"National identity" is for snotty nations like france. Let them be protectionist about their culture and language. America's strength has always come from its diversity, and our language is becoming more universal, more so even than british english, just because we aren't so picky about it. American English will thrive not because we force it on people, but because it adapts and absorbs. Once we solidify "official" speak, the language starts to die.

I wouldn't want a national language imposed on me any more than a national hairstyle. I don't believe in "national" for much of anything, nor do I believe that I have the right to impose a national language on places made up of people who predominantly speak spanish.

The day I allow myself to impose a national language on others is the day that I grant other people the right to impose their idea of a national language on me. "National" needs to butt the hell out and let us shift down more to the state and community level where we can most faithfully represent ourselves in a democracy.

Let the "national" government see to international diplomacy, defence, etc. They are way too interested in unifying diverse areas of the nation under one banner as it is. We in fly-over America don't need elitist, leftist, amoral dogma foisted on us, and for that reason we shouldn't start waving our own banners and trying to bend people to what we consider to be the "national identity"...

I suppose you're right, Baker. I may as well start taking conversational Spanish, though, if I intend to remain here. We're in the disputed territory.

It's a matter of reality. I don't think you can legislate reality. You can't do it with drugs as much as I wish we could, and you couldn't do it with prohibition, and you have even less of a chance of doing it with language.

As I said on someone else's blog, I can keep going into restaurants and keep complaining about not being able to order a cheesburger, or I can take a couple of hours out of my week and learn to order it in Spanish. I know it looks like defeat, but in the end you can only ignore the rain so long before you pack up the picnic.

I am sympathetic, don't get me wrong. I hate change as much or more than other conservatives, and I don't for a second like the idea of our "culture" changing. I have seen the reality of that, though, as my own Appalachian culture becomes something for craft festivals and antique stores, supplanted by the great wonderbread culture.

So now that the great wonderbread culture is threatened, I'm not all that upset or surprised. Our efforts to make a generic society are misguided, and will just bring us more and more pain.

I say we go back to caveman days and just grunt, gesture, grimace and grin.

grunt grunt grunt.

(how do you say that in spanish, el grunto, el grunto, el grunto?)

yo grunto, tu grunte, nosotros gruntamos.

Virtually every other country on the planet has at least one

If by this you mean an 'official' language, I'm not sure that that is true. Here is a link with information on which countries do and do not have official languages. Link It's really interesting.

What for example is the Official National Language of the United Kingdom? Well, everyone knows that England (one of the UK nations) is where English comes from, but English is not the official national language - it's just what almost everybody speaks. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the country's official name in English. It is also known as:
Teyrnas Unedig Prydain Fawr a Gogledd Iwerddon [Welsh]
An Rìoghachd Aonaichte na Breatainn Mhòr agus Eirinn a Tuath [Scottish Gaelic]
Unitit Kinrick o Great Breetain an Northren Ireland [Scots]
Ríocht Aontaithe na Breataine Móire agus Tuaisceart na hÉireann [Irish]
An Rywvaneth Unys a Vreten Veur hag Iwerdhon Glédh [Cornish]

A whole box of cigars for anyone who can pronounce even one of these

Official Languages are only really relevant in New World nations in which almost everyone is an immigrant, newer nations formed from older civilisations or where national boundaries were deliberately destroyed by colonialism (as in Africa). Most people in Germany speak German and most people in Korea speak Korean. However German is not the official language of Germany - although it is the official language of Austria. Korean is not the 'official' language of Korea, simply because, as one of the most racially homogeneous nations on earth, no-one ever thought an official language was necessary.

Then you have odd cases like the Republic of Ireland [Poblacht na hÉireann] where Irish [Gaeilge] is described in the Constitution as the 'first official language' of a republic that is overwhelmingly English speaking.

I think that Baker is basically right: for most nations an official language is either unnecessary or a thing so settled that it is uncontroversial. Where that is not the case, an official language becomes an imposition with all the problems for democracy that that implies.

I think that Baker is basically right: for most nations an official language is either unnecessary or a thing so settled that it is uncontroversial. Where that is not the case, an official language becomes an imposition with all the problems for democracy that that implies.

I tihk it is obvious that people are looking for leverage in some cases, too. As we get more and more sensitive to issues of race, religion, etc., we have a harder time finding labels and "handles" to grab people by.

Language was the PC issue of the 90's and was so over the top that being PC about language now is a joke. That leaves it the go-to way to slight undesirables in situations. I'm not accusing Gid of this, but some people are giving the same fearful, "they're taking over the nation" speeches that people gave 50 years ago, with language as the villain instead of culture, race, etc.

It used to be that people spat "smelly mexicans/indians/whatever", and while some people (even around here) still do, language seems to be the *wink wink* way of saying it now. When we start making laws and defining languages, I don't believe for a second we're really talking about language, we're just using the only handle on the situation that is socially acceptable to use.

I find your ignorance dissapointing. The immigration rallies have been nothing short of peaceful, and when you consider the millions of people involved in these marches that is quite the accomplishment. They have the right to organize and demonstrate, and the fact that you would critique others for simply exercising a right that you shows your short sightedness.

As for not adopting an official language, who cares? Do you really think an official language would change anything one bit?

Ryan: I've reread it twice, and I don't see anything about the protests, nor does he seem to mention that people shouldn't have the right to protest. If I am going blind, please feel free to highlight what you are upset about.

They have the right to organize and demonstrate, and the fact that you would critique others for simply exercising a right that you shows your short sightedness.

Since when do citizens of foreign countries have American rights?

Imagine a protest made up of CITIZENS with outstanding arrest warrants, do you not think the police would have descended on such a parade with paddy wagons? INS should have been checking green cards at these demonstrations and carting people away as fast as they could load them up.

For all these illegals to blatantly advertise their criminal status while demanding rights that they are NOT entitled to, just shows how ineffectual and impotent our government is. Shameful, absolutely shameful.

Teyrnas Unedig Prydain Fawr a Gogledd Iwerddon [Welsh] An Rìoghachd Aonaichte na Breatainn Mhòr agus Eirinn a Tuath [Scottish Gaelic] Unitit Kinrick o Great Breetain an Northren Ireland [Scots] Ríocht Aontaithe na Breataine Móire agus Tuaisceart na hÉireann [Irish] An Rywvaneth Unys a Vreten Veur hag Iwerdhon Glédh [Cornish] A whole box of cigars for anyone who can pronounce even one of these

I can do the Scottish one, but not the Gaelic one.
Just put on your "best" Scotty (James Doohan) accent and say it. That doesn't work for the Gaelic one though.

One of the most glaring oversights of our founding fathers was in not adopting English as the official language of this country

The irony is that we came within a Gnat's whisker of adopting German as our national language.  While it might seem obvious that the founding fathers were of one mind on the subject, the truth is that they were not.  And since there was such a sharp division between German and English, it was thought best at the time just not to declare one.

I find your ignorance dissapointing. The immigration rallies have been nothing short of peaceful, and when you consider the millions of people involved in these marches that is quite the accomplishment. They have the right to organize and demonstrate, and the fact that you would critique others for simply exercising a right that you shows your short sightedness.

The rallies have THUS FAR been peaceful. I am hearing the rhetoric of many latino activists demanding the return of the Southwest, and their numbers will increase as we begin giving blanket amnesty to anyone who wants to cross our border.

This was about the official language of the US, not about today's protests, but since you want to make it about today's protests, I will play along.

I have NEVER argued against their right to demonstrate; I am arguing against their right to be here in the first place. Many of them have committed felonies (identity theft, credit fraud, etc) that would land American perpetrators in prison. Because they are latino, however, somehow we feel it's justifiable.

Illegals have more rights than some of us when it comes to protecting the government from perjury and such. I just had a small claims case against an illegal who fraudulantly obtained a contract for sale of a vehicle. The law is very clear stating that any contract obtained through fraud, undue diress, etc. could be rescinded. Additionally, if the circumstances presented were such that the contract would never have been made absent the circumstances, it constituted one of the above. But surprisingly, the illegal is protecting CPS by not telling the truth about what occurred in a situation (because by doing so they would be open to litigation for 42usc1983)and the Judge in small claims just happened to be visiting the Judge in juvenile court just prior to the small claims trial. So who do you think the Judge ruled in favor of? But of course...the illegal, who LEGALLY can't even have a vehicle registered in his name because he does not have a CDL. Hell...Judge Judy's producers called me to have the case on their tv show and I refused, thinking the criminal justice system had been made a mockery of in extreme to this point. Guess that was a mistake..Judge Judy would have made the whole thing funny but would have at least followed the law!!! In addition...suprisingly enough AGAIN, our case was heard dead last...not a single person left in the courtroom...pretty apparent that they didn't want anyone to hear what CPS had done also!!!!