Posted on 06/18/2011 7:54:59 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
Video of the testimony of immigrant rights activist Antolin Aguirre, who chose to lecture Texas legislators in Spanish Monday, despite living in the United States for 23 years and taking naturalized citizenship in 2001, was posted on YouTube, and has gone viral after being posted by Drudge. David Paulin brought the shocking display of arrogance to national attention on Thursday on AT. Here is the brief video, demonstrating that Aguirre speaks fine English:
This can only be described as ethnic chauvinism. A gringo would never get away with this in Mexico. It is one thing to speak in one's native tongue in a quest to be acurate. But Aguirre was reading from a prepared statement, and demonstrates a fine command of English, as ought to be the case for anyone of adequate intelligence living in this country for more than two decades.
I have nothing against immigrants preserving their native cultures, including language. But the effort to make America a bilingual (or multilingual) nation is a method of sowing discord and weakening us as a nation. Our neighbor Canada has gone through serious trauma owing to bilingualism, and Belgium is another example of a bilingual country riven with linguistic tensions. Those who ask to be welcomed here have an obligation to learn our language and assimilate.
Americans are sometimes criticized for going overseas and expecting everyone to do business with them in English. One hears much about our insensitivity to locals. Isn't Aguirre guilty of even worse insensitivity?
The official language by tradition and custom is English.
Fine, then make it by tradition, custom, and law.
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