What is Digg?76 Comments
- inactive, on 08/13/2008, -2/+33"English only" is freedom of speech too.
- inactive, on 08/13/2008, -2/+29Well, FINALLY, somebody has the guts to tell the PC polyglot pushers to take a hike! It's WA-A-AY overdue! And, who could be better spokesmen/women than our Veterans? Kudos to Veterans of Foreign Wars Ayres Stone Post 5642 in Montrose, PA! May your fellow countrymen across the Nation follow the courageous example you have set; you are a gallant inspiration of the highest order! Our Founding Fathers would be proud of your nobility.
- jb1965, on 08/13/2008, -0/+22Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
The constitution doesn't have any jurisdiction over private groups. Actually, it is a guarantee that people have the right if peacable assembly. It doesn't force rules of inclusion on ANYONE, business or personal. If an english speaking American doesn't want to learn to speak another language to accomodate a customer, he doesn't have too!
Our government was set up by english speaking people. This country has accepted people of ALL tongues since its incepetion. The assumption of these new Americans was that they would come here and learn to be American. When you come to this country to establish your new life, free from the chains of whatever oppressive, third world despot you escaped, and establish yourself as an American (no hyphen) you will conduct your business with the government and excercise your freedom of speech to redress your grievances against your government in English!
The same people who get their panties in a wad because we don't want to accomodate languages other than English, are the same piss-ants who complain that US tourists visiting other countries can't speak the host countries language! - janknepper, on 08/13/2008, -0/+18Immigrated to the US in March 1999. I became US citizen August 2007...
Guess what... Because I ***wanted*** to move to the US I ***forced*** myself to only watch English/American news for years. I had no problems long before I moved here, what-so-ever speaking/communicating in spoken and written "American" (English that is).
I dare say that anyone wanting to be in this country but unwilling to learn to the countries OFFICIAL language should not be here. They obviously do not have the proper respect for this country, for it's law and regulations. Heck they can not read them! That poses a serious problem!
Other than that... I think the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution are in what language was that again? Oh, yeah... ***American English!!!*** - inactive, on 08/13/2008, -5/+23Stupid Libs and their asinine diversity. SPEAK ENGLISH OR GET THE HELL OUT OF MY COUNTRY!
- RichardMinch, on 08/13/2008, -0/+15Is America's osteoperosis finally going into remission?
Can we maybe stay the rise of Babylon? - AThoughtOrTwo, on 08/13/2008, -3/+17People: Please don't forget the second part of the message
"If you do not speak English **or believe in America**, please hang up."
I can see a lot of liberal wackos hanging up... then calling the ACLU... Liberals don't see it as a requirement **believe in America**?? WHY??? That would mean that their precious worldview might be WRONG!!
ALL NATIONS ARE NOT CREATED EQUAL. ALL RELIGIONS ARE NOT EQUAL. ALL IDEAS ARE NOT EQUAL.
Oh, oh. Someone's knocking at my door.. gotta go... - fwelch, on 08/13/2008, -0/+13"Does it say English speech? It just says freedom of speech. No where in there does it say freedom of English speech. It just says, freedom of speech," Arthofer said".
If one does not understand what one is talking about in an English speaking country then that person that is speaking to the one that knows only English in the English speaking country should be speaking English. - THEROD54, on 08/13/2008, -3/+14VAS IST ALL THISS STUFFF ABOUT SPEACKING ENGLLISH. I'm fifth gen . of German descent , we all speak English very well. Have been for four gen. now. WHAT'S the problem??????????
- meeksam, on 08/13/2008, -1/+12They can't because they don't understand or speak English.
- tradcath4ever, on 08/13/2008, -2/+12Way to go Vets! I applaud your love for the USA! Thank you very much for your service to our country. Hopefully, this will spread like wildfire across our beloved country. Our Founding Fathers would be proud!
- Salesti, on 08/13/2008, -3/+13Yes, but it's not *Liberal-approved* "freedom of speech", and that's terribly important to....understand the ah....uh...difference, you see, because, um, well, it's so....uhhhhhh, unfair, and everything, well, you know!
- AThoughtOrTwo, on 08/13/2008, -0/+9At least the rise of Babel.
- Nannybell, on 08/13/2008, -3/+12I'm with jb1965 on this one. What is the deal with liberals saying it is OK that people don't need to learn to speak English when they come here, but then they criticize natural-born citizens who don't learn a second or third language (such as Obama criticizing Americans who don't speak French)? Hmmmmm? Help me understand that contradiction.
I am also sick and tired of American companies hiring people over in Bangladesh to answer the phone when I call their number. I understand almost ZERO of their broken English. And it is really irritating when the person THINKS he speaks English well, so he starts rattling things off at ninety to nothing, and I have to slow him down. Very time-consuming and annoying. - inactive, on 08/13/2008, -2/+11Welcome to the U.S. of A. citizen!!! We cherish your presence and what you bring to this great amalgam of freedom.
- goldenrule4, on 08/13/2008, -1/+10English is the official language for air traffic control towers all over the world and we cann't make
it OUR official language? what's that smell? - inactive, on 08/13/2008, -5/+13If you don't speak English, you're a criminal, give me your address.
- jasontromm, on 08/13/2008, -0/+8What happens if we got to their countries and speak English? They look at us like we're ignorant. When I went to Spain, I spoke Spanish -- because that's the language they speak over there. When they come here, they should speak English, because that's the language we speak here.
- debran, on 08/13/2008, -0/+6In your own home or place of business you can speak any language that you wish. But when you conduct business with others, common sense would dictate that you speak the major language of the country that you are in. If I needed to do business in France, I would either have to learn French or hire a translator. There is nothing revolutionary or racist in saying that people who live in a country(whether it is America, China or Japan) should have a basic familiarity with the language that most people in that country speak.
True racism is creating a situation in which immigrants continue in poverty because they don't know English. - Christianptriot, on 08/13/2008, -1/+7as a veteran and eligible for VFW membership - and who have had friends leave their blood, limbs, and lives on foreign soil - I TOTALLY agree with the VFW.
I need to join just to support this one chapter, and any vet who is eligible should also join.
THEN we all need to force our government - by the ballot box or ammo box - to MAKE AMERICAN English our official language and require that it be spoken by everyone who wants to become a naturalized citizen. - Christianptriot, on 08/13/2008, -0/+6There is no "official language" in the US, sadly.
- lookingforHim, on 08/13/2008, -1/+6Not for the want of the people of this Country. The Government just keeps over ruling the will of the majority of the people. Some have been trying for years.
- inactive, on 08/13/2008, -2/+7I say let's give the Vets a call and THANK THEM! I did.
- Taquoshi, on 08/13/2008, -0/+5Let's give them more than verbal thanks. How about mailing them a check?
- debran, on 08/13/2008, -0/+5So drog, must other Native American Tribes leave America because the language that their ancestors spoke was not Cherokee? I am not certain how that would go over with other Native American people.
- Taquoshi, on 08/13/2008, -0/+5When I was working in a hospital, we admitted a little old Italian lady as a patient who only spoke Italian. One of our clinicians spoke fluent Italian, but he wasn't able to be there 24/7. So, I brought in a phrase book, which everyone thought was hysterical at first, but the staff was able to cobble together some phrases like, "Point to where it hurts." "This is your medicine." "It's time for [breakfast, lunch dinner, group, therapy or bed] now. We managed and she got better.
- inactive, on 08/13/2008, -1/+6I second that!
- Salesti, on 08/14/2008, -0/+4Er.....half of English already *sounds* foreign.....what with coming from so many sources......I believe most people are just sick of having the newcomers constantly demanding imaginary rights, and expecting us to accommodate *their* deficiencies, rather than take it upon themselves to learn the language we use to conduct our daily lives around here. We're expected to drag out a translator who speaks Urdu (or Romanian, or Spanish) for the latest welfare recipient on a daily basis. We PAY to communicate with people who are doing nothing but drain American, English-speaking taxpayers' resources. I don't see being sick and tired of stupidity as being arrogant. Arrogant is when you demand that others serve YOU. Someone has an irrational, arrogant sense of entitlement here, and it's certainly not the Americans who just want to make their own choices and handle the responsibilities they already have.
You wanna shop in my store? I don't freaking know how to speak Cambodian, Chinese, Amharic, Arabic, or most other foreign languages, and I'm sick of being told by those pompous, condescending control-freaks that I'm a bigot for not wanting to learn them all, or pay my own money to translate for them in MY country, when I did not force them to come here.
You know, people who escape from oppressive regimes and show up here tend to seize the opportunity to learn our language and participate in our widely diverse culture. By and large, they don't whine -- they take responsibility for themselves and appreciate the American people, who (while there are great people everywhere) are THE MOST accommodating, open-minded and generous folks on the planet. - jasontromm, on 08/13/2008, -1/+5I was thinking the same thing. Couldn't have said it better myself.
- inactive, on 08/13/2008, -1/+5Ooh that smell, can't you smell that smell? The smell that surrounds you! Heh
- inactive, on 08/14/2008, -0/+4American ingenuity! Love it!
- Taquoshi, on 08/13/2008, -0/+4I'm not arguing here, because I do know how difficult it is to learn a second language. The issue is not learinng the second language, the issue is USING the second language. When I was in Mexico, my Spanish improved tremendously, and the same thing happened in Poland. However, now that I am not using the Spanish as much, (although recently someone called my cell phone at 2 a.m. and I answered the Spanish speaking caller in Spanish, explained to her that she had the wrong number and politely wished her well before hanging up. I don't remember doing it, but the gal who was my roommate at the conference does!) my vocabulary has sharply decreased. So the more than those who are learning English use it, hopefully, the better they will "get" it.
- Taquoshi, on 08/13/2008, -0/+4Interesting point. Check a Biblical map to see where the location of the historical Babel was. I think you'll be surprised.
- fredrick1, on 08/13/2008, -0/+4The Question is "CAN YOU READ THE US CONSTITUTION?" IT IS WRITTEN IN ENGLISH AND IF YOU CAN'T READ IT, IT DOESN'T APPLY. If you become a legal citizen you will learn how to read it. "THEN THE US CONSTITUTION WILL APPLY TO YOU".
- lookingforHim, on 08/13/2008, -1/+5Christianptriot,
Totally agree. There are several non - governmental controlled Veteran groups. I chose the PVA ( Paralyzed Veterans of America ) due to their proven track record of being on the front line for those that need it most. THE WOUNDED! Besides I can relate to them. I am a walking dead man. Praise be to the Lord. - inactive, on 08/13/2008, -0/+4You don't have to have your answering machine do the dirty work. Do as I do. When someone on the 'phone starts speaking a foreign gibberish, hang up.
- tinyzoo, on 08/13/2008, -2/+5Yes! EXACTLY! I'm very happy to see you quote the actual Constitution here. Some people (one of them quoted in this article!) don't know their Constitutional Law as well as they think they do. Our Constitutional right to "freedom of speech" really has very LITTLE to do with language, and EVERYTHING to do with what is being said and a person's right to say it! The person calling has the right to speak in whatever language they want to. And as Americans (and as a private organization) the VFW has the right to not listen to them unless they speak English. If someone were to start a private organization like "Swahili Speakers Anonymous" our something like that they would have the right to refuse calls from anyone who did not speak Swahili. Freedom of speech means we can say what we want without fear of persecution from the government, such as in some communist countries during the cold war, where if a person were to speak against the regime or complain about their communist government, they could be imprisoned, tortured or even killed just for speaking their mind about how they didn't like the way the government was being run. In America we have the freedom to complain about our government (and many do so quite often!) without fear of the military arresting them for dissension. This is the meaning of freedom of speech.
I can complain about the government in English, Spanish, German, French, or any language I care to take the time to learn. But NO ONE is required to learn to speak other languages under Constitutional obligation to conduct business. If a business or organization chooses to accommodate a minority language group, that is a privilege for that language group, not a right. If a business or organization demands that their callers speak English that is their right, as Americans and their right to pursuit of happiness, to set that standard. No where in the Bill of Rights, the Constitution or any of the Amendments does it say that businesses, private organizations or individuals must learn to speak and provide support for other languages, or to accommodate those language groups. And the Constitutional right to Freedom of Speech should never ever be mistaken to mean that all planetary languages must be adopted to achieve freedom. That's not what it says. And was NEVER what was intended by the framers of our great nation!
/stepping off my soapbox now.
Blessings to you,
-Sparkling - Nannybell, on 08/13/2008, -2/+5P.S.
By the way, I am not blaming the person in Bangladesh for this problem (except for the part where he rattles things off too quickly in a thick accent). Am blaming the American company who hires him instead of American workers. Give the job to Americans, please. - Sandy1000, on 08/13/2008, -0/+3Absolutely Jason I agree! It's not just an American notion to want others in your country to speak the native language.
When I was in Rome I struggled to speak Italian and never expected the people of Rome to speak MY language of English. In most of the tourist areas the locals did accomodate the English language when you made an attempt to speak Italian however. I noticed that those who insisted on speaking English to the locals were more often rejected or ignored as opposed to those who actually tried to speak Italian first. - jassatt, on 08/13/2008, -0/+3Check out http://www.proenglish.org/ then, put your money where your mouth is.
- Taquoshi, on 08/13/2008, -0/+3I've actually replied in Polish a few times, which really throws some sand in the gears. I learned that from a friend who can only recite the "Our Father" in Irish Gaelic, but it's enough to really confuse people.
- Salesti, on 08/14/2008, -0/+3You have been waiting for the ideal spot to put that list of old information on Digg yes? My grade-schooler likes that sort of thing too.
- Taquoshi, on 08/13/2008, -1/+4First of all, Thanks Christian Patriot, for serving, -- and the same to any other vet that happens to read this post. I appreciate all of you for all you did.
I also support the VFW with small contributions, and also give to another group that helps the wounded vets.
For those of you who have really, really tight budgets (been there, done that) I would humbly suggest that you make a list of all the vets you know and look around for either a patriotic type card or just a nice one to send them on Veteran's Day. Oh, yeah, and remember to write it in English. - THEROD54, on 08/13/2008, -0/+3I took German in High School to survive Family Reunions. By the time the second keg (30 gal.) started floating all the older folks started speaking Tex- German, so I some times do the same thing. German really troughs them.
- inactive, on 08/13/2008, -1/+3The British came and colonized America, then several wars were fought, one included the Revolutionary War which officially established America as an Independent Country a couple of hundred years ago- people need to get over it. Its plain and simple really.
Wars are fought, wars are won or not won - the main reason is territory or land if you will. Look back into history - America is not the first country to have this occur and it will not be the last either. - osko2052, on 08/13/2008, -0/+2All the more reason to pass a constitutional amendment making American English the official language of the USA.. I also speak Spanish fluently. I agree everyone who wants to reside in the USA should learn English but many of you only speak your native tongue. Perhaps you don't realize how difficult it is to learn a second language.
- besumed08, on 08/13/2008, -0/+2Geez, I wonder if any one of you know that over 8,000 words in our English language came from 40 languages. Nearly 30% of English words (in an 80,000 word dictionary) may be of French origin.
And some food terms, such as wurst, hamburger and frankfurter, are German. Can you order hamburger over phone? Tomato or chocolate? (Which came from Nahuatl)
Here are examples of many words that you may not be aware have foreign origin:
Scandinavian languages such as Old Norse - words such as sky and troll or, more recently, geysir.
Dutch - words relating to sailing, e.g. skipper, keel etc., and civil engineering, such as dam, polder.
Latin words, technical or biological names, medical terminology, legal terminology. See also: Latin influence in English
Greek words - medical terminology (like for instance phobias and ologies)
Spanish - words relating to Spanish culture - for example paella, siesta, plaza, salsa, etc.
Italian - words relating to music, piano, fortissimo. Or Italian culture, such as piazza, pizza, gondola, balcony, fascism. The English word umbrella comes from Italian ombrello.
Arabic - Islamic religious terms such as jihad and hadith. Also some scientific vocabulary borrowed through Iberian Romance languages in the Middle Ages (alcohol, algebra, azimuth, nadir).
Afrikaans - apartheid, trek.
Russian - words relating to the Cold War and the aftermath (perestroika, glasnost), and also words relating to Russian culture, such as Cossack or Babushka.
Indian - words relating to culture, originating from the colonial era. Many of these words are of Persian origin rather than Hindi because Persian was the official language of the Mughal courts. e.g.: pyjamas, bungalow, verandah, jungle, curry, shampoo, khaki.
Maybe, in order to speak pure English over phone, you should order "fried cow meat" instead of "hamburger" or "Italian cheese pie" instead of "pizza" or "red sauce" instead of "tomato"? - inactive, on 08/13/2008, -3/+5So you can burn one of your crosses in their lawn?
- indygirl, on 08/14/2008, -0/+2Dugg down and friend status removed for the racist comment. I can't believe that just spued from you... I am very proud of my Chippewa heritage.
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