Congress Finally Listens to the People -- English to Become Official Language

I honestly didn't believe that the Senate had it in them. Typically, our Congress-critters are of a spineless variety that shy away from taking any sort of definitive action on any proposal aimed at protecting the borders, language, and culture of these United States. That's why I was thrilled to hear that "the Senate Thursday voted to make English the national language of the United States."(1) Additionally, "[a]lthough the immigration bill passed by the House last year doesn't have a similar provision, there is a separate "official English" bill in the House with strong support."(2) So it looks like that English, after many, many years of a multicultural onslaught, will be the official language of these United States.

If both Houses of Congress are successful in making this into a law, it will have the effect of finally killing the anti-American Executive Order 13166, issued in 2000 by one William Jefferson Clinton. In a nutshell, that executive order was issued to ensure that We the People pay to accommodate people who come here to live (and use government services) in their native language.(3)

I am absolutely fed up with this idea that American language and culture has no value. The people who live in the United States happen to speak English. Newcomers ought, according to the conventions governing such situations, learn that language. It is impolite not to. I, for example, would not dream of living in Japan without learning Japanese. In the case of the Spanish-speaking immigrants, what is their incentive to learn English if they come here in such great numbers that they can establish numerous non-English speaking communities across the nation, can get Spanish radio broadcasts, television programming, and even government services in Spanish? None. And the truth is, I don't care about Spanish radio and television. I don't pay for that. I do pay for the government to provide services in their language; and that must stop, now.

And it looks like it will stop. Because I am not the only one who is sick and tired of our government allowing such institutional assaults on American language and culture. Apparently, so many of us are so fed up with Spanish-speakers colonizing our country and not assimilating that Senators universally recognize that "it would be 'political suicide' to appear to not support English-language dominance in the United States."(4) It is exceedingly good that enough of us are outraged enough to scare Congress into passing a law like this. If we allow solely Spanish-speaking communities to persist, we will become a bi-lingual society.(5) A bi-lingual society (with a few rare exceptions like Switzerland) is naturally balkanized, and a balkanized society is easier for an entrenched political class to control because the People can be turned against themselves more easily. A People that speak one language can organize and unite against government oppression -- and this is a political tradition I hope we can preserve in this country.

As a final note, I would like to address something before it gets out of hand. There is the perception "that attacking immigrants for speaking Spanish is veiled racism. "(6) It is nothing of the kind. Racism is literally the belief that one race is superior to, and should rule another. Wanting someone to speak your language so that they may be integrated into your society is not racism. Anyone who says otherwise should have their motives examined. My motive in supporting English-only is very straightforward. I would like the United States remain one nation.

At what point did nationalism become something to be condemned? Or, to put it another way, why are illegal immigrants who refuse to assimilate into American culture allowed to display their own nationalism without criticism? And why is it perceived as somehow wrong for Americans to react to that by displaying their own nationalism? Maybe this backwards way the media has of looking at things will change soon. The People have been heard by Congress. Maybe the mainstream media will finally wake up and realize that Americans are sick and tired of being treated as quaint or insular when they express any nationalist sentiments. If the mainstream media doesn't stop treating the academic view that Americans need to embrace every culture but their own (and, in fact, that it is somehow wrong to want to embrace American culture) as a centrist view, and the desire to defend American cultural heritage from attempts to radically change it as fringe, they will become irrelevant to We the People. We are sick and tired of being told that it is wrong to want a strong, English-speaking, self-sufficient America. To those of you who actively work toward a weak, multi-lingual, internationally dependent America, your day is over. We the People are waking up, and woe unto you if you continue to stand in our way.


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(1) James, Frank. "Senate votes to make English the national language of the U.S." (Chicago Tribune) The Mercury News, Politics & Government, 2006 May 18, paragraph 1, http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/politics/14614255.htm.
(2) Ibid. at paragraph 9.
(3) United States Department of Justice. "Overview of Executive Order 13166," Civil Rights Division, Coordination and Review Section, http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/cor/13166.htm
(4) James at paragraph 28.
(5) see: Bernstein, Robert. "Hispanic Population Passes 40 Million, Census Bureau Reports," U.S. Census Bureau News, 2005 June 9, paragraphs 1 & 2, http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/005164.html"The nation's Hispanic population reached 41.3 million as of July 1, 2004, according to national estimates by race, Hispanic origin and age released today by the U.S. Census Bureau. Hispanics, who may be of any race, accounted for about one-half of the national population growth of 2.9 million between July 1, 2003, and July 1, 2004. The Hispanic growth rate of 3.6 percent over the 12-month period was more than three times that of the total population (1.0 percent)." And these are the legal settlers. For your information, as of May 2006, the Census Bureau puts the total population at 298,773,587 (U.S. Census Bureau. "U.S. and World Population Clocks - POPClocks," http://www.census.gov/main/www/popclock.html).
(6) Hoffman, Nathaniel. "English angst aggravates immigration debate," Costa Contra Times, paragraph 9, http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/14613612.htm.

posted by The Sovereign Editor | 2:22 AM

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