Posted on 05/06/2002 4:21:05 PM PDT by DeaconBenjamin
(WSVN) Zita Wilensky loves to help people. In fact she is a foster mother to kids with special needs.
Zita Wilensky, a victim of discrimination, says "Right now we have a little boy. We are in the process of adopting and he is learning delayed, but he is coming along great."
Professionally, Zita is not doing so well. She says, "I really do feel I was discriminated against and if I didn't I wouldn't be telling you."
Zita worked for Miami-Dade County for 16 years. The last two in the Domestic Violence Unit.
Her file is full of letters of praise, but she began to encounter one major problem.
She says, "I was referred to as the gringa, the Americana. Did they mean it in a polite way or a deragatory way? In some ways at times it was joking. But then it was like every single day and you know what? I have a name."
Zita was the only Anglo in the County Unit. All of her co-workers were Hispanic and she says they liked to play tricks on her.
She says, "My boss presented me with an envelope one day when the anthrax was going around and told me "come here could you smell this? This just came in the mail." Big joke in front of the whole department. Made me look like an idiot."
Then Zita was told she had to speak Spanish in the office. She was given 60 days to learn. After 30 days her boss disguised her voice and called her.
Zita says, "So she called pretending to be someone who didn't speak English. And when you could not communicate she fired you? Yes...that's how it happened."
According to a county document, Zita was fired for transferring the call to the clerk's office. Zita said she transferred it because she wanted what she thought was a Spanish speaking caller to talk to someone.
Either way, despite her protests, after 16 years with the county, Zita was fired and replaced by an Hispanic.
Now her question: can an Anglo be fired for not speaking Spanish on the job?
Howard Finkelstein, 7News Legal Expert, says "The Florida Constituion says that English is the official language of the government. So you can't fire someone simply because they don't speak Spanish and you can't fire them simply because they are Anglo. That's discrimination. That's illegal."
Howard says you cannot be discrimated against based upon national origin, religion, sex, and race. Such as blacks, whites, hispanics, asians, and on and on.
and howard says that includes the treatment employees like zita receive on the job.
"An employer cannot allow an employee to be subjected to racial slurs like gringo, or to be ridiculed or intimidated...thats called a hostile work enviroment and thats illegal."
Zita would like to go back to work for Miami-Dade County, not in the same office, but in a place where no kind of discrimination is tolerated.
When we talked to a county official, we were told Zita was fired because she transferred calls improperly.
They also deny she was fired because she was an anglo and she was not required to speak Spanish.
Her boss just requested that she learn Spanish. But contradicting that, this letter from her boss says its a necessity that she speaks Spanish.
Howard says if Zita sues the county, she has an excellant chance of winning.
Zita says right now she simply wants to find a job.
Problems don't discriminate - so race to the phone. We'll have an answer clear in any language.
There is no doubt that we need to deport those who are found guilty of crimes, there are a lot of Cubans in US jails for criminal activities, thanks to Jimmy Carter and Fidel castro (the Mariel boatlift), they need to be deported as well.
What we need to do, is to cut off the government teat. No welfare benefits for undocumented aliens ( I would like to eliminate welfare altogether, for everyone), provide emergency medical services and send them home as soon as possible. Then they will be on the same boat that the vast majority of immigrants to the US were in upon arrival.
So, what's the problem?
Michael Savage, who doesn't get everything right IMHO, had the greatest comment about this type of behavior from the left. He said (paraphrasing) "as soon as a black man becomes a conservative, he is an Uncle Tom according to the leftists, if you're Hispanic you've lost you're ethnicity and you're view is irrelevant. Also, if you're gay you're a sellout and are not 'with it', and any opinion you have should be discarded. IMHO, this is true racism.
His point was that if you are not towing the Democractic Leftist party line, that no matter how closely you would seem to be aligned with the Dem agenda by being in one of their favored groups, your voice no longer counts. In other words, you are no longer a useful idiot to help them in their march to take care of us all.
Not just government agencies, as others have noted. The reconquista is happening. And the body politic slumbers. Perhaps, as I suspect, the sleep of death...the death of a culture.
People who work in OUR government and are paid with OUR taxes should not be required to speak a FOREIGN language in order to accomodate someone who (supposedly) wanted/wants to become a US Citizen but sees no NEED to learn OUR language. This whole scenario is as asinine as our governments' importing Spanish speaking teachers instead of using the old tried and true English Immersion techniques. There has always been a need for interpretors to facilliate dialog between "NATIONS" and for other LEGITIMATE government functions (espeically during war-time) but, other than that - NO WAY!
That's a lie. I work in Miami-Dade, there every day, and do all (100%) of my business in English, even with other people who can speak Spanish.
That's the kind of crap that gives people the impression that Miami is some sort of non-American ghetto, you should be ashamed of yourself for spreading such garbage.
They called me that in Del Rio, Tx, when I was in the Air Force there, in the late 60s and 70s. It is not new.
Too bad that the current immigrants (seemingly, for the most part) don't see things this way. Too many have come here, not for the opportunities that the US offers but, rather, for the hand-outs and "freebies" that can be garnered. It's like those going into California so they can have their babies there. They are here illegally, but according to current laws, their little one is now automatically a citizen - so mom gets to stay - then dad gets to come/stay - and guess who's picking up the tab?? This sort of thing has GOT to stop or we will no longer recognize this Country as anything remotely resembling that given to us by our Founders. JUST my two cents worth...
They are also the ones who pay the taxes and who will be footing the bill. The ones who ought to be sued are the discriminatory perps who did the deed.
You are also assuming that people who haven't learned English do not want to learn English. Try learning a foreign language and see how long it takes to do so.
BTW, if you are talking about government employees helping people who are trying to become citizens, then you must realize that those people are taxpayers just like you, not speaking of illegal immigrants now, but of legal immigrants.
Okay, I'm going to go ahead and say it so somebody else either won't have to or just so I can be the one that gets flameed for a while:
Historically, there have been folks who were bi-lingual (in whatever language) who VOLUNTEERED their time to help immigrants (espcially those from their countries of origin), HOWEVER, the welfare state is bad enough and big enough already without more of OUR money being stolen by the government to hire bi-lingual employees (who are paid a higher salary - at least around here) in order to ACCOMODATE those who do not speak our language! Even our liberal neighbor to the north, Canada, realized the necessity for a NATIONAL language a few years ago and THEY were worried about English speaking people corrupting THEIR National identity. Why should OURS be any different especially seeing as how our language is one of our few common bonds?
That's not a very "current law", it's in the constitution.
Section 1. All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside. No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.
Well, I would say that, at least, the 14th Amendment is alive and well!! (BTW - if it's currently "in effect", then it's a CURRENT law.)
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