The official language nonsense (was Re: Rick Santorum, Idiot)

[Larry Sheldon]

On 3/14/2012 5:10 PM, Victor Steinbok wrote:

>> "Like any other state, there has to be compliance with this and any
>> other federal law," Santorum said. "And that is that English has to be
>> the principal language. There are other states with more than one
>> language such as Hawaii but to be a state of the United States,
>> English has to be the principal language."

I don't know about Hawaii, but in large portions of California, Arizona,
New Mexico, and Texas, Spanish is the principal language and has been
for a very long time (70 years that I know about first hand), in
Louisiana, the principal language is Cajun English, which is not what is
meant, usually, when discussing the fictional English only laws.

In some of the Indian nations, English is seldom heard. In large parts
of that midwest, you'd best speak German, Swedish, Danish, or one of the
Baltic area languages.

Which is as it should be.  The free market will determine what language
is used.

I have no problem with government entities saying they will keep records
in but one language, and it might as well be English==most of the won't
make ans sense anyway.

And if English is the law, how did Massachusetts get in?


>> However, the U.S. Constitution does not designate an official
>> language, nor is there a requirement that a territory adopt English as
>> its primary language in order to become a state.

As it should be.

> Better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool than open it and
> remove all doubt.

How would we know there was a politician in the are if they did that?
>
> When I saw the Wonkette headline ( http://goo.gl/UBewT ), I thought it
> was a joke. Sadly, no.

I don't read Wonkette.  There is a reason for that.


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