Stray thoughts
Sounds like a one way ticket to a heart attack to me but caffeine addicts take note -- this is efficient delivery system that is sure to cut down on trips to the rest room anyway. [hat tip]
I've been ignoring the Cynthia McKinney flap. Personally I think it's much ado about nothing, although I think it's ridiculous to suggest arresting her on a felony charge of assaulting an officer. But I have to say, although he's a little harsh, I tend to agree with John Aravosis. All this hysterical ranting about racism marginalizes real instances of discrimination and disenfranchisement.
Near as I can tell, she sailed through security like she owned the place. She wasn't wearing her ID pin and she was wrong not to stop and show ID just like any other schlub. The self-importance thing makes her look bad. Nonetheless, Neil Boortz is still a big jerk.
The crown prince of hatemongering, Rep. Tom Tancredo is getting so much steam out of immigrant bashing that he's thinking of running for president. I have to admit, I don't know what to do about illegal immigration, but I feel certain that criminalizing 12 million people and spending 2 billion on a partial wall at the border is not the answer.
And one thing that really rings false to me is this complaint about the Hispanics failing to learn to speak English. It has ever been so in all the waves of immigration that have washed over this country. The first wave immigrants, have generally learned enough to get along but still the first generation speak their native tongues, whether it be Spanish, Polish, Italian, Chinese or Gaelic in their homes and it's their children and their grandchildren that become assimilated into the US culture. The old saw comes to mind. Hard to teach an old dog, new tricks.
The WSJ has a fascinating piece on the backstory behind the fall of Abramoff and its implications for Tom DeLay. We haven't heard much about this lately and I don't think it will heat up enough to make a difference in 06 but watch for this scandal to make an impact on 08.
Addendum: Jeralyn notes that WSJ didn't break this story. The irrepressible Jason Leopold did a few months ago, but as is typical with the MSM, these "professionals" didn't credit their source. After all it's "only a blog." Freaking elitist journalists think the world still revolves around them.
Update: I can't seem to get away from the McKinney story. More at the DetNews.
I've been ignoring the Cynthia McKinney flap. Personally I think it's much ado about nothing, although I think it's ridiculous to suggest arresting her on a felony charge of assaulting an officer. But I have to say, although he's a little harsh, I tend to agree with John Aravosis. All this hysterical ranting about racism marginalizes real instances of discrimination and disenfranchisement.
Near as I can tell, she sailed through security like she owned the place. She wasn't wearing her ID pin and she was wrong not to stop and show ID just like any other schlub. The self-importance thing makes her look bad. Nonetheless, Neil Boortz is still a big jerk.
The crown prince of hatemongering, Rep. Tom Tancredo is getting so much steam out of immigrant bashing that he's thinking of running for president. I have to admit, I don't know what to do about illegal immigration, but I feel certain that criminalizing 12 million people and spending 2 billion on a partial wall at the border is not the answer.
And one thing that really rings false to me is this complaint about the Hispanics failing to learn to speak English. It has ever been so in all the waves of immigration that have washed over this country. The first wave immigrants, have generally learned enough to get along but still the first generation speak their native tongues, whether it be Spanish, Polish, Italian, Chinese or Gaelic in their homes and it's their children and their grandchildren that become assimilated into the US culture. The old saw comes to mind. Hard to teach an old dog, new tricks.
The WSJ has a fascinating piece on the backstory behind the fall of Abramoff and its implications for Tom DeLay. We haven't heard much about this lately and I don't think it will heat up enough to make a difference in 06 but watch for this scandal to make an impact on 08.
Addendum: Jeralyn notes that WSJ didn't break this story. The irrepressible Jason Leopold did a few months ago, but as is typical with the MSM, these "professionals" didn't credit their source. After all it's "only a blog." Freaking elitist journalists think the world still revolves around them.
Update: I can't seem to get away from the McKinney story. More at the DetNews.
posted by Libby Spencer at 10:06 AM
4 Comments:
Oh, I don't know. When my Italian family came over at the beginning of the 20th century, the house rule was English Only.
"We're in America now, so we will speak English!"
*shrug*
Just depends on the family, I suppose.
That's the way I think it should be Bronwyn but in my experience it's more common for the first generations to struggle with the language. I often encountered situations where young kids were interpreting for their parents and I've known many third generation families where the grandparents barely mastered English, if at all.
On the other hand, and this is the key point I think, they didn't insist that their children be accomodated in their native tongue. I think the insistence on bi-lingual education is where a lot of resentment arises about immigrants -- illegal or otherwise.
I think the insistence on bi-lingual education is where a lot of resentment arises about immigrants -- illegal or otherwise.
I wholeheartedly agree. As a Texan, this point hits particularly close. It seems that every year it's brought up. People want to force the public schools to teach their kids in Spanish.
Of course, aside from the usual "you're in America now, speak English" retort, there's the problem of teachers. Teachers make so little and are in such high demand as it is. Where in world would they find Spanish-speaking duplicates, and with what would they be paid?
Craziness.
It is crazy. Worse yet, they don't even teach well rounded cirricula anymore. They teach to the dreaded NCLB test. Teachers got it tough in this climate.
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