July 14, 2008 8:45 AM
To hear the wingnuts rant about it, you would have thought that Obama had suggested we translate the American flag into French. FOX News found the Obamiad "scarry".
The conservative blog GOPUSA expressed the fraught nature of asking kids to learn a foreign language:
"The media won't write stories about what he says, but they don't need to. With today's technology, we can see for ourselves, and this latest incident is a doozy! Our education system is crazy enough with all these liberal, feel-good programs. Forget adding, subtracting, spelling, and grammar. Now, despite the fact that the rest of the world is learning English, he says that American kids should learn Spanish? What? Learn Spanish? Yes, and it shows just how out of touch and far left Obama is. We need a president who will put America first, not push for our culture to be forgotten."
Now, of course, Obama began his remarks by saying that every immigrant should learn English, as this video shows. His remarks were directed at asking Americans to reassert their role in world affairs and overcome narrow parochialism. But my purpose is not to defend him. Rather, it is to look at the ways the right uses the language issue as a political wedge to panic native-born Americans.
As the GOPUSA blog indicates, asking kids to learn a foreign language is "out of touch", "far left", failing to put "America first", and part of a "push for our culture to be forgotten". It also has something to do, apparently, with poor reading scores and declining math skills. Presumably, if we eliminated the study of Spanish (and French?) we would see most of the problems "No Child Left Behind" was supposed to address evaporate.
Think I am exaggerating the potency of this misdirection? Here is the analysis of another conservative blogger:
"McCain’s biggest weakness is the lack of passion from his conservative base. You want passion from conservatives? Tell them that they will have to make their children learn Spanish in 2009 and you will see passion. This is exactly the kind of issue that will bring out the base who will begrudgingly vote for John McCain. How ironic that immigration may be the issue that brings out the base for McCain?"
It is sad that in our country the great USA, most of the citizens speak only English. The people and children in the European countries learn and speak two or three languages in School.
Well, they say the end of the World will be 2012 and also they say by 2020 or sooner the mayority of the residents of the USA will be Hispanics. Why worry know?
By Cesar A. Malaga July 11, 2008 11:22 AM
Yeah, but Pat you must realize that Spanish is not a Bible-based language any more than whole language reading pedagogy, (as is phonics) or the new math.
About 10 to 15 yrs ago our local school board was taken over by a bunch of GOP bible-based fundamentalists who never mentionned they would make sure that all the perfidious liberals scouring the East End, snatching away the children of the unsuspecting would be checked by their vigilence and patriotism. Bilingualism became their first skirmish in their grand campaign to enter the final battle against Satan.
They were just ahead of time as we now see the Reconquista in full battle gear to seduce our children into bilingualism. Next on the perfidious liberal's march to lay waste to the East End is to outlaw bible based home-schooling to further vanquish the true patriotic, born in the U.S.A American. MaKE no mistake about it, Obama is the Reconquista's standard bearer.
By mo July 11, 2008 12:40 PM
I forgot that the Bible was written in English!
By Pat Young July 14, 2008 03:12 PM