Malepeai, D-Pocatello, said quietly, "Looking around the
 >chamber,
 >I think I'm probably the only one that has English as a second language."
 >Malepeai recalled that his late father and uncles served proudly in the
 >U.S.
 >military. "They spoke very, very broken English, but they were proud
 >American Samoans," Malepeai said. Democracy and freedom "is what unifies
 >people in this country," he said, "not the English language." A hush fell
 >in
 >the Senate after Malepeai's comments, and no one else debated the bill.
 >
 >---------------------------------------------------------------------
 >
 >Seeya round town, Moscow.
 >
 >Tom Hansen
 >Moscow, Idaho
 >
 >"I love my country but fear my government."
 >
 >- Author Unknown
 >
 >
 >
 >=======================================================
 >  List services made available by First Step Internet,
 >  serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
 >                http://www.fsr.net
 >           mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
 >=======================================================

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=======================================================
  List services made available by First Step Internet,
  serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
                http://www.fsr.net
           mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
=======================================================



=======================================================
  List services made available by First Step Internet,
  serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
                http://www.fsr.net
           mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
=======================================================

_________________________________________________________________
The average US Credit Score is 675. The cost to see yours: $0 by Experian. 
http://www.freecreditreport.com/pm/default.aspx?sc=660600&bcd=EMAILFOOTERAVERAGE