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IntrepidIsMe Pimp Handed
Joined: 14 Jun 2002 Posts: 13057 Location: New York
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Sat Mar 31, 2007 4:47 pm Abolish bilingual education, Gingrich urges |
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CNN wrote: | � Newt Gingrich equates bilingual education with "language of living in a ghetto"
� Former House speaker says election ballots should be in English only
� Bilingual teaching advocate calls speech "hateful"
� Peter Zamora says immigrants don't resist learning English |
Source (CNN): http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/03/31/gingrich.bilingual.ap/index.html
So I can kind of understand the whole election ballad bit, although I'm not sure if I can agree with it entirely. However, the whole abolisment of bilingual education bit is rather stupid. Knowing only one language is just uncultured.
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"Nelly, I am Heathcliff! He's always, always in my mind: not as a pleasure, any more than I am always a pleasure to myself, but as my own being."
-Wuthering Heights
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La Forge Bajoran Colonel
Joined: 16 Feb 2006 Posts: 2125 Location: Babylon 5
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Sat Mar 31, 2007 5:18 pm |
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I agree with you there. This little bit of information ranks up there with some of the stupidest things I've heard in awhile. I think bilingual education is very important. I'm been learning French for a few years and I'm planning on making a trip to Europe. As you said, it is just uncultured to remain...monolingual, I suppose. Plus, if people didn't know other languages, it would be quite hard to deal with other nations, etc.
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You'll never hear me say this again in my life, but...
Go Red Sox!
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Republican_Man STV's Premier Conservative
Joined: 26 Mar 2004 Posts: 14823 Location: Classified
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Sat Mar 31, 2007 7:51 pm |
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English-only sounds good to me. Unless you want to learn a foreign language (like me) or come from a foreign country and need education in that language.
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"Rights are only as good as the willingness of some to exercise responsibility for those rights- Fmr. Colorado Senate Pres. John Andrews
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Founder Dominion Leader
Joined: 21 Jun 2004 Posts: 12755 Location: Gamma Quadrant
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Sat Mar 31, 2007 7:55 pm |
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Well, Gingrich just lost my vote. I live in a place called America. America is made up of dozens of religions, customs, and languages. English is not the national language and should never be. This is really ignorant on his part.
"the language of living in the ghetto"?
What a fat, racist, disgusting pig.
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Lord Borg Fleet Admiral
Joined: 27 May 2003 Posts: 11214 Location: Vulcan Capital City, Vulcan
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Sat Mar 31, 2007 7:58 pm |
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I have to agree, to make it a 'national language' is kinda bothersome... not to mention, I'm a tad disturbed at the comment that its uncultural to only know one language? Does that mean that because I only know english I'm uncultural?
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When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears
When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears
And I held your hand through all of these years
But you still have
All of me
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La Forge Bajoran Colonel
Joined: 16 Feb 2006 Posts: 2125 Location: Babylon 5
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Sat Mar 31, 2007 8:02 pm |
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Sorry. I should've worded that better. What I meant to say is that restricting other languages is being uncultured. Sorry 'bout that. I know plenty of people who only speak one language that are "cultured".
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You'll never hear me say this again in my life, but...
Go Red Sox!
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IntrepidIsMe Pimp Handed
Joined: 14 Jun 2002 Posts: 13057 Location: New York
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Sat Mar 31, 2007 8:44 pm |
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The uncultured comment on my part was to illustrate the point that knowing more than one language is really the opposite of the "language of living in a ghetto."
I'd be really offended if I was of a different nationality and living in the United States and my language was equated to that of the ghetto- and everything that that entails.
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"Nelly, I am Heathcliff! He's always, always in my mind: not as a pleasure, any more than I am always a pleasure to myself, but as my own being."
-Wuthering Heights
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TrekkieMage Office Junkie
Joined: 17 Oct 2004 Posts: 5335 Location: Hiding
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Tue Apr 03, 2007 5:23 pm |
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Bull.
I went to a bilingual elementary school. And I lived in (*gasp*) a predominatly white upper middle class neighborhood. I met people I never would have met otherwise.
I heard this for the first time yesterday and I was outraged. Not only does it help English speakers learn another language (like Spanish, for me), but it also helps non-English speakers adjust to their enviornment here while on equal footing with other children in their grade.
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