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January 10, 2008 at 15:20:25

ENGLISH FIRST!!!AND WHAT IS SECOND? THIRD?

by ALONE Page 5 of 6 page(s)

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There is pent-up demand in the American development now (and there will be in the future) that only an increased population from abroad could create in America without adversely damaging the rest of the entire planet environmentally, socially, and politically

The third model or option to follow would be to create a real federal North and South America whereby labor, politicians, developmentalists, businessmen, and socio-political entrepreneurs could cross borders and return with reciprocity. (This is the model the European union is following currently , but Europe is still not keeping up well in terms of manpower in many regions—due to the aforementioned definitions of “illegal immigration”. Such definitions and statutes promote or foster both directly and indirectly xenophobia and anti-development regionally.)

All-in-all, Americans need to really consider what kind of America they wish to see for the rest of this millennium.

Do we want to have a parochial future which continues to find America be unable to make peace with others around the globe—i.e. without getting stuck in endless wars on terrorism, endless wars in Iraq, or endless wars in the mountains of Pakistan and Afghanistan?

In short, let’s make friends and grow America while promoting a better quality of life for everyone—in and out of the USA—by changing how we approach immigration.

Many peoples around the world already identify and appreciate many facets of Americana in film and media. Most of these peoples would like to be our friends and/or join our family. Just look at how many good quality immigrants and citizens Canada and Ireland have recruited over the past two decades by easing immigration restrictions and promoting both internal and external market growth in a more modern manner

Think about it America!

Currently, due to its population-size, its large internal market and humongous external market, China (with 1.2 billion people) is on American radar as probably the number one threat militarily and economically for the rest of this century.

Could a dynamo American economy (with an emphasis on efficiency of integration and immigration &) with a growing population keep up much better? I believe it would.

In summary, I argue that especially if every region in America was allowed to participate in the planning as to how to handle such a boom in population and if each region was given the national resources to plan and manage such growth properly, American and modern-know how would step up to the plate.

ENGLISH FIRST OR MULTILINGUAL=GOOD?

Sometime ago, my mother passed on one of those e-mail jokes which went like this:

“And for those of you who watch what you eat, here’s the final word on nutrition and health. (1) The Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.(2) The Mexicans eat a lot of fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.(3) The Chinese drink very little red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than American.(4) The Italians drink excessive amounts of red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.(5) The Germans drink a lot of beer and eat lots of sausage & also suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.CONCLUSION: Eat and drink what you like. Speaking English is apparently what kills you.”

Such a joke leads me to recall that only about 100 years ago my own Grandmother Gertrud in southwest Wisconsin grew up in a German speaking home.

However, the German language was not passed along to her well by her parents in those years. Those were the WWI war years which were immediately leading up to the implementation of the xenophobically-charged U.S.A. laws prohibiting immigration in 1920.

Over the next 20 to 30 years almost every single one of the hundreds or thousands of multilingual schools in the United States of America (from New York to Cincinnati to Texas and California) was closed down.

Such multilingual schools had previously allowed (i.e. prior to the 1930s & 1940s) for better integration of immigrant children and their families into the USA than did the mono-lingual-only-schools found in most of America for the rest of the 20th Century.

This monolingual America of the second half of the 20th Century did not serve America well starting in the 1960s. By that time, other nations, trading blocks, and regions began to produce their own goods for the American market.

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http://the-teacher.blogspot.com/

"I am from Kansas so I also use the pseudonym 'Kansas' when I write and publish. I keep two blogs--one with blogger and one with GNN. My writings range from reviews to editorials or to travel observations. I also make recommendations related to policy--having both a strong background in teaching foreign languages and degrees in teaching in history and the social sciences. As a midwesterner, I also write on religion and living out ones faith whether it be as a Christian, Muslim or Buddhist perspective."

On my own home page, I also provide information for language learners and travelers http://www.geocities.com/eslkevin/ , http://the-teacher.blogspot.com/ & http://alone.gnn.tv/

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5 comments

JUST A CONCERN CITIZEN AND LOVE MY COUNTRY GREW UP IN A SMALL FISHING TOWN IN NJ,BUT THE DAY I GOT MY DRIVERS LICENSE,SPENT MOST OF MY TIME EXPANSING MY MINE. LEARNED A LOT THE HARD WAY,BUT MOSTLY STREET SMART. AT 65 HAVE PRETTY GOOD IDEA WHO THE SNAKES ARE.
RICHARD SHADEJUST A CONCERN CITIZEN AND LOVE MY COUNTRY GREW UP IN A SMALL FISHING TOWN IN NJ,BUT THE DAY I GOT MY DRIVERS LICENSE,SPENT MOST OF MY TIME EXPANSING MY MINE. LEARNED A LOT THE HARD WAY,BUT MOSTLY STREET SMART. AT 65 HAVE PRETTY GOOD IDEA WHO THE SNAKES ARE.

THIS IS AMERICA SPEAK ENGLISH OR GO HOME

ALL THIS GLOBALIZATION IS BEING FORCED ON THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, WE HAVE NO SAY IN THIS MADER. WE ARE FAST APPROACHING THE TIME OF THE ULTIMATE INVERSION; THE TIME WHERE THE GOVERNMENT IS FREE TO DO ANYTHING IT PLEASES, WHILE THE CITIZENS MAY ACT ONLY WITH PERMISSION; WHICH IS THE TIME OF THE DARKEST PERIODS OF HISTORY, THE TIME OF RULE BY BRUTE FORCE.

by RICHARD SHADE (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 460 comments) on Friday, January 11, 2008 at 6:56:13 AM

KEVIN STODA has been blessed to have either traveled in or worked in nearly 100 countries on five continents over the past two and a half decades. He sees himself as a peace educator and have been a promoter of good economic and social development--making him an enemy of my homelands humongous spending and its focus on using weapons to try and solve global issues."I am from Kansas so I also use the pseudonym 'Kansas' when I write and publish. I...

to see more of bio, click on member name
ALONEKEVIN STODA has been blessed to have either traveled in or worked in nearly 100 countries on five continents over the past two and a half decades. He sees himself as a peace educator and have been a promoter of good economic and social development--making him an enemy of my homelands humongous spending and its focus on using weapons to try and solve global issues."I am from Kansas so I also use the pseudonym 'Kansas' when I write and publish. I...

to see more of bio, click on member name

You are confused--I am an American

You are confused and unaware that nearly 35 million Americans are forced by war or unemployment in America to work abroad.

I am in Kuwait and suggest you come abroad before you ever again blindly and unfairly suggest someone leave the states.

The economy and underdevelopment are proven by the very fact that any of us have to earn money outside the USA to pay off housing and other bills or loans in the USA.

Thanks for proving that more sanguine awareness is needed in your group of thinkers.

Kevin--a Kansan forced to work in exile while Bush has his party

by ALONE (144 articles, 1 quicklinks, 4 diaries, 317 comments) on Friday, January 11, 2008 at 7:17:06 AM

NOT CONFUSED

I AND AMERICAN AN LIVED AND WORKED HERE AL MY LIFE AND MY HOUSE IS PAYED FOR AND MY BILLS ARE PAID. SOMETIMES PEOPLE WANT BIGGER TOYS AND MORE THAN THEY BUY SO WHEN THEY SEE SOMEONE IS WILLING TO GIVE THEM A BIG PAY CHECK OFFSHORE, THEY JUMP AT IT I GEST THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THIS, BUT MAY BE THIS WHY WE ARE IN THE MESS WE ARE IN.

by RICHARD SHADE (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 460 comments) on Friday, January 11, 2008 at 8:42:40 AM

A writer is a rogue goose. All other gees fly in a flock formation; every goose knows his place and time for honking. The rogue goose is undisciplined. He leaves the formation indiscriminately to have a look at it from aside. He roams back and forth, takes a peep at the leader, honks a little bit from behind, distracts everyone and writes on what he sees. Time passes and as he wants to return back to his place he discovers someone else there. Thus he either has to wait until they land for rest...

to see more of bio, click on member name
Mark SashineA writer is a rogue goose. All other gees fly in a flock formation; every goose knows his place and time for honking. The rogue goose is undisciplined. He leaves the formation indiscriminately to have a look at it from aside. He roams back and forth, takes a peep at the leader, honks a little bit from behind, distracts everyone and writes on what he sees. Time passes and as he wants to return back to his place he discovers someone else there. Thus he either has to wait until they land for rest...

to see more of bio, click on member name

On languages

1. I dare to say that the language people here speak is not English at all. Most Americans do not know English grammar and such thing as, say, Past Participle is far beyond their comprehension. Our President does not know English language.

2. Of course, the documentation here has to be in one language and it better be the one capable to absorb the terminology. English is good for official business. It is thus must be considered a LONGTERM requirement for a person to function as a citizen if that person DOES NOT HAVE OTHER MEANS. Such other means can be wealth, or occupation which does not require to use English language for commmunication.

3. At the same time no one has a right to impose people NOT TO SPEAK in the everyday life with each other in any language including sign one or not to STUDY that language and associated culture. NO ONE has a right to deny services to a person who is willing to pay for them on the premise that that person cannot explain his/her wishes. An effort must be made to find out what the person wants. NO ONE has a right to deny help also. In fact, NOTHING can be denied to aa citizesn who cannot communicate while at the same time the English language must be encouraged and promoted.

What it means that we must acknowledge English as a state language but it does not exclude people who for some reason now cannot use it. And again- that is only good if we ourselves respect our English and stop allowing people like GW to abuse it.

by Mark Sashine (53 articles, 19 quicklinks, 249 diaries, 3570 comments) on Friday, January 11, 2008 at 12:30:47 PM

This is well put and R.S. needs to remember that employment

This is well put. However, it ignores the great need for Americans to learn more than one language to be marketable and fairly treated in the world we live in today. Here is an example where 100,000 jobless Americans end up in Kuwait to make mortgages in today's economy.

My dad taught me to be prepared for change and Americans like R.S. ignore the world's mandate the the REAL world of business and real economics--not touchy feely love-it-or leave it Americanism.

That reality is in 2008, "If you want to sell us something and you are the only one who has it, we will speak English, but in a competitive world, you had better learn our culture and language."

by ALONE (144 articles, 1 quicklinks, 4 diaries, 317 comments) on Saturday, January 12, 2008 at 1:08:52 PM