Posted on 02/08/2007 7:47:54 AM PST by Pyro7480
English-only cheesesteak fight continues
By PATRICK WALTERS
Associated Pres
The battle over an English-only ordering policy at one of Philadelphia's signature cheesesteak joints is apparently far from over.
The city's human relations commission found evidence that the owner of Geno's Steaks may have discriminated against immigrants by posting a sign telling customers, "This is AMERICA: WHEN ORDERING 'PLEASE SPEAK ENGLISH,' " according to a letter sent to owner Joe Vento last week.
Vento's attorneys had hoped the matter would be dropped, but the commission said in the Jan. 31 letter that it found probable cause that discrimination occurred and was moving forward with the case. The commission also suggested that the matter could be resolved through mediation.
Vento's legal team would not rule out some sort of mediation, but they said Vento, the fiery grandson of Italian immigrants, would not take the sign down.
"Any effort to save the resources of taxpayer-funded government is a good idea, but not at the cost of free speech," said Todd Young, policy director for Atlanta-based Southeastern Legal Foundation, a public interest law firm that has joined the case.
After extensive publicity over the sign in June, the commission began investigating whether Vento was violating the city's Fair Practices Ordinance. That law prohibits discrimination in employment, public accommodation and housing on the basis of race, ethnicity or sexual orientation.
Vento and his attorneys maintain that no one has ever been turned away at the South Philadelphia shop. Geno's, along with bitter cross-street rival Pat's King of Steaks, forms the epicenter of an area often described as ground zero for cheesesteaks.
"They could have found out in one day that nobody has ever been refused service," Vento said Wednesday.
Albert Weiss, Vento's Philadelphia attorney, said he was shocked that the city was not dropping the case because he hadn't heard from anyone in weeks.
"I felt they were just letting it die a quiet death," Weiss said.
A message left with the human relations commission was not immediately returned Wednesday.
These "human rights commissions" are full of leftists and are tools of the left. From the left's standpoint, it is not a waste of time and money to go after this cheesesteak place. By doing so, the left sends a message to many, many other people that they are no longer free and must not dare to act as if they are -- a good day's work for these tyrants. Dismissing such things as a waste of time, a joke, etc., is a losing response. We need to wake up and smell the coffee. Little things add up and before we know it, we're slaves.
Now, I'm a Texan, and as such my meat sensibilities are far more honed toward BBQ and tamales . . . but what I have experienced of cheesesteak sandwiches suggests that the "steak" part of the title is relatively accurate.
That given - at the very least, that the steak in cheesesteak is decent meat - why the HELL would anyone pollute it with the abomination that is Cheez Whiz?
Speak and write English. Eat hoagies. Stop the stoppage of assimilation in our nation. Stand up against illegal immigration, stand for English as the National lingo. Stand against Mexifornia.
An excellent question, my Texas friend.
Should you ever make it to Geno's, you'll be happy to know that you can order or cheesesteak made with American or Provolone, as well.
(Amazingly Cheez Wiz, though an abomination in or on all other things, works better than you'd think on a cheesesteak. Geno's is open 24 hours, so another key may be going there at 3 or 4 in the morning.)
Provolone it'll have to be, then, because despite the name, American cheese is not cheese. :)
But if you say that the Whiz is worth the taste, I will take your word for it when the opportunity arises, since you are clearly better-versed in the subject than I.
(Dammit, now I want a cheesesteak.)
Geno's should be defended by a German lawyer, an Italian lawyer, a Jewish lawyer, a Russian lawyer and a Spanish lawyer. Watch how the judge and prosecutor complain that they can't understand the defense...
Prosecutors would ask the judge to tell his multi-language defense: "This is America---speak English only." LOL.
Go into any public hospital emergency room and you will see the listing of interperters and interpitive languages available.
http://publichealth.drexel.edu/CHE/SiteData/docs/CLAS_action/041d9e5752b13f0dc10d2d2218d6aa5e/CLAS_action.pdf
JCACO standards.
bump
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>> 1,000 year-old egg? <<
Insert your own Hillary Clinton joke here.
No, it doesn't. The article is wrong.
I have seen photos of the sign with Mr. Vento standing next to it.
The word "please" is not on the sign.
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