I urge you to read all the comments included, which are very interesting. Perhaps make a comment of your own directly in the site where this was published.
MJ
Posted on Friday, March 16, 2012 3:59:06 PM by SeekAndFind
Rick Santorum's contention that in order for Puerto Rico to become a state English must be its principal language drew criticism Thursday from the U.S. territory's sole representative in Congress.
"Santorum's view is narrow and a limiting view of what America is all about," said Pedro Pierluisi, a Democrat, on CNN's "Starting Point." "English is the predominant language in the U.S. and will continue to be so, whether Puerto Rico becomes a state or not." Puerto Rico will vote in November on a referendum regarding possible statehood.
While campaigning Wednesday ahead of the island's primary on Sunday, Santorum told a newspaper that for Puerto Rico to become "a state of the United States, English must be the principal language."
There is currently no law declaring an official language of the United States, though several attempts have been made to give English that designation. Thirty-one states have passed laws mandating English as their official language. The Constitution also makes no mention of a language test for territories or properties that wish to become states.
Both English and Spanish are official languages of Puerto Rico, though Spanish is by far the dominant language on the island. Santorum was spending a second day in Puerto Rico on Thursday, courting voters ahead of the primary. Asked about his comments on Thursday, Santorum told CNN, "English has to be learned as a language. It has to be a country where English is widely spoken and used. Yes."
NOTE THE ROMNEY CAMPAIGN AND CONTRAST THIS WITH SANTORUM's STANCE:
Romney's campaign issued a statement on Thursday contrasting his position on the issue with Santorum's. "Puerto Rico currently recognizes both English and Spanish as the official languages of the commonwealth," said Romney spokeswoman Andrea Saul. "Governor Romney believes that English is the language of opportunity and supports efforts to expand English proficiency in Puerto Rico and across America. However, he would not, as a prerequisite for statehood, require that the people of Puerto Rico cease using Spanish."
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COMMENTS:http://edition.cnn.com/2012/03/15/politics/campaign-wrap/
I know that most of my fellow U.S. citizens are not considered erudites in geography and lots don't know anything about politics beyond what they hear on Fox News, but are you people aware that those of us born in Puerto Rico have been FULL-FLEDGED U.S. CITIZENS SINCE 1917? Nobody asked me if I could speak English when I was BORN a U.S. Citizen, so somehow that logic of English being a requirement for citizenship fails miserably. Also, I have travelled all over the U.S. and, trust me, some of what "passes" for English in some parts of this Country makes "non-English speaking Puerto Ricans" sound like Sir Lawrence Olivier by comparison! Did any of you ever hear Strom Thurmond speak? And if so, where you able to make out A SINGLE WORD THAT HE SAID???? The point is, Congress can "require" whatever they want, but how are they going to ENFORCE IT???? Will the Statehood ballot include a reading comprehension test and a few essay questions like the SAT??? REALLY?????? Oh, and by the way, I don't think that anybody has to "portray Conservatives as anti-Latino", because Conservatives are doing a very good job at that themselves!
ReplyDeleteVoting for ANY Republican is an ignorance-based decission for ANY Latin person in particular, or anybody else for that matter. All of them, that is, the whole GOP is decided to do everything in their power to take away from you even your voting rights, to say the least. Have you followed their new law proposals (in all walks of life)as candidates??!! It would be very enlightening if you do so; otherwise your decission will be based on "I/we belong/allways have been a Republican". WAKE UP, FOLKS !!!!!!
ReplyDeleteSome people continue to miss the whole point. Conservatives this, GOP that. Even Pierluisi, presumably an American citizen representing 3.8 million other American citizens from his little closet in the US Capitol (actually in one of the "out of Capitol" buildings),joins the Democrat chant of "we aren't proud to be Americans"(paraphrasing Michele Obama).
ReplyDeleteWe Puerto Ricans are suppposed to be something else but Americans. It's the same as other Latinos, even the ones who jump fences or swim rivers or cross deserts to get here. Once arrived, we don't want to be Americans. We want to change the country to the image of the countries we abandoned, countries where it was impossible to live a decent life. If you don't believe this paradoxical behavior, just notice that never in Latino newscasts or newspapers is the word American used. Instead we must use the ridiculous adjective, "Anglo-Sajon". We may be refering to a descendant of any of the several European countries where a Romance language is spoken or perhaps to non-Germanic Eastern European (slavic) countries. Never mind, you are Anglo-Sajon by fiat.
Harking back to the love-hate relations of Puerto Ricans and the English language, let us remember that the most rancid pipiolos or populares who have the money send their kids to English only private schools. I remember studying in the same high school Vivian and Melo Mun~oz studied. How did Don~a Ines allow that to happen? Wasn't she the one who destroyed English teaching in island public schools back in the 40s? She and Mariano Villaronga, whose kids also went to English only private schools.
So, give me a break and don't be such hypocrites. Take a flying leap and be grateful you could call yourselves American, if you wanted.