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Learn to speak English in the U.S.

 
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Dec 15, 2006 - 04:07:00 CST
By ALVERA LEIER


Kintyre

I've been trying to reach the Social Security office with a number provided by them in a recent mailing, saying, that if you have a question, call this number and speak to a representative from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. on business days. Recorded info and services are available 24 hours a day.

No matter what time of day I call, I get only the recording (whatever happened to human contact?), then it contains the message: "To continue in English, press 1."

If you can't speak English, why are you drawing Social Security?

My ancestors were Germans from Russia who became citizens of the U.S. and mastered the English language enough to do their business.

My family spoke German in our home, so it was quite natural to spout off in German on the school playground. Was it acceptable? No way. Any student caught speaking a German word on any school property was punished by the teacher, which left us a reminder to learn the English language.

I have nothing against anyone speaking their native tongue in their home or among family members, but I say: If they want to live here, they'd best learn to speak English as their first language.

I'm quite certain that no one, including me, expects them to master it overnight, but I am sure getting tired of having to cater to those who only want to reap the benefits of the American way while expecting to do things their way in this country.

For them I have just one message: Shape up or ship out.
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Learn to speak English in the U.S.
Comments

zerrouk wrote on Jan 20, 2007 10:24 AM:

" lear english "

estefania wrote on Jan 12, 2007 8:18 PM:

" do you teach classes "

Communication is logica wrote on Jan 8, 2007 12:38 AM:

" It seems logical that a person who might need to communicate with emergency personnel should be able to speak English in this country. Little questions like your address so the ambulance can find you? How about, are you allergic to any medicine? Or, how long has your wife/husband been in pain? Sign this form so we can give your child emergency surgery. Where was your child when you last saw him? How did this traffic accident happen? You were going the wrong way on a one way street. "

God likes diversity wrote on Jan 6, 2007 10:29 AM:

" let them keep their language, we are being too lazy on our part, and i'm tired of everyone convertin' to English cuz nowadays people are forgettin' their native languages... learn spanish...maybe we wouldn't be seen as stupid by other countries, where there most people know more than one language. You can't expect a 40 year old mother who came here for her children to suddenly stop to learn english, she's probably fighting to survive as it already is, and when they have no money, how can they do it then. People, be realistic. "

NoDak John wrote on Jan 6, 2007 9:47 AM:

" Financial support for Social Security is rapidly disappearing. With the additional load of millions of "newly found" eligibles, and the financial burden created by ever increasing numbers of individuals running the system self destruction of the system is guaranteed. "

Adam wrote on Jan 4, 2007 7:28 PM:

" English is the world language for just about everything around the globe. It is doing just fine surviving here and most anywhere. It certainly does not need laws to protect it. The USA has become so great, partly because people like us and want to be like us (I've been overseas and all over this wonderful country). We do not have to pass laws to protect who we are. "

Jerry B. wrote on Jan 4, 2007 1:02 PM:

" Dante, this is the best link on the Social Security International Agreements issue. It also lists the 21 countries we have social security agreement with. (Fortunately this will not effect the millions of illegals working as maids, gardeners, and baby sitters that work dirt cheap for that under the counter money, in places like Los Angeles). http://www.socialsecurity.gov/international/agreements_overview.html This US Government site says: Without some means of coordinating Social Security coverage, people who work outside their country of origin may find themselves covered under the systems of two countries simultaneously for the same work. When this happens, both countries generally require the employer and employee or self-employed person to pay Social Security taxes. "

Jerry B. wrote on Jan 4, 2007 12:40 PM:

" Dante, thank you for a fascinating subject. Social Security international programs? I will list the "What's New" first. http://www.socialsecurity.gov/international/whatsnew.html Then here is the International Programs site. http://www.socialsecurity.gov/international/ Allegedly this keeps employers from paying the employers share to both other countries and this country when a foreign worker is working here? It sounds like the "Multinational Companies" wanted this? "

YY wrote on Jan 4, 2007 9:38 AM:

" To Leier, Too late. President Bush has said he speaks spanish (have not ever heard it myself) so we have already elected a president who speaks Spanish. *They've infiltrated the highest levels of government* ;-) "

dante wrote on Jan 4, 2007 9:09 AM:

" correction, bush has not yet approved this agreement. "

dante wrote on Jan 4, 2007 9:06 AM:

" bush signed an agreement in 2004 with mexico that would allow millions of illegal aliens to draw social security benefits. its called the US-mexico social security totalization agreement. look it up. its finally been released to the public after several lawsuits. "

Leier from Dawson wrote on Jan 3, 2007 4:30 PM:

" AMEN to Alvera!! I couldn't believe it when I went into Lowes the other day for the first time and saw that every sign written in English also had Spanish writing! Even in Bismarck, North Dakota! If I were planning on moving into a different country, I would also plan to learn the common language, and until a decade ago, I would have to say that common language was ENGLISH! We might as well elect a President who speaks Spanish, since the Mexican's are changing this country anyway, just a little indirectly! "

Incredulous wrote on Jan 2, 2007 11:35 PM:

" Thanks for the clarification, Mouth. I've only been perusing the blogs lately, didn't delve into the full story. Happy New Year to all, too. "

Stepper wrote on Jan 2, 2007 6:29 PM:

" Thank you Mouth of the South. This is a great country and it is privilege to live here and I still say welcome to those who choose who come here by following the rules our country has made for citizenship. Have a great 2007! "

Mouth from the South wrote on Jan 2, 2007 5:48 PM:

" to incredulous; I believe Rebecca was referring to my post about her twisting words. Think that she just got our names mixed up. Very easy to do. Hope everyone had a Happy New Year. "

Mouth from the South wrote on Jan 2, 2007 5:45 PM:

" way to go Stepper; Agree with you 100%. Almost all of my posts have been written with illegal immigrants in mind as I believe yours and others have. If you come here legally and follow the laws of this country, good for you. Hope that you make a successful life for you and your family here in our great country. But, and I have said this before, I don't believe that any group of immigrants should have preferential treatment like the press 1 or 2. "

The Big D wrote on Jan 2, 2007 5:26 PM:

" I can't take it anymore, I think it is time to move back to the motherland. I bet it wont be as easy as a illegal coming to America. "

Tim Sandstrom wrote on Jan 2, 2007 2:07 PM:

" I just returned from Washington DC. Never felt better to get home to actually hear English! "

Incredulous wrote on Jan 2, 2007 11:43 AM:

" Rebecca: I never thought you twisted my words. No harm, no foul. "

Realist wrote on Jan 2, 2007 12:37 AM:

" It had taken until 1830 to get the first 1 billion people. We now have 6.5 Billion people on the Earth. More and more of them are watching the mind bending Hollywood movies on the big screen or television. The money from the Hollywood attitude "anything that makes a profit" drives technology forward and cultural values backward. We should encourage those in position to make a difference. "

John wrote on Jan 1, 2007 9:02 PM:

" We've always done better when we work together. I hope in the new year people with many different views, religions, languages, and cultural practices can come to respect and accept each other more. Our basic values of democracy, opportunity and fairness can go a long ways to bringing us together, regardless of our other differences. Happy New Year. "

Stepper wrote on Jan 1, 2007 8:17 PM:

" To Joe...what are you talking about? What have you got against my posts? They are clear and state MY opinion. Geez...how many times to I have to explain myself? You can make any excuses all you want but the law is the law..do you wish people to disobey our laws? I never said they have to do things my way at all, just that learning English COULD HELP THEM and come to this country LEGALLY. Now, do us all a favor and either explain what you do not understand about my post or leave it alone. Got it? Good. Have a good year in 2007. "

Joe wrote on Jan 1, 2007 4:25 PM:

" After reading the post by "Some benefits" I would hope that some of those who vigoursly claim that immigrants cause all their own problems and we could all get along and be Americans together if we just stopped talking about it, might see the point that some of us have been trying to make. "Some benefits" has every right to say what was posted, but the post shows the attitude that so many (Stepper, Mouth and others) have tried to say isn't a problem in America anymore. "

Stepper wrote on Jan 1, 2007 3:49 PM:

" TO: To Stepper...please go back and read my blogs, never once said the things you say I did. I have only maintained that people coming to this country do it LEGALLY. That is all my blogs have been about..come one, come all to this country.. more than welcome but do it LEGALLY. What is your problem with that? They can keep their language, customs, whatever, but learning English would enhance their lives and help with understanding. What is your problem with that? I really do not know how to put it more simply that that...come to this country legally and then have a wonderful life and hope your dreams come true. I really mean that. Do you get it now? "

Regressive Behavior wrote on Jan 1, 2007 2:23 PM:

" We are regressing back to the 16th Century here in the U.S.A. That was a time when only the wealthy could afford and keep slave labor. With the influx of the Mexican people into the U.S during these past 20 - plus years -it has created a conglomeration of "wage slaves" to do the gardening, cleaning, and whatever the U.S. working citizens refuse to do at such a low rate of pay. We are not moving forward here in the U.S., we are regressing back to slavery. The 2007 U.S. Congress needs to address this huge influx of illegal aliens from other countries as soon as possible. Either decide to deport all the illegal aliens or accept them and give them permanent U.S. citizenship. "

Some benefits wrote on Jan 1, 2007 1:45 PM:

" Most of them treat women like dirt and that might help balance out the women's lib thing. They work dirt cheap and that might help keep jobs in the country. Why should we care about things like honor killings and female circumcision as long as they keep it to themselves. When they make up phony social security numbers they still pay into the system. When uninsured illegals get in traffic accidents and then run into the bushes it makes the reports easier to write. When they pack drugs across the southern border to sell in this country it makes the dumbest children easy to lock up. This is the best thing to happen to this country since slavery. Once women get good educations you can never get them to be exotic dancers or strippers at clubs. Go to better areas of Los Angeles and see the virtual parade of cheap Hispanic gardeners and housekeepers walking to and from average neighborhoods. At one time only the rich could afford servants. Teach them English and you ruin the present system. "

Don wrote on Jan 1, 2007 1:21 PM:

" One major difference between Mexican-Americans of today and Polish-Americans is that Polish Americans no longer need to be together to survive and the rest of us no longer feel the need to tell the world how awful they are. When people came from Poland, Italy, and other non-Anglo-Saxon countries from the late 1880s to the 1920s, they were certainly singled out for special treatment and called some pretty derogartory names that made sure everyone knew they were differnt than the rest of us. Of course, we had special laws for a long time to keep African-Americans as separate and we beat Native Americans' culture out of them because it was different. I am saying this only to show that these issues are not as rosy as Mouth would have us believe. Making things better for all us doesn't come because us white Christian folk say oh whatever, get over it. I am glad that Mouth wants us to all get along. I belive the best way is for us all to enjoy and respect our similarities and differences both. "

Medical Transcriptionist wrote on Jan 1, 2007 12:30 PM:

" The job I do requires me to work with ESLs and try to decifer the English language from theirs and some of them are hard to understand and some of them start dictaing in their own language. Yes, it is frustrating but from experience the foreign doctors know things American doctors do not. I do not have a problem with ESLs, yet if they have difficulty with our language then maybe some classes could help them. They are no different from our ancestors, they have to be given ample time to learn our language. They however, have difficulty with proper verb tenses and such, but as an MT that is my job to make ALL doctors (ESLs and Americans) look good. Instead of complaining about the Social Security Office, make an appointment with your worker and GO IN to discuss the problems you are having. The world is changing and there is nothing you can do to stop it. Deal with it or stay in your house. "

Mouth from the South wrote on Jan 1, 2007 11:33 AM:

" To JC and others; The irritation may well come from singling out several cultural groups for special or different treatment and this use of Spanish on the phone is just an example. I believe that this was pointed out in some early posts. Why do we have Mexican-Americans, African-Americans, Chinese Americans? We do not use the terms Polish-Americans, English-Americans, Norwegian-Americans or French-Americans. The only commonality there would be the lighter skin. Certainly no common language. But when it comes to several groups of immigrant people, we identify them by their nationalities previous to their, or even their ancestors, coming to America. We do so even after they have become citizens. Our census forms are programmed to determine and point this out. At what point in time did it become necessary to single these cultures out for special treatment? Why do we even have to know what someone's origins are? After they move here, and become a citizen, they should be considered an American. Nothing more, nothing less. "

To Stepper wrote on Jan 1, 2007 1:37 AM:

" You have said over and over again that people must do all sorts of things just like you do before they should be allowed to live here. Many people on this blog (maybe not you) have said that it is okay for immigrants to keep their own language and customs, BUT that they should only do it in their own homes - just don't ever do it in public because people on this blog would be very irritated to have to deal with that. Why is it so awful to hear Spanish or to know that there is someone with a different religion living next door? I just don't understand why that is so frightening to some people on this blog. Our religion and our way of life and the English language is strong enough to withstand being next to others. "

JC wrote on Jan 1, 2007 12:41 AM:

" People who say that they are upset because they have to press 1 for English have a lot more irritation and emotion than trys to make it look like. There is no spin from here. Being irritated enough to write a letter to the editor about how awful it is to Press 1 for English is clearly wanting only your ways to be available. That view has been well substanticiated on this blog over and over again. There have been wild accusations about immigrants all sorts of comments about they have to be like us. "

Stepper wrote on Dec 31, 2006 3:29 PM:

" To Whom It May Concern...where in any of my posts have I said I am afraid of people from other countries or different languages? All I said was..there is a proper way to become citizens of this country and we have laws to ensure that. I also stated that once a citizen, learn the ways of the country you live in so that you can understand things better for enhancement of your life; but not forget your languages, customs, etc. as they are yours forever. Call it a matter of convenience for your own sake if you will. The spin you put on other people's comments is rather comical. It makes you look like you are practicing to be a spin doctor or a politician or both. Deliberately twisting other commenter's words to suit your agenda is not appreciated. In this forum, people post their opinion and either you agree or not, but to spin it into silly rhetoric is boorish; but, as an American citizen, you have the right to do that and I defend your right to do that. It does really boil down to either our country's laws are upheld or we do away with them. Have a good New Year. Spin away! "

Rebecca wrote on Dec 31, 2006 12:36 PM:

" By the way, that last post is a reiteration of one I posted earlier. Scroll down and you'll see what I think of the press 2 for Spanish. And those of you who think you are so much better because you learned to speak English...a good friend of mine's father grew up in a town in ND where they spoke German as a first language (even as third and fourth generation Americans) up until he was in high school, around the 1970's. Further proof that you can know and speak English and still be more comfortable in your native tongue. "

Rebecca wrote on Dec 31, 2006 12:32 PM:

" To Incredulous: I did not mean to twist your words. I was simply trying to illustrate a point, that being that we are a nation of immigrants so we must be careful how we judge those who come to our country, be it legally or illegally. Do I think that illegal immigrants should be allowed to draw off of the system? NO. But if they are legal and paying into social security, they should be able to take out. I know people who speak English as a first language who get confused by SS. So who has learned English as a second language may be helped that much more by a system speaking to them in Spanish. And hey, I've been to Europe. They cater A LOT to English speakers. Helping someone who is struggling to assimilate into American culture, in my mind, is not going to tear the thread of unity. Compassion is not an enemy; it is what makes us American at our roots. "

Mouth from the South wrote on Dec 31, 2006 9:32 AM:

" To JC and others; Amazing how few posters can legitimately debate an issue without bringing in fear and scaremongering, etc. Also twisting others words around to suit their own purposes. It is also amazing how naive some people are as to the actual events that are happening around them in this world today. It is a fact that immigrants did bring down the World Trade Center. It is also a fact that it was an American citizen, far removed from his immigrant ancestors, that bombed the Oklahoma Federal Building. There are, also, organized groups of people living in this country today, believe it or not, who want to damage our country. I was merely pointing out, to Incredulous, that no one or no group is immune from causing distress, suffering and or terror. This letter was about learning to speak english and many of you have digressed into this lady hating and fearing immigrants. You, JC and others like you, have brought up her and myself as fearing and hating immigrants. Sorry to dis-abuse you of that fantastic idea. But I have no fear or hatred of immigrants. Almost everyone that has immigrated to this country has contributed to its development. I, however, will not go so far as to give 100% approval to all and every person who has moved here. And I doubt very seriously that I am fanning the flames of anything. Most people that I know are intelligent enough to think for themselves and not blindly follow where I lead. I, am, however, beginning to question this about some of the posters on this site. And one last comment, have you never heard of a 'devils advocate?' "

Don wrote on Dec 31, 2006 12:38 AM:

" This whole discussion started because Alvera and others are upset about pressing 1 for English. That certainly is not limited to illegal immigrants, many who work, pay into Social Security and will never see a dime of it. This thread is full of fearful statements about having people who are different living in our communities. Leah may think this is only about illegal immigrants, but to many others on this thread it is unfortunately about much, much more. In reality, immigrants are taking their place as new Americans. The impressive demonstrations earlier this year showed respect and value of American traditions of democracy. "

Leah wrote on Dec 30, 2006 9:35 PM:

" OK, one last time. "ILLEGAL ALEINS" are the problem, not fear... Yes, that's right, one more time for all the people that are twisting some of these statements around. "ILLEGAL ALEINS" are the problem..Illegals are collecting welfare, medicaid and buying fake ID's with fake papers to accomplish this. Go to the south for a while and you would see this. I know this from first hand experience. I think that the majority of posters here are all for legal immigration. The problem is "ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION". If you are going to come to this country, then learn to speak English. After all that is language that we all speak to get through our daily lives. Plain and simple. "

JC wrote on Dec 30, 2006 8:55 PM:

" I just re-read Mouth's post and it looks to me like Joe and Rebecca are right. Mouth is fanning the flames of fear. He said that immigrants want "to see America divided," "to see the Southwestern part of America secede," and "wipe our culture and way of life off the face of the earth." More likely, Rebecca is correct in that we'll see how unfounded and isolated these fears are and wonder how some people could be so panic-stricken. Joe is most likely correct about the hard work ethic of most immigrants. We should be able to use better judgement about people and be a lot less concerned that we'll lose everything if something different also exists here. "

Mouth from the South wrote on Dec 30, 2006 7:22 PM:

" to Joe; Please re-read my post. I did not nor ever have made any statements about "hordes" of immigrants desecrating our flag, etc. Both you and Rebecca have totally twisted my words around plus have put words in my mouth that I have never said. My comments were simply made in response to Incredulous. If you had read her post, you might understand. "

Mouth from the South wrote on Dec 30, 2006 6:46 PM:

" to Rebecca; How dare you twist my words around? It certainly shows a great lack of original thinking on your part. That post was in response to incredulous's statements and you have deliberatly taken what I posted out of context. I have never indicated in any of my posts that legal immigrants are not welcome here. And in that post was merely pointing out some facts. Facts that apparently some people, like incredulous and maybe even you, have forgotten. "

Joe wrote on Dec 30, 2006 6:10 PM:

" Amen, Rebecca. Thanks for your post. I just don't know where Stepper, Mouth and others are seeing hordes of immigrants desecrating our flag, etc. What I do see are immigrants risking everything to come here, work, take care of their families, practice their religion (most of them are Catholic or Christian). There have been people who fan the flames of division and anger in every generation before we see the fear is unfounded. As I read Stepper and Mouth it seems so unAmerican to be so fearful of others. When you have to force your way on others, it means you are weak. People all over the globe have admired America, not because we cram things down their throats. We are a powerful nation that is admired, respected when we do the right thing. "

Rebecca wrote on Dec 30, 2006 3:28 PM:

" To Mouth from the South: I agree. After all, it was the immigrants who dumped all that tea into the harbor and started the division of the colonies from England to begin with. Not to mention the ones who caused all that trouble by running booze during the prohibition, letting women vote, and getting equal rights for all races and religions. It was those stupid immigrants who went and cultivated the land and got jobs as law enforcement officials because no one else wanted to do those jobs. Those immigrants have been screwing over America ever since they sent the boats over. Why don't we just clear up all the immigrants and their descendants and this country can go back to being a united nation? No more Irish, African, German, Russian, Arab, E. Indian, or even English. Let's close our borders like the French and say "no thank you!" to people with work ethic who are coming to America to pursue a dream. Tony Blair once said that you can tell the value of a country by how many people are trying to leave and how many are trying to get in. I, like you, wish that the immigrants would stop coming so we can just live in peace already! "

English or Spanish wrote on Dec 30, 2006 10:35 AM:

" It still boils down to what this Nation is based on. Are we a Nation based on the rule of law? Or are we a Nation based on what is good for big business? It can be as simple as that. If these illegal immigrants were bad for big business, you can bet that the rich and the wealthy businessmen and business leaders of this Nation would be in the front-center doing something about it. Their silence means that they condone it. After all it provides plenty of cheap labor. To them the short-term end justifies the means. We have seen of the last several years that the Republican Party likes the illegal aliens and what it brings. Now it is on the eve to see what the Democrates will do. I know they don't control the White House as the Republicans did the last 6 years. But lets see what their plan is with the illegal alien situation, the Mexican border, and the biggest international mess (Iraq) that we have seen since WWII. "

KR wrote on Dec 29, 2006 11:29 PM:

" Good post Mouth from the South. I'd like to concur with your statement that language can unify or divide a country. America is turning into a modern day Babel, you know the civilization that was trying to reach God by building a huge tower and then He confused their languages so no one understood each other. They were unable to produce anything. That is what is happening to the US. Don't believe me? Again, I say visit the border states. "

Mouth from the South wrote on Dec 29, 2006 8:48 PM:

" to Incredulous; Maybe you have never met an immigrant that would desecrate the American Flag, but hey, why stick with the small stuff? I believe it was immigrants that brought down the World Trade Center, crashed into the Pentagon and would have crashed into the White House if they hadn't been deflected by some of the bravest citizens that I have ever heard off. IF those weren't attempts to desecrate the American flag, I don't know what else you would call those actions. If that wasn't a slap in the face to America by immigrants, I don't know what else you would call it. No one is accusing most immigrants of attempting to or even wanting to desecrate the American flag, but there are several groups of immigrants, legal and illegal, that want to see America divided. One of these groups would like to see the Southwestern part of America secede and become another country. Other groups would like to wipe our culture and way of life off the face of the earth. And there are more out there. Now, I call those ideas the possible desecration of our flag, our culture and our civilization. And as I have said before in one of my posts, the quickest way to divide a country is by the lack of a common language. "

KR wrote on Dec 29, 2006 8:44 PM:

" To me, this story is directly linked to the minimum wage debate. Corporate America and American lawmakers indulge non-English speaking immigrants because most of them will work any job for any wage. Don't believe me? Visit California or Texas or the other border states. More times than not the person accepting minimum wage without balking (or maybe being paid less than minimum wage) does not speak English. Incredulous: although many immigrants would not desecrate the flag or disrespect the US, there are many who would and do. Don't believe me, then again, I say visit California, Los Angeles in particular. And if that doesnt' do the trick then consider the terrorists of 9/11. While they may not have desecrated a flag (that we know of) they hated America so much that they performed those heinous acts. Interestingly, they all spoke English from what I have read. The old saying "don't bite the hand that feeds you" needs to be translated for our non-English speaking immigrants. "

looking for an answer wrote on Dec 29, 2006 4:17 PM:

" How many signatures would it take to get a bill up for review to establish a national language? Does anyone know? PLEASE POST if you do! "

Incredulous wrote on Dec 29, 2006 1:05 PM:

" I have never met an immigrant who would ever dream of desecrating an American flag. Ever. And I worked with many, many immigrants from many different countries over the last year. In fact, I couldn't even get an Egyptian friend to attend an immigration reform rally (pro-guest worker program, etc.) because he thougth it would be disrespectful to America to protest. And he's a legal permanent resident. The only people I know who would ever consider burning an American flag in protest are Americans. Myself included. "

Stepper wrote on Dec 29, 2006 9:23 AM:

" To JC..one more thing, what is your opinion on the illegal people who come here, desecrate our flag, spit on it and set it on fire, break our laws and dare us to do something about it or scream racists in our faces? (of course not all do this but a great number do) They create problems with our social services programs and have a hand out for every free thing they can possibly get. They have no interest in being American citizens, they are here for what they can get for themselves and the heck with the rest. If you don't think that this is not matter of great concern, then you better take another look around. It gets worse every year. I am proud to be an American and that is the point, if an immigrant wants to live here and be an American, respect and support her and uphold her laws, then they are very welcome. For those who are slinging the name of Jesus around on this blog and asking what would He do, He told us to render unto Caeser the things that are Caeser's and unto God the things that are God's. By this, he meant to obey your governement laws as well as obey God's laws. Pretty simple and logical. "

Stepper wrote on Dec 29, 2006 9:13 AM:

" To JC...I did not miss the point but will make it clearer yet what I am saying. I am speaking in terms of law. If you disagree with the immigration laws then by all means contact your congressional representatives and the immigration bureau and see what you can do to change the laws to make them more equitable or whatever it is you want. In the meantime, the laws exist and therefore need to be followed. I have no problem with people coming to this country, but if they do..then adapt and learn English, that is not a heck of a lot to request is it? keep their own language by all means, but to facilitate living here, learn English. If I personally (not part of a military group) were to apply to live in Spain or wherever, I would learn Spanish and comply with their laws in order to get along and be able to communicate. I would still be American, I would still be able to speak English where it was understood and also Spanish when I needed to. I would do that because I have chosen to live in a country that is different than mine and out of respect to that country, would adapt as much as I could. I would not try to go to live there illegally because then it would be like living as a fugitive. I would not move over there and demand that they do things my way or get rid of things that offend me. "

What would Webster Think? wrote on Dec 29, 2006 8:10 AM:

" I wonder what Mr. Webster would think, now that the USA appears to be going to a second language. He wrote the dictionary to ride the new US of the "Queen's English." Now the language is Spainish????? HMMMMMMMMMM. "

JC wrote on Dec 29, 2006 12:08 AM:

" Stepper, you missed the point. Our immigration laws are set up to keep certain people out. Our laws were passed to keep as many as possible of these people out: speak differently, have the wrong religion and those that would upset people like Alvera and others on this blog. We have certain people that whip people up into a frenzie and send around all sorts of false information. Again, the suggestion I like best so far on this blog is that as Americans we should stand tall, be who we are and not be afraid of others who are different. "

Expositor wrote on Dec 28, 2006 10:57 PM:

" What if EVERYONE had to learn a new language? That would certainly level the playing field all around. Fairness would then prevail over this English vs. Spanish controversy. What would the new language be? Esperanto! There. Now can we all just get along? "

Iragi Civil War wrote on Dec 28, 2006 8:20 PM:

" To PUHLEEZE wrote on December 28, 2006 4:03 PM What would Jesus do concerning Iraq? Would he charge into Iraq, both guns blazing saying: "I am going to change your culture to become a "democratic" Nation if you like it or not. Consequently, all his followers and disciples would have been annihilated by the Iraqi people. The same thing is happening today, The Bush Administration attacks Iraq, guns blazing with the attitiude: "We are going to make you a "democracy." the people in Iraq say: "You're dilutional." They fight back kill almost 3,000 American soldiers and a Civil War has escalated to a uncontrollable situation. This Iraq War is a travesty and such a waste of American and Iraqi lives. That a boy - "Bushie" you have done a great job! "

NoDak John wrote on Dec 28, 2006 7:28 PM:

" Embarrassed, the point is that every person I have known (including myself) over these many years has had clay feet in one or many areas. It goes with the territory. Amongst the notable were Margaret Mead, and Shirley Chisholm . I was raised in the education field and met some of the "high and mighty". Unfortunately there is nothing you or I can do about the Mexico/Mexican problem because far too many in this nation believe the indoctrination they have been subjected to. I guarantee that neither of us or the Mexicans will like what happens next. I have had in depth conversations with "leaders" in the Mexican community including those in La Raza, If you want to see what the radical element is saying, just put Armando Navarro in your search engine. Then ask yourself "What is Navarro trying to do to us and to the Mexican people?" "

Cinco De Mayo wrote on Dec 28, 2006 5:44 PM:

" Thank you Puhleeze. Cinco De Mayo (The fifth of May) celebrates the descendants of the Conquistadors and Mexican Indians defeating the French at the "Battle of Puebla". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinco_de_mayo I see no reason for us to celebrate that battle up here. It is very much celebrated in California Barrio Communities (Latinos). The Romans that killed Jesus were "Latin Speaking". The Conquistadors took Latin to Latin America. I doubt that Jesus would be interested in Latin Conquests like "New Spain" as Mexico and Central America was called. Mexico's battle for independence from Spain ended in 1821. The California coastal areas below San Francisco was part of New Spain. California was annexed by the United States in 1846 and became a state in 1850. You could say that southern coastal California was part of Mexico for about 25 years. The first thing the new "Mexicans" did in California was to loot the Missions of their property, including cattle and sheep herds, which left the Mission Indians (Descendants of real California Indians) to starve. So neither the Conquistadors nor the Mexicans were welcome to the California Indians. Celebrate whatever you want to celebrate, I have had good friends that were California Indians. They had no problem speaking English because they had been speaking it for well over 100 years (150 years now). "

YY wrote on Dec 28, 2006 5:27 PM:

" To To Puhleez - We all have to accept your customs? Are you the "quintessential" American? Are you the sparkling example of all that America stands for and, in as much as anyone differs from you, they are that much less American? Come on. Besides, what proof do you have that anyone in this country who would prefer speaking in Spanish (or any other language) must be here illegally. They may be here legally and be citizens (I think some of what is going back and forth between Nodak John and Embarassed proves that even "Americans" don't always use English perfectly) but would rather use Spanish or any other language. "

To PUHLEEZE wrote on Dec 28, 2006 4:03 PM:

" I love you "What would Jesus do? people" Jesus would not come here ILLEGALLY to take advantage of Americans, And I'll bet Jesus wouldn't come to your American house and tell you I'm not from here, so you have to change and accept my culture and now we're gonna do it my way! I'm sorry, This country was founded on GOD and I like English and Christmas, get over it. Learn the language and accept MY customs or go back where you come from. I think that is what Jesus would do! You go Alvera! "

PUHLEEZE wrote on Dec 28, 2006 2:42 PM:

" do have have to add "note sarcasm" after every sarcastic thing I say? For you I will if I have to. Also at the end of your post you should have said "Enough Said" or "nuff said" or something other than "no more said". That just don't make no sense (I know NoDak John - too many negatives in one sentence!). The sarcasm was a jab at the pride of all things American that technically aren't American like our ENGLISH language. "

To Puhleeze wrote on Dec 28, 2006 1:58 PM:

" If you were so darn smart than you would know that PIZZA is Italian not American!!! No more said!!! "

PUHLEEZE wrote on Dec 28, 2006 12:41 PM:

" To the Christians: What would Jesus do? Would he be one of the minutemen down on the border? Would he send a family, who is just now starting to make it, home? We realize now that they are here, nothing can be done about that. So now we bring up "English Only", when that is done, what is next? What other barriers can we set up? Maybe no more Tejano music? Maybe no more Cinco De Mayo, no more Mexican food? After all it aint the red blooded American food (like pizza) we red blooded Americans can be super proud of. What else can we do to make it harder on them? I believe that this goes deeper than speaking a common language. Ask yourselves HONESTLY how you really feel about the latino people. Do you really know any? Are they really all in gangs? PUHLEEZE!In our nations past there were also "legitimate" reasons for keeping the black people down (heck, that was even government mandated in some areas)and also keeping our women down as well. Heck you can even use the Bible as justification to keep women down and I imagine back then people did use it. Also Native Americans in our own area were sent away to bording schools and stripped of their language and customs. There dances and ceremonies also outlawed. All this so they would become American. Little did the government know that those dances and ceremonies still survive and are practiced today by AMERICAN Indains. But we all know now that all that was wrong. We have progressed past those "issues". Well maybe most of us have anyway. Nationalist pride has no place in Christianity. Which country do you think is Jesus' favorite? If we say "God Bless the USA" enough - do you think that helps us? But on the other hand, Canadian senior citizens don't have to choose between food or meds. But oh yeah, we'll let the market take care of that. I'm sure the prices of meds will come down here pretty soon. Hold on Seniors! Help is on the way! The market is coming to save you!! The big wigs said "leave it alone" and they promptly bought our decision to do so! To NoDak John: sorry if this is too "touchy feely" for you but my humanity knows no man made bounderies. Please don't dissect my grammar in a silly attempt to make yourself look smart - that's probably what your secretary was for. But anyway, people are people. Most come here LOOKING FOR WORK - not to be lazy. Our leaders need to figure out a way to maximize the potential of this eager and willing workforce. They not only will generate their own revenue but they will generate tax revenue as well. "

American & Proud of it wrote on Dec 28, 2006 10:58 AM:

" I am an American and proud of it!! I was born here and don't plan on going anywhere anytime soon. However, if ever I had to move I would expect to embrace the way they live and their language. Anyone coming here should do the same and not take offense to having to learn new cultures, languages, etc. They obviously left their country for a reason, more than likely to have more freedom. Well to them it will come with a price of having to learn things that we (as americans) don't even think of. To them it is hard, I am sure but that is the price that needs to be paid for freedom for them. I do not plan on learning a new language, I am plenty happy with speaking English and if they do not like speaking, reading or communicating then they should bite the bullet and go back to where they feel more comfortable in speaking it. Change is change and obviously that is what they wanted by coming here they will just need to get use to it. I for 1 also do not like hearing press 1 for English, I believe it should be all in English and start pressing 1, 2, 3 for alternate languages. I will embrace different foods in going to Mexican or Chinese restaurants but as long as those restaurants are located here they should also be speaking our language. Which some are very hard to understand but they do their best. We are not being prejudice by asking this of them when it is a requirements to becoming a American Citizen. "

Embarrassed wrote on Dec 28, 2006 10:48 AM:

" To NoDak John - sorry, didn't see the first post from you. I never said I have a doctorate in theology. Someone, maybe you, suggested I go back to school to get a doctorate. I have one, but not in theology. "

Embarrassed wrote on Dec 28, 2006 10:47 AM:

" To NoDak John - yes, I made a spelling mistake. Thank God I have a secretary that proofreads my work, becuase I'll be the first to admit that weakness. Thank you so much for pointing it out like it's some kind of reflection of my intelligence. Quite frankly, your response was so ridiculous that I have neither the time or inclination to respond. It's silly though. "

To Embarassed wrote on Dec 28, 2006 10:40 AM:

" Regarding grammatically correct sentence structure. I believe many other languages put "what they are talking about" in the first part of sentences. An old (Latin) Italian immigrant was reported to have given the instruction "throw the horse, over the fence, some hay". Latin America only speaks 1/4 latin because the conquistadors only spoke 1/2 latin but soon you will find history repeated and sentence structure will change. "

NoDak John wrote on Dec 28, 2006 9:40 AM:

" Embarrassed I finally found another posting by you on Dec. 21 wherein you stated: "It's apparently the people of Spanish dissent that are such a problem." Dissent means disagreement.. The word you were looking for was descent (descended from). Bigoted and Racist have become college indoctrination terms of little meaning due to the fact that they are so commonly misapplied. To be proud of your nation and it's heritage and to be offended by those who commit felonies has nothing to do with bigotry or racism. The use of the word them when speaking of Mexicans is grammatically correct. The word them is the objective case of the word they and means a group of two or more individuals. In the case of Mexicans, the use of them is therefore proper in that they set themselves apart from us in both language and customs. They commonly appear to have no desire to become Americans (Individuals loyal to a nation called the united States). "I know many people who came to ND 70-80 years ago who still speak German and don't speak English well at all." Yes, but ask them if they are Americans and ask them what language they think the American people should speak. I don't know of one city where the official language of that city is exclusively German, however there are now several cities within this country which are "Spanish" language only cities. While you are checking the old Germans out, find out how many of them cover their car's back window with the German flag and tell us to do unseemly things. I have the pictures and news reports showing that type of ingratitude. Which brings us back to physics and action/reaction. "

NoDak John wrote on Dec 28, 2006 8:49 AM:

" Embarrassed. If you have a doctorate in theology, then why would you make the comments you made? Or was it an indoctorate (new word for indoctrination to the level of getting a doctorate) which you received? The language of that area at the time of Christ's birth was Greek. The Hebrew language had not been in common use for over 200 years. I have not studied the use of the Aramaic at that time, but don't recall that it was in use. Perhaps there were a few text translators who did use the Aramaic language. As to my spelling and grammatical construction: My education was not concentrated in sentence construction and spelling. I had secretaries which took care of that for me. Not a good excuse, but a fact of life. I do wish that you understood a few laws of physics and would apply that and the laws of God to the problems in South America and Mexico. Touchy feely doesn't get the job done. "

To Languages Change wrote on Dec 27, 2006 11:54 PM:

" I do not think most of us are interested in what happened when the Latin speaking Romans, or French speaking Normans, conquered England. I think most of us are interested in our politicians enforcing our immigration laws. Most of us are interested in preserving our unique culture, which includes our language. Obviously big money campaign contributions from large international corporations has contaminated many of our Federal Politicians. Your history lesson is totally wrong for our future. No one has conquered us by military conquest. There are simply laws that need enforcing and spineless politicians trying to be all things to all people. "

Languages change wrote on Dec 27, 2006 10:42 AM:

" If you go to England and try to read old English documents you will need help. When you say "Dakota" you are not speaking the Kings English. But the Kings language has changed often. The first inhabitants of England was Celtic (Scotch & Irish language). Then England became part of the Roman Empire (Latin in the castles). When the Roman Empire got weak the Anglo's and Saxons flooded into England. The new language became more like the numerically superior Anglo's (hence Angleish or) English. When the French speaking Normans conquered England then French became the upper class language. It was the language spoken in the Castles. When the lower class Anglos or Saxons butchered a "pig" or a "Sheep" the words changed by the time it arrived on the French speaking Norman landlords table. On the table they were the French words "Pork" (originally Porc) and "Mutton". We still do that today. (Anglo Saxon is still considered the barnyard language and used as our worst swear words - many words still illegal to speak) Nowadays lawyers speak Latin, Doctors speak Greek. Many of our states are named after Indian Tribes. California was named after the Californios or Spanish Cowboys and settlers of that area. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Californio Right now people in many parts of the world are speaking a small number of english words (enough to get by if need be) and then using their own language for complicated subjects. http://www.arabnews.com/?page=7§ion=0&article=90311&d=23&m=12&y=2006 Very interesting article on "Global English" or abbreviated English. "

American wrote on Dec 27, 2006 8:23 AM:

" I love different cultures - that is what America is about but the language of America is English. The only time I want to hear Spanish is in a Mexican restaurant - the same goes for other languages. This is America and we should be proud that we are part of it and if people decide that they want to move here then then should blend with us not us with them. "

A Proud American wrote on Dec 27, 2006 8:19 AM:

" I am from America and if I call an American based company I DO expect to hear only ENGLISH. I don't want Spanish as a choice. If you move to this country then you should be responible for learning the language of the land - - - ENGLISH. Pretty soon our phone systems will have: press 1 for Spanish - press 2 for German - press 3 for Polish - press 4 for Russian - press 5 for Dutch and so on and press 404 for English. "

RGR wrote on Dec 27, 2006 8:10 AM:

" If you live in America then speak English. America is made up of many people from all parts of the world. As Americans we have to bond as one nation with the English language and the American flag. "

Embarassed wrote on Dec 27, 2006 8:06 AM:

" To NoDak John: 1) I already have my doctorate, 2) you can't seem to put a grammatically correct sentence together, 3) good job not addressing a single thing I actually commented on. "

NoDak John wrote on Dec 27, 2006 1:09 AM:

" PUHLEEZE, For your sake, please do read the Bible, and while you are at it read some of the accounts of overpopulation in secular texts. II would be quite an experience for you to spend some time in South America. The language we speak in this part of the continent is the American language which was derived from the English language.. If a person wants to live in this country LEGALLY they need to learn a bit of this country's history and learn to read, write and speak the language of this country instead of following their native customs which destroyed their homeland. The alternative to the one language system is hundreds of enclaves speaking their native language. In you history books you should have picked up on the fact that in order to take a country out of the way and make them weak and paralyzed is to introduce a language barrier because when a country is fragmented. in this fashion, it is impossible for the people to defend themselves. The prognosticators speak of the year 2050 and the conditions here at that time. Never happened before, why would that happen now? If we do not return to our founding principles, there will be no nation here. That is the history we are staring in the face, but we fail to recognize it or it's peril. "

To PUHLEEZE wrote on Dec 26, 2006 11:20 PM:

" You are about 35 years in the past. Perhaps you should go to Mexico City Dump and watch the people scrounging through the trash for food. That is what it will be like here when all the people who want to come have finally arrived. Illegal workers still send money home. Most have learned it is easier to bring the whole family and put them on welfare. Then you have even more money to send to your extended family in Mexico, Central America, or South America. Free medical because after dark the doctor's offices are closed and the hospital emergency wards must care for everyone by law. Very crowded in Border States hospital emergency wards at night. Go look for yourself. Take a drive through the numerous "Greater Los Angeles Area" and San Diego area Barrios. Spend a month and you can see parts of most of them. Go in the daytime when street gangs are less active. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barrio "

Illegal Aliens Are U.S Future wrote on Dec 26, 2006 8:20 PM:

" I just completed watching a hour long news story with Tom Brokaw (N.B.C.) about the influx of illegal immigrants to the U.S.A. All I have got to say is: 1. By the year 2050 the majority population will be Latino (Hispanic) and the white population will be the minority. 2. Learn to speak Spanish so you can communicate with your neighbors. Our social system will be in chaos and this country will be bankrupt. "

Terrified of change wrote on Dec 26, 2006 4:45 PM:

" My family has had problems with immigrants ever sence we came to this country. "

PO3 wrote on Dec 26, 2006 3:10 PM:

" I see as soon as the democrats take over in Washington next week that Kennedy and McCain are going to revive the immigration bill that does nothing to stop illegal aliens from overruning our country and making all who are here and all their relatives in mexico who want to come full citizens of the the United States. So much for our leaders doing what the majority want done. Say goodbye to social security, to any type of health care for working people, be afraid in your communities when the gangs come, and say goodbye to medicaide, and medicare. But hey, McCain and Kennedy have good retirements and health coverage so what to heck they say. Oh, and learn how to speak fluent spanish you'll need it when those 100 million flex their new found political muscle once they are full citizens and are in charge of many parts of the US. "

PUHLEEZE wrote on Dec 26, 2006 2:18 PM:

" Am I really reading about people being "offended" by instructions in Spanish? That really OFFENDS you? I guess JESUS was probably equally offended by people who came onto his turf and didn't speak Aramaic huh? By the way, your Christmas's are safe no matter how much Bill O'Reilly tells you they are not. Go ahead and try it, go outside and yell "MERRY CHRISTMAS", i'm 100% positive you won't end up in jail. I, like many of you, had an awesome Christmas despite this brutal war against it. I said and received many many "Merry Christmas's" despite this so called "War on Christmas". Your language and customs are also safe no matter how much FoxNews tells you they are not. Or would you rather be in a Mexican's shoes and have to decide if your gonna risk you life traveling thru the desert so you can WORK and make some money to send home to your families. I imagine most of you will stick with your imaginary culture wars. You have it WAAAY better than the Mexicans. Remember that. One day thru their hard work (we all know they are hard workers - and hard work is still respected in this country) the Mexicans will finally become your equals and hopefully they will forgive us for the treatment they received on their way to equality in this free country. I see on here stories of people talking of their ancestors arriving here, Mexicans too will have their stories of struggle and hardship in this country thanks partly to us and our "it's ONLY about the language" type barriers we put up. I guess freedom really isn't free huh? This movie called "American History X" came out in the late 90's about young neo nazi's. Funny how their nazi views about Mexicans coming here are now entertained as valid political arguments. Funny, but I aint laughing. To you Christians: WHERE IS YOUR COMPASSION. WHERE ARE YOUR HEARTS? (hopefully not in your wallets) "

Jack A. wrote on Dec 25, 2006 10:04 AM:

" If we cannot learn from history,we are doomed. Canada has always had a problem with Quebec being the "diversity" province (French as the language). Along with it went the call for seperation from Canada. I fear that if we cannot be a true "melting pot" as in the past, our great nation has started its decline. The first step to halt this is to reintroduce English as the national language, with all governmental documents in that language. "

NoDak John wrote on Dec 25, 2006 8:24 AM:

" We have numerous examples of "diversity" which have happened in the last 30 years. Look at Lebanon which used to be called "the jewel of the Mediterranean", how about Zimbabwe and ever so many others? The people of Mexico have their nation, their customs and their language, by all means they should keep them (in their own country) but they can't because they have so severely overpopulated their country that they are running out of land and food. Isn't it about time they took responsibility for their reproductive habits? I surely was not the one who told the "men" that "you are not a real man if you have less that 10 children". It is not this countries nor my responsibility to promote or support irresponsibility. "

Spanish or English wrote on Dec 24, 2006 10:00 AM:

" My German from Russia ancestors had to learn English. In order to become a naturalized citizen one must demonstrate some proficiency of the official language of the U.S. Congress needs to decide what is the official language of the United States. The President must agree to it as well. Currently the 2 most often spoken langages are English and Spanish. If we want it to be English then make it official. If we want it to be Spanish, then make it official and I'll start to learn Spanish. If we don't curb illegal aliens, we'll soon end up having more Spanish speakers in this nation than English speakers. Perhaps we should make all Mexicans citizens and make Spanish the official language now. It seems like our President, Wallmart, and other big business want more cheap labor and illegal aliens here anyway. Oh, that's right. I heard the Congress wants to give Social Security benefits to illegal aliens too! Definately, change us over to Spanish as the official language and lets close down Washington, D.C. and turn the federal government over to the Mexican Government. There actions are favoring them anyway. Why prolong the inevitalbe. Oh wait, will the Arabs agree to this? Either the Congress and the President need to show leadership on this and other issues or keep bumbling as they have been. It think they'll keep bumbling due to the leadership. "

To "Push 1" wrote on Dec 24, 2006 1:49 AM:

" Well said!! Yes, the disappearing culture. It bothers me, and is an insult to those who fought wars and lost lives to keep was is so casually being given away. "

Push 1 wrote on Dec 23, 2006 9:19 PM:

" Los Angeles, the second largest city in the nation, will soon be majority Hispanic. In 10 years the entire state of California will be Majority Hispanic. With "one man one vote" the culture will change dramatically. It should be a wake-up-call that the present system of "easier to come in illegally than legally" needs to end. People from India and China come in illegally under a (indentured servant?) pay for the trip after you get here and work system..... Many years ago we fought for freedom, freedom of religion, eventually for the 8 hour work-day. It is all ending. It seems like our media's and our politicians want to keep us titillated talking about the good or bad lives of Hollywood actors, homosexual marriage, and Abortion. Neither of our "two party system" has addressed the problem of our disappearing culture. Our big cities have become cloverleaf patterns of different cultures living in each area. So called "white Christian people" have the lowest birth rate, and lowest immigration rate. We seem to be lost in a tidal wave of immigration while we argue about the intelligence or personality of our politicians. Both political parties are supporting open borders and shipping jobs out of the country because that is what our rich international corporations want. Soon it will not be "push 1 for English" it will be "Push 4 for English". "

Stepper wrote on Dec 23, 2006 8:55 PM:

" To JC and Joe...I am not afraid of anyting you mention. I am not racist nor do I think anyone is better than anyone else. What you two do not seem to understand is...there are laws governing how people from other countries can come come to our country. Those who are doing this legally I say welcome to them and hope they have a good life here and find their dream. Now Joe, I never said anything about Mexicans being rapists for gosh sake...can you read at all? The two I am referring to were arrested and charged, were found to be illegal aliens and I think they got sent back. When that article came out, I bet you blogged in here on how they should be strung up, etc...but in this blog you want the illegal aliens here. That is what I meant in my comment and if you can read, it is clear. JC I hope your wife gets her citizenship and gets through the red tape but I bet she thinks it is worth it to be able to live here with you. Gentleman, if our country does not enforce its law...all of the laws...can you see the chaos that would ensue? Oh, one more thing...I think the different languages on the phones are ok as there are people who can use the help who are just learning English. I do hope this clears it up for you two, if not...blog on! "

Mouth from the South wrote on Dec 23, 2006 2:05 PM:

" You still have to bring up 'fear' again in an attempt to denigrate others concerns. It is just too sad that you don't have a real argument to refute these posts. However, being well versed in a Religion or culture still will not change some of that religions or cultures less acceptable practices. Just because one understands why something is done, doesn't make it right. Take for instance, the Catholic Religion, which, for years, demanded that women wear their head covered in Church. I knew the reason for that, but it still didn't make it any more acceptable. Again, it was only women. Men certainly didn't have that restriction. Thank heaven, in the US, at least, that restriction has been lifted and women are free to choose how they dress for Catholic masses. It is not a question of fear, it is a question of freedom. A concept that the US has pushed for over 200 years. I have spent the last forty years of my life attempting to help resolve some of the problems of in-equality between men and women. I would hate to see my small efforts go down the drain before I die because we Americans are afraid to stand up for our freedoms and asked that others, who want to live here, should assimilate into our culture and change some of their ways. "

To Mouth wrote on Dec 23, 2006 1:05 PM:

" Take time to learn about the religions you are worried about. There's nothing to fear but fear itself. "

Mouth from the South wrote on Dec 23, 2006 11:42 AM:

" to Thanks and others; I am not afraid of people who are different. Exactly what would I be afraid of? What I am is ticked off. Why should people who are 'different'(your word, not mine) get special treatment. Why should certain women be allowed to walk the streets of our cities with their faces covered? If I walked around my city or town with my face covered, I would be picked up as a suspicious person. I also thought the subjugation of women, at least in this country, went out a few years ago. Having to cover your face is a practice, which in my opinion, certainly qualifies as such. Religious practice or not. Much of our poor treatment of people can be blamed on religion. And yes, maybe I am afraid. Afraid that the culture of many of these countries treats women as second class citizens and I don't want that behavior becoming again a way of life for the women of America. There are more examples, but only so much space. Also, we are already being overwhelmed by illegal immigrants, many of whom are of doubtful background, witness the disaster in Miami. All of those were illegal and many were the criminal element in their own country. The only 'yearning to be free' that these people wanted was to be out of jail. That was really great when all came to Florida. Maybe for them, but certainly not for the Floridians. We do need to have more control over our borders and who is allowed into this country to become a legal citizen. Times are changing, as so many of you have let the rest of us know, and we have to change with the times. This change may have to be completely shutting down our borders and only allowing in those people with proper visa's, papers or passports. Anyone else should be promptly removed. Which basically, in my opinion, is the way it should be. "

Thanks wrote on Dec 23, 2006 2:18 AM:

" Thanks JC and Joe. Good points. We got to get over the fear of people who are different. "

zelda wrote on Dec 23, 2006 12:09 AM:

" Having lived in a city full of recent immigrants, I am fully supportive of all new residents speaking English outside the home when doing business or socializing with other residents not of their own background. It is common sense to speak the language of their adopted home. It's the ol' "when in Rome" idea. But we native speakers must also be patient with those who have accents and help them to communicate in a non-threatening way. "

Crazy Eddie wrote on Dec 22, 2006 9:09 PM:

" For one, i think English should become the official language of the US as it has in many states including California. Number 2, I wish I would have not dropped Spanish in high school, as it would have helped me a thousand times. Who would have thought a young ND farm boy would actually leave the state when he grew up. It is a fact of life that if you get out in the world, you will encounter other languages. Having visited Mexico, I wish I had been able to speak their language. Ironically, it is one of the few countries that do not have a majority of people that speak english quite well even though it is not their first language, and they are our neighbor. I cannot count the number of customers that I have had to turn away because I could not understand them. If I go to a business that does not have english speaking workers, I can leave. No big deal. If I can't speak spanish as the shop keeper, I lose money. "

Joe wrote on Dec 22, 2006 7:23 PM:

" Here we are - talking about English - and "Stepper" brings up rape. So anyone who does not speak English could be a rapist? Are Mexicans rapists? Does he think no one who was born in ND of white parents could ever rape anyone? Ya know, I fully support enforcing our nation's laws on rape. I don't think laws about English will have much impact. Rape existed in North Dakota before now, folks....and it even happened in England where the English language originated. "

JC wrote on Dec 22, 2006 7:17 PM:

" TO Stepper: You missed the point and you got really obtuse (your word). This is definitely not only about immigrants who don't have the legal papers. Our LEGAL immigration is full of laws that are designed to implement all of the fears and concerns put out on this blog. My wife was born in another country. She's white, Christian and well educated, but all these things like welfare, culture, English, education, status's of all sorts were painstakingly gone after in mountains of paperwork to get her here to the USA and ND legally. Our nation's leaders have listened to people like you and made sure the roadblocks to legal immigration keep out pretty much anyone Alvera and you would want to keep out. That is because of fear of people who are different. The legal and illegal is just the latest excuse. If America really is a proud, powerful country, we as its citizens, should not cower in fear when someone different comes along. Why can't you be who you are without preventing someone being who they are nearby? "

Push 1 wrote on Dec 22, 2006 4:44 PM:

" You note that our president and the governor of Florida gave pre-election campaign speeches in both English and Spanish. When the leaders must become bi-lingual to get the "swing" vote then I guess it is like the old movie "ghost of Christmas Future". But half of the worlds poor are in India and China areas. If our politicians on the federal level do not tighten up the borders then we will be overwhelmed by other cultures and languages. "

Stepper wrote on Dec 22, 2006 4:18 PM:

" Push 1 you bring up some interesting facts and stats. Yes this is a rising problem but throwing up one's hands and saying the war is lost is giving in too easily. We have laws in this country for illegal people but enforcing them seems to be a huge problem. The illegal ones are missed in the census so we do not know how many of them are in this country for sure. A few weeks ago 2 illegal Mexican men were arrested for rape or attempted rape and all the blog was full of people wanting them out of here but now it is okay in this blog that illegals stay because somehow someone got the notion that English was being forced on the illegal people? A bit confusing isn't it. Either our country upholds its own laws or abolish them for what is the point of them if we do not enforce them. Admittedly, trying to close the borders now will be difficult and frankly the military would have to be involved in order to have enough people to do this; however, more of our military will be going "over there" and so then who watches the border, the coasts and however other means illegal people get into our country? "

Push 1 for English wrote on Dec 22, 2006 3:45 PM:

" You will need to just become accustomed to the "push 1 for english". California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas have large Hispanic Populations and growing populations of people from India, China, and other countries. I believe California census lists about 10 million people of "hispanic origin". The city of Los Angeles has over 1 million people of hispanic origin. Large areas of the city speak languages other than english in stores and homes. The population statistics are a little hard to read at first. http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/06/0644000.html You read that Los Angeles has about 3.7 million people (year 2000) with "Hispanic or Latino" origin" being 46.5 percent. Then you read "White Persons" 46.9 percent. Black or African American 11.2 percent (note we are already over 100 percent) Then "persons reporting some other race 25.7 percent..... You begin to see the overlapping problems. Easier to see the "Language other than English spoken at home" 58.7 percent. 39.5 percent for the entire population of California's about 34 million people speak another language in the home. Numerous illegal immigrants avoid the census. Other census sites will show California as being 76 percent white because they consider Hispanic to be white until broken down into "Hispanic origin". The only reliable number is the almost 59 percent speaking a language other than English in the Home". You can easily see why California politicians are very much afraid to comment on "illegal immigrants". The borders are open and that war has been lost. "

Stepper wrote on Dec 22, 2006 2:58 PM:

" To JC...most of the people who are agreeing in this blog (or as you prefer think "protesting") are commenting on ILLEGAL (which means against the law) people who have come into our country. At last that is what my comments are about. The current laws in America concerning illegal people are still in effect. (Maybe you can start a movement to change them). When these ILLEGAL people are given benefits and help that otherwise legal AMERICANS cannot get, then there lies the problem. Do you get it now? If the people from other countries are applying for citizenship in Amercia and learning the English language (which is the most common language here) then the helps on the phones are a good thing. Being obtuse for the sake of argument is rather childish. "

JC wrote on Dec 22, 2006 12:22 PM:

" And the problem is some people allow themselves to get really annoyed when they hear someone speak a language other than English or have to press 1 for English. Why are people in the richest most powerful nation this planet has ever seen so fearful of people who are different than we are? Why do we insist on laws to protect us from non-English speakers and non-American culture types? Especially at this time of year, I'd suggest we all just live it. Stop trying to cram it down other people. "

Miler wrote on Dec 22, 2006 11:57 AM:

" To: Houston we have a problem. Amen "

Joe wrote on Dec 22, 2006 8:22 AM:

" Let me get this straight. You say you are angry because Mexican Catholics come here and tell us to take "God" out of our customs??? What in the world are you talking about? "

NoDak John wrote on Dec 22, 2006 8:01 AM:

" My family does not speak the Mexican language very well, therefore it was incumbent upon us to make sure that our "tour guide" (armed escort) could speak our language and the Mexican and Spanish language. For those "visitors" who are here from Mexico, might I suggest that they follow this standard also. "

PLAIN AND SIMPLE wrote on Dec 22, 2006 6:22 AM:

" YOU LIVE IN THE USA SPEAK THE ENGISH "

To Hello: wrote on Dec 22, 2006 1:08 AM:

" I agree, we need to be kind and helpful, I have no problem with that! I do have a problem with those who come here, don't like or respect us, then say we offend them with our patriotism, traditions and customs. I wouldn't do that if I traveled to France, and I wouldn't expect them to remove their flag from places, or stop using the word "God" in their customs, on their money, in their pledge...I'd even let them sing their own patriotic song at sports events. Yes, other countries speak English, for their own benefit, not for mine. "

Mouth from the South wrote on Dec 21, 2006 11:59 PM:

" No, I do not expect the citizens of any country except England, portions of Canada and of course, here, in the US to speak English. I would, previous to visiting another country, attempt to learn at least the basics of their language in order to call for help, pay for things or get medical attention. Would use a language translator, if necessary. Part of the charm of visiting another country would be to experience the language and cultural differences that are to be found. Maybe the behavior that you described would be your behavior, but certainly not mine. "

Mouth from the South wrote on Dec 21, 2006 11:53 PM:

" If you are referring to my post, I work in Bismarck and was certainly not referring to Linton. How that got in your post I have no idea. And yes, I have run into this situation and it was very difficult as the customers did not speak any English. And I am always kind and try my best to help them out. However, sometimes it is embarrassing for both sides and you stand there looking helplessly at each other. So unless you have been there and experienced the difficulty for yourself, please try not to criticize. "

Joe wrote on Dec 21, 2006 11:18 PM:

" Mexican small farmers used to be able to raise enough to live on. Mexico had laws making sure those farmers didn't get hurt selling their land, but American trade negotiators didn't like those Mexican laws. So, under NAFTA we made them change their laws; many small farmers sold their land; moved to towns where there were no jobs or where the jobs paid 25 cents a day (multinational corporatins). Not a good life, so some take a big risk to come to the USA to find work to support their families. Meanwhile, in America those same corporations close factories here to go to Mexico where labor is extremely cheaper. All of that with tax breaks from the current Administration. This hurts hard-working US families and Mexican families. And we think we have problems with language? "

Hello? wrote on Dec 21, 2006 10:52 PM:

" So, you are concerned about the small store owners who don't know another language in case someone comes in who doesn't speak English. Well, Americans in France, or Spain, or Kenya or Japan or just about anywhere expect those people to speak to us in ENGLISH. We always demand people speak to us in our language. Most of the time they can. Ya know, if someone comes into your shop in Linton who does not speak English, deal with it. People are kind if you show them kindness. "

NoDak John wrote on Dec 21, 2006 8:30 PM:

" Embarrassed: Your out of state education is incomplete. Might I suggest that you finish your education in Los Angeles. Or even better, take a drive throughout Mexico. Please don't take the main roads, and stay away from the tourist traps. If you decide to do this, I would strongly recommend that you become close friends with some of those in Texas who are Americans of Mexican heritage. Once you have established that connection, ask them if one of their family or one of their friends could be hired to travel with you. Then go to Mexico and get you Doctorate. "

To Broken Language wrote on Dec 21, 2006 7:29 PM:

" If you end a sentence with a preposition and everyone around you understands exactly what you said then you must be communicating, comprende? If you no comprendo englis you uno dumb hombre. "

Mouth from the South wrote on Dec 21, 2006 5:55 PM:

" to YY; Of course, no one is forcing me to learn their language, but when people come into the shop where I work and don't speak English, it is quite difficult, if not impossible, to communicate. Either I have to learn a variety of languages or the other person needs to learn English. If not, we will lose business and they may not receive the desired goods or services. The owners of most businesses probably cannot afford to hire interpreters fluent in several languages to be available on a moment's notice. What about hospital and clinic services? If you have an emergency in any of our small towns, either here in ND or in many other states, medical help is going to be a problem. If you don't speak English, I have no idea how you can explain to the Doctor or Nurse what is happening and be sure, with any degree of certainty, that they will treat you correctly. I just believe, that as a country, it would be much simpler, for all involved, to have a common language. Then you would know that you need to have a working knowledge of that language before you either visit or immigrate to that country. "

Houston we have a problem wrote on Dec 21, 2006 5:42 PM:

" This blog may have started as a discussion of English but you don't have to be a rocket scientist to see that another underlying fear being addressed here is the fear of illegal immigrants, their lack of desire to assimilate, our misplaced compassion that accomodates them and it's impact on our national identity. America is an ever evolving experiment and we foster many divergent ideas and opinions. But if we are not reactive to negative change and, if we want tomorrow's America to have any semblance to the America we have hopefully come to know and love, we must preserve our traditions and our language. ILLEGAL immigration is the greatest threat to our identity. Why, because the very act of entering our country illegally is the first act that demonstrates a lack of respect for our laws. You can argue that desparate times called for desparate measures on the part of some but we cannot allow ill proportioned compassion to overcome common sense. We must punish illegal behavior and reward legal behavior. America welcomes legal immigration, that's one of our traditions. So I say...Welcome to you LEGAL immigrants, we are a big hearted country, but please, learn our language and traditions, respect our laws and become real Americans. "

Truth wrote on Dec 21, 2006 5:35 PM:

" You all keep ignoring the truth. Americans go all over the world and expect people in those other countries to speak in English. It is nice to say in this arguement "I would never go over there and expect them to change" but the reality is Americans do just that a lot all over the world. People must speak English to us here. They must speak English to us over there. "

YY wrote on Dec 21, 2006 4:52 PM:

" To point made - Who is making you learn Spanish (or anything else)? You would not expect people in other countries to learn your language. Fine. They are not asking you to learn theirs. "

Leah wrote on Dec 21, 2006 4:27 PM:

" Dec- There are many that come here that make NO effort to learn English. Go to the south and you would know that. Why would the want to learn English when we furnish them interpertors. How can you say using the word immigrant, Native American, or welfare is racist? My ancetors were immigrants, and probably yours too. The point is, if you want to be in this counrty, do it legally. Apply for a work visa, pay your taxes legally, learn English and become a citizen. Deb, you go ahead and break out the welcome wagon, because obviously, you don't care if they are "illegal immigrants". "

Mouth from the South wrote on Dec 21, 2006 4:08 PM:

" to DEB; now where did you get those statistics? I would love to check your sources. "

Mouth from the South wrote on Dec 21, 2006 4:06 PM:

" To KC; Then they should have applied BEFORE coming here. Then they wouldn't be considered illegal and subject to these problems. "

Deb wrote on Dec 21, 2006 4:01 PM:

" My last two cents: How many people do you think come here and make a concerted effort NOT to learn the language? To survive in America, you need to learn the language. That does NOT mean that we should not be helpful to them on their way. There are some buzz words on here that intiate a lot of racist rhetoric - such as "immigrant" and "native american" and "welfare." Remember that there are far more white people who use and abuse the welfare system and can barely speak a lick of recognizable English in this country than minorities and immigrants combined. "

Stepper wrote on Dec 21, 2006 3:55 PM:

" To Point Made....good point! Excellent post. "

Stepper wrote on Dec 21, 2006 3:53 PM:

" KC .. what are you saying? Ignore the law for illegal people being here? Then why have the law? You can't have it both ways. What do you mean people like me? I am a law abiding citizen and I gave my opinion just like you do on a blog open to all. If that opinion does not match yours that is too bad. There are channels to go through to become a citizen of this country as with any other country. What is wrong with doing it the correct way? "

KC wrote on Dec 21, 2006 3:32 PM:

" Hey Stepper did you ever stop to think that most of the people who are here illegaly would maybe like to become legal but they fear deportation if found by people like you. So they do not go and apply. "

POINT MADE wrote on Dec 21, 2006 3:29 PM:

" Guess what...I am not racist....however, I will say one thing...I would not move to France and expect the people of that country to learn English for me....I would learn French if I wanted to become a citizen of France....You want to speak a foreign language amongst your family and friends, that is fine....but don't expect everyone else to accomodate to you if your speaking Spanish or any other language if you want to live in a predominately English speaking country... "

Stepper wrote on Dec 21, 2006 3:05 PM:

" to: to broken language...now my face is red! I thought broken language made the comment following mine. I truly apologize to you. Please accept my regret for my comment. "

stepper wrote on Dec 21, 2006 3:02 PM:

" The same as invited you broken language..this is a blog open to all. Nice? I did not call you a name like you did to everyone else. If you have a point, make it (I did). If not, try to contribute something worth reading. This is a blog, not a personality competition. "

To broken language wrote on Dec 21, 2006 2:40 PM:

" Who invited you in? Me think that was not very nice. What did you come on here for? ;-) "

Stepper wrote on Dec 21, 2006 2:24 PM:

" To Broken Language..your King's English leaves a bit to be desired as well. However you elegantly called people names in your post. What does that tell us about you other than you cannot contribute to a blog without resorting to low name calling? Your using a lovely word such as "crappy" and King's English in the same sentance was quite revealing, too. Does smugness really become you? I wonder. "

Stepper wrote on Dec 21, 2006 2:14 PM:

" When the government of a county puts ILLEGAL aliens above its own people, then you have a problem. This county welcomes people from all over the world and they become citizens and Americans. Absolutely nothing wrong with that, bless them all and have a good life. However, when you have people slipping over the border ILLEGALLY and reaping the benefits that are denied to AMERICAN citizens, then you have a problem. If this country is good enough to sneak into and grab what one can, then it is good enough to become a legal citizen in. If those coming here do not wish to become citizens and only come for the money they can get or whatever, then they should go back home. No one ever said life was easy or was going to be but taking advantage of the hard work of others who are denied the same help is wrong. If this country is worth the hassle to come to, then it is worth staying and become a citizen, it is the most logical step to take. If not willing to do that, then they should go back home to their country. What it boils down to is citizenship which is a reasonable request to make of those who come here. Learning English would facilitate that and so having the helps on the phones is okay to help the process along. Forget about being politically correct for goodness sake and just be logical for a change. "

Embarrassed wrote on Dec 21, 2006 1:43 PM:

" I am embarrassed by the posts here. I grew up in ND, left, and have now returned for my career. I am embarrassed that there are that many people who are bigoted and racist in ND. You use words like "them" and "their" and "our" and "get out." These are all terms used to somehow put us above other people. Those are all words used in the South for segregation. By us, I mean our ancestors who couldn't speak a lick of English when they arrived. Hell, I know many people who came to ND 70-80 years ago who still speak German and don't speak English well at all. It doesn't sound like anyone considers those people a "them." It's apparently the people of Spanish dissent that are such a problem. Well, get off your pedestal of white pride and learn a thing or two about what our country was founded on and why people left England in the first place. Sheesh. You all should be ashamed. "

Miler wrote on Dec 21, 2006 11:20 AM:

" to broken language: It may be crappy English, but atleast we can understand it. I would bet you could be caught using improper English and a slang word here and there. "

dante wrote on Dec 21, 2006 9:24 AM:

" wow, the smartest hillbilly in hillbilly town has just spoken..most excellent! bloody well spoken! "

Broken Language wrote on Dec 21, 2006 8:39 AM:

" The crappy English you people speak around here is not exactly the King's English. Until every one of you gets several degrees in the English language and learns how to end a sentence without using a preposition, then the last thing you rubes should be doing is critiquing someone else's ability to speak English. Half of you can't even distinguish between "I" and "me" properly. "

White Colonialism wrote on Dec 21, 2006 8:35 AM:

" The idea that Engish-speaking people would never go into another country and demand that country's people to change is so DUMB it scares me. I would guess that the people of South Africa and, currently, IRAQ might disagree with you, as would all of the American Indian tribes outside of, possibly, the Navajo. Those are just a few examples, but get a clue folks. All white people do it push their ways on people. If someone pushes back a little bit in a country that doesn't belong to white people anyway, then good. Stop crying like a little girl with a skinned knee. "

To Bewildered wrote on Dec 21, 2006 12:34 AM:

" It really is not right that in the richest, most powerful nation our planet has ever seen, that anyone - your husband - has to go through what your husband has. A good, universal health care system would fix that problem. We can do it. You know there are people standing in the way of that. Let's go after the insurance companies and the well-off people who don't care if some of us work hard, pay our bills, and still don't have the health care we need. The president, the governor, the CEOs of major corporations, all have great health care, as do those by the luck of employment. Let's do something about this. "

Time Out wrote on Dec 21, 2006 12:24 AM:

" I know newcomers work hard, pay into Social Security, pay sales tax on what they buy, and never get a dime of welfare or any other social services. They don't ever get the Social Security they paid in and deserve either. They are Catholic; they are hard workers; they care about their families; and we spit (on this thread verbally) at them. Irish in 1840s...Mexicans in 2006. There were Alevras back then too. Some attitudes just keep coming back. "

KC wrote on Dec 20, 2006 3:44 PM:

" One other thought came to mind on this. What about Puerto Ricans? They are indeed Americans yet the language spoken there is Spanish. Should we force them to speak English too? "

bewildered wrote on Dec 20, 2006 3:33 PM:

" First of all why are all these foreigners getting money from a country they wern't born in? we can't get that when we go there. My husband applied for disabillity 4 years ago, in 02 he had open heart surgery then in 04 he had a brain stem stroke, he also has slipped discs and other numerous health issues, he has been unable to have back surgery because of his open heart, so he has to deal with the pain and we filled 4 times for SS and SSI and he was told he wasn't disabled enough. Finally in 06 he was granted SSI but only begining in 04 not 02. So now if he was from another country and came to the US he would have gotten SSI with no questions asked. So if these people want to live here legally learn to speak the english language. Better yet go back to your country and deal with the problems there and stop taking our hard earned money and demanding more. "

Times Are A Changing wrote on Dec 20, 2006 2:34 PM:

" By the year, 2050, the majority population will be Spanish speaking Hispanics in the U.S. Maybe, the English speaking (only) Americans should learn to speak the Spanish language so we can communicate with the majority Hispanic culture in the future. "

Waralan wrote on Dec 20, 2006 12:08 PM:

" While I was growing up, I knew my neighbors could not speak a lick of English. They came from Norway. Yet, before I left high school, I had the benifit to be taught by one, who had several advanced college degrees. "

To time out wrote on Dec 20, 2006 11:34 AM:

" Yes, alot do pay in to SS and will never get it back, It's real easy to get a SS# and a green card. They can get one for about $150, but what they take from medicaid, food stamps and other progams far exceeds the amount paid in. "

Free American wrote on Dec 20, 2006 10:37 AM:

" I just read through some of the previous posts. There is a lot of things being thrown around that are just not true. One person said Americans would never go to someone else's country and ask them to change. A few examples. I grew up and now live in Bismarck, but I lived a few years in Africa, where I taught English in a country that had its own language and books printed in its own language. Back then in the 1970s and 1980s they were trying to make everyone there change to English. Also, while in Africa, I met Christian missionaries from the USA who were working very hard to change people to Christianity and away from their religion. We can talk later about the merits of that, BUT the very idea that Americans DO NOT go into other countries to bring about change in other people is VERY VERY FALSE. Americans spend billions of dollars every year to do just that. "

Wondering wrote on Dec 20, 2006 9:51 AM:

" To RAL: Your joke is hilarious and insightful. You can't help it if there are too many humor impaired people on this site! Have a good day! "

YY wrote on Dec 20, 2006 9:25 AM:

" Listen up - I think you are mixing things up. First you say that anyone who pays into Social Security should get money out of it. I agree. Then you mention people who don't pay into Social Security and do get paid out of it. OK, fine. Your next sentence says that if you collect SS and don't speak English then you have a problem. WHOA! How do you reconcile that with your first point? The fact is that I know many people who are not citizens of this country but work here...legally (it is called a green--actually "pink"--card and they pay all the taxes and don't get all of the benefits of citizenship--such as voting for example)...and pay just as much in social security as their co-workers or anyone else. They actually do speak English quite well...better than many on this board who insist on people speaking English. However, given the choice they would rather have the option of speaking in their native language. Besides, you seem to make a connection between speaking English and being eligible for social security (and, presumably, other government programs). However, by this logic, what about people who do not pay into Social Security and do speak English? What about those who don't speak English as their first language and do pay into Social Security? Your statements strike me as not a very informed opinion. "

NoDak John wrote on Dec 20, 2006 8:36 AM:

" Time out, you are obviously not aware of "The Welfare Queen" (Her title for herself) from Mission Texas. She gives lessons on how to really rip off the Social Security system. Her take from the system is a stack of checks. The envelopes from those checks filled the waste basket in the post office (about 16 inches tall) about 2/3 full. I estimated the number of checks to be around 40. There are a number of sites run by Americans of Mexican heritage who spell out all the details of why they don't want illegals here. The key word is illegal as in felon. My grandmother was sent back home because she gave birth to my dad before all her citizenship tests and qualifications were met. It took 7 more years for my grandparents to get a slot so that she and dad could come to the Untied States and attempt to become citizens. "

neighbor wrote on Dec 20, 2006 7:52 AM:

" By the way I did get the joke. it's still stupid though. "

neighbor wrote on Dec 20, 2006 7:47 AM:

" to RAL; It's still a stupid joke and doesn't add to this forum at all. Alvera is saying what the majority of us agree with. English is the language of the United States. The problems lie with corporate America as they cater to all of our non English speaking residents. Our schools which cater to non English Speaking students. Our government which will give benefits to everbody but hardworking English Speaking Americans who have to jump through hoops when they need assistance. It's a problem that will continue to grow until more people like Alvera speak out. Write to your senators and representatives, or email them and tell them we want a change. English needs to be the official language of the United States. Business needs to be conducted in English because that is our language. And..MERRY CHRISTMAS as we celebrate the birth of OUR SAVIOUR, JESUS CHRIST. Jesus is the reason for the season. God Bless You All and pray for peace. "

Fact Check wrote on Dec 19, 2006 10:01 PM:

" Who is saying they are offended by American customs? Excuse me, but Mexicans are Christians, mostly Catholic actually. Mexicans are not offended by American customs. Or is it the Jewish rabbi who was NOT offended by Christmas displays in the Seattle Airport, but was horrified when they were taken down after he simply asked for a small menora to be put up somewhere in that very large airport. Apparently, someone was so strict on being only one way that they just couldn't stand having anything BUT Christian. The rabbi mistakenly thought that in America both were okay. Apparently it is Christian or nothing. Hummmmm, the only people I have seen be offended are people like Alvera Leier and people on this thread who are offended by the very thought of having to "press 1 for English." "

Mouth from the South wrote on Dec 19, 2006 9:56 PM:

" Way to go John Q. When you can't come up with a reasonable answer, you blame everything on a political party or the stupidity of us North Dakotans. I would venture to guess that most of the Posters here are as well-educated about world affairs as you believe you are and this is certainly not a one-sided political strategy. My guess is that both Democrats and Republicans are equally represented on this post. Just a guess, as no one that I remember has considered this much of a political issue until your post. "

What demands??? wrote on Dec 19, 2006 9:47 PM:

" What is this about people making demands? How hyper sensitive can you be? Maybe you've been listening to some very biased talk show or reading some very slanted views, BUT NO ONE HAS EVER TOLD ME NOT TO BE OR ACT LIKE A WHITE, ANGLO, CHRISTIAN, MODERATE AMERICAN FROM THE PRAIRIES. NEVER. EVER. Someone is blowing things way out of porportion. Is it that some people don't have COMPLETE control and just can't stand even having to SEE instructions in another language? Don't you know that was intended to be read by Italians IN ITALY or Germans IN GERMANY. Be who you are, and please stop whining. It is unbecoming of a proud American. "

My view: wrote on Dec 19, 2006 9:33 PM:

" Mr. Polish Person, I am not racist, I don't care how many people come to this country and what they speak. I don't care what religion they are, and I don't care if they wear lampshades on their heads. I DO care when our traditions and customs are called "offending" by these people and we are the ones expected to make all these provisions to cater to them, regardless of inconvenience or cost. They come here on their own free will because the US is such a giving country, and they have much to gain. Along with that should come the respect of our traditions, not abusing the flag, the laws, or the system. So I don't see where that is racist. That has nothing to do with the fact that I am tired of immigrants dictating, or trying to, what we need to change so they aren't offended. "

Mouth from the South wrote on Dec 19, 2006 9:27 PM:

" to Polish Rifle; You are using the Internet to voice your opinion, also. Are you cowardly and are your opinions cracked? Sounds to me like a case of the Pot calling the Kettle black, as my Mother used to say. (no racism implied here, for those of you who do not understand the analogy) "

The Polish Rifle wrote on Dec 19, 2006 7:16 PM:

" 1. "Learn to speak the language" is silly because it implies that there is only "THE language." As in, one of them. Truth is, we have no official language in this country. Wonder why? Hmm...probably because we are a country of founded by and comprised of immigrants. Weird how that works. 2. If anyone here honestly thinks the US was founded on Christianity, or ANY religion for that matter, then you better go check your history text before I rupture something from laughing so hard. 3. Screw English. Let's all start randomly speaking German, then complain that no one else does. 4. Sometimes I get mad when I read things posted by close-minded people who complain about how they can't be politically incorrect in public, but then I'm reassured when I remember that no matter how much they hate being PC, the very presence of the term "PC" makes them PC anyway. And that's really all that matters, because then I don't have to listen unless I choose to. I mean, if you're a crazy racist in your own home, then good for you. That's why we have the Internet – so cowards feel more comfortable voicing their cracked opinions. "

John Q wrote on Dec 19, 2006 6:59 PM:

" I get the sense that there are alot of uneducated Republicans in this state. If the United States is going to competing on a global market - then you need to speak with global languages. The singular American dream is dead and along with it the values and morals or an older society. The times are changing and the United States does too. "

My View: wrote on Dec 19, 2006 6:48 PM:

" I don't care if people come to this country and are different. It's not so much "adopting" our cultures as just respecting them. I am beginning to feel that aliens or immigrants have a bigger voice than I do. They make a choice to come here, for whatever reasons, but shouldn't expect to make demands and change what offends them. They have the choice to live their own customs, but even that has filtered into our laws. What about those who want to wear their face scarves for ID photo's? I couldn't get away with it. So they can live their customs and those of ours that they choose, is that it? Two sets of rules. For them. "

Time out wrote on Dec 19, 2006 6:22 PM:

" Workers need to have a Social Security number. A lot of immigrants pay into Social Security but because of their immigrant status never will ever get a dime of what they paid in. "

Listen up wrote on Dec 19, 2006 4:03 PM:

" Here is the bottom line-if you contributed to social security then you should get social security. What makes me mad is the fact that some foreigners are collecting our social security without contributing a dime!!! So, if you are collecting social security and cannot speak English, then we have a problem. And I agree with those who wrote about this being "One nation under God" I don't care if I offend your religion becuase God is what our nation was founded on!!! Remember, Jesus is the reason for the Season and Merry Christmas "

Miler wrote on Dec 19, 2006 3:40 PM:

" If you want to be here, fine. LEARN TO SPEAK THE LANGUAGE and learn it good enough that you understand it and speak it so that others can understand you. In the last week I have been surrounded by people who can't speak the language. I had to double check my drivers license to make sure I still lived in the United States. "

YY wrote on Dec 19, 2006 2:59 PM:

" LJK - I think you might have hit on something. "There has to be some continuity and identity for each country or we'll end up with a muddled mess of confusion." Is that the problem. If we have too many different things going on there will be a "muddled mess"? Things won't be neat, clean, clear-cut? There is still debate in sociological circles whether the US actually has a "unifying culture." The US is a very young nation and, unlike most nations, has very little homogenous about it. Most industrialized nations are made up of people with a shared history of much longer than 200 years (or less in this area). Because of this, I believe, the US is still trying to establish its own "culture" and this is a "muddled mess" process. Things are tried and discarded. I think it would be a mistake to simply "freeze" the current situation and say, "This is our culture. Get used to it." "

YY wrote on Dec 19, 2006 2:52 PM:

" Mouth, You legitimately asked for reasons that people would come her and become citizens if they don't like the culture. The fact is that not everyone that comes here does so because they admire American Culture. Some come her because they married American citizens. Some come here as part of a political asylum and become citizens. Just because they do not want to adopt all the elements of the dominant culture does not mean that they dislike America or, even, ALL of its culture. As for "they have to learn English to become a citizen so why bother having anything in a non-English language." My question is, "Why not?" My guess is that if English is a second language and you are trying to understand something, like government red tape, you would rather have it explained in the language you are most familiar with. I have a question for you and all those who advocate that everything should be in ONLY English (remember, that is what the letter was about, the fact that Alvera had to press 1 on her phone to indicate that she wanted English). What is wrong with having things provided in multiple languages? Since none of them will, necessarily replace English except in isolated incidents (like grocery ads in Gillette) what difference does it make to you? How did "Patriotic American" get equated with "English speaking"? What is the connection that is made there? What it appears to me is that some people hold themselves (or their beliefs/culture) up as some kind of definition of "American" and, in so far as anyone is different than them, they are "less American." "

Is the end really near? wrote on Dec 19, 2006 2:27 PM:

" Sounds like many on this post are really weak and afraid. That does not sound like a proud America that is srong enough to lead the world, be a shining example of freedom and democracy to the world. It sounds like people here are too scared to just live life as you wish. Every single person in the North Dakota legislature, every single statewide elected official, the President, the Vice President are just like us with our culture. You all sound like you lost already. If having someone around who is different makes you think they are complaining and that frightens you this much, maybe you might actually lose something. Being afraid did not make America great. Living out freedom and living the example of a good life made us great. Get on with with. Stop whining. "

The end is near wrote on Dec 19, 2006 2:22 PM:

" Sounds like many on this post are really weak and afraid. That does not sound like a proud America that is srong enough to lead the world, be a shining example of freedom and democracy to the world. It sounds like people here are too scared to just live life as you wish. Every single person in the North Dakota legislature, every single statewide elected official, the President, the Vice President are just like us with our culture. You all sound like you lost already. If having someone around who is different makes you think they are complaining and that frightens you this much, maybe you might actually lose something. Being afraid did not make America great. Living out freedom and living the example of a good life made us great. Get on with with. Stop whining. "

Sees both sides wrote on Dec 19, 2006 2:15 PM:

" After reading the comments of other posters, I've come to the conclusion that there may be some confusion about immigration and citizenship. Being in this country legally is not the same thing as being a citizen. In fact, immigrants cannot apply for citizenship until they have lived here (legally) for 5 years; during that time they are required to work and become self-sufficient, unless there are mitigating circumstances to prevent that such as a debilitating disability. During that 5 year time there may be many times when they may want to interface with a federal agency to have questions answered; asking them to navigate the federal system while still in the process of learning the language may be a bit unrealistic. "Fed-speak" can be difficult for even the best English speaker among us. I certainly agree that learning English is in their best interest, and most of them here leagally that I've worked with actively pursue that option, but please keep in mind that "in the country legally" is not synonymous with "American citizen." "

Jerry B. wrote on Dec 19, 2006 1:48 PM:

" I very much agree with this article. My Scotch, Irish, Dutch, German, American Indian, and even English ;-) ancestors learned American English. We might drive on different side of the road from England, but they seem to learn. Why so many english people do not pronounce the letter "H" is funny (Herb = erb, I don't think so). It is nice that people from England no longer say "Bloody this and Bloody that". It is nice that people from England have learned our road signs, how to communicate with emergency workers by telephone or at accident scenes, and our method of dress (no powdered wigs for judges). I think if people from England can learn how to communicate and function in this country then everyone can. "

LJK wrote on Dec 19, 2006 1:42 PM:

" I have to agree, and not just because half my family is from Kintyre. There has to be some continuity and identity for each country or we'll end up with a muddled mess of confusion. It's nice to keep your country of origin's traditions going, and pass your language onto your kids- BUT we need a national identity and that includes conforming to the current practices and language spoken. All of our families somehow got over this hurdle and I'm sure recent immigrants can suck it up and do the same. "

To Emmy: wrote on Dec 19, 2006 12:49 PM:

" That's all I'm asking, too - for people to respect the history and customs of this country, including the language, religion, patriotism, "In God We Trust", and everything else. Not only are these people offended, we had to customize things. I can't think of one reason why. We have plenty to offer them here, we don't have to hand over our traditions and the things that our forefathers fought to preserve. i.e. the right to fly our flag. During the 911 crisis flags had to be removed from places because it offended people. What is the sense of that? We can't display them, but others can disrespect them. Please, someone, explain how this is acceptable. Emmy, I always note what businesses wish me a Merry Christmas, and try to support them throughout the season. Like you, I hate to see that lost, too. "

Emmy wrote on Dec 19, 2006 11:52 AM:

" I have had American customs stopped. The schools have changed. When I was growing up we had halloween parties and christmas parties, no it's fall fesitvals and holiday parties. At work, we no longer have a Christmas party, it is a holiday party. That ticks me off. So that nobody should be offended, these small but significant customs have been stopped. Christmas is Jesus' birthday, it is part of the religion I am teaching my daughter, why do I have to stop it. If somebody told me Happy Kwanza, I would not be offended, I would in turn wish them Merry Christmas. This is just getting ridiculous anymore. Americans are bending over backwards to accomodate "new citizens", but when we try to uphold our own American customs we get slapped with lawsuits and called bigots. Why???? I grew up respecting people until they give me reason not to. I do not need policies and every other thing to tell me how to treat people. I am not a racist but where the heck did the respect for and my beliefs go? "

Proud American wrote on Dec 19, 2006 11:30 AM:

" I agree 100% with Alvera and the comments made by Myview. Why would you even want to live in a country where you can't speak or understand the language? Try going to any other foreign country and demand the things these immigrants are demadning and see what happens. I'll tell you what would happen .... they'd laugh you right out of their country. And they should. It's not any different than going into another person's home and start making demands for changes so YOU'RE comfortable. How soon do you think you'd be invited back ? All these postings that are comparing the Mexican/Spanish immigrants to our German/Russian/Norwegian anscestors...shame on you !! Our anscestors were proud people who put their sweat and blood into this country. They didn't come demanding or expecting hand outs and they learned English instead of expecting others to learn their language. So "Bully" for you Alvera for standing up and saying what so many of us are thinking. Merry Christmas and God Bless !! (and I don't give a rip if someone is offended by my closing line) "

To Mouth from the South: wrote on Dec 19, 2006 10:40 AM:

" I agree, many of these people are here for the taking, and don't have enough respect for this country to abide by the language, or any other customs. They want it their way, they don't want to be "offended" by this country that they are visiting. Those that are here to live and work are not the ones making demands or being "offended", but rather respect and appreciate their opportunity. I feel quite defeated when I read that grocery stores are making announcements in Spanish. I fear that this type of thing is only the beginning. Our strengths and unity are being challenged and watered down. As stated earlier they want to customize this country to the one they just fled from. "

Mouth from the South wrote on Dec 19, 2006 10:38 AM:

" to The Polish Rifle and others; Just exactly why do people immigrate to another country? If I move to another country it would be because I like the culture of that country and want to participate in it, learn the language, the customs, etc. If people don't like our country and its culture, why are they coming here? I truly would like some honest answers here. I am under the impression that people come here because they are not happy with the culture, ethics, etc of the country they now live in. And if that is the case, they should be happy to embrace the new culture. As far as I am concerned, this is a serious issue and, if the reasons for people coming here have changed drastically, I think as a general public, we should be made aware of this. Apparently, our laws that were made to cover these situations no longer apply. Maybe that then would explain some of the hostility that has been encountered. And please no name calling, etc. This is supposed to be a debate. "

Beesh wrote on Dec 19, 2006 9:50 AM:

" To Joe, I didn’t say anything about non compliant immigrants being “American haters” (you do realize that quote marks indicate a direct quote). That part of my post was the copied in comments from KC that I forgot to delete. I apologize. KC was referring to those who want immigrants to learn English when he said, “So go on and continue your hating and at the same time call yourselves "Christians."" "

Mouth from the South wrote on Dec 19, 2006 9:42 AM:

" To Joe; Please enlighten me as to what I have 'covered up?' It seems to me that many of these posters are trying to 'muddy' the waters about this issue. This post is not about stopping people from legally immigrating to the US. It is about, once you emmigrate, quickly learning the English Language and utilizing it, when necessary, to conduct business. Emmigrants have a legal obligation to learn English to become a citizen. Seems to me a lot of these people aren't following the law. And maybe many of them don't intend to become citizens, just use our resources, get some benefits and then return to their own countries or try to destroy our country like the men who brought down the World Trade Center. English is a native language for me. My ancestors, on my mothers side, came from England during the American Revolution, so maybe I have some right to feel offended when others don't use my native language. "

Jody wrote on Dec 19, 2006 8:50 AM:

" I happen to agree with Alvera I think she does have a good point. When I left ND I lived on both coasts and when in CA I worked in a restaurant that the whole of the kitchen had only one person that spoke some broken english when he felt like it and the rest of the place was Iranian or Iraqi which spoke broken english. I worked with only one other person that spoke english as our first and only language. I am not saying I think people should be shipped out for where they came from but they should know the english language well enough to be able to work and live here. One language makes it easier for everyone involved. And yes immigrants are required to know english before citizenship. Now if our own government would actually follow their own rules things would be easier. "

The Polish Rifle wrote on Dec 19, 2006 8:17 AM:

" This "learn English or go home" mentality is ridiculous. If some of your ancestors would have REALLY learned the language of America, none of us would be speaking English, I can tell you that. You'd be speaking Sioux, or Cree, or Choctaw or whatever. It's the Stupid White Man Mentality. We come in, establish "our language" on the people already here and then force it down the throat of everyone who comes after us, too – Mexican, Indian, German, Russian, Egyptian, Kazhatastani, whatever. It's sad we can't sympathize with that as North Dakotans. If you've got German heritage, as so many of us do, many of YOUR OWN relatives had to learn English. Instead of being bitter about them having to throw away so much of their culture, just like the Indians had to do and just like so many people want Mexicans to do now, you show NO sympathy for the people in their situation. It's absurd. It reminds me of a bunch of older siblings wanting to see their little brother get spanked just because they were beaten as a child. Bottom line, you are all nothing but spiteful whiners. Quit using the stupid, tired "my ancestors assimilated, so now it's your turn" argument and get some perspective. Many Indian languages are practically dead and nobody under 70 around here can speak German. And you think that's a good thing? "

Joe wrote on Dec 19, 2006 7:44 AM:

" Nice cover up, Mouth. Legalities and paper are not the real problem. Just listen to all the calls to stop people from coming. The roadblocks already in place to stop legal immigration are huge. "Why" asked some excellent questions. Why do some people think Americans will lose something if new people come? That is so very very weak kneed. "

dante wrote on Dec 19, 2006 7:15 AM:

" illegal... "

dante wrote on Dec 19, 2006 7:14 AM:

" maybe this whole illegal immigration thing is karmic payback for the "illigal immigration" of this country about 500 yrs ago? think about it. "

Mouth from the South wrote on Dec 18, 2006 10:06 PM:

" What is all this drivel about being worried that we can't be all we should be or not being who we are or whatever that some of these posters are bringing up? All that I said, and I will stick to it, is that if someone is a citizen of the US and is thus entitled to benefits, they should already know English. Why? because in order to become a citizen and thus qualify for these benefits, they are required to learn English. We wouldn't need the Press 1 and Press 2. Very logical and reasonable, but it seems to be a very difficult concept for some of the posters to understand. If someone is not a legal citizen of this country, they should not be receiving my tax dollars in benefits and thus do not need to contact the Social Security Office, Welfare Office or any other Government program. Diversity has nothing to do with this letter. Diversity is great and this country has been blessed with many great people from many countries. Legal immigrants that came to this country to make a better life for themselves and their families and became citizens. These people, no matter what their nationality or color are welcome, they are not the problem. It is the illegal aliens crossing our borders that are the problem. I have only one comment to make about instructions in English, French, Spanish or whatever. What a ridiculous waste of paper. I don't need all that extra paper cluttering up my house, let alone the trees that have to be cut down to provide this paper. "

Why? wrote on Dec 18, 2006 8:46 PM:

" I have a question for you all -- Can't you be who you are without telling someone else they cannot be who they are? This letter writer who says "shape up or ship out" seems to say she can't be who she is if anyone here is different. My religion (Christian), race (white), and customs are not threatened by people who are different. Why do other people have to change so you can be who you are? This letter seems to promote the idea that we are very weak and our ideas will not survive unless we rid the place of anyone different. I'd suggest you all stand up and be who you are and, if you can, enjoy those who bring some diversity into our lives. "

What RAL really meant wrote on Dec 18, 2006 7:49 PM:

" You do not need to always be timid like a mouse, sometimes you can bark like a dog? Or he meant that dogs language is more intimidating and you need to be more intimidating? Or he meant dogs speak clearer than mice and it is safer to be a dog? Or maybe he was referring to the bark on a tree like when "mosquitoes in North Dakota often sit on the trees and bark". "

RAL wrote on Dec 18, 2006 5:27 PM:

" To: A friend of a friend of a cop. I am using this joke to make a connection as to why it is important to learn the language of the country you are living in. You are the second person that is unable to make that connection. It sounds like the online editor is able to make the connection. Read the joke again and maybe, "the lights will shine brighter". I will comment no more on this issue as well as the smoking ban. You all have a good day. "

Joe wrote on Dec 18, 2006 3:47 PM:

" Who is complaining about American customs? Let's be real. No American ever has to stop being who they are as far as being Christian, speaking English, doing American customs. I never have had to stop any of that...ever. To suggest otherwise is either an absurd exaggeration or because of some unnecessary over-reaction. What has happened is that some people insist that there is only certain ways to be an American and if you don't fit that narrow, limited way, then we will get angry at you and pout that you are taking away all of our customs. That is the problem. This push for official English gained momentum to protect something that does not need protection! Look at the world, folks. The English language reigns in commerce and other areas. Squabbling over protecting your very sensitive ears from hearing another language is really weak. "

Tired wrote on Dec 18, 2006 3:20 PM:

" I found this article in my home town newspaper. http://www.gillettenewsrecord.com/articles/2006/12/17/news/news01.txt Gillette is getting a major influx a mexican people because of the oil and gas work. As Bismarck continues to grow, I think we'll see a similar trend. The people of Bismarck need to be prepared. The grocery stores in Gillette now do all of there anouncements in spanish. Just thought the article was interesting because of the topic here in bismarck. "

King Henry wrote on Dec 18, 2006 2:04 PM:

" It is good to have a kingdom divided by languages. People are much easier to control. Also very good for maintaining the class system. With all the most advanced space research books in English, Medical books, physics books, to name a few, written in the Kings English it is a wonderful mechanism to continue the class system. Look at the libraries in other countries and you see our advantage. Try to be an astronaut without learning English or Russian. Try to read the latest medical research in spanish. This is a wonderful way to keep the minorities out of our universities. Have them only speak a foreign language. We are also very lucky that the big city minorities refuse to learn most other subjects like history and math. (Yes I am being sarcastic to make a point). "

YY wrote on Dec 18, 2006 1:19 PM:

" To bottom Line - What is wrong with complaining when something offends you. You are complaining because of people coming into this country. You are "reaping the bennies" of citizenship of this country and still complain. The fact is that they have the same rights as you do. The fact that they may or may not have been born here is irrelevant. What, exactly, are you having to "change" (you mentioned that you should not have to change anything). The fact that other people have decided to learn another language does not require you to change anything. As I said before, you have every right to stay uni-lingual and can function just fine in this country. Why do you insist that everyone become just like you and believe the same things as you, value the same things as you, speak the same language as you... How is their complaining about things that are different or that they disagree with any different from you? "

Leah wrote on Dec 18, 2006 1:19 PM:

" There are many illegals getting gov. benfits, believe it or not,they are. Have you heard of idenity theft? Yep, that's one way they are getting the benefits. If you think that illegals are not getting food stamps, medicaid, HUD, or SS you need to think again. I am originally from the south and you would be amazed at how many of them are not legal, but have false documentation. I worked with a girl that I thought was legal, but she told me, she sort of slipped and let the cat out of the bag how she got all her ID's, They were fake. She was recieving everything that she could. Needless to say, I don't think that she is in the USA anymore. She could speak broken English, but none of her family could, go figure! "

RS wrote on Dec 18, 2006 1:02 PM:

" One point based on two posts about product instruction sheets: Often instructions are listed in many languages not necessarily because of multiple languages of the US, but because products are sold in many, many other countries. It's cost-saving to have one instruction sheet for a product to be distributed across the globe. Sometimes, things you fear (or anger you) are really the result of a simple issue. I think it best to take a step back before attacking - it may very well be non-threatening. "

Online Editor wrote on Dec 18, 2006 12:59 PM:

" To A friend of a friend of a cop: Just to clarify, the joke included a mouse and a cat, not a dog. "

Soldier wrote on Dec 18, 2006 12:53 PM:

" I have no problems with immigrants as long as they come here legally and learn the language. Granted it takes longer to learn a new language the older you get. Having the options on phone menu's for other languages is good as well to help them during their learning process. But seriously, how long does it take. My 4 year old daughter speaks better English then a lot of them do. I watched an episode of 30 Days this last season where a guy went to live with a family of illegal immigrants for 30 Days. That family has been in the U.S. for 14 years and the parents still don't speak English. It does not take that long to learn a language. "

Bottom line: wrote on Dec 18, 2006 11:59 AM:

" Many of these people come to America, and then complain that our language and other traditions offend them. They can come here, but the way they are offended by everything makes me wonder why they are here. If they are offended by our language, our traditions, and anything else, they do not have a right to push it so far that we have to change anything!! That's the bottom line. Coming here to reap the bennies and then complaining about being offended by American customs, rather than being appreciative to be in this great country at all. It's not right. "

A friend of a friend of a cop wrote on Dec 18, 2006 11:44 AM:

" To RAL -- I don't get it! If I learn to speak Spanish, then I can scare Mexicans away? Your "joke" doesn't make much sense. I would think that if the mouse barked like a dog, the dog would probably sniff the mouse's rear end. "

YY wrote on Dec 18, 2006 10:49 AM:

" I am honestly stunned to see some of the comments on this board (and I did read all of them). 1) Why do we assume that anyone who would choose to have a government program explained to them in Spanish is an illegal immigrant. This came up in many posts ("If they are here illegally then they should have to learn our language and our customs...). Government programs are confusing enough that there are less likely to be errors if the person filling them out understands what is being asked. 2) What is the threat? No one is advocating eliminating English in the US. No one is being forced by the government to learn another language. If you would like to remain uni-lingual you are fully capable of functioning in our society. You will not be accused of being "racist" or "bigot." Those accusations come when the next step of "everyone else should be multi-ligual to help me." 3) If there is this much emotion when someone has to press "2" for Spanish, imagine if you had to press "2" for English! 4) I visited some friends in Canada over American Thanksgiving and they explained to me that there is a great deal more to "Quebec" than French language. Finally, diversity is not the same thing as Division. Diversity is close to synonymous with "difference" while Division is close to synonomous with separate. In fact, look them up in a thesaurus and there are a long list of synonyms for both words, and they do not show up in one another's lists of synonyms. In fact division means to set apart as different, categorizing. Diversity means "not the same." Which one sounds to you like divide and conquer "

Joe wrote on Dec 18, 2006 10:27 AM:

" I think we are getting somewhere on this. I appreciated the post asking people why they think we'll lose who we are just because someone else gets to be who they are. And, Beesh, is calling people you disagree with "America haters" the new thing among your crowd? I disagree with you, but I don't hate you or America. "

Beesh wrote on Dec 18, 2006 10:16 AM:

" To KC , you wrote, "the second most widely spoken language in the US is Spanish. Spanish is the world's most widely spoken language." If Spanish is second in the US, what is the first? It's ENGLISH! Also the language spoken the world is Mandarin Chinese, Spanish is tie with English. So my friend, if immigrants want to assimilate, they need to speak English in the USA. "

Beesh wrote on Dec 18, 2006 9:21 AM:

" To KC and other who call us un-Christianlike for not allowing everyone to do, speak, demand what they want. The Bible says not to draw attention to yourself, forsaking that for service to others. Now this immediately will be interpretted as our country bending to the needs of the immigrants. But this also means that those who come need to learn. Otherwise they are not forsaking themselves but drawing more attention by demanding things be done their way. Also, this is not a Christian/pagan issue, it's an issue of becoming an American citizen and to do so requires the ability to speak English. wrote on December 16, 2006 2:44 PM:"What makes a person so special just because he/she speaks English? Are you really a "productive member of society" just because you speak English? I'm thinking there are a few residents in the pen who speak English but I wouldn't call them "productive members of society." Airports should have announcements in many languages. Ever heard of business travelers? I would call them productive members of society even though they may speak little to no English. So go on and continue your hating and at the same time call yourselves "Christians."" "

What is so irritating? wrote on Dec 18, 2006 9:12 AM:

" The variety of cultures, languages and religions is a great thing. It is not something to be coerced out of people. The fact that people are saying here that they get really irritated and agitated because they have to actually see instructions in another language is a pretty stong indication about what is driving this assimilate-at-any-cost group. Do you really think that if someone else gets to be who they are, that you will lose who you are? I don't know about you, but I don't feel that weak. "

Beesh wrote on Dec 18, 2006 9:03 AM:

" To Rebecca, you wrote, "But wouldn't your family have appreciated it if some German was spoken to them while they transitioned and learned the new language?" There are services available now and back when MTTS's family came over there was a network of other German immigrants that assisted the newcomers with their immediate needs. But they, as opposed to today's immigrants (legal or illegal) there was a strong desire to assimilate. Laziness or refusal to learn English is not an option. "

Beesh wrote on Dec 18, 2006 8:42 AM:

" To Rebecca, you said, "Wouldn't Alvera and her family have benefited in the... compassion given them while the struggled to learn a new language?" Yes, it is nice to provide translation service for those who haven't learned English. But where does providing a service become a crutch so that person rejects assimulation? You don't learn unless you have a deisire (or coercion) to do so. Would you like it if your children in first grade refused to learn because it makes them 'uncomfortable'? Adaptation is the main key to assimulation. That does not include completely forsaking your heritage but instead accepting the new one. "

Beesh wrote on Dec 18, 2006 8:08 AM:

" To Deb, you said, "having English as the de facto language does not mean that it deserves to be the ONLY language of the country". None of us said English is the only language allowed in America. What we said is English should be the official language used in government, legislation and on road signs. The reason for a lack of a federally recognized language is because small local groceries or medical assistance clinics or law offices would be forced to only use English. True we are a melting pot, but we need to remember the basis of that stew is English. "

Take a Deep Breath wrote on Dec 17, 2006 11:36 PM:

" What in the world are you talking about? The person who referenced me in their post at 10:09 p.m. I have no idea how you got from what I said to your rant about burning flags, welfare lines, walking on egg shells and respecting our country. Excuse me, but I love America because we accept people from all over the world. People can be who they are here...speak, practice religion, have opportuntity just like you and I. Accepting people from all over the world strengthens us as Americans. I am amazed that some people can not handle people who do not match some limited narrow criteria. I don't know about you, but I certainly do not give up being a white, Christian, male American capitalist just because I meet and enjoy being with someone who might be different. America is home of the free...or so I thought it was...? "

To Take a Deep Breath: wrote on Dec 17, 2006 10:09 PM:

" I am not nasty towards the non-English speaking people. I have no comment on their religious beliefs. I don't care. I do have a problem with the American citizen being expected to learn Spanish to accommodate the in-coming crowd! We are expected to change our ways, become politically correct, walk on egg shells so as not to offend someone, and give up some of our freedoms (i.e. saying Merry Christmas) to allow them theirs. We are expected to be aware that flying our flag may offend someone, that our language may offend someone, that our Holidays may offend someone. I have a real problem with that, non-citizens coming to this country and expecting this country to turn around to become their old country, except keep the welfare lines open and the freebies coming. Why is it that the minority can complain that this is offensive and that is offensive, and the country jumps to change it . Yet, when we, the American taxpayer, say that having to make all these changes and accommodations is inconvenient, expensive, and offensive, we are nasty and discriminatory? How lame. We are the ones with ancestors who fought in our wars to keep our customs alive and allow freedom to ring. Those same ancestors would turn over in their graves from disappointment if they saw how casually the very things they fought for are being diminished. Amendments now being used and abused, and second guessed. Where is the respect that this country deserves? I don’t see it when our flag is flown up-side-down, below the flags of others, spit on or burned. For this, we need to make a whole new set of rules? I don’t think so. I’m not nasty but I will not be a bleeding heart for someone who makes a choice to come to America only to reduce it to the ways of the country they ran from. "

KC wrote on Dec 17, 2006 9:34 PM:

" To Mouth- I would bet it would be a safe guess to say that if you needed help from a Federal agency and you needed to speak Vietnamese or some other language, other than Spanish, they would connect you to a real operator who could help you. It is just that the second most widely spoken language in the US is Spanish. Spanish is the world's most widely spoken language. My question to you and others who are so offended to hear Spanish and other languages is this, have you actually ever gone to a fast food restaurant and not been helped in English? Has it ever happened? I bet not. "

Mouth from the South wrote on Dec 17, 2006 8:23 PM:

" To Take a Deep Breath; I do not believe that anyone on this post has been 'nasty' to those that are different. I may be 'different' for all you know. Nor is anyone picking on others. Most of us are just asking why we have to learn another language in order to function in the country of our birth. A country in which English is required to become a citizen. And yes, lucky me, I have been outside of North Dakota (along with lots of my fellow North Dakotans), so do know that people speak Spanish. However, I have heard lots of other languages being spoken, such as German, French, Chinese, Hebrew, Japanese, Norwegian,etc. Why is Spanish being singled out for special treatment? Shouldn't we also have these other languages represented when someone applies for Social Security and/or other Government benefits? And another thought, if someone has legally lived in this country long enough to qualify to collect SS benefits, they certainly have lived here long enough to learn basic English and that is all you need to apply for Social Security. "

Take a deep breath wrote on Dec 17, 2006 6:22 PM:

" It is so amazing that people in this country are so nasty to people who are a bit different...who don't speak English or are not Christian. Jesus came to help us see that we should not be as rude and self righteous as those who on this site demand an English only place here. "

Mouth from the South wrote on Dec 17, 2006 6:18 PM:

" The majority of the citizens don't usually speak up because they are usually polite, understanding and compassionate towards others. They allow the minority to express their opinions and hope that the reverse will be true. But that is not what is happening in our country today. As soon as the majority tries to speak up, it is bombarded with verbally abusive statements like, racist, narrow-minded, red-necked, hate-filled, etc. Witness some of the posters on this post. Some of these posters are, I believe, driven by pure emotion and also hatred of those who do not believe the way they do. The exact thing they blame on the majority. "

RAL wrote on Dec 17, 2006 3:55 PM:

" To neighbor: If you can't make the connection between this joke and learning to speak English if you are in this country or learning the language of whatever country you may inhabit then I will not try to explain it to you. Maybe you should go back and read the article again and hopefully a light will come on. You all have a good day. "

To neighbor: wrote on Dec 17, 2006 2:12 PM:

" Yes, I agree, I am so upset when I take out a sheet of instructions and have to turn it over and over and search for the small section that is in English! I hate having to forge through all kinds of different languages to get to my own. I don't like having to declare I want English when I am on a phone menu, I don't agree with having to make that choice. I am quite upset over two lines for every one on cereal and other food boxes. It has gone too far in catering to the aliens, and making such inconvenience for the citizens. What are we English speaking American citizens? Chopped liver? Or would that be pecked pinto bean? "

Fed up!!! wrote on Dec 17, 2006 1:56 PM:

" I know one thing. The squeaky wheel gets the grease. If the majority of the United States citizens don’t start speaking, the minority will control everything. I would guess the majority of US citizens believe in and celebrate Christmas and believe strongly in the ideas that our country were founded on, but if we keep rolling over to stay politically correct and not offend anyone we will end up losing those ideas to the few people that we offend. There will always be two sides to any issue but this is a democratic society and the majority rules. However, if the majority never speaks up then we lose. "

neighbor wrote on Dec 17, 2006 11:41 AM:

" Next time you post RAL say something that makes sense. Mice can't talk...sheesh. "

RAL wrote on Dec 17, 2006 9:20 AM:

" A mother mouse and a baby mouse are walking along, when all of a sudden, a cat attacks them. The mother mouse goes, "BARK!" and the cat runs away. "See?" says the mother mouse to her baby. "Now do you see why it's important to learn a foreign language?" (I will say no more on this topic!! You all have a good day.) "

neighbor wrote on Dec 17, 2006 7:55 AM:

" Great letter Alvera! My sentiments exactly. Betty Crocker cake mixes now have printed on the cover "Instrucciones en Espanol". No thanks, I prefer English. That offends me as I am an English speaking American. And I'm not learning Spanish because I live in America. Someone wants to move to Canada..go. If you want to be a citizen you learn English and don't have the Spanish option available. Cultural diversity is fine, but if you want to be an American you learn English or go back towhere you came from. "

amen wrote on Dec 17, 2006 2:13 AM:

" I just want to send items back that I buy because the first thing you see for instructions on something is spanish "

Mouth from the South wrote on Dec 16, 2006 5:12 PM:

" To KC; the same thing that would make you special if you moved to Spain and learned their language as quickly as possible. In my opinion it shows respect for your new country and its citizens. You should be eager to become involved and extremely willing to do what it takes to belong. And what does this discussion have to do with Airports? I don't believe anyone said that multiple languages shouldn't be used in an airport. To not do so would be ludicrous at the very least. But to only use two, English and Spanish, would, and should be considered ridiculous. I, personally, do not see a lot of hatred in these posts since many of the posters have been commenting upon their own ancestors as did I. I loved my grandparents and deeply respected their determination to learn English as quickly as possible so that they could learn to cope with a new country. "

My view: wrote on Dec 16, 2006 5:03 PM:

" The whole thing here is that people who come to this country need to accept our customs, language, holidays, (including Christmas and July 4th!!) and stop crying about being offended by them. They don't have to take part, they don't have to celebrate our holidays, they don't even have to learn English, but they shouldn't be trying to change these things, either, and force their customs on us. These are the customs we have built over the years to suit the American public, a basis for all America to use, a very efficient continuity we are confortable with. Over the years we have found what works for this country, what keeps us connected and united, what keeps us communicating and strong. Next thing, they will want us to change our money system, and make slots in machines for Spanish coins. Bottom line: when you come to America you live as America does, or accept it and do your own thing in your own confines. I will fly my flag, and expect that English will not be diminished to a choice everytime I turn around. I don't like our customs and way of life being challenged by those from other countries. I wouldn't think of doing that if it was me moving to foreign land. "

KC wrote on Dec 16, 2006 2:44 PM:

" What makes a person so special just because he/she speaks English? Are you really a "productive member of society" just because you speak English? I'm thinking there are a few residents in the pen who speak English but I wouldn't call them "productive members of society." Airports should have announcements in many languages. Ever heard of business travelers? I would call them productive members of society even though they may speak little to no English. So go on and continue your hating and at the same time call yourselves "Christians." "

eastern hippy liberal wrote on Dec 16, 2006 1:41 PM:

" we live in America and we expect people to speak English. Wouldn't it be more proper to speak an indian dialect. After all English is from England, we have no more right claiming it as our lanuage than french or mexican. I would luv to see some of those redneck cowboys in class learning Souix or Cherikee. HOW would you like that cowboys??? "

Mouth from the South wrote on Dec 16, 2006 9:44 AM:

" to American Girl and others; this is not a question of intolerance, hate or racism. It is simply a question of language, unity and an immigrant rapidly becoming a working, functioning American. There are many nationalites and cultures represented here in America and to now single out one (Spanish) as more important than the rest is not right. Plus, there is another issue here. Many of the new immigrants move immediately into a cultural enclave, such as Chinatown, etc.,(I am just using it as an example,so don't anybody get hot under the collar) and never learn to speak English or assimilate into our culture. That is also, I believe, unacceptable. Helping an immigrant to learn English is great, but allowing him/her to never have to learn is almost a crime. And by having these Press '1' or '2' is definitely allowing this. These immigrants might as well have stayed in their home countries because they are re-creating their home countries here in America. And it is really pointless to bring up the past and helping our Grandparents, etc. In our present times, there are so many personal helps one can get, like language tapes, etc., that there is just no way to compare. When someone wishes to come to America, it is my hope that they want to become Americans. That means (to me)speaking the language, accepting the culture, supporting our country and a lot more. "

NoDak John wrote on Dec 16, 2006 7:30 AM:

" Deb et al. Another word for diversity is division. As in United we stand divided we fall. For those who have not gotten beyond the propagandists (who have literally pumped millions into getting some good slave labor into this country) and their disinformation might I suggest looking into a process called Balkanization. Another word for that process is called "divide and conquer" "

NoDak John wrote on Dec 16, 2006 7:13 AM:

" The Social Security program is already solving the language problem. They are building a huge facility in Mexico City to dispense social security to Mexicans. I find their solution to one problem will exacerbate another which is the fact that the Social Security fund is rapidly running out of money. Wonder if they even thought about that before they started the Mexico City project? Perhaps we should ask "our" Senators and Representatives if they would like to help us understand this situation. "

american girl wrote on Dec 16, 2006 6:25 AM:

" I come from a family in Bismarck where only one of my parents read/wrote in English. This intolerance of others expressed in this thread is shameful and disturbing. Even after one learns conversational English, it is often easier to handle legal and financial matters in one's home language. Do you convey these hateful messages to your children and grandchildren? (e.g: "Yes little one, that family is bad...they don't speak English.They don't belong in our country. No little one, we shouldn't do anything to help them--they should just go back where they came from.") "

TryThis wrote on Dec 16, 2006 4:30 AM:

" Deb and other come-one, come-all posters try this: Illegally enter Mexico and see how quickly the Mexican government responds to your claim of having civil rights, offers you rental assistance, food stamps and responds to your demands that your children be taught in English. Be sure to keep in touch a let us know how that's workin' for ya. "

Incredulous wrote on Dec 16, 2006 3:22 AM:

" Dear Truth[iness]: It's secede, not succeed. "

Incredulous wrote on Dec 16, 2006 3:19 AM:

" Alvera, I bet there are a lot of people in your community that speak with a thick "Cherman" accent that makes it difficult for people who speak the "King's English" to understand them, too. I think they sound ignorant and uneducated. However, I would never embarass them or myself by sharing this view and I would certainly never suggest they ship back to Germany or Russia. And, not to bring up ghosts of blogs past, but you are NOT able to get government benefits if you are here illegally. A mastering of "basic" English may not enable one to understand the incredibly arcane administrative red tape of the Social Security Administration. There are a lot of "Americans" that only speak what I would consider "basic" English, born, bred and educated right here in North Dakota. "

To 87wg: wrote on Dec 15, 2006 11:00 PM:

" Absolutely! If there has to be anyone struggling with a language barrier, it should be the immigrant. We are citizens and speak English. You come through my door you need to know English, I do not need to learn Spanish or any other language. Mouth from the South said it so plainly: If you are an American citizen entitled to all these benefits, you shouldn't have to press "2" for Spanish because you are required to know English! Those who need to press 2 for Spanish are NOT entitled to any of our benefits or programs, because they aren't citizens! MFTS couldn't have been more clear. If they need the language assistance, they most likely don't belong or are not citizens or contributing members of our society. I don't think we need to be waiting at the airport with people to greet the aliens in their native language. They need to greet us in ours. As was already said, they need to respect and accept all our customs and learn them, not try to make us change the very things we have established over the years in this country. "

87wg wrote on Dec 15, 2006 8:47 PM:

" I am personally sick of those who think all of us that believe English should be our official language are bigots. My grandparents were Germans from Russia too and, while they used German at home or among their friends, they knew they had to learn English for commerce and to take part in representative democracy; my grandfather was a strong believer in this. They made a CHOICE to come to this country and not to South America like some GRs did; therefore they knew they had to learn English. If my ancestors had gone there they'd have learned Spanish or Portuguese. I enjoy hearing the GRs speak German and I enjoy hearing Sioux Indians speaking Lakota when on the reservations. But these people have to speak English when they're among others. This country has room for many cultures and beliefs and speak what you want at home, but English is our language of culture and law. "

87wg wrote on Dec 15, 2006 8:39 PM:

" For those wondering about English as N.D.'s official language, the Century Code is online and this is in Chapter 54-02, State Emblems, Symbols and Awards, Web link www.legis.nd.gov/cencode/t54c02.pdf . To the person that wrote "So you're not a true American UNTIL you master the language?", that was the law of the land in most of the 20th century. If anyone's done genealogy they've probably seen their ancestors' naturalization papers. One requirement was to learn to SPEAK English; failure to do so was reason to deny the petitioner citizenship. If you don't believe this go to the Heritage Center, into the reading room, and check the naturalization records. All of those for North Dakota from the 1870s to the 1940s are there. "

Truth be told wrote on Dec 15, 2006 7:47 PM:

" to all multilingual proponants, look to the north and look at Canada, and the problems that have developed in French speaking Quebec... their wish is to succeed from the rest of the Canadian provinces (english speaking) is this the future for our southwestern states, where english has become a second language. To Deb and her minions, multicultural Yes!, multiligual No!! there is nothing wrong with learning a national language in the case of the US... its english, the use of one language helps to unite us as a country. If you pay attention to whats happening in the US's southwestern states you will see a political/cultural alignment with Mexico, the motherland so to speak, wont be long and hunakkah, quanza, and a whole lot of other non-latino celebrations wont be tolerated. Just because you wanted to give them the option of pressing 2....se habla espanol "

Rebecca wrote on Dec 15, 2006 7:45 PM:

" To Mouth from the South: I think many immigrants are proud to learn English. But wouldn't your family have appreciated it if some German was spoken to them while they transitioned and learned the new language? Because those opportunities weren't there for your family is no reason to begrudge others that opportunity. That is what this country is all about; giving future generations things that weren't available in the past. I don't see how that is bad. Also, like I said before, it is probably nice to have someone who speaks their language helping them through something like Social Security which can lose some words in translation. "

Mouth from the South wrote on Dec 15, 2006 6:50 PM:

" One of the points that I am trying to make is; if you are a citizen, you already know English because it is required to become a citizen. You wouldn't need to have a press '2' button for any government programs. Sure it might be easier, but if you are forced to learn a new language to function, you do learn quickly. And if you are not a citizen, why are you getting Social Security benefits or have a need to inquire about them? Also, our Government is setting itself up for a massive lawsuit from other people who do not speak either Spanish or English. Those people who will want a press '3' for Klingon. Why is Spanish being singled out as the alternative language to use particularly since many of the Spanish speaking people are illegally here in the US and shouldn't be getting access to any of our benefit programs? "

Online Editor wrote on Dec 15, 2006 6:18 PM:

" To Leah: It is posted. "

Leah wrote on Dec 15, 2006 6:00 PM:

" online editor, why was my last comment not posted? "

Rebecca wrote on Dec 15, 2006 5:40 PM:

" Just because one speaks English doesn't mean that it is their most comfortable language. The Spanish on voice recordings is most likely a convenience issue. Wouldn't Alvera and her family have benefited in the early part of their life here if they had had the opportunity to have some compassion given them while the struggled to learn a new language? It also makes it easier to communicate issues that are sometimes lost in translation; especially jargon that is abundant in Social Security dealings. I agree that if you live in America you should speak English, but saying that giving a little help to those who are newcomers learning a new language is wrong is not a very welcoming attitude. And in a country of immigrants, everyone, especially Alvera, should empathize with a new immigrant's situation. My humble opinion. Also, on a side note, kudos to businesses who offer Spanish speaking services in our free market. It gives them a competetive edge. "

Leah wrote on Dec 15, 2006 5:37 PM:

" Deb-- Do you welcome them even if the come here illegally? "

Stepper wrote on Dec 15, 2006 5:33 PM:

" Well said Mouth of the South. No one is saying they cannot come here, but once here and becoming citizen, learn the language and have an enhanced life because of it. Learning English would help them understand all of things that must be mystifying to foreign peoples. If they become citizens then they are entitled to the benefits we have. If they have come just to ciphon off our government, etc...they should be turned back to their own country; but I think the majority of people who come here wish to become citizens and be Americans. Mouth is right..this divisionism is not a good thing for our country. "

Mouth from the South wrote on Dec 15, 2006 5:15 PM:

" Just what are some of you posters advocating? That anyone who enters this country, whether legally or otherwise, should be entitled to all the benefits that we citizens have? Shouldn't there be some standards that have to be met before this happens? Why should anyone who is not a citizen get Social Security, Welfare benefits, etc.? What would be the purpose of becoming a citizen if you can get these benefits without doing so? Doesn't make sense to me. I agree with Ms. Leier. My Great-grandparents, grandparents and parents had to learn English in order to function in this country. They were proud to do so. They came to America to become American Citizens and quickly learned the English language. They still spoke their native tongue in the home but they also spoke English there. By not requiring immigrants to quickly learn and speak English we are becoming a divided nation and nothing divides quicker than lack of communication. "

Deb wrote on Dec 15, 2006 5:13 PM:

" Beesh- I agree with you that the de facto language of America is English. But that is not an "established" precedent. De facto means "in actuality without legal authority." Funny, de facto isn't even English, but Latin. Anyway - having English as the de facto language does not mean that it deserves to be the ONLY language of the country, as echod by our lack of a federally recognized American language. And where does all of this "catering" language come from? Making life a little easier for all of our citizens by having different versions of automated phone lines is too out of the box for you? Sheesh, Beesh. Where's your compassion? Not everyone can be a third or forth generation American like you are. Anyway- I can't believe we've argued all day about this. We're a melting pot and no amount of anti-immigrant sentiments will stop that. They're here, and they're always going to be here. And with all of the wars we're starting all over the world, I'm sure the numbers will only rise. I, for one, welcome them. "

Stepper wrote on Dec 15, 2006 5:08 PM:

" Jesus told his disciples to render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's and render unto God the things that are God's.By that He meant that we obey our government and those who have authority over us and give them their due. It works the same with God. If the government requires its people to speak English to become a citizen, then that is what Jesus would want them to do. American has always been an English speaking nation and it is one of things that unites us (a common language)as a country. People from other countries come here should learn English. Learning it will not change their culture, etc...it would enhance it. If I were to move to another country, I would glady learn their language so I could handle my life and business better. I would still keep my ability to speak English but I would also have the wonder of a second language. It works the other way as well if immigrants would let it. "

Beesh wrote on Dec 15, 2006 4:47 PM:

" To Deb, you wrote, “I think that intolerance of other cultures comes from fear of the unknown. “ The de facto language of the USA is English. This was not established to create ‘intolerance’ it was established so that all governmental, business and general public instruction (signs, highway markings etc) are in an exclusively recognized language. So why can Mexico name Spanish as their official language, but the USA has never selected an official language? It’s because it wasn’t a problem until broad base inclusionaries like yourself started catering to everyone who flocked illegally across the borders. To Wondering, you accuse most people on this forum of “spewing vitriol”. There is nothing vitreous, racist or xenophobic (isn’t that the fear of xylophones?) about requiring immigrants to assimilate to the country they have moved to. Assimilating is the utmost response to the gratitude of a resident. To KC (and the sunshine bland), my great grandparents were legal immigrants and they DID learn English. The signs in NYC (where most immigrants arrived in) were for newly arrived immigrants who hadn’t learned the language yet, but eventually did. Associating intent and desire to a certain ethnicity over another as you did is the supreme example of intolerance, racism and the fear of xylophones! And to Try another angle. We don’t speak the native tribes language as our official language because the first settlers spoke English because they came from England. "

Punker wrote on Dec 15, 2006 3:59 PM:

" S-O-C, K-S "

Deb wrote on Dec 15, 2006 3:42 PM:

" Uhhhhhmmmmm, friend of a friend of a cop - you're kidding right? Jesus spoke Aramaic. I don't think anyone spoke English anywhere during Jesus' time. "

Leah wrote on Dec 15, 2006 3:34 PM:

" I can understand your frustration over illegal aliens. However, I hope your comments weren't directed at "them" as if they are inferior for being of another race or ethnicity. There are many legal aliens here also and if we let them be here legally, then we have to expect they will have trouble with the language - even if they are trying to learn. Those people are paying into the retirement/tax system. An interesting point as far as illegal aliens goes is that they actually contribute tons of money to the federal government that they will never see in social security. They can't file taxes, so the money stays with the gov. "

To A friend of a friend of a cop wrote on Dec 15, 2006 3:30 PM:

" That's funny. "

Wondering wrote on Dec 15, 2006 3:18 PM:

" To Friend of a friend of a cop: Okay, that was seriously funny! "

Amen wrote on Dec 15, 2006 3:16 PM:

" She is right on. Only the people willing to sell our country out are stupid enough to spend the billions they do on printing the government forms in 26 langauges for illegal immigrants to raid our social programs. As far as speaking "Native American" tongues I do believe they were defeated and conquered and show me a time in history where the victors adopted the defeated's langauge. Go back to school and get an education before you belch forth your noxious stupidity. All you do is make yourself look like a bigger imbecile than your obviously already are. "

Try another angle wrote on Dec 15, 2006 2:56 PM:

" How did english become our "accepted" language? If the same argument is made, should'nt we all be speaking the native american languages? "

A friend of a friend of a cop wrote on Dec 15, 2006 2:39 PM:

" Wondering wrote: "What would Jesus do?" -- He lived half way around the world and still spoke English. He picked it up...why can't everyone else? "

KC wrote on Dec 15, 2006 2:17 PM:

" First of all to whoever said the social security thing on the phone, maybe the user can speak English pretty good but not well enough to understand more complex questions. Even those with a BA in a foreign language still only speak as well as a first grader in that country. And I am really tired of hearing about how your grandparents or whoever learned English. They didn't. Try looking at some old pictures from the 20's out in NYC. The businesses there had signs and everything in other languages just as they do today, be it Italian, Slavic or whatever. Today's immigrants come from different parts of the world than yesterday's did, but the times haven't changed. The Irish and Italians and eastern Europeans were discriminated against back then and today it is the Latinos and a few other groups that are coming here in larger quantities. "

Wondering wrote on Dec 15, 2006 2:10 PM:

" Okay, I'm going to go way out on a limb here (not) and assume that most of the people on this forum spewing vitrol, venom and not-so-subtle racism and xenophobia consider themselves to be Christian. What I wonder is how their faith fits in with what they are writing? What would Jesus do? "

My view: wrote on Dec 15, 2006 2:02 PM:

" I don't think we are mean, I think we are entitled to our rights, which seem to be put on the back burner, and all the illegal and legal aliens are stepping right into OUR places. It isn't right that our government is so concerned with the rights of aliens over the rights of citizens. You heard the stories of those who were so excited when the World Trade Centers went down, and yet, they were sucking up all the freedoms and comforts we have here, including the freedom of speech, even if it's against the hand that feeds them. And then they were insulted when the country joined together as one in patriotism! These aliens who come here with sour attitudes and expecting everything to be changed for THEIR comfort have no respect for us or our country. It's a nice ride, that's all. If they really wanted to respect us and live here, it would mean accepting our customs, language, Holidays and everything else. I'm not saying forgo their own, I'm saying accept ours instead of trying to customize them. I think they need to accept the whole package, not just the handouts. Press 1 for disgusted. "

Leah wrote on Dec 15, 2006 1:56 PM:

" Deb, Maybe you treat them as equals, my view is, if you can't learn our language and come here legally and pay taxes and act like an American, then you are not an equal! I am sick and tired of these people coming here illegally and qualifing for food stamps, health care, and stealing our identity, etc. My husband and I and probably you do to Deb, work to hard to support all of this garbage. I am all for the welfare system for legal citzens who are down on there luck, but this is rediculous......I just don;t think that we should have to cater to them. "

Punker wrote on Dec 15, 2006 1:51 PM:

" I was on the phone the other day and it said 'Press 1 for English or 2 for spanish'. I though, where the heck is the button I push to tell the other guy to go learn english. -Larry the Cable Guy "

Deb wrote on Dec 15, 2006 1:27 PM:

" Leah- the official language of Mexico is Spanish. There is no official language of USA. No one is forcing anyone to do anything. We treat people of all nationalities as equals here in America because of who we are, not who they are. And to "what": sarcasm - look it up. And Happy Hanukkah! "

journalist wrote on Dec 15, 2006 1:19 PM:

" I have to say, I agree with the vast majority of these comments...and I can speak both English and Spanish. I grew up a farm kid, never dreaming I would need to learn a foreign language to get ahead in business. This country WAS founded by immigrants and miraculously, English is still the dominant language. The world is changing. We're becoming so politically correct and easily offended, most often out of our agressive "me" mentality. I don't think we should suddenly offer so many options just to be "fair." It wasn't fair when my German great-grandfather had to struggle when he arrived here. So what's changed? By coddling these people, we're offering more than a hand up in the world. We're ignoring the sacrifices of our forefathers, belittling the rewards of hard work for the rewards of cutting corners. The United States is a free country filled with many opportunities, not a halfway house or a "safe place" people can land and be treated like orphans. We all have to pitch in to make this work. And if we can't communicate - IT'S NOT GOING TO WORK. "

Wondering wrote on Dec 15, 2006 12:34 PM:

" Mean, mean, mean. "

Dan wrote on Dec 15, 2006 12:32 PM:

" For English, press "1". Or, press "2" to disconnect until you can speak English. PROPER choices!! "

Leah, wrote on Dec 15, 2006 12:31 PM:

" Deb-We should be equals as long as they are legal tax paying citizens and can speak english. Do you think that if I went to Mexico, that the Mexican Gov. would provide me an English teacher? I think not, why are we providing special teachers for these illegal aliens that don't want to learn English? To My View- right on!! "

what wrote on Dec 15, 2006 12:20 PM:

" One more thing I am real close to moving to Canada to get away from all this conformist BS. Yeah thats right I said Canada as much as I hate to admit it. "

what wrote on Dec 15, 2006 12:17 PM:

" You know Deb you want to be tolerant of other people culture yet you just said "Merry Christmas" thats not very tolerant of Muslims and Jews and every other religion. Maybe if your so tolerant you should join the rest that say "Happy Holidays" To Kido 'GET OUT' if you don't like it... Well he asked for it. :p To beesh glad you found that on the immigration site maybe you can find out why the citizenship test is made in some 100+ languages. I am all for learning different culture I loved world religion in college. But I shouldn't be forced to speak Spanish if I want to get a Big Mac at Micky D's. Thankfully I can point at the pictures to make the guy on the other side of counter to understand what I want. Like the Borg said "resistance is futile" and the Mex. population is very close to being deported because they have resisted to learn English and 'our' laws. Maybe since Bush is putting up a fence he can make the 'Official' national language American English. "

My view: wrote on Dec 15, 2006 12:00 PM:

" You know, this is MY country, I was raised here with English, I am comfortable with English, and I don't think I should be forced to change it. I am insulted when I have to declare I want English by pressing "1" or whatever, and it goes so far beyond language. I want to fly my flag without offending others, I want to say Merry Christmas without offending others. Majority!! If I went to another country I wouldn't expect them to stop everything and learn English for me. So, I have worked all my life for social security, which isn't secure at all!!! And I have to share it with someone who has paid in little to nothing and can't even fill out the forms? Don't I count for anything? A life long American citizen? I am working so we can give it all away to those who come here because we hand it out, not because they like us. English - yes, American flag - yes, Merry Christmas - yes....don't take that comfort away. No, don't GIVE that comfort away. When in Rome.... "

what the.... wrote on Dec 15, 2006 12:00 PM:

" Being the leftist, liberal, softie that I am, I very much enjoy diversity of all sorts. I do think, however, that can remain a stronger nation by having a common language that helps bind us together. While problems in other countries of course are usually much deeper than language (race, color, religion) I believe that if everyone can at least sit down face to face to TALK things over, and at least have a common dialect, it's easier to get along. "

To Double Nickels wrote on Dec 15, 2006 11:52 AM:

" Ok, I generally am offended by Deb and her comments, but what the heck are you talking about. She didn't add anything to the discussion at hand? I think she pretty much said what she thinks. Social security has a pretty valid reason to offer help in another language. How is that not "something?" Or is it that you just don't like what she has to say? "

Deb wrote on Dec 15, 2006 11:40 AM:

" Dan - we'll just have to disagree on this one too. I think that intolerence of other cultures comes from fear of the unknown. If we embrace diversity we will no longer fear it, and it will become something to celebrate, rather than intolerate (not sure that's a word). There should be no second-class citizens in America. We are all equals. So what if the government has Spanish or Russian or Arabic speakers on their automated lines? It's not bothering you or me, so what's the big deal? Merry Christmas! "

A friend of a friend of a cop wrote on Dec 15, 2006 11:32 AM:

" To Al Gee -- Learn English or get out!!! "

kido wrote on Dec 15, 2006 11:29 AM:

" These comments are disappointing and frankly very narrow minded. This "get out" mentality is not productive for our society. What a shameful rhetoric. Anglo-supremacist in this state have only to deal with the option of choosing English or Spanish when calling social security, imagine if when Ms. Leier left her home she actually had to interact with people of different cultures. Tolerance and acceptance are apparently not valid options in this society. Someone please quickly tell me to “get out” if I don’t like it. As a bi-lingual first generation American I find all of these comments very hurtful. Happy Holidays everyone! "

Truth be told wrote on Dec 15, 2006 11:23 AM:

" To Deb, and Wondering, there are some open spaces somewhere on the left coast. Better get there before they are gone...it looks like the right has taken over these threads, Alvera...you ROCK!!! "

Double Nickels wrote on Dec 15, 2006 11:12 AM:

" Beesh and Dan...I couldn't have said it better myself. Once again Deb has added nothing to the conversation at hand. Some things will never change. "

Leah wrote on Dec 15, 2006 10:59 AM:

" I just found something interesting NORTH DAKOTA CENTURY CODE, THROUGH 1993 SUPPLEMENT 54-02-13 – English As Official Language (1987)The English language is the official language of the state of North Dakota. Does anyone know if this is correct? I just pulled it off the internet, and of course I don't believe everything that read on there. it looks like the majority of states have English as an offical language. "

Wondering wrote on Dec 15, 2006 10:55 AM:

" To quote the inimitable Susan on "Days of Our Lives", "You people are just mean, mean, mean." (How's that for an archaic reference?) "

Al Gee wrote on Dec 15, 2006 10:54 AM:

" To Beesh. That's probably the best reply to a previous comment i have ever seen. Couldn't agree more. Cierre las fronteras. "

Beesh wrote on Dec 15, 2006 10:46 AM:

" Here are the requirements for US citizenship as explained at http://immigration.findlaw.com Literacy and education: The applicant must possess the ability to UNDERSTAND, SPEAK,READ and WRITE BASIC ENGLISH (emphasis is mine). This pretty much sums up the federal requirements for legal citizenship. Any illegal residents should not have the luxury of our services without learning our language. "

Beesh wrote on Dec 15, 2006 10:32 AM:

" To BabyT, United States official language de facto is English. This means that English is the recognized language for official business and public signage. Rather than the majority of English speaking citizens being forced to "Take a Spanish class and enjoy a little diversity if nothing else...", maybe any and all immigrants (legal or illegal) need to Take an English class and enjoy a little assimulation, if nothing else... "

Dan wrote on Dec 15, 2006 10:31 AM:

" Deb, let's not nitpick here. If someone is new here and is making an effort to learn the language, that's one thing. Coming here and insisting that everyone else learn your language and your culture is quite another. I stand firmly by the notion that you learn English or GET OUT. Italians, Germans, Russians, and every other variety of immigrant that built this nation learned English. What makes modern day immigrants so special? Nothing. If people are not willing to assimilate to the language and norms of our nation, they should not be welcome here. No exceptions. "

Leah wrote on Dec 15, 2006 10:30 AM:

" I think that we (the US) should follow in Arizona's foot steps and make English the offical language. "

Wondering wrote on Dec 15, 2006 10:15 AM:

" Wow. What ever happened to "Give me your tired, your poor, your hungered masses yearning to be free. . ."? There are a lot of mean spirited comments on this page. I thought this was the time of year to be nice to others. "

Deb wrote on Dec 15, 2006 10:09 AM:

" Hey Alvera (and the rest of the non-Americans on this post who are hating on non-English speakers) - what about the legal people here who are trying to learn English, but have not yet mastered it, and need to ask a quesiton of the Social Security people? So you're not a true American UNTIL you master the language? I see. That's so American of you to think that. "

Eb wrote on Dec 15, 2006 9:39 AM:

" Alvera...I agree! I was in Linton a few weeks ago and couldn't understand a word any of those folks said. I wonder if any of them draw social security?? "

PO3 wrote on Dec 15, 2006 9:28 AM:

" I don't see how we can demand people speak english when america doesn't even own at least part of our country anymore. SW part of US is firmly in hands of others who don't speak our language, and Bush and all the democrats say we must adjust to these developments because more will be coming. So americans get used to speaking spanish everywhere. "

RLC wrote on Dec 15, 2006 9:20 AM:

" I agree Alvera! If you want to speak your native tongue in your home, that is fine, or if you are out with your family and friends, go ahead and speak your language. Don't, however, expect me to understand what you are asking for when you don't speak English. My grandparents also spoke German, and had to learn English, and did so willingly. I am willing to try to communicate, but if I were to go to another country, I'd try to learn their language, I wouldn't expect you to learn mine just to be "equal". You said it right Alvera! Danke! (I mean Thank you! *laugh*) "

huh wrote on Dec 15, 2006 9:13 AM:

" yeah...and those that would openly practice religion will be dealt with also. maybe there should be a retinal scan for social security to make sure only those with 'real' blue eyes get it. say no to 'them' and yes to 'us'. try using the internet to get a hold of them :-) "

mry wrote on Dec 15, 2006 9:13 AM:

" I take pride in America. I take pride in the fact that the founders of this country sought to build a nation built on freedom and tolerance, a nation of immigrants -- most of whom did not speak English when they arrived here. I find it sad to see this kind of xenophobia in a state where immigrants held on to their cultures far longer than they did in most of the rest of the country. Many of the farm communities here gathered by language and religion, and strove to keep their traditions alive. Why not get upset about something worthwhile, rather than raising a ruckus about having to push a button? "

To Communicator wrote on Dec 15, 2006 9:00 AM:

" To believe that we all have to start changing because "the world is different now" is just a bunch of bunk. The world today may be different with new techno gadgets, but it hasn't changed any other way that I can tell. What has changed is the United States seems to have lost it's soverignty- Instead of taking pride in America, everyone is looking to sell it off. "

class of 57 wrote on Dec 15, 2006 8:39 AM:

" Good job Alvera, from the guy who always jabbed you in the ribs! "

Beth wrote on Dec 15, 2006 8:30 AM:

" To Alvera - AMEN!!!!!!! "

Communicator wrote on Dec 15, 2006 8:20 AM:

" The services provided by Social Security and other agencies are not just for English speaking people. They are for all people who are here legally. You don’t have to speak English as your primary language to be here legally. We have to be tolerant of other people’s heritage and primary language. The world isn’t like it used to be. It is not unusual for people in Europe, for example to speak 3, 4, or more languages fluently. We should encourage our own kids to learn more than just one language too. "

BabyT wrote on Dec 15, 2006 8:20 AM:

" English is not the official language of the United States. It is the most commonly used language, at least here in ND, but venture past our little chunk of the world and you will often hear Spanish as often, if not moreso, then English. Get used to it!! Take a Spanish class and enjoy a little diversity if nothing else... "

RRMC wrote on Dec 15, 2006 8:17 AM:

" Good for you Alvera, thanks for saying what needs to be said. "

RAL wrote on Dec 15, 2006 6:38 AM:

" Alvera, you couldn't have said it any better. Two thumbs up, a pat on the back, and a big hug goes out to you. You all have a good day. "

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