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The US and Canada are somewhat unique, given that 90+% of their
populations are relatively recent immigrants (i.e. less than four
hundred years). English has been the defacto language of our country,
but there is no real reason why that has to be so. How many people
here are descended from populations that don't speak English as their
native language?<br>
<br>
I don't like the fact that this sends a message that immigrants better
adhere to the status quo and behave themselves - or they will find
themselves marginalized. Which is downright ironic when you notice
that the people proposing this aren't Native Americans.<br>
<br>
I think we are making a mistake - we should be trying to attract
immigrants to this country.<br>
<br>
Paul<br>
<br>
J Ford wrote:
<blockquote cite="midBAY105-F5D24861547452BF2E461AAF7E0@phx.gbl"
type="cite">
<pre wrap="">Yes, but they HAVE been. It is not like they have just done the change or
made the change due to a population's demand to do so. The parts of Canada
that speak French were founded by the French and that had been established
during that founding.
J :]
</pre>
<blockquote type="cite">
<pre wrap="">From: "Ted Moffett" <a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:starbliss@gmail.com"><starbliss@gmail.com></a>
To: "J Ford" <a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:privatejf32@hotmail.com"><privatejf32@hotmail.com></a>
CC: <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:vision2020@moscow.com">vision2020@moscow.com</a>
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Words Bring Pause
Date: Sun, 11 Mar 2007 15:32:28 -0800
J-
And not only India, as Dave Sarff points out, but Canada is officially
lawfully bi-lingual. I thought everyone knew that Canada is
bilingual. Excerpt below from Canadian government web site:
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.catsa-acsta.gc.ca/so-ac/english/tools_outils/identitity_identite.htm">http://www.catsa-acsta.gc.ca/so-ac/english/tools_outils/identitity_identite.htm</a>
As Canadians, we are privileged to enjoy the many things our country has to
offer. One of its greatest characteristics is its unique bilingual identity
reflected by the harmonious co-existence of its two official languages,
English and French. Throughout Canada's history, the English and French
languages have co-existed. However, it wasn't until 1969 that Canada
adopted
the Official Languages Act. "This Act stipulates that English and French
are
the official languages of Canada for all matters relating to Parliament and
the Government of Canada". In 1988, nineteen years after the official
languages policy had been in place, Parliament adopted a new Official
Languages Act. The provisions in this new Act were more specific than those
of the 1969 version. According to Canada's Official Languages Act, the
Government of Canada must ensure that its employees and those working on
its
behalf promote the presence of both official languages.
----
Vision2020 Post: Ted Moffett
On 3/11/07, J Ford <a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:privatejf32@hotmail.com"><privatejf32@hotmail.com></a> wrote:
</pre>
<blockquote type="cite">
<pre wrap="">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 :]
</pre>
<blockquote type="cite">
<pre wrap="">From: "Tom Hansen" <a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:thansen@moscow.com"><thansen@moscow.com></a>
To: "Vision 2020" <a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:vision2020@moscow.com"><vision2020@moscow.com></a>
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
</pre>
</blockquote>
<pre wrap="">thanks
</pre>
<blockquote type="cite">
<pre wrap="">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
</pre>
</blockquote>
<pre wrap="">language."
</pre>
<blockquote type="cite">
<pre wrap="">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
</pre>
</blockquote>
<pre wrap="">fell
</pre>
<blockquote type="cite">
<pre wrap="">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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