Registered: Jul 2001
Location: China
Posts: 11795

quote:

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Originally posted by Paint CHiPs
btw, the Senate voted today to make English our official national language..

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Last edited by Aydin on 05-19-2006 at 06:53 PM

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Registered: Jul 2001
Location: China
Posts: 11795

Each at least a quarter million people.

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Registered: Jul 2001
Location: China
Posts: 11795

quote:

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President Bush, 4/28/06:

I think the national anthem ought to be sung in English, and I think people who want to be a citizen of this country ought to learn English and they ought to learn to sing the national anthem in English.

But in his book American Dynasty, Kevin Phillips notes that during Bush’s first presidential campaign, he would often sing the national anthem in Spanish. From pg. 142:

When visiting cities like Chicago, Milwaukee, or Philadelphia, in pivotal states, he would drop in at Hispanic festivals and parties, sometimes joining in singing “The Star-Spangled Banner” in Spanish, sometimes partying with a “Viva Bush” mariachi band flown in from Texas.

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Registered: Sep 2000
Location: Kansas City
Posts: 7504

The arguments in favor of English as an official languge would be largely communitarian in nature. Having an official language helps expand the commons, ensuring a mechanism for a variety of different peoples to interact and learn to appreciate one another, rather than retreating into Balkanized enclaves. It helps to ensure broad participation in societal megalogues on matters of moral principle and public policy. It helps create an underlying commonality among people that is necessary for a civil society to thrive; the alternative is a purely political society in which people base conflicts in duelling "rights" claims to be settled by the courts, instead of in negotiation and compromise. It helps immigrants assimilate, thereby guaranteeing a full appreciation of them by members of society who've been here longer, and also helping to enhance their economic interests. And it reduces financial burdens on government from the printing of documents in multiple languages, bilingual education, etc.

I don't myself support the recognition of English as an official language, but I do think that anyone living in the US is a fool not to learn it.

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Registered: Jul 2001
Location: China
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Of course it is in everyone's best interest to learn English, but what about peoples who were already speaking Navajo or French before they became US subjects? Same thing as Quebec.

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Registered: Sep 2000
Location: Kansas City
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Aydin: regarding your quote above, you do realize there's no contradiction, right? Bush's position isn't that people don't have the right to SPEAK spanish or even sing the anthem in Spanish at their own party; it is that they should ALSO learn to speak English and know how to sing the anthem in its original language.

I'll add that Bush's objection to the version of the anthem put together by Wyclef Jean et al is quite a different matter. It is one thing to translate the anthem into Spanish and quite another to insert entirely new content.

Last edited by CHiPsJr on 05-19-2006 at 07:57 PM

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Registered: Sep 2000
Location: Kansas City
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quote:

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Originally posted by Aydin
Of course it is in everyone's best interest to learn English, but what about peoples who were already speaking Navajo or French before they became US subjects? Same thing as Quebec.

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Registered: Jul 2001
Location: China
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I'm not familiar with Wyclef Jean's version (or even the fact that he speaks Spanish) (He's Haitian).

I did, however, just discover that there is an MTVChi and so will be an MTVK for Korean-Americans.

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Registered: Aug 2000
Location: In a Blue, Blue State
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quote:

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Originally posted by Aydin
English is already the de facto national language; why do we need to make it de jure?

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Registered: Aug 2001
Location: Hilbert Space
Posts: 35656

They'd still have reason to print them. English being the official language doesn't mean that they won't sometimes print documents in other languages.

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Registered: Jul 2001
Location: China
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New York City government phone system operates in 142 languages, and voting ballots are printed in English, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, and Russian.

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Registered: Jul 2001
Location: China
Posts: 11795

quote:

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Originally posted by billgerat
If you come to live in our country, get with the program and learn the language. Fuck them if they think we're gonna cater to their languages and cultures on the government plane.

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Registered: Apr 2003
Location: I cant say I buy this completely,
Posts: 2538

Ok. First, where the hell did this crap even come from?

I mean, its pretty obvious the language is English and thats what it should be called if you have to refer to it in writing. This is such nonsense. How the fuck do you enforce a national language anyways?

You see...this is why it doesnt make any God damned sense. Will you beat, fine or jail a person for not using the national language? No. Not here at least. So what does it fucking matter? Is it exclusionary? No. Business will cater to all languages of its demographics sans legislation...so now we have to actively outlaw certain language in certain transactions? No no no...this is just too pointless...

Its words...its worth shit.

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Registered: Feb 2004
Location: in colorado somewhere!
Posts: 26124

LA RAZA CARON! (right click play in player)

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EEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!

Last edited by Large Filipino on 05-20-2006 at 05:55 AM

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Registered: Sep 2000
Location: Kansas City
Posts: 7504

Wow. Hadn't actually heard it myself yet.

I take back what I said.

People shouldn't object to it as an anthem variant because it adds new lyrics. People should object to it as an anthem variant because it's SHIT.

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Registered: Aug 2001
Location: Hilbert Space
Posts: 35656

Apart from the French and maybe the German National Anthems, they're all shit.

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Registered: Aug 2002
Location: Pere Ubu land
Posts: 1080

I've never really had much interest in whether or not we should have a national language.

I'm much more concerned with why we don't require american school children to become fluent in at least ONE other language besides English. Actually I'd prefer they learn one other language to fluency and then a third to at least a rudimentary level.

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Registered: Jan 2001
Location: library
Posts: 19584

quote:

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Originally posted by billgerat
If you come to live in our country, get with the program and learn the language. Fuck them if they think we're gonna cater to their languages and cultures on the government plane.

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Registered: Jan 2001
Location: Zion
Posts: 4518

My store is located in an area with a substantial hispanic population. All of the directional signage and informational signage in my store is printed in both english and spanish. All of our customer phone systems are available in both spanish and english. EatMe is correct in stating that businesses are going to cater to their patrons and not to legislation.

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Registered: Jan 2001
Location: Zion
Posts: 4518

quote:

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Originally posted by Mordecai
Fuck you, you arrogant piece of american horse shit. You are the stereotype the world despises. Do us all a favor and off yourself, your white trash ex-girlfriend, and your mutant offspring.

-m

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Registered: Sep 2000
Location: Kansas City
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quote:

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Originally posted by Mordecai
Fuck you, you arrogant piece of american horse shit. You are the stereotype the world despises.

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Registered: Jan 2001
Location: library
Posts: 19584

Not so ironically, they don't tend to tell us to go home when we come bumbling around speaking english, they speak it back at us.

-m

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Registered: Feb 2004
Location: south afrika
Posts: 16786

quote:

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Originally posted by Mordecai
Not so ironically, they don't tend to tell us to go home when we come bumbling around speaking english, they speak it back at us.

-m

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