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By Harris R. Sherline June 23, 2008 Page 2 of 2 President Theodore Roosevelt addressed this issue in 1907 when he said, "In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person's becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American...There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag...We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language... and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people." "The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey reveals that 83% of likely voters place a higher priority on encouraging immigrants to speak English as their primary language." ("English-First Still Favored By Most Americans," Wall Street Journal, June 7, 2008). So, what is the "English Only" movement all about? Quite simply, it's about making English the official language of the United States. A bill to accomplish this (H.R. 997) was introduced in the House of Representatives in 2007, and U.S. English, Inc. reports that it is supported by more than 80%of all Americans and almost two-thirds of Hispanics, according to polls taken in 2006. Thirty states already have some sort of English only law and, to my knowledge, it hasn't had any significant negative impacts in any of them. "The English Language Unity Act of 2007 would require the United States government to conduct official business in English," while still retaining the flexibility to permit or require that other languages be used to protect public health and safety, national security, or for the needs of commerce and the criminal justice system. I'm all for it. --- NOTE: Read more of Harris Sherline's commentaries on his blog at "opinionfest.com." -------------------- Note -- The opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions, views, and/or philosophy of GOPUSA. >> Back -- Page 1 2
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