[Grovenet] Habla English?

[Ron D'Eau Claire]

David wrote:
Yes, and my point was that we cannot distinguish legal American  
citizens and immigrants from illegal migrants using language alone.   
I am concerned that some people do use language as the determinant.
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No argument there. And, of course, there are those who are simply bigots.
I've met a few folks who consider the whole area from Hillsboro to Forest
Grove no better than a slum district of Mexico City. I recommend Idaho
points east as a place they'd probably feel most comfortable.

David wrote:
We have, for certain, students who have been in our school system for  
eight years who still have problems with English as a medium of  
communication.  Some of them have another language to fall back upon  
and some have nothing else.  Has the school system failed or is there  
a larger problem?  I want all children to have the ability to  
communicate.  And that would include special needs children.

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That's a HUGE problem as far as I'm concerned. What about education is not
in the province of the schools? If the kid isn't learning to read or write,
he's not getting the education he needs and we *must* provide or our schools
are not doing their job and, literally, failing our communities and our
country. 

That said, I think the school system has been handicapped by so-called
"parent's rights". Schools must now pussyfoot around to avoid law suits, too
often putting concerns about court cases ahead of education. 

David wrote:

Yes, language is an important factor in unifying our people.  There  
is more.  We must want to be unified.  We must want to share a common  
culture that includes our individual cultures in some fashion.  I  
don't want people to speak English because I speak English, I want  
people from all languages and cultures in this nation to be able to  
communicate.  English is a functioning and available common  
denominator.  I want to use it rather than create some pidgin or  
creole language.

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I agree, but it think that a common language is the essential first step.
Without it, we can't do more. With it, we can share cultural values, we can
relate our stories. 

Ron D'Eau Claire