Now this one ought to set off the nativists:
In Convention First, 2008 Democratic National Convention To Be Simulcast In Spanish
Comcast Named Official Cable Television and Video On Demand Provider, Will Produce and Distribute Bi-Lingual Convention Coverage to Millions Worldwide
DENVER – In keeping with its commitment to make the 2008 Democratic National Convention the most accessible and technologically-savvy event of its kind, the Democratic National Convention Committee (DNCC) announced today that Comcast Corporation will produce simultaneous, online streaming coverage of the Convention in Spanish at DemConvention.com and make available a broad range of Convention content through its signature On Demand service. The DNCC also announced that Comcast has been named the Convention’s Official Cable Television and Video-On-Demand (VOD) provider.
“We set out to ‘bring down the walls’ of the Pepsi Center and make this year’s historic Convention as inclusive and accessible to as many people as possible,” said Leah D. Daughtry, CEO of the DNCC. “Comcast is helping us bring the Convention to a growing number of computer screens and televisions throughout the country and around the world.”
From the Comcast Media Center, based in the Denver metro area, Comcast will provide live, gavel-to-gavel Spanish-language interpretation of all Convention activities…
“With Spanish as the primary language of approximately 35 million Americans – not to mention the more than 300 million Spanish-speakers outside the United States – offering bilingual coverage of the Convention makes more people feel welcome under the Democratic Party’s ‘big tent’,” said Texas State Senator and Convention Co-Chair Leticia Van de Putte. “As a Texan and a Latina, I’m proud to belong to a party that embraces the Hispanic community.”
"Ay, caramba!" the English-only crowd is thinking right about now. "No somos listos por eso!" (Or would that be, "no estamos listos"? Randy?) I’m not even going to get into the fact that the last part of Leticia Van de Putte’s name sounds like an insult in Spanish, because that would be digressing way too much…
Does this mean some of y’all will be voting for McCain now?
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> With Spanish as the primary language of
> approximately 35 million Americans
Define “Americans”.
I guess I fall into the xenophobe camp as I don’t see any great benefit from promoting bi-lingualism in the United States.
How come my grandparents were able to immigrate from Finland and assimilate into American society in a matter of a few years back in the early 1900’s?
I don’t get it, won’t get it, and refuse to believe this is a good trend for America. I’d like to see some real evidence from those who support the “one world” concept as to how we are better off.
It seems to me that most European (ie white, with features similar to ours) have been able to integrate into the mainstream rather quickly. But I see that many who don’t have that advantage (of looking like ‘everybody else’) seem to have a harder time. For example, we have a lot of Chinatowns around the US where you hear and see mostly chinese. The Hmong from Vietnam seem to mostly live close to each other. The Mexicans seem to form small clans and groupings. I could be wrong, but I suspect that physical resemblence to the dominant group goes a long way in the assimilation process.
They are going for the La Raza vote.
Looks like Democrats have written off blacks, assuming they will capture the black vote through pro-Obama racism, so they can concentrate on diverting wealth transfer payments from blacks to Latinos.
Illegal immigrants can’t integrate into the mainstream. All they can do us hide underground.
Most of the 30,000,000 illegal Latinos don’t want to integrate, don’t want to become American, learn English, and adopt the Western European morals and culture of liberty which created American prosperity.
Most of them just want to remain Mexican or Guatemalan, or whatever, but with the material comforts and political security of living in the civilization built on English and German culture.
Most of the 30,000,000 illegal Latinos don’t want to integrate, don’t want to become American, learn English, and adopt the Western European morals and culture of liberty which created American prosperity.
-Lee
Lee you just don’t understand the American way do you? We’re a melting pot with very different cultures, languages, religions and habits. And that’s what makes us a great nation. It’s bigots like you who keep us from prospering to our fullest by continuing to harp on all the nonsensical, polorizing venom that shows you for the very Un-American blowhard that you are. All this blathering on and on about socialism is really just a tacit admission that you are scared of anything that is different. Your thouroughly unenlightened, tedious response to every comment made on this blog shows you for the very small and insignificant brain-dead person that you are. If you really loved America you would welcome people who are different that have a different world-view than your own narrow vision of what it is to be an American. Lee Muller, you are a disgrace to the term American and I don’t consider you one at all. A real American understands the goodness and virtuous nature of diversity. Frankly, your narrow mind shows you to be far inferior to any person who earns a living by picking vegetables in the hot sun.
Karen,
I see no problem with immigrants maintaining ties to their culture and heritage – like the Chinatowns or the Finnish bakeries that existed in my grandmother’s town or the Indian stores that I see in certain areas of the country. That cultural diversity has enhance America.
The difference is that there appears to be an effort to make Americans assimilate into the Spanish culture. I don’t see a huge call for Chinese language broadcasts of the convention.
Let’s not discount the economic factors behind all this… the large Hispanic illegal immigrant population in the United States exists to provide cheap below market labor to businesses. There are big corporations with strong political connections who understand the power of keeping that pool of workers coming.
“The difference is that there appears to be an effort to make Americans assimilate into the Spanish culture.”
You might feel that this is the case, but I challenge you to find an instance where you’re somehow being forced or coerced or something into needing to know any spanish. I’d like to know if there are.
There are a lot of first generation spanish people here, and as a result they’re being catered to. It’s democracy, capitalism, whatever. The fact is, after 2 or 3 generations, people that live here are are taught and raised in America will use english as their primary language.
Here’s an article that contains some info about it, feel free to dismiss it because of the source….
When they can raise enough money to have this shindig catered, then I’ll take the rest of the Democrat party agenda seriously.
Actually, I won’t take it “seriously” ~ I just won’t laugh quite as much. David
I married a French Canadian and lived in Montreal, Canada 4 years. I saw and experienced the problems you have when you permit 2 languages to be official at the same time. Frankly, it leads to to a large waste of money and energy, endless fighting and disunity within the country itself. Is this what American’s really want to produce here?
The America way is to be a melting pot, which means:
* Immigrants are selected according to criteria established by citizens. Those who want to visit America, work here, or become Americans must apply and present their credentials.
* The official language is English.
If you don’t learn it, you can visit as a tourist for a few weeks.
* Those who choose to work here do so legally, and to American standards.
* Those whom WE SELECT as candidates for citizenship must learn to read and write English and learn the American Way of free markets, limited government, and responsibility. No one who is not born here should ever be eligible for welfare or any other government benefits (which should be minimal anyway).
Socialism is un-American.
Monarchism is un-American.
Dictatorships are un-American.
Leave those retrograde ideas in the old country, or remain there in the Old World.
* Those who don’t want to become Americanized should leave.
Gee, bud, would you like some grits with your ad hominem, or would you rather be called the left-wing Lee Muller?
There is no virtue in diversity, nor evil, either. But two official languages is a waste, and we certainly don’t owe immigrants of whatever legality the adoption of their culture as our own.
We’re a melting pot, sure, but U.S. natives need not do the melting for the sake of the invasive rabble from south of the border.
We have laws. Let us stand behind them.
“There is no virtue in diversity, nor evil, either.”
This is true, insofar as when we try to upset a natural state (lower case ‘s’) by forcing diversity, or forcing homogeny, there are definitely problems. But similarly, trying to force assimilation as opposed to being at least somewhat inclusive is a sure way to prevent it. Why would someone want to be part of a community that is constantly telling them they don’t belong, that they are some kind of ‘other’?
“Trying to force assimilation as opposed to being at least somewhat inclusive is a sure way to prevent it.”
No English, no job would work just as well as no shoes, no service, I’m sure. And that may already be the case in an informal sense.
A melting pot, like any pot, has characteristics more specific than merely being a pot.
Bud,
Your attack on Lee goes above and beyond getting your point across. Lee is a conservative and a flag waver of the first order. You are a liberal bordering on socialism/communism. You have been indoctrinated apparently by a master (or brainwashed not sure which).
Lee is an information giver as I see the situation. I try to read all he puts on the blog and I try to read what you (Bud) put on the blog. Then I read about the subject matter and try to make up my own mind as to the right or wrong of any given subject.
Lee should continue giving us the facts and we can hope that the unpleasant things that Bud had to say about Lee can be taken as a man not happy with his plight in life and wants to change everyone to think the way Bud thinks.
If you sneak into America, you don’t belong here; you are a criminal.
Diversity is only good for those who bring less to the party. People want to immigrate to America because America has more to offer them than they bring to America. They know how little value there is in the “diversity” of their ancient, savage culture. Some of them want to cling to part of it, but all of them want to shed as much as they can, starting with a visit to Wal-Mart.
Slugger, Bud is the real flag-waver and patriot here.
…”savage culture”??? did I read that right?
Lee, You must believe that if you yell a lie long enough and loud enough, it will turn into the truth.
Bud, why do you respond to Lee or those of his ilk? (of course, I just did–I must be getting dotty in my old age). I’m not talking about conservatives; I’m talking about those who repeatedly misrepresent/and/or invent the facts to suit themselves. I tend to agree with you, but not always. At least I don’t see major lies in what you say, and you don’t turn around and label anyone anti-american or whatever, simply because they disagree with you.
No foreign speaking group has, to my knowledge, ever mastered English in the first generation. They may have become citizens eventually, when there was lots o room and we either needed their labor, or the laws were looser, but English was very obviously not their first language. Its usually the second generation; either those who were born here, or came here early enough (let’s say before their 18th birthday), or those who had already learned English as a second language who could assimilate quickly. Those who not only spoke differently, but looked ‘not like us’ frequently did not assimilate until the third generation, and might remain in their cultural “ghetto” until the 4th generation before breaking out, or sometimes bringing the outside in.
Karen,
Do not fret. Charlotte if opening the first school for Spanish speaking people. Maybe this will solve the problem of which you speak about it taking generations to become English speaking illegal citizens.
Since Karen failed to mention what “lie” she accuses me of repeating, we don’t know what she’s talking about, much less whether she knows.
Mastering English is only relevant to LEGAL immgrants, not to illegal alien invaders, who are supposed to be deported, anyway. Learning English would benefit them back in their home country, when the liberals ship more American jobs there.
Savage cultures
If anyone wants to explain why it is wrong to refer to illiterate and amoral people who, if not for recent help from Americans, would still be in Stone Age cultures with human sacrifice as core religious practices, as “savage cultures”, please try.
Lee, do you mind telling us exactly which cultures or countries you’re referring to?
It’s your turn. You pick a group of illegal aliens and defend their culture. I suspect that first, you will have to learn something about their culure.
Tell us what a culture with no concept of morality, no written language, no legal system and 6,000 year-old “technology” has to offer America. If they have adopted some European customs enough to work manual labor in a modern economy, but still have their cultural millstone around their neck, can’t we find someone better?
Since I assume Lee is speaking primarily about Mexican immigrants, and since Mexico is about 95% Catholic, I can only assume that he considers human sacrifice to be a “core religious practice” of Catholicism. Brad, now you git your mitts off that thar’ beatin’ heart and put that ticker right back where you found it!
Newsflash: Spanish does exist as a written language.
“Tell us what a culture with no concept of morality, no written language, no legal system and 6,000 year-old “technology” has to offer America”
Don’t you people call them ‘liberals’?
If these people were so desirable as immigrants, they wouldn’t have to sneak in as criminals.
The Catholicism practiced my most Mexicans and Central Americans of primitive (non-Hispanic, non-Castilian) ancestry is a bastard Christianity. Whatever morality they picked up from European culture is all they have ( I see you agree with that fact, Philip and “just” ). Most of them speak poor Spanish and are illiterate in any modern language.
American liberals didn’t give a damn about these people when Reagan was trying to save them from extermination by the communist Sandanistas. Now liberals worship these primitive people as if they bring some advanced culture to Western civilization.
In reality, all they care about is get cheap yard work and maid service.
So basically you’re saying we need to be worrying about Aztecs?
Real Americans need to worry about all illegal aliens and immigrants.
Anti-American subversives celebrate illegal aliens, the more illiterate and criminal the better.
Gutless liberals sit silently, afraid to have an opinion, because they don’t want to be called “racist” for criticizing the criminal behavior of anyone who is non-white.
Here’s an interesting tidbit about Americans and languages…
I recently watched “Where Eagles Dare” again on DVD. On a whim, I decided to see if German was among the language options on the soundtrack — seeing as how characters are supposed to be speaking German half the time, but you hear them in English (the Germans speaking English with German accents, of course).
But it did have French. I tried that, and guess what? When I went back to the movie, the Germans were speaking German. Only when the English-speaking characters were supposed to be speaking English did you hear French.
Why? Because the French are comfortable with hearing people speak their own language. They either understand it (and the Germans have given the French plenty of historical opportunity to learn how), or they put up with subtitles.
But there is a certain kind of American who is deeply offended by hearing another language spoken. And Hollywood didn’t want to offend that sort of American.
Brad, you’re fantasizing.
Very few French public schools teach German.
French was not even taught in the schools of Brittany until DeGaulle made it mandatory in 1950s.
The main reason for not having the Germans speak German in movies is that so many of the Americans revered by liberals can’t read the subtitles, or can’t read them fast enough, because public schools failed to teach them that basic skill before they dropped out and became Democrats.
Brad, Your take figures. When I was walking the Camino de Santiago in Spain a few years ago, I was chastened to find that most of the people walking the trail spoke at least 3 languages (other than my friend, Lorraine, and I only met 2 other U.S. citizens during that time). Furthermore, in Gallacia (northeast Spain), much of which was both rural and impoverished, quite a few folks spoke at least some English, and many spoke Portugese or French, as well as Spanish. These were not ‘privileged folk.’ But they were very kind to strangers in their midst.
Brad’s speculation about subtitles in a war have no relevance to the crisis of illegal alien invasion of the United States across the Mexican border.
Karen’s observation about rural Spaniards speaking some English or French, the world’s most useful commercial languages, is irrelevant not only to the criminal immigrants, but to Brad’s movie of the week.
Why can’t these people face the issue and discuss it as adults?