[Vision2020] FW: Words Bring Pause
Carl Westberg
carlwestberg846 at hotmail.com
Mon Mar 12 14:46:39 PDT 2007
I noticed that Donovan closed his missive with this: "Further, I don't even
think you should be able to get a driver's license without being able to
speak English." You realize that would mean that President Bush wouldn't
be allowed a license? Carl Westberg Jr.
>From: "Kai Eiselein, editor" <editor at lataheagle.com>
>To: "Vision 2020" <vision2020 at moscow.com>
>Subject: [Vision2020] FW: Words Bring Pause
>Date: Mon, 12 Mar 2007 14:41:16 -0700
>
>Ok, so one can expect to see things labeled in English and Japanese in
>Hawaii, mainly because of businesses catering to Japanese tourists. As a
>matter of fact, I was the only American in the group I went scuba diving
>with, everyone else was Japanese, with the exception of one divemaster, and
>even he spoke Japanese fluently.
>Frankly, I didn't notice a language smorgasbord on Oahu, just a lot of
>Japanese signage and Japanese languge TV shows. Most of the non-Japanese
>tourists I ran into were either Aussies and Kiwis, who speak a strange
>dialect of English, LOL..
>One would also expect to see signs and such in English and Spanish along
>the
>US/Mexico border. I will be in Nogales, AZ next month, and I fully expect
>I'll need to speak English, Spanish and Spanglish while there. No problem,
>in a matter of hours of arriving, it'll be like I never left.
>But should I have to speak Spanish in, say, Idaho? No I shouldn't, yet I
>needed to a couple of weeks ago while in the Boise area, because most of
>the
>hotel staff did not speak Engish at all. In order to communicate my needs,
>I
>had to speak Spanish. Was it the end of the world? No. Was it annoying?
>Yes,
>why should I have to switch to a foreign language in order to communicate
>in
>my own country? I shouldn't have to.
>I think English should be the official language of the US.
>If businesses want to deal in more than one language to attract customers,
>that is their choice. I don't feel that Joe Taxpayer should have to pay for
>government documents to be printed in every language on the planet.
>I think speaking more than one language is great, the more the better, but
>in my home country I should only NEED to speak one.
>-----Original Message-----
>From: vision2020-bounces at moscow.com
>[mailto:vision2020-bounces at moscow.com]On
>Behalf Of Sue Hovey
>Sent: Monday, March 12, 2007 1:18 PM
>To: Donovan Arnold; keely emerinemix; vision2020 at moscow.com
>Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Words Bring Pause
>
>
>OK, I guess we can agree to disagree on the English language mandate.
>
>But would you humor me on this one? You said:
>
>If you haven't bought anything where the directions were primarily Spanish
>it is because you haven't bought anything in a community that is in the
>Southwestern United States. You probably buy your stuff in Moscow or
>Spokane
>that is 98% White not 40% White.
>
>I believe in buying locally so I don't tend to run off to Arizona or
>California to buy products. If they are sold there and not shipped out, why
>does that create a problem for you? And I really would like an example.
>It's not that I'm unwilling to believe you, I just want to know what one
>might be.
>
>Actually for the past three months I have done all my buying in
>Hawaii--lucky me. There are many things I love about this wonderful state,
>and among them is the benefit of its linguistic diversity. I don't buy
>many
>products here that need directions, but it's great fun to shop for
>groceries
>where one runs into labels printed in many languages--of course one can
>shop
>in World Market in Spokane and do the same thing.
>
>Sue
>
>----- Original Message -----
> From: Donovan Arnold
> To: Sue Hovey ; keely emerinemix ; vision2020 at moscow.com
> Sent: Monday, March 12, 2007 5:12 AM
> Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Words Bring Pause
>
>
> Sue,
>
> You wrote:
>
> "Donovan, Your contention that those who don't speak English are rude
>and
>make everyone cater to them is a pretty narrow view of the conditions of
>many non-English speakers."
>
> This is a false representation of what I said. I said I have the deepest
>respect for those that try to learn the language and spite for those that
>don't.
>
> Unless you are mentally incapable, which I doubt most non-English
>speaking
>people in this country are, you should be attempting to learn the language.
>Further businesses and other agencies that print everything in two or 20
>languages are only allowing them to not learn.
>
> Many millions of people come into this country and refuse to learn the
>language, they stay in cities like LA, Phoenix, and Las Vegas where
>everything is in their language. They get jobs, go shopping, and drive on
>the roads, not knowing more than three words in English and don't care to
>learn it. I am not talking about people 65 who grew up in an other country
>until last week, I am talking about people 18-50 that have lived the better
>half of their life in this country, and people that refuse to teach English
>to their children.
>
> Anyone that really wants to learn English can learn English. I also
>believe that it is a serious danger to the lives of people in this country
>when people cannot communicate because of a language barrier, it happens
>everyday, in emergency situations, or situations that quickly because
>emergency situations because of a lack of communication.
>
> Yes Sue, all the cultures that have come to the US have learned to speak
>English. There are no major cities in the United States where the majority
>speaks German, the Germans learned English, as did the French, the
>Italians,
>the Greeks, the Spanish, the Russians, the Swedish, Japanese, all did, even
>the Slaves that were forbidden by law from reading learned to speak
>English.
>
> We have to have one language as a matter of necessity, you have road
>signs, government literature, communications over the radio, TV and
>Internet, the language of government meetings, the words on printed money
>etc, can be only adequately done in one language. No one person chose the
>English language we all agreed to it many years ago because it gave us the
>greatest opportunity in the world.
>
> If you haven't bought anything where the directions were primarily
>Spanish
>it is because you haven't bought anything in a community that is in the
>Southwestern United States. You probably buy your stuff in Moscow or
>Spokane
>that is 98% White not 40% White.
>
> Not having everyone speak one language is not only an inconvenience, it
>is
>also a danger to our society.
>
> Further, I don't even think you should be able to get a driver's license
>without being able to speak English.
>
> Best,
>
> Donovan
>
>
> Sue Hovey <suehovey at moscow.com> wrote:
> Donovan, Your contention that those who don't speak English are rude
>and
>make everyone cater to them is a pretty narrow view of the conditions of
>many non-English speakers. Some of them are elderly with limited
>opportunities to learn English, many of them are eager to learn and seek
>out
>classes only to find they cannot afford the tuition or the classes are
>full.
>Others, and I have known numbers of them, struggle to learn as much as they
>can while they clean the houses, pick the fruit, and care for the children
>of the more affluent.
>
> I think I might not so much mind the misguided efforts of arrogant
>lawmakers, if in their haste to proclaim English as our national language,
>they also passed laws to facilitate that learning for non-English speaking
>adults. Fortunately we do have programs in place for school age children,
>but even today there is a national movement to deny many of these children
>education services.
>
> You state that all of our prior immigrants learned to speak English,
>surely you know that is not so. Certainly you are correct that being
>unable
>to speak English does hinder those who need to make a living here. I don't
>think you actually meant to say English is an American invention--sometimes
>even those of us who speak it don't get it right all the time.
>
> I do see products with Spanish as well as English instructions, but
>unless they are imports, Donovan, Your contention that those who don't
>speak
>English are rude and make everyone cater to them is a pretty narrow view of
>the conditions of many non-English speakers.
> Sue
>
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Donovan Arnold
> To: Sue Hovey ; keely emerinemix ; vision2020 at moscow.com
> Sent: Sunday, March 11, 2007 7:14 PM
> Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Words Bring Pause
>
>
> Now the good Senator can go to Somalia and give the same speech to
>them, as they too have also elected to make Somalia and English their
>official languages.
>
> I think helping those that cannot speak English in this country is
>wonderful. However, I think not learning to speak the language simple keeps
>those individuals down in society and hinders society as well.
>
> In the sheltered world of Northern Idaho, Spanish is by far a second
>language, but in many other parts of the west, in an increasing number of
>places, English is the second language and most the people on the street
>are
>speaking Spanish, not English, the signs are in Spanish and if you do not
>speak Spanish you often find yourself unable to ask the person next to you
>or an employee at a business a question.
>
> Even instructions on some products are primarily in Spanish, with
>English as the second language.
>
> The US is a nation of immigrants, Spanish, German, French, Italian
>Greek, Swedish, Irish, Arabic, Asian, African, Eskimo, etc. But they all
>learned to speak English. It isn't favoritism, it even an American
>invention, it isn't superiority, and it certainly isn't the most sensible,
>logical, or easiest language to master, but they all, all, even the poor
>ones, learned to speak the language. They didn't try to change the country
>to their culture and language, they added too it, they didn't destroy it,
>ignore it, or disrespect it.
>
> In the United States we speak English. To refuse to speak the
>language
>of the people in the country you choose to live in is rude and
>disrespectful
>to those in it.
>
> I have the deepest respect for the people that come here and learn
>the
>language, but I have nothing but spite for those that come here and refuse
>to help out and make everyone cater to them.
>
> Best,
>
> Donovan
>
> "If you speak English, Press 1 now. If you don't speak English,
>learn
>it, then press 1."
>
>
>
> Sue Hovey <suehovey at moscow.com> wrote:
> Edgar Malepeai is a very special person and a remarkable teacher.
>One of
> the impacts of legislation such as this is the harm in inflicts on
>people
> who speak English (in Edgar's case it's beautifully spoken and
>articulate as
> well) as a second language (or third or fourth) because there is
>the
>implied
> message that some languages are superior to others.
>
> Some of you may not appreciate the message "numero dos, para
>Espanol" but
> there are those of us who sometimes push button two just to make
>our
>minds
> remember what we used to know pretty well.
>
> Closing with a non sequitur: When Governor George Bush told Texans
>he was
> learning Spanish, Jim Hightower responded, "Now he can be
>bi-ignorant."
>
> Sue Hovey
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "keely emerinemix"
> To: ;
> Sent: Sunday, March 11, 2007 2:46 PM
> Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Words Bring Pause
>
>
> > Thanks to Sen. Malepeai for his clearheaded and rational
>comments
>against
> > a
> > divisive and unnecessary bill.
> >
> > keely
> >
> >
> > From: "Tom Hansen"
> > To: "Vision 2020"
> > 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
> >
> >
> >
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