[Luis Gonzalez]

"People who come here should learn English. Just as if I decided to live in any other country in the world, I wouldn't expect them to adopt English, and to change their culture to fit my expectatations."

"Measures of great temper are necessary with the Germans," Benjamin Franklin wrote in 1753. "Those who come hither are generally of the most ignorant, stupid sort of their own nation, and . . . 'tis almost impossible to remove any prejudices they entertain. . . . Few of their children in the country learn English . . . and of the six printing houses in the province, two are entirely German, two half-German, half-English. . . . Advertisements intended to be general are now printed in Dutch [i.e., Deutsch] and English; the signs in our streets have inscriptions in both languages, and in some places only German. They begin of late to make all their . . . legal writings in their own language, which . . . are allowed in our courts, where the German business so increases that there is continual need of interpreters."

"Stop the flow of Germans into Pennsylvania, Franklin warned, or "they will soon so outnumber us, that . . . we will not in my opinion be able to preserve our language, and even our government will become precarious."

I guess you turned out OK...in spite of Ben's concerns about your great, great, great whatever's inability to assimilate.

BTW, was Oktoberfest celebrated here when the first German immigrants arrived?

[He Rides A White Horse]

Will not work, and I'll tell you why.........

Appealing to a pride in my ancestry won't win it for you.

You are attempting link people who feel that immigrants should learn our language with a feeling that all immigrants are unwelcome.

I'm not saying that. I don't have a problem with immigrants who want to come here, become Americans, and be a part of America.

It's not a case of, "because I don't like hispanic people who refuse to learn English, I therefore don't want any hispanic people here."

No, those who come here and get insulted because they are asked to blend in in a most reasonable should go home. They don't belong here.

Nobody is asking them to give up every shred of their former identity.

...and for you to equate a request for them to adopt the official tongue of their adopted country is racebaiting, Luis.

[He Rides A White Horse]

"Stop the flow of Germans into Pennsylvania, Franklin warned, or "they will soon so outnumber us, that . . . we will not in my opinion be able to preserve our language, and even our government will become precarious."

It appears Ben was wrong, wasn't he?

Now, about your friends walking out in protest........

[He Rides A White Horse]

That should have read:

...and for you to equate a request for them to adopt the official tongue of their adopted country with bigotry is racebaiting, Luis.

[He Rides A White Horse]

See, your little parable makes no mention whatsoever as to the attitude towards these Germans towards assimilating, to learning the language.

In a speech between sets, Brock said he was tired of having to adapt to the widening influence of the country's newcomers. "You are coming to our country. We don't speak Russian. We don't speak Spanish. We speak English here," Brock told an audience of 7,000, according to the Greeley Tribune. While many Hispanics in the audience walked out

.....it does appear however that these folks have made plain what their intent is. Or isn't.

[He Rides A White Horse]

.....and also, I don't see in your article where the Germans post weepy newspaper articles about how showing a photo ID at the polls is 'offending' hispanic 'sensibilities'.