State Sovereignty or Secession

[sixdogsmom]

Huh??? 

[pamsback]

If a person wants to be a citizen of a county they should learn how to speak the common language of that county.

I spose you meant country right? I hear this argument all the time. I have bitched about it before myself, then I think about my own argument to it and feel like an idiot. The only reason English is the "common" language of this country is because they beat the french back to canada, bought most of the US off of Spain., and eliminated the original inhabitants.

"common" language kind depends on where you are from and what kind of neighborhood you live in. Hispanic neighborhoods...spanish is the common language. Same for any other ethnicity. Speaking more than one language USED to be considered an essential part of having a good education. We have regressed to the days when the establishment forbid children to speak in their native language for fear of severe punishment. We don't live in a "one" world anymore and we are gonna have to face that fact.

[larryJ]

 ALRIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   PAM IS BACK.  OH HOW WE HAVE MISSED YOU. 

You have a lot of catching up to do, so get to it and put your voice in there to help us or straighten us out. 

Larryj

[sixdogsmom]

Welcome back Pam! We surely missed you! 

[Varmit]

Yes, I meant Country.  Sorry for the typo.

Heres the way I see it.  English, for whatever reason, is the "common" language of America.  It should be spoken by all citizens.  It is one of the things that unites us as a country.  If we are going to divide ourselves along cultural lines then the arguments against secession are thrown out.  Catwoman brought up a good point that illustrates the problem with immigrants not willing to learn the language. Education is affected by a language barrier.  She stated that teachers need to be able to pack in alot of knowledge in a short time due to transiency.  I would think that this would be hampered by a lack of communication.  I do not think that it is right or fair to ask teachers to learn a second language. They have enough to do. 

Why should the Americans be forced to change their ways or language to make it easier on people coming into this country?  It is not like we are begging or even asking them to come here.  I am not saying that they can't speak their "native" language in their homes or amongst themselves.  But I do expect them to learn english if they want to be considered American.  I understand that we don't live in a "one" world anymore.  But why should americans accept people who are not willing to conform, at least in part, to the common culture?

[Diane Amberg]

Actually Billy, at UD I had to take a language to get my degree in Education. I didn't have a choice. I took Spanish because I thought it would be more useful to me than French, German, Japanese or Russian. I was right. When Daddy was at KU he had to take German because it was "The language of science." Here, it's not that the Hispanics aren't willing to learn English, it just takes some time. ( I didn't wake up one day knowing how to speak Spanish either, it took a couple of years of classes.)  Somebody has to be able to communicate with them in the meantime in Spanish, while they get a grip on English, which is a hard language to learn. When the crop pickers follow the crops, they are on the move often. It is hard on the kids' educations. Someday, if this country does declare English as our official language, that would be different but I don't see it happening soon. Even President Bush spoke passable Spanish. A Lot of people in the world take English as their foreign language as it is.

[redcliffsw]

Like it or not, English is our heritage.  And you don't need to
learn to speak Spanish in order to enjoy Mexican food. 


Here's one by Illana Mercer about states' rights. 

http://www.wnd.com/index.php?pageId=98805

[pamsback]

Oh I agree they should learn to speak English also same as I would learn the native language wherever I happened to be. It's a necessity to be able to get things done. I just think that all the hoopla about "We have to make English our "official" language" is so much bunk. The same people who bitch about the government stickin their noses in our business too much are shoutin for the GOVernment to declare an "official" language. That just makes me chuckle for real. You can't have it both ways. LOL

You CAN'T legislate freedom.......if it's legislated it AIN'T freedom it's the "official" position which makes it mandatory.

[Wilma]

Isn't the language you speak part of "Freedom of Speech"?  Of course, if you want to be understood, you will speak the common language.

[Diane Amberg]

Red, I'm just teasing, but why did you choose English as "our Heritage." If you go  back far enough, you could have said the same thing but inserted Dutch, French, Spanish. I guess I'm more aware of it because Delaware has been here so long, and had a number of different explorers from several countries stuck their flag in parts of us at one time or another. As far as English goes, whose "English" do you want us to speak.? Some parts of our country have their own English with words and dialects that are so local that an outsider wouldn't understand them. But the average tourist wouldn't come in contact with it either.