Free Republic

It has been nearly 58 years since the last star was added to the U.S. flag when Hawaii joined the union in August 1959. In a referendum 10 days ago, Puerto Rico residents voted to become the next. The matter isn’t up to residents alone, of course — Congress and the president would have to sign off on the admission of a new state, and there are many political hurdles that stand in between America’s closest possession and statehood. But those obstacles existed for Alaska, too, and we had allies who helped us gain entry to the U.S. As Puerto...

On November 12, 2013, Amy Lacey, the principal of Texas’ Hempstead Middle School, was placed on administrative leave and subsequently fired when she made a simple request to students: speak English. Now that the gag order has expired, Lacey is speaking out about what happened that day, dispelling rumors that she banned Spanish from the school’s campus. “I informed students it would be best to speak English in the classrooms to the extent possible, in order to help prepare them for [state] tests,” she wrote in a letter to the Houston Chronicle explaining her side of the story. “It is...

Amid a national debate over Arizona's tough new immigration law, Republican Alabama gubernatorial candidate Tim James (and son of previous Gov. Fob James) vows in a new campaign ad that if he's elected, he'll give the state driver's license exam only in English, as a cost-saving measure. "This is Alabama; we speak English," he says in the ad. "If you want to live here, learn it."

Yes, learning a new language was difficult. Easier for me as a child and harder for my parents, but their drive for a better life fueled the need and those difficult days of hard work and the struggles as an immigrant and struggles learning a new language. Human nature tells us to set aside or give up on what is difficult. We may come back to it, but it sure is easier to keep putting it off. There is nothing wrong with helping another person. But to me, helping is giving them a nudge. Giving them the tools for them...

Like it or not, one of the advantages that al Qaeda does have is an ability to change strategy without their leaders mulling it over for four months, the way President Obama did when he was trying to figure out Afghanistan. The Washington Times is reporting that during the underwear bombers second wave of talking he admitted meeting some other English Speakers at terrorism school in Yemen. Thank goodness his parents talking him into speaking, because this was all well after he shut up upon being read his Miranda rights.

EDITORIAL November 16, 2009 There are 16 million children in immigrant families in the United States, one of the fastest-growing segments of the population. It’s an old American story made new (snip) when waves of human displacement in recent decades have led to immigration on a scale not seen since Ellis Island. But a country that has been so good for so long at integrating new Americans is stumbling under the challenge. That is the conclusion of Professors Marcelo and Carola Suárez-Orozco, fellows at the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton and co-directors of immigration studies at New York University....

LOS ANGELES—More than a quarter of English learners don't make it into mainstream classes by the eighth grade in Los Angeles and most of those who don't were born in the United States, according to a study released Wednesday. The study by Tomas Rivera Policy Institute at the University of Southern California showed 29 percent of English learners in the Los Angeles Unified School District were still in these classes in the eighth grade. More than half of these students were born in the United States and were in classes for English learners for more than eight years. "They're staying...

Here is video of a man being booed when he asked a question in Spanish at a town hall meeting. (Watch Video)

“The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” This is the simple but powerful text of the 10th Amendment to our Constitution. The first impression a reading of Obamacare’s scheme brings to mind are the many blatant violations of the 10th Amendment it contains. One such violation is the demand that ALL medical service providers and facilities be compelled to include on staff translators able to render “language-appropriate services” in potentially hundred of languages. Page 91 lines 4 – 7...

Here's the link to the bills making English the official language. English First

It's no secret that Martin High School has been in trouble academically for several years. In fact, the state has threatened to take the school over if things don't change. Some say it's so bad that most students are having a tough time graduating, let alone getting ready for college. That’s why interim principal Dr. Severita Sanchez has been put in place. As our Concetta Callahan reports she's ready to get Martin High on the right track by having students speak English. Dr. Sanchez says her team has already started working on a plan of action because she says there...

... Next month, after 17 years of litigation, the United States Supreme Court will rule on the Flores case, deciding whether Arizona is complying with federal laws requiring public schools to teach children to speak English. The case has been long and tangled, splitting state officials along party lines. In 2000, a district court ruled that the state’s financing for English language learners was not “reasonably calculated” to cover the extra costs of educating them, and ordered the district to come up with a better plan. Last year, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit upheld the...

In announcing the defeat of a measure to make English Nashville’s official language, The New York Times could barely contain its glee. In a special election last week, the proposed ordinance — which would have required city workers to speak English on the job — “drew only 43.5 percent” of the vote, The Times reported. In other words, only 43.5 percent of the city’s residents are so bigoted, intolerant and hateful as to expect immigrants to learn our native tongue. Hooray for diversity. Typical of what The Times considers balanced coverage, the story only quotes opponents, like Nashville Mayor Karl...

The city of Nashville, Tennessee has decided that it will not become an English-only city. Yesterday, voters there gave a thumbs-down to a proposal - called "English First" - that proponents say would have not only united the city but saved money. It would have mandated that the government there conduct its daily affairs in English.Opponents say becoming an English-only city could have given Nashville a "bad reputation."From the Associated Press via Fox News: Business leaders, academics, religious leaders, Nashville Mayor Karl Dean and Gov. Phil Bredesen argued the measure would tarnish the city's welcoming image, harm tourism and business...

Scott Rasmussen points to these striking results: Barack Obama said yesterday that "instead of worrying whether immigrants can learn English," Americans "need to make sure your child can speak Spanish." A national telephone survey conducted last month by Rasmussen Reports found that U.S. voters overwhelmingly disagree with the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. Eighty-three percent (83%) place a higher priority on encouraging immigrants to speak English... ... A reader noted this is among the pieces of information that voters in Ohio, Pennsylvania and MIchigan need to hear before they make their decision in November.

English First Executive Director Jim Boulet, Jr., today called upon Senator Barack Obama to reconsider his anti-English statements. Senator Obama has voted against official English four times in 2006 and 2007 and earned an "F" rating for English First in 2006. "Senator Obama, there are plenty of languages spoken in America. What makes Spanish so special, instead of, say, Chinese or Arabic," said Jim Boulet, Jr., Executive Director of English First. "What next, Senator? Will you be saying that too many Americans are bitterly clinging to our English language? Why does it seem you are always looking down your nose...

An English-language advocate is encouraging citizens to sign a petition expressing opposition to proposed new regulations by the FCC that would amount to a backdoor Fairness Doctrine. In a 2007 report, an ultra-liberal think tank known as The Center for American Progress issued a report called "The Structural Imbalance of Political Talk Radio." Jim Boulet of English First says its agenda was to cleverly recast the so-called "Fairness Doctrine" by using the term "localism." "In 2007, they issued a report in which they bragged that if they could get more women and minorities to own stations, there'd be fewer stations...

(Wichita) Four Hispanic families are suing St. Anne's Catholic School over a policy that requires students to speak English at all times while at school. The lawsuit, filed Monday, calls for an end to this policy and asks for an order barring similar policies at other diocese schools. And it asks for court costs and unspecified damages for diiscrimination and emotional suffering. The lawsuit was filed by Mike and Clara Silva, Maria and Fermin Fernandez, Guadalupe Cruz-Tello and Alma Contreras on behalf of themselves and their minor children. The diocese said the school enacted the policy in response to four...

An English language advocate is praising Republican presidential candidate Tom Tancredo for boycotting a recent Spanish language debate with his fellow GOP hopefuls. The debate was held on the University of Miami campus on Sunday and was broadcast on the Spanish language network Univision. Candidates' responses, spoken in English, were simultaneously translated into Spanish. Congressman Tancredo (R-Colorado) was the only GOP candidate who turned down an invitation to attend the debate, saying his fellow candidates were "encouraging violation of the law" by taking part. Tancredo -- who has made a tough stand on illegal immigration the centerpiece of his campaign...

study released Thursday by the Pew Hispanic Center, a project of the Pew Research Center, reports that in families like the Peredas, for whom Spanish is the dominant language among immigrant parents, English fluency increases across generations. By the third generation, Spanish has essentially faded into the background. Latinos recognize that learning English is key to economic success, according to the study, which was based on survey data collected between 2002 and 2007. "The ability to speak English is a crucial skill for getting a good job and integrating into the wider society," said D'Vera Cohn, a senior writer at...