NationStates Jolt Archive

http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2006/Nov-14-Tue-2006/news/10812842.html

Pahrump weighs ordinance
English would be official language

The Pahrump Town Board tonight is expected to decide whether English should be declared the town's official language, making it one of dozens of communities across the nation to consider or adopt laws that target illegal immigrants.

The proposed ordinance also would make flying a foreign flag by itself illegal and states that "illegal aliens or undocumented immigrants are not entitled to any benefits" from Pahrump.

...


So I heard them on NPR talking about this issue this morning. The guy that proposed it couldnt really say anything other than "This is America and in America we speak English. God bless America!" also "If you want to do business in America you speak English"

a legal immigrant from Brasil called in saying that he actually agreed with the ordinance but could see both sides of the issue and the other guy got defensive against him saying "How can you see both sides of the issue? Americans = English speakers, there is no other side to the issue"

I couldn't help but wonder, what about all those people who are able to conduct business here without the use of English. I wonder how they did so if being in America makes that impossible.

I also wondered why this needed to be put into law... if people don't want to conduct business (whatever it may be) with someone who can't or refuses to use english, then I assume they don't have to. Noone is forcing anyone to do business with anyone else are they?

Another caller called in sayign everyone should speak English because when he is at work "two people could all of a sudden start speaking another language and it's frustrating"

The thing with the flag is a bit stupid IMHO.

Another caller called in saying this would make it illegal for him to fly his California flag on its own. (I didn't read it that way, but, possible?)

I believe that I heard that the fastest growing ethnic group in the US were mexicans. If that is so and they kept their first language alive as they assimilated and someday down the road they wanted to make Spanish the official language because more of them speak Spanish, how well would that sit with the English onlyers?

Personally I think we shoudl adopt a culture of bi or multilingualism as much as possible just like many European countries do.

I have never had trouble getting what I need taken care of in Los Angeles just because they make things easier on spanish only speaking people. Although I believe the entire state of California recently made English it's official language.

Banning foreign flags and the use of foreign languages is just stupid. Maybe even unconstitutional. Now if they'd crack down on employers who hire illegal aliens that would be a whole different story. I could back that measure.

The proposed ordinance also would make flying a foreign flag by itself illegal

Can you say "in violation of the first amendment"?

I knew you could.

The proposed ordinance also would make flying a foreign flag by itself illegal

So much for freedom of speech and expression.

That, and sanity.

Arizona has made English the official language just this past election. It's stupid and mean-spirited. Not only does it affect the Hispanic community, but also the Navajo nation. Argh. Why don't people think things through all the way?

Arizona has made English the official language just this past election. It's stupid and mean-spirited. Not only does it affect the Hispanic community, but also the Navajo nation. Argh. Why don't people think things through all the way?

The people who actually decide these things have thought it through. Dissent won't arise where it matters, they assume, and they're usually right and get away with it.

I've got an idea, why don't you Americans get your own language :D , and not steal ours.

I've got an idea, why don't you Americans get your own language :D , and not steal ours.

It's called US English :p.

I've got an idea, why don't you Americans get your own language :D , and not steal ours.

We caaptured it in 1781 along with Cornwallis' sword. :D

I've got an idea, why don't you Americans get your own language :D , and not steal ours.

I bet you're using a nice computer. Why don't you let us borrow it for a while?

It's the cow counties, what do you expect? The sad part is that the town is going to be slapped silly with lawsuits and spend a lot of money to defend itself against something this stupid, wasting a lot of money.

It's even more agravating when you read further and find out that the town doesn't plan to inforce the flag ordinence, most everything is conducted in English anyway (and the town has not athority over private places of buisness) and all the benifits are managed by the State of Nevada or the Federal government.

It's an empty bit of stupidity.

A number of states did this same thing back during WWI declaring English the official language, it's what killed off the German language schools and als did a fair bit of damage to the German language newspapers, well that combined with a number of states making it illegale to teach german in school period let alone teach in German.

http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2006/Nov-14-Tue-2006/news/10812842.html



So I heard them on NPR talking about this issue this morning. The guy that proposed it couldnt really say anything other than "This is America and in America we speak English. God bless America!" also "If you want to do business in America you speak English"

a legal immigrant from Brasil called in saying that he actually agreed with the ordinance but could see both sides of the issue and the other guy got defensive against him saying "How can you see both sides of the issue? Americans = English speakers, there is no other side to the issue"

I couldn't help but wonder, what about all those people who are able to conduct business here without the use of English. I wonder how they did so if being in America makes that impossible.

I also wondered why this needed to be put into law... if people don't want to conduct business (whatever it may be) with someone who can't or refuses to use english, then I assume they don't have to. Noone is forcing anyone to do business with anyone else are they?

Another caller called in sayign everyone should speak English because when he is at work "two people could all of a sudden start speaking another language and it's frustrating"

The thing with the flag is a bit stupid IMHO.

Another caller called in saying this would make it illegal for him to fly his California flag on its own. (I didn't read it that way, but, possible?)

I believe that I heard that the fastest growing ethnic group in the US were mexicans. If that is so and they kept their first language alive as they assimilated and someday down the road they wanted to make Spanish the official language because more of them speak Spanish, how well would that sit with the English onlyers?

Personally I think we shoudl adopt a culture of bi or multilingualism as much as possible just like many European countries do.

I have never had trouble getting what I need taken care of in Los Angeles just because they make things easier on spanish only speaking people. Although I believe the entire state of California recently made English it's official language.

I think we as Americans would fit a lot better into the world, rather than being seen as stuck-up silly self-centered tourists all the time, if we were more multi-lingual friendly.

The flag thing? Stupid? You bet. And the California flag would probably not be considered foreign, even if most of us do think of Californians as a bit off kilter (;) just kidding, y'all are nice mostly). If I were in such a town, I'd just have to write my foreign exchange friend from years ago and fly a Brazilian flag. If they asked, I'd say I was supporting their soccer team, which I have been known to do. It's just a ridiculous thought. Flags are symbols, but certainly not sacred.

Funny thing, its illegal to speak english (http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/JWCRAWFORD/american.htm) in my state of Illinois:

1923 Declaration of "American"
as the Official Language of Illinois

Whereas, Since the creation of the American Republic there have been certain Tory elements in our country who have never become reconciled to our republican institutions and have ever clung to the tradition of King and Empire; and

Whereas, America has been a haven of liberty and place of opportunity for the common people of all nations; and

Whereas, These strangers within our gates who seek economic betterment, political freedom, larger opportunities for their children and citizenship for themselves, come to think of our institutions as American and our language as the American language; and

Whereas, The name of the language of a country has a powerful psychological influence in stimulating and preserving the national ideal; and

Whereas, The languages of other countries bear the names of the countries to which they belong, ... now therefore

Sec. 1. Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly: The official language of the State of Illinois shall be known hereafter as the "American" language and not as the "English" language.

Take that all you that want America to speak English!!!!

Arizona has made English the official language just this past election. It's stupid and mean-spirited. Not only does it affect the Hispanic community, but also the Navajo nation. Argh. Why don't people think things through all the way?

Manly becuase white american people are racist towards brown skin people.

Doesn't "Pahrump" sound like a name someone would make up to create a satirical story about this particular viewpoint?

English only!

Doesn't "Pahrump" sound like a name someone would make up to create a satirical story about this particular viewpoint?
It's Shoshone, Pah-Rimpi (Water rock). Hmm... if it's English only, the town's gonna have to change its name. I'll have to do a citizen's bill to the state legislature this year about that.

Fun fact, Pahrump is home to Art Bell and Coast to Coast

Doesn't "Pahrump" sound like a name someone would make up to create a satirical story about this particular viewpoint?

Oddly enough, NBC's "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (http://www.nbc.com/Video/rewind/full_episodes/?show=studio60)" just based a two hour show in that town, for precisely those reasons.

The Northwest Territories has eight official languages, six of them aboriginal. This does not guarantee that all services are available in all eight languages, laws are only binding in French and English (other translations are available, but are not official), and outside of the courts, there are no real guarantees that you'll be given access to services in all of these languages.

It hasn't broken the bank, and it hasn't meant that English is any less important. It just means the the population of the NWT is taken into account, the diversity of languages is recognised and honoured. Not so hard to do.