Thursday, February 28, 2002
Latest on Senate Election Reform Debate: Still Time for You to Be Heard
Senate Democrats reportedly spent today meeting with civil rights groups and Congressional Black Caucus members over requirements currently in S.565 which require voters who register by mail to show proof of residence with a photo ID, a utility bill or government check when they attempt to vote for the first time. This provision would be removed by the Schumer-Wyden amendment, an amendment which received 51 votes earlier this week.
There are reports that the Democrats know they do not have the 60 votes needed to invoke cloture tomorrow morning. Daschle said that if cloture does not succeed on Friday, March 1st, he may bring the issue back for another vote Monday.
If you haven't e-mailed your Senators asking them to oppose S.565 please do so. In its current form, S.565 would make bilingual ballots mandatory everywhere.
|posted by Jim on 8:46 PM|
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VT Senator Asks the Impossible
The U.S. Senate's biggest Grateful Dead fan, Senator Patick Leahy (D-VT), announced during a press conference today that he has demanded the Bush Administration not destroy anything that might have given a warning of the 9/11 attack, including "material in a foreign language that had not been translated." Arabic translation is no straightforward matter as an English First Foundation white paper, "Translation, bin Laden and E.O. 13166" (requires free Abode Acrobat Reader demonstrates.
|posted by Jim on 8:18 PM|
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English First on the Air
Californians (and insomniacs) can hear me on "The Larry Morino Show" on KRLA (NewsTalk 870 AM) again tonight. The program is also available via the Internet. I believe the program re-airs at midnight, Pacific time. A call from an immigrant strongly supporting official English is worth hearing.
|posted by Jim on 8:08 PM|
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Iowa Newspaper Calls for Official English Veto
The Des Moines Register demanded Iowa's Governor Tom Vilsack (D) veto the pending official English bill yesterday. The newspaper made its position clear from the beginning: "What an embarrassment for Iowa. A bunch of yahoos in the Legislature finally passed a bill declaring English the state's official language." The Register then complained that official English is -- gasp -- popular: "A poll by the Register last December showed 81 percent of 826 Iowa adults wanted the Legislature to establish English as the state's official language." The newspaper's editorial concluded, "What the Legislature did is shameful, and the governor shouldn't lend his name to it."
One might also say that the Iowa legislature was doing the right thing for the taxpayers and the people of Iowa.
|posted by Jim on 7:32 PM|
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Cloture Rules
According to the U.S. Senate website, it takes the votes of at least 60 Senators to invoke cloture. Only 51 Senators voted for the Schumer-Wyden pro-vote fraud amendment that has provoked a Republican filibuster. This will be an interesting vote to watch.
|posted by Jim on 6:28 PM|
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Cloture Vote on S.565 on March 1st
The Senate has adjourned for the day. There will be a cloture vote at 9:45 a.m. tomorrow. If cloture is invoked, debate on S.565, the election"reform" bill, will be limited. If cloture is not invoked, things promise to get interesting.
|posted by Jim on 6:21 PM|
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S.565: The real issue is vote fraud
Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) just took the floor to announce that negotiations to save the Democrat's election reform bill are continuing. He complained that since the Senate bill would have to go to a House-Senate conference and then to President Bush, Republicans "should be willing to take their chances."
During the debate which began last week, it became apparent relatively quickly that S.565 is a "heads I win, tails you lose" for the Republicans. If they pass an election reform bill that makes vote fraud easier, they will become extinct. Senators Mary Landrieu (D-LA) and Jean Carnahan (D-MO), who owe their seats to election irregularities, should recuse themselves from this debate.
If they don't pass S.565, Democrats plan to use the bill to incite their voters over Florida chads in 2000. (Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL) is ranting about that on the Senate floor as I write.)
Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) has shut down consideration of S.565 because it is not tilted enough to the interests of the Democrats. He objects to a Republican provision requiring states to purge voter rolls of voters registered in multiple districts, voters who do not exist and those who are deceased.
I will never forget lectures on the sanctity of the ballot in November 2000 by Gore campaign officials, like William Daily, a man whose father's constituents famously included residents of Chicago cemeteries.
The debate on the S.565 resumes at 3:00 p.m. If you haven't e-mailed your Senators, there is still time to do so.
|posted by Jim on 2:26 PM|
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Wednesday, February 27, 2002
The country is safe for a few hours
The Senate has adjourned for the night. They plan to resume consideration of S.565 tomorrow, February 28th, at 11:00 a.m.
|posted by Jim on 7:02 PM|
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Response to Nevada Spanish Pledge of Allegiance Policy
English First member Kenneth Record responds to today's John Smith column in the Las Vegas Review-Journal:
"John Smith's column regarding reciting the pledge of allegiance at Fremont Middle School shows us just how badly N.E.A. multiculturalism has flown away from all reality.
"I have a suggestion for Principal Montoya. Drop it fast. Twenty years ago when serving on a school board in California, we made understanding the pledge as recited in English a first requirement of our ESL and bilingual classes.
"But, that was two decades ago before the N.E.A. and its allies on the left made assimilation a dirty word."
|posted by Jim on 3:39 PM|
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Nevada Students Recite Pledge of Allegiance in Spanish
John Smith, a columnist for the Las Vegas Review-Journal, writes today:
"At John C. Fremont Middle School, a student recently protested being asked to stand during the pledge of allegiance. Not out of a lack of patriotism, but because it was being recited in Spanish, not English.
"The pledge of allegiance in Spanish?
"On Thursdays at Fremont, the pledge is recited in Spanish and English. Although Fremont Principal Ben Montoya says only one student has complained, and several of his Spanish-speaking students expressed their gratitude at finally learning the words to the pledge, the educational footnote was bound to generate ample debate."
|posted by Jim on 3:31 PM|
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Debate over S.565 Shows Danger of Negotiation
Senator Kit Bond (R-MO) was visibly angry this morning after efforts to table Schumer-Wyden failed. He had agreed to oppose other Republican vote fraud reduction proposals in return for getting some protections added to S.565, protections which would be gutted by Schumer-Wyden. Bond complained that "we negotiated for six months in good faith to get a provision that would make it tougher to cheat. But the Democratic leadership decided that they really didnīt want to take a stand against fraud." Bond said of an amendment offered by Conrad Burns (R-MT) allowing states to purge of voter rolls which Bond opposed last week, "I liked his amendment then and I like it better now."
Congressional Quarterly reports this afternoon that the NAACP opposes any photo identification for voters: "In many ways, we see the photo ID situation as akin to a poll tax," said Hilary Shelton, director of the NAACPīs Washington bureau. "[Bond]'s asking people to pay extra [for an ID] to vote."
The motion to table failed by a vote of 46-51. Senator Gordon Smith (R-OR) voted for Shumer-Wyden, as did Jim Jeffords (I-VT).
Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD) has threatened to stop consideration of S.565.
Assistant Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) just recessed the Senate until 4:30 p.m.
|posted by Jim on 3:17 PM|
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Schumer-Wyden Passes; Filibuster Against S.565 Begins
Fifty-one Senators voted to weaken the election reform bill (S.565) still further by voting against a motion to table the Schumer-Wyden amendment. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) just objected to an effort to move off the issue. More details this afternoon.
|posted by Jim on 10:59 AM|
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E.O. 13166 Loophole in Iowa Official English Bill
The Des Moines Register's coverage of the Iowa House-approved official English bill mentions that it contains an exception for "[a]ny language use required by or necessary to secure constitutional rights." Clinton Executive Order 13166 as interpreted in 2000 by the Department of Justice, effectively defines as a "constitutional right" the ability to receive services from any agency of government in any language anyone wishes to speak at any time. While the man who led the bill through the House, Rep. Dwayne Alons, has a right to be proud of his work, he needs to get the members of the Iowa Congressional delegation behind H.R. 969, Congressman Bob Stump's bill to repeal E.O. 13166. Then Alons can take a well-earned break.
|posted by Jim on 12:15 AM|
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Tuesday, February 26, 2002
RIP Bilingual Education?
James Crawford, an ardent supporter of bilingual education, complains in "Obituary: The Bilingual Education Act, 1968 - 2002" that bilingual education has been devastated by Congress because "the rapid teaching of English will [now] take precedence at every turn."
While there is considerable doubt that the anti-English lobby will tolerate such a result for long, Crawford's complaint is interesting in itself. Since 1968, bilingual education advocates have told legislators that their pet program would teach English more effectively than traditional immersion methods. Now the same people claim it is unfair to expect "bilingual" programs to actually teach any child to speak English.
|posted by Jim on 11:58 PM|
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The Racism Canard
Interesting question via e-mail tonight: "It seems as though when I bring up the issue of bilinqual issues, people automatically jump to the conclusion of racism. Why? Is it me or are people not looking to the future when there is difficulty communicating and understanding each other on a large scale?"
I responded: The accusation of racism is the last resort of those who know that both the facts and common sense are on the side of English first.
You and I are trying to help immigrant children learn English so they can take advantage of the opportunities America offers.
You and I are trying to keep this nation of immigrants from becoming even more divided over issues of language, creating intractable Canadian-style linguistic separatism.
If our opponents succeed in discouraging immigrants from learning English, those poor folks will always need someone to "help" them make their way in American society.
In the kingdom of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.
|posted by Jim on 11:36 PM|
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Schumer-Wyden "More Vote Fraud" Amendment to S.565
The Schumer-Wyden amendment has provoked Senator Kit Bond (R-MO) to spend the last thirty minutes outlining all the vote fraud schemes that have crept into our elections. Under Schumer-Wyden, Bond notes, not only could a dog register to vote, his paw print would be sufficient signature. When the Bond comments become available online, I'll set up a link.
|posted by Jim on 6:36 PM|
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Iowa House Passes Official English
News Max reports today that the Iowa House has passed an official English bill and sent the bill to Governor Tom Vilsack(D). Gov. Vilsack has expressed opposition to the measure.
|posted by Jim on 6:18 PM|
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Debate on S.565 to continue on Wednesday, Feb. 27th
No more votes on amendments to S.565 tonight. No word on the timing of the vote on the Hatch amendment or on final passage.
Accordingly, there is still time to send you Senators an e-mail on this bad bill.
|posted by Jim on 5:52 PM|
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Bilingual Ballots Not Needed
Greg Norby concisely (and accurately) summed up the bilingual ballot issue in an e-mail to me today: "It takes about 3-(?) years to become a citizen. This is more than enough time to learn English adequately. You must be a citizen to vote. Problem solved!"
|posted by Jim on 5:47 PM|
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Hatch Offers Bilingual Ballot Amendment
Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) just offered an amendment to S.565 that would make bilingual ballots a permanent part of the Voting Rights Act. Floor debate has been postponed. English First has informed the Senate that their vote on the Hatch amendment will be scored as a ratings vote.
|posted by Jim on 4:44 PM|
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E.O. 13166 & Bilingual Ballots
As the Senate debates S.565 today, English First members are being told there is no bilingual ballot problem. In an article for National Review Online today, I explain the problem:
"As long as Clinton Executive Order 13166 remains on the books, any federal funds given to states for voting machines carry with those funds multilingual mandates which apply to '[p]rograms that serve a few or even one LEP person.'"
|posted by Jim on 12:49 PM|
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Monday, February 25, 2002
Spanish Teacher For Bilingualism
Fred Reuter pass on an interesting piece from yesterday's Houston Chronicle:
"Spanish an immigrant language that's here to stay" from, your guessed it, a foreign language teacher who says "Regardless of what happens, I'm glad I know Spanish. If I didn't, I'd start studying it right now." The anti-English lobby likes to confuse learning a second language, a good thing, with forcing government and business to function in two or more languages. The author boasts of the "increased importance worldwide" of the Spanish language. Chinese and Japanese, to name two other tongues, are important worldwide too. Spanish teachers arguing that everyone should learn Spanish seems more about drumming up business than of making disinterested observations about the public good.
|posted by Jim on 4:16 PM|
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Do as I say, not as I do
English First member Verna Echols writes: "Interestingly, Senator Ted Kennedy pushes the [bilingual education] program, a known failure in California, Florida and elsewhere, while we have yet to hear him give a speech in Spanish."
|posted by Jim on 12:52 PM|
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NR: Riordan Blasts Bilingual Ballots
John Miller reports in today's National Review Online that one of the Republican candidates for Governor, Richard Riordan, referred to bilingual education as "downright evil." Riordan gets it. Perhaps his GOP compatriots will do so as well.
|posted by Jim on 12:31 PM|
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Friday, February 22, 2002
NYC Hospitals Sued for Lack of Spanish Services
Fri Feb 22 (Reuters Health) - A grass roots organization here has filed suit against two Brooklyn hospitals, accusing them of failing to offer non-English-speaking patients translation and interpretation services mandated by federal, state and city law.
Full text.
|posted by Jim on 9:10 PM|
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Welcome to English First Updates
There is so much going on about official English issues that I could e-mail English First activists almost every day about something.
Thus, this new blogger page, which allows me to post up to the minute legislative updates, links to items you might find of interest and to post your comments or news items as well.
The archives feature of this page allows you to visit on your schedule and scan lots of short items in little time.
English First Updates will be far better for everyone with your imput Send your comments, complaints or whatever to me at jboulet@englishfirst.org.
I plan to use names only to protect your privacy and will edit for length.
English First alerts will still be e-mailed as events warrant. There is no charge to sign up for this service.
Thank you in advance for your participation in this important cause. Let the conversation begin.
|posted by Jim on 1:44 PM|
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