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For some, Beverly Hills ballots went too Farsi
Los Angeles Times ^

Posted on 02/25/2007 2:46:42 PM PST by DeerfieldObserver

For the first time, the city translates its entire absentee and sample voting documents into Persian. Not everyone likes the look. "Have you seen your ballot?" Gloria Seiff of Beverly Hills asked friend and fellow resident Betty Harris over the phone. Harris had not. She opened the mail-in ballot and took one look. "I was shocked by it," she said. For the first time, Beverly Hills had translated its entire absentee and sample ballots into Persian.

(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: beverlyhills; ca; california; persian
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Beverly Hills prints the ballots in English and Persian, but not into Spanish.
1 posted on 02/25/2007 2:46:44 PM PST by DeerfieldObserver
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To: DeerfieldObserver

The maids and gardeners are not citizens and theoretically cannot vote.


2 posted on 02/25/2007 2:51:44 PM PST by Uncle Hal
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To: DeerfieldObserver
Rodeo Drive would be a great place for a 50,000 sq ft mosque.
3 posted on 02/25/2007 2:52:27 PM PST by Gay State Conservative ("The meaning of peace is the absence of opposition to socialism."-Karl Marx)
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To: Gay State Conservative

Or Brentwood.

Maybe Sta Monica or Malibu's shoreline.


4 posted on 02/25/2007 3:02:50 PM PST by combat_boots (22 weeks, 9.5 inches. Go, baby, go!)
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To: DeerfieldObserver

This doesn't surprise me. When I lived in Westwood going to UCLA, I was astounded by the number of Persians in Beverly Hills. Most however aren't radical types. New arrivals I cannot speak for, but many Persians here fled after the revolution and many openly say that Iran is the country we need to invade.


5 posted on 02/25/2007 3:16:34 PM PST by Historix
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To: Historix

My roommates dad says the same thing, but he managed to get his whole family out. The only reservations to war I've heard from Iranians is about their family still there.


6 posted on 02/25/2007 3:23:14 PM PST by Raymann
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To: DeerfieldObserver
Richard Hasen, a professor who specializes in election law at Loyola Law School, said he supports Beverly Hills' effort. "If you take the view that voting is about allocating power to equals, we shouldn't discriminate against people because they speak a different language," he said. "If they're citizens and they're entitled to vote, they should be informed."

The voting rights act really screwed this up. If they had just left the ballots to English only, people who move to this country and become citizens would have a great impetus to learn English. This has all been thrown to the wind and causes huge problems. We have throughly screwed up making other languages available in every single governmental agency. Leaving it all in English would have gone a long way at getting our immigrants to learn the language of their new country. Survival of the fittest. Besides their grandchildren can always translate. It provides for more family time and bonding.

By the way there is a huge Persian population where I live and it is sad that this divisiveness has taken place there are many of them in west LA and they are a good group of people. Too bad the libs had to go too far on this.

There is also a natural arrogance to alot of Persians, so this does not help any on a local level.

7 posted on 02/25/2007 3:35:47 PM PST by GOP Poet
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To: DeerfieldObserver; prairiebreeze; Mo1

When I started my file labeled "How the West is caving to Muslims", the articles were mostly European articles.

Steadily the file has enlarged to include US articles.


8 posted on 02/25/2007 3:37:12 PM PST by Peach (The Clintons' pardoned more terrorists than they ever captured or killed.)
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To: combat_boots
Not in my neighborhood. :-) Believe it or not, there are many conservatives in Brentwood. We just get drowned out many times by the more numerous limousine liberals and even socially liberal conservatives (ALA the govenator).

Oddly enough there are more Catholics per capita in this area then in the pacific NW or Northern California. Statistically speaking there is upwards of 70% of the populations that is 'religious' or believes in God and finds spirituality an essential feature of their lives. Whereas in the PNW and Northern Cal. it is around 30%.

There is a huge predominant population of Catholics here. AMAZING isn't it? One couldn't tell with all of the libs down here. Just goes to show how large an impact the Pope could have if he reigned in the Catholics and held the congregations feet to the fire on social issues or get out. That of course is my dream. :-). So no mosques would not fly here. There are also many Jewish folks and synagogues on the westside. Not a good mixture.

9 posted on 02/25/2007 3:44:53 PM PST by GOP Poet
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To: Historix
My daughters went to high school in Woodland Hills, Ca. (San Fernando Valley). It was a very negative experience and this was 10 years ago. Once my older daughter tried to attend an after-school meeting that was for the kids who were Iranian. She went with a friend who's mother was from Guatemala and her father was Iranian. My daughter was forced to leave the meting. She was not welcome. I thought that to be outrageous and the school allowed it. The Persian/Iranians hate America. (and the American kids knew it.) They also have a real dislike amongst themselves for who is Persian and who is Arab. As far as I remember they were all Muslim except for the Jewish-Iranian community that built a large synagogue in Encino some 15-20 years ago. Farsi is all over the Valley and I have never felt comfortable.
10 posted on 02/25/2007 3:45:47 PM PST by boo-boo kitty (be ever vigilant!)
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To: GOP Poet

Good.


11 posted on 02/25/2007 3:46:38 PM PST by combat_boots (22 weeks, 9.5 inches. Go, baby, go!)
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To: boo-boo kitty
yes. and there are also many that attend just one church . . . the church of hate spewing liberalism. I am so sorry to here about your experience. That is heartbreaking when it happens to a child. So much for American values of diversity aye? The inmates have taken over the asylum in this town unfortunately.

There is a huge Jewish population close by so hopefully this all balances out a bit. That is my guess at how it all sort of works without blowing up. Yet there is also a whole new population of Mexican folks who have been raised to believe in Jesus Christ. So there you have it, even though we all hate illegal immigration, maybe there is even more balance being added there. In all it is just uncontrollable and that is what is most disturbing.

12 posted on 02/25/2007 3:55:17 PM PST by GOP Poet
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To: Historix; DeerfieldObserver
...Most however aren't radical types...but many Persians here fled after the revolution and many openly say that Iran is the country we need to invade.

Concur. Most I know who fled hate Carter and have integrated into American society, i.e., read and write English, employed or run businesses, and are quite conservative politically.

They, to a person, are appaled at the US tolerance of the illegals...

While their parents will 'attend mosque', most I know, if they practice anything of Islam at all, lean toward the Sufi philosophy which does recognise co-existance with other established religions.

I'll have to get the reaction to this Farsi-ballot article, as most view the Spanish street signs as an arrogance of the Mexicans. Likewise the Asian drivers pamphlets and other ethnic-pandering concessions.

13 posted on 02/25/2007 3:58:36 PM PST by GoldCountryRedneck ("God made liquor and God made brew, so ugly people could have sex too" - unknown)
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To: GoldCountryRedneck

In the case of Persians in Beverly Hills, religion tends to be a non-issue; many left it behind in Iran but for the cultural practices. Rather than practicing Muslims in BH, you're more likely to find people going to synagogue or throwing parties for the Zoroastrian new year if they're doing anything at all.


14 posted on 02/25/2007 4:01:44 PM PST by July 4th (A vacant lot cancelled out my vote for Bush.)
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To: GOP Poet
The voting rights act really screwed this up. If they had just left the ballots to English only, people who move to this country and become citizens would have a great impetus to learn English.

Exactly. Since only citizens can vote, and you have to demonstrate English proficiency to become a citizen in the first place, I don't understand this pandering with ballots in any language other than English.

15 posted on 02/25/2007 4:08:08 PM PST by GATOR NAVY (Naming CVNs after congressmen and mediocre presidents burns my butt)
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To: DeerfieldObserver
"It really looked like a menu from a Farsi restaurant with a translation in English."

And today's menu has two choices...submit to islam or die. Achmed will be by in a few minutes to take your order.

16 posted on 02/25/2007 4:10:43 PM PST by AlaskaErik (Everyone should have a subject they are ignorant about. I choose professional corporate sports.)
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To: GoldCountryRedneck

"the Spanish street signs as an arrogance of the Mexicans"

Most of the street names in Los Angeles pre-date the English speaking population. Specifically, La Cienaga and La Brea mean tar pits in Spanish. Pico and Sepulveda were two large Spanish land owners in the early 1800s.


17 posted on 02/25/2007 4:25:15 PM PST by DeerfieldObserver
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To: GATOR NAVY
Since only citizens can vote, and you have to demonstrate English proficiency to become a citizen in the first place, I don't understand this pandering with ballots in any language other than English.

Excellent point.

18 posted on 02/25/2007 5:17:34 PM PST by GOP Poet
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To: AlaskaErik

I wonder how all of this would have gone over in ww1 & 2, if German was the parallel or even dominant language on the U.S. ballots. Let's ponder a moment . . . or maybe Japanese before the internments.


19 posted on 02/25/2007 5:21:11 PM PST by GOP Poet
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To: Historix
I was astounded by the number of Persians in Beverly Hills. Most however aren't radical types. New arrivals I cannot speak for, but many Persians here fled after the revolution and many openly say that Iran is the country we need to invade.

The Iranians I know in Seattle would be sympathetic.

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20 posted on 02/25/2007 6:22:50 PM PST by sionnsar (†trad-anglican.faithweb.com†|Iran Azadi| 5yst3m 0wn3d - it's N0t Y0ur5 (SONY) | UN: Useless Nations)
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