Memo To Judge William Shashy:
Click the Pic
Posted on 02/02/2006 1:35:23 PM PST by kiriath_jearim
Judge Rejects English-Only Drivers' Test
By SAMIRA JAFARI
Associated Press Writer
February 2, 2006, 1:30 PM EST
MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- A judge ruled Wednesday that offering driver's license exams in a dozen languages is not in violation of a 1990 amendment to the state constitution, which declares English the official language of Alabama.
Circuit Judge William Shashy said the amendment "makes English Alabama's official language -- not its only language." His ruling came in a suit filed against the state by a nonprofit group called "ProEnglish," which says the test should only be administered in English. The group argued that the Alabama Department of Public Safety's practice of allowing tests in multiple languages violated the state constitution and endangers all drivers.
Attorneys for the state said limiting the test to only English would violate federal anti-bias law because it would have a "disparate impact" on non-English speakers.
Shashy noted that about two dozen states had declared English their official language but that none "refuses to accommodate a limited English proficient person in their driver license examinations."
(Excerpt) Read more at newsday.com ...
Borders, Language, Culture...
That is just assinine@!@! If you cannot read English how can you drive in a country that has English road and warning signs? !@!@
Calm down, calm down...
Please press #1 for Spanish or #2 for English...
If you'd like this message in English, press 1.
If you'd like this message in Spanish, please leave the country IMMEDIATELY.
Driver's that can't read signs in English will have a disparate effect on other drivers...
What in the hell was the point of the amendment then?
I guess technically that's correct - "official language" doesn't mean you can't print up documentation in other languages...or does it? I think it means only that every documentation must be provided in English.
But do I hate that everything has to have Spanish on it, including our dishwashing detergent ad labels? Yes. It just hogs up space from the official language.
Circuit Judge William Shashy, Clinton appointee?
It doesn't seem like that bad of a decision. The judge didn't say they HAD to offer the exams in other languages, just that doing so didn't violate the "official language" provision.
Es muy malo
Memo To Judge William Shashy:
Click the Pic
Does this mean when need to put in road signs in Spanish and Cambodian?
More like:
"...numero duece for Espanol"
"...For English and a brief diversity education message, press #1..."
Explain how these non-English reading drivers will be able to read our English language road signs.
Look at your road signs closely.
How many have words?
Stop? Which is easily recognized by its unique shape.
Yield? Which is easily recognized by its unique shape.
Speed limits are large numbers, which correspond to the symbols on the dash. Understanding of what hte numbers mean, is not needed, just matching the numbers to what appears ont he dash is sufficient.
Almost all of the other road signs out there, are symbols.
pedestrian crossing, light ahead, curve ahead. These are all symbols on a yellow diamond.
Making road safety and compliance non-language specific has been a process years in the making.
If we have traffic signs only in English, then the driving exam should be only in English.
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