Mr. Speaker - Where are THE JOBS?

Puerto Ricans have been American citizens since 1917. Should they be forced to deal with the US Government in English?

And do we have an official version of the english language that we will be required to adhere to?

The one I speak doesn't have that goofy drawl.

Also, in the version I speak, not every sentence contains a lie.

E Pluribus Unum , Baby!

In all fairness, since they won the House, they feel that for the next couple of years they can force us to have to listen to their "Greatest Hit's" collection.

I just hope that after hearing these for the umpteenth time, we can all agree to never, ever, have to listen to those same old songs again.

And once the English Language Unity Act is passed and signed into law, congressional Republicans looking for a new wedge issue to campaign on. Work will begin on the American Language Unity act in which we redefine our language and add a clause that requires up to and including military action against any American speaking country that does not get on board with the NEW TRUTH. Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, Australia and the Jolly old UK will be scratching their heads as the first cruise missiles land. The new war will result in full employment and the pesky job issue will be solved.

Wouldn't this require both Iowa and Oklahoma to change their names, given the fact that neither of them are English words?

In Arizona, the legislature is busy with every crackpot, base-jazzing, culture-war proposal you can think of. Why? Because balancing a budget severely out of whack is hard work. Even some of our rubes are noticing the strategy here. It's not an accident either here or nationally. Republicans don't live governing. They like ruling.

c u n d: That's the problem with both old songs and the GOP message. You might be sick of them, but they get repeated so often that some people just start singing along anyway.

Wonderful idea, English as the official language. Maybe now, native-born Americans will actually learn to speak it.

-Z

When are we going to focus on the economy and getting people back to work?

Right after we deal with the pressing problems of gay marriage, welfare Cadillac queens, union violence, not enough guns in public, atheists in the schools, the librul media, Islamic jihad, and ... uh ... those dang hippies and their dang hair and jungle music.

Steve - you missed one point of the bill. the official summary is

A bill to declare English as the official language of the United States, to establish a uniform English language rule for naturalization, and to avoid misconstructions of the English language texts of the laws of the United States, pursuant to Congress' powers to provide for the general welfare of the United States and to establish a uniform rule of naturalization under article I, section 8, of the Constitution. as introduced.

It's all about fucking over immigrants who want to be citizens -- or rather, to appear to make it harder, since they're trying to appease their tea-party masters. But would-be U.S. citizens are already required to pass a basic English test. The text of the bill is careful to avoid really stupid things, like saying the IRS cannot publish instructions in Vietnamese if they want.

Here's the full text of the bill.

"A common language is the most powerful unifying force known throughout history..."

Well, that and xenophobia. Mostly xenophobia.

Would "all official United States government functions" include the Bureau of Indian Affairs??

@ bleh Don't forget Enema man and Snoopy Poopy Poop Dog

bignose Ouch !

Zorro , this was Lerner and Loewes reaction to the same question .

The Scotch and the Irish leave you close to
tears.
There are even places where English completely
disappears.
Well, in America they haven't used it for
years.

Why can't the English teach their children how
to speak?

I think it's safe to say that we won't see LESS grandstanding from them as 2012 approaches.

and of course in canada they have two official languages. and one of them isn't english! so obviously they can't pull together as a people, huh?

Let's see..Switzerland. At least three languages, I fear for their unification. Finland: Finnish and Swedish. Canada: French and English.

Language purity is a totalitarian tactic. Next, the language police.

They are wrong. A common currency is much more important. If a common language was important the EU would have one, not just a common currency. The Ottoman Empire ran for centuries with a multiplicity of languages. The Byzantine Empire used both Greek and Latin.

This is another Republican distraction. Treat it with the contempt it deserved. These people have infested Arizona and the result is a ruined state with school quality declining, college tuition rising, streets crumbling, freaky gun nuts in the legislature and a weird manfest destiny attitude towards the teaching of history.

All US Governmental functions, eh? Does that include interrogations of detainees in Afghanistan, or Gitmo? I'm thinking that using Pashto might be more effective. And won't it make it hard for CIA agents to blend in if they have to speak English wherever they are stationed?

I think the only appropriate response to this is to loudly and repeatedly claim that King and Inhofe want to pass a law that would kill CIA agents, and hurt our troops in Afghanistan. (It's far less of an exaggeration than "death panels.")
Every time they pull one of these stunts, we need to turn it on them, hard.

I actually don't have a problem with requiring that all official US government functions be conducted in English. It is the sort of law that changes nothing but may reassure Republicans that the hordes of barbarians invading our country will have to adapt to our ways, by golly, rather than us having to adapt to theirs.

Much more disturbing to me is their failure to do anything useful to create jobs. But, of course, they have nothing to offer there. The only jobs that count, to them, are private sector jobs, and their only idea to spark private sector job creation is to cut taxes, an approach that has failed spectacularly (and predicably) to create jobs over the past decade. So all they can do is block meaningful government action, whine about the size of the deficit that they have created and distract their base with attacks on women, children, immigrants and the vulnerable.

And, Steve Benen, I appreciate your continuing reminders that the Republicans aren't serious about job creation.

Once again, if you're not white, you don't measure up as an American to these flag-waving bigots. (Insert Republican slur here.)

Who was it that said Fascism will come to America with a Bible and a Flag?

Yeah, and how about ridding us of 'nucular' instead of 'nuclear'?

Two thoughts: First, don't the Republicans realize that having a single, unified language with a "language police" is so French?

Second, the only possible silver lining to such a bill might be the fact that we might be able to force Republicans to use the English language in a meaningful way, without duplicity or lying. That might be worth something, but I am afraid not even this potential benefit would make the bill worth passing.

I look forward to Congressional debates being conducted in English.

How are they defining "English"? Most of our language comes from French, German, and Latin, with a smattering of words from other countries. And they don't know the meaning of half the words anyway.

I say we all learn spanish, arabic and farsi...just to fuck with their heads.

We're the Saudi Arabia of Bright Shiny Things. World's largest producer, world's largest proven reserves...

Wow. When perhaps the stupidest member of each house of Congress (a designation won amidst stiff competetion) get together to craft legeslation, how can it possibly fail? Way to go, guys. You've raised my estimation of Michele Bachmann, which I didn't think possible.

Try working near self-checkout machines at a store for a while and see just how many people complain that there's an option for a "Spanish" voice available. All they have to do is press the English button and scan their items, but apparently their patriotic fingers are too tired from all that flag waving.

How many jobs will this legislation create, again?

crescent, I just had a thought, if they make English the official language they will have to hire hundreds of new English teachers in places like Missippi, West virginia, Texas, Arkansas etc.

El Paso, Los Angeles, and Corpus Christi are among the cities that will have to change their names. Likewise Coeur d'Alene, Vermont, and Florida. King of Prussia is English, I guess, but sounds foreign.

English language unity worked out real well for African slaves.

"As a nation built by immigrants, it is important that we share one vision and one official language."

That's totally the result of someone whispering in Inhofe's ear, "Put in a phrase about how immigrants aren't bad, so no one can say you're a racist." It doesn't make the first lick of sense: "Because we are from many different groups, it's important that we all be the same."

Moron. Correction: Racist moron.

I'm curious.
How much US Government business DOESN'T get conducted in English?

Of that which doesn't... does it involve, say, one on one interviews between a terrorism suspect and a CIA operative speaking in Arabic?

Will the CIA agent be compelled to teach the suspect semi-fluent English first? Isn't this US Government work? Help a poor pinko liberal out here, Mr. Inhofe.

This "solution-looking-for-a-problem" is beyond even "voter fraud" and "Fairness doctrine" for idiocy.... And that takes some hard work.

Wouldn't this require both Iowa and Oklahoma to change their names, given the fact that neither of them are English words?
Posted by: Jon on March 14, 2011 at 9:58 AM

I-da-ho isn't proper English, either. At least not the kind you'd use in the presence of ladies or children.

They really want to make sure that no government pamphlets are printed in any other language than English, or that Spanish speaking interpreters are needed for government. King is nothing more than a rabble rouser.

Well, I suppose replacing every US seal will create some jobs... "e pluribus unum" isn't English. I suppose the Bush administration already got rid of "habeus corpus", so we don't need to worry about that.

All those Latin terms in medicine. All those French terms in law. Gone. Need a new system to classify plants and animals, since the Linneaen system is out the door. Federal government scientists can no longer describe species (needs a Latin diagnostic) or publish in journals that require abstracts in other languages.

It sure it will make diplomatic missions popular - they can't use the language of the host nation. Bribing Afghan warlords - English only! Intercepting chatter? Only the stuff that's in English (won't THAT make al Qaeda happy!)

Makes me *so* proud of my climate-denialist senator.