Free Republic

Mr. Wayne LaPierre Executive Vice President National Rifle Association 11250 Waples Mill Road Fairfax VA 22030-9400 Dear Mr. LaPierre: As an NRA member of many years, I was surprised and disturbed to learn that the NRA now has a Spanish language website (www.nraespanol.org). I thought the NRA stood for patriotism and the defense of our nation and our way of life. Why, then, are you encouraging the balkanization of our citizens into English-speaking and Spanish-speaking camps? If people were born in the United States, surely they would have learned enough English to use the main NRA website by the time...

BOGOTA -- A month after he demanded the removal of a Spanish-language billboard, the mayor hopes to make it clear that English is the borough's dominant language.  Mayor Steve Lonegan has proposed a non-binding ballot question asking residents whether they would support an ordinance declaring English the official language of Bogota.  Lonegan plans to ask the Borough Council tonight to authorize the November referendum."The message is that English is the language that binds us together as a community," Lonegan said Wednesday. "We recognize that, and we're striving to maintain that."  Critics said such an ordinance would fan the flames of...

When Massachusetts abolished bilingual education, kids were given one year to learn English. After that, the theory went, kids would know English well since they learn languages fast. That’s a myth. Kids learn languages slowly while adults learn them faster. To be sure, children do have some advantages over adults in learning a language. When they start the study of a language before puberty, they usually manage to acquire a native accent. Adults will almost always keep some kind of foreign accent. Who will know more English six years later? In some ways the father in so far as language...

The mayor of a small Bergen County, New Jersey town is calling for a McDonald's boycott if the fast-food chain does not take down a Spanish-language billboard.... Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan said the advertisement is "offensive" and "divisive"......"The true things that bind us together as neighbors and community is our belief in the American flag and our common language," Lonegan said. "And when McDonald's sends a different message, that we're going to be different now, that causes resentment." Representatives for McDonald's and CBS Outdoor in New York, the company that owns the billboard on River Road in Bogota, defended the...

OLEY, Pa. (AP) - July 19, 2006 - The people who run the Oley Legion Diner in Berks County have put up a new sign poking fun at the English-only cheesesteak flap in Philadelphia. The owner of Geno's Steaks in South Philadelphia has posted signs stating, "This is America: When Ordering Speak English." The Oley Legion Diner's new sign says, "Please Order in PA Dutch." The Pennsylvania German-only request isn't enforced, although some regulars say they often speak the dying dialect. Oley resident Carl Sayer says, "Sometimes that comes out first." Paul Kunkel of Emmaus (eh-MAY'-uhs) has taught the dialect...

A Florida Mayor Turns to an Immigration Curb to Fix a Fading City

Illegal Aliens: A Few Myths to Keep in Mind . . . Mexico City. Last Tuesday the Pew Hispanic Center announced that 41 percent of Mexicans surveyed in February and 46 percent questioned in May stated they would live in the United States if given "the means and opportunity." Indeed, two out of 10 people interviewed said they were prepared to enter the U.S. illegally. These figures could have amazing consequences because our Spanish- speaking neighbor has a population of nearly 106 million inhabitants.

In a challenge to owner, protesters get their cheesesteaks. To test Joey Vento's mantra that he has never refused service to anyone, a group of out-of-towners descended on his South Philadelphia steak shop with one goal: to order cheesesteaks in Spanish, then see what happens. "What we seek is to be served when we order in Spanish," said Gilberto Garcia, a North Jersey lawyer who organized the event Saturday at Geno's Steaks, timed for the Fourth of July weekend. Garcia stood to the side while 30 other Spanish-speaking immigrants lined up, wearing white T-shirts saying, "Pan, Bisteck y Queso, Por...

Utah race stirs calls for a deal on immigration After Bush ally scores a victory in GOP primary, one lawmaker pushes comprehensive bill By GEBE MARTINEZ WASHINGTON - With President Bush's immigration policy surviving fierce criticism in a Utah congressional race, lawmakers on both sides of the debate turned their attention Wednesday to finding a compromise on immigration legislation. Those who oppose Bush's call for immigration reform — which includes a guest worker program and legalization opportunities for millions of illegal immigrants along with tougher border security — saw five-term Rep. Chris Cannon, R-Utah, survive a tough primary challenge after...

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. -- Faced with public protests, the public library board in a county with a large Hispanic population is expected to restore the funding it cut for Spanish-language fiction. Trustees of the Gwinnett County Public Library will meet today to ratify the decision before the library's budget year begins July 1, officials said. "We heard from people on both sides of the issue and we heard from a lot of the press," board Chairman Lloyd Breck said. "We are choosing to restore that line item. ... We were not trying to send any signal, but everyone seemed to think...

It's funny how a small "English Only" sign at a sandwich shop in Philadelphia has caused such "fainting couch vapors" among the PC crowd and makes national news, while just 300 miles West the very large outdoor sign at a suburban Pittsburgh restaurant seen by thousands every day driving busy US Route 30, hardly raises an eye brow. If the Philadelphia sigs are PG rated for the politically correct set, these Pittsburgh signs are without a doubt, Tripple X.

After his colleagues on the Gwinnett library board voted to cease buying Spanish adult fiction, board member Brett Taylor complained that they were thumbing their noses at the county's growing diversity. "This is a melting pot," he said. Unfortunately, the library board is more of a Crock-Pot. The board's excuse for eliminating the meager $3,000 set aside for new Spanish titles is a sham. It wasn't about saving a few pennies; it was about making an inappropriate political statement that the library is an "English-only" zone. The job of the five-member library board is not to stock library shelves based...

An Open Letter from Mayor Lou Barletta: I believe the United States of America is the greatest nation on Earth. People who are in this country have an incredible amount of opportunities and blessings. But some people have taken advantage of America’s openness and tolerance. Some come to this country and refuse to learn English, creating a language barrier for city employees. Others enter the country illegally and use government services by not paying taxes or by committing crime on our streets, further draining resources here in Hazleton. Illegal immigration leads to higher crime rates, contributes to overcrowded classrooms and...

Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., a champion of Utah taking its place in the global economy, finds himself in an awkward position after shutting down a state-owned online information site because it is in Spanish. Huntsman's spokesman Mike Mower says the site will remain down until the governor's legal counsel can determine if its translations of basic state information violate a 2000 Utah law that makes English the state's official language. But critics say Huntsman overreacted to a xenophobic backlash that followed the recent visit of Mexican President Vicente Fox and that continues to be fueled by the immigration reform debate....

PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - A civil rights watchdog agency opened an investigation on Monday into a Philadelphia cheese steak restaurant that posted a sign saying "This is America - when ordering, speak English." The Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations complaint effectively opens a case against Geno's Steaks of South Philadelphia, said Rachel Lawton, acting executive director of the agency. The Philadelphia controversy has fed a national debate over immigration in which the U.S. Senate passed a bill that would declare English the national language and politicians have raised objections to a Spanish version of the national anthem.

Mexicanos JUNTOS ( South Philadelphia) "JUNTOS is a community center for recent Mexican and Latin American immigrants in the South Philadelphia area. At this center, they offer basic English classes for adults, cultural events, host a Mexican dance troupe, and generally seek to meet the needs of the community. They are particularly interested in students who would be willing to teach or assist ESL classes or work as homework aids with kids after school. In an effort to be sensitive to the community’s needs, JUNTOS usually asks for at least a semester-long commitment from volunteers so that students and community...

PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - A sign in a landmark Philadelphia restaurant asking customers to order in English is sparking controversy in the metropolis known as the "City of Brotherly Love." The owner of Geno's Steaks said on Thursday that the sign, "This is America -- when ordering speak English," is intended to encourage immigrants to learn the language and assimilate into U.S. society, but one Latino activist said it's racist. The controversy comes amid a national debate over immigration in the United States. The U.S. Senate passed an immigration bill last month that includes a provision which would make English the...

PHILADELPHIA -- Bistec con queso? Not at Geno's Steaks. An English-only ordering policy has thrust one of Philadelphia's best-known cheesesteak joints into the national immigration debate............ has posted small signs telling customers, ``This Is AMERICA: WHEN ORDERING `SPEAK ENGLISH.' "........... Juntos, a Hispanic neighborhood organization, said it plans to send people to Geno's to try to order in Spanish and may pursue court action, depending on what happens.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Bistec con queso? Not at Geno's Steaks. An English-only ordering policy has thrust one of Philadelphia's best-known cheesesteak joints into the national immigration debate. Situated in a South Philadelphia immigrant neighborhood, Geno's - which together with its chief rival, Pat's King of Steaks, forms the epicenter of an area described as "ground zero for cheesesteaks" - has posted small signs telling customers, "This Is AMERICA: WHEN ORDERING `SPEAK ENGLISH.'" "They don't know how lucky they are. All we're asking them to do is learn the English language," said Geno's owner Joseph Vento, 66. "We're out to help...

     Joseph Vento, whose grandparents came from Italy, insists that customers at Geno's Steaks order in English. "Why should I have to bend?" he says. How do you say cheesesteak with in Spanish?Joseph Vento, the owner of Geno's Steaks, doesn't know. And he doesn't care.Just read the laminated signs, festooned with American eagles, at his South Philadelphia cheesesteak emporium: This is America. When Ordering, Speak English.Vento's political statement - from a man whose Italian-born grandparents spoke only broken English - captures the anger and discontent felt by many Americans about illegal immigrants.With a battle looming between the House and...

Chain's use of database to fire employees who don't check out angers advocates for immigrants You may have already seen the signs popping up at your local Dunkin' Donuts shop: ``We follow the law! This company hires lawful workers only. " The signs, which have begun appearing in shops around Boston, make public the company's participation, starting June 1, in a voluntary federal program that enables employers to quickly check the immigration status of new hires. The company chose to participate in the program partly because it sometimes receives complaints from customers who assume its workers -- especially those whose...

I've spent most of my adult life with immigrants as an ESL instructor and coordinator. I have seen many highly-educated people (generally from Europe and Asia) enter this country. Some have elected to become citizens, some have not. But the particular sector I am refering to has come here with the skills and ability to master the English language. Some have become so proficient that they might pass for British or even native-born North American. However, there is a huge number that I have taught that are (relatively) uneducated, or even illiterate. in their native language. This means that they...

“The success of our country depends upon helping newcomers assimilate into our society, and embrace our common identity as Americans,” President Bush declared in his May 15 Oval Office address on immigration reform. “English allows newcomers to go from picking crops to opening a grocery, from cleaning offices to running offices, from a life of low-paying jobs to a diploma, a career, and a home of their own.” As the son of legal, Costa Rican immigrants whose mother learned English, taught in the Los Angeles city schools, and earned a masters degree from Pepperdine University, I found the president’s words...

Inhofe Amendment could harm U.S. citizens and immigrants From: National Immigration Law Center May 19, 2006 On Thursday, May 18, as part of the immigration bill (S.2611), the Senate passed an "English-only" amendment offered by Senator James Inhofe (R-OK), which could deny a wide array of services and critical information to millions of people living in the United States who are not fully English proficient. The amendment passed 63-34. In general, the amendment makes English the "national" language and could undermine efforts by federal agencies to protect health and safety for all residents, citizens as well as immigrants. For more...