In Alabama, They Speak English

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

I found this article on aol news and thought I'd share it. I have a strict policy against talking politics with people I like, and I like you guys, but here it is anyway and I hope you'll forgive me.

*link to article on aol*

'This Is Alabama; We Speak English'

(April 27) -- Tim James is betting his election that Alabama voters prefer what he calls "common sense" to "political correctness." The Republican gubernatorial candidate is running a provocative ad arguing that Alabama's driver's license exam should be given only in English.

"This is Alabama; we speak English," James says. "If you want to live here, learn it." The campaign spot has had more than 60,000 views on YouTube.

The son of former Alabama Gov. Fob James promises to do away with the 12 foreign languages the test currently offers if he is elected in November. In the ad, James suggests his goal is to save taxpayers money. "Maybe it's the businessman in me," he says.

In the blogosphere, though, many say the controversial ad is about far more than saving taxpayers money and contains coded political messages James hopes will strike a chord with Republican voters in the state.

The Atlantic's Marc Ambinder said it contains swipes against the federal government and President Barack Obama. Ambinder also noted that Alabama could lose federal funding if it offers the exams only in English.

"If the governor changes the rules, the state could lose billions of dollars in federal transportation funding," he wrote. "Conveniently, this allows James to hint at the prospect of a debate against Barack Obama's federal government, too."

Some say it is no mistake that the ad comes in the middle of an emotional debate over immigration reform.

The Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama said the ad would hurt the state's reputation. "Making the driver's license test available in English only is a bad move and inconsistent with the strong recruitment Alabama has done in the last 15 years to bring international business to our state," the coalition said in a statement Monday.

Ambinder said the "ethnic coding in the ad is unmistakable," and at The American Prospect, Tim Fernholtz said James was exploiting fear against Latino immigrants for political gain.

"Maintaining federal funding, keeping the roads safe, or even simple nondiscrimination don't seem to matter to James," Fernholtz wrote. "He'd rather exploit racial tension and hostility toward the national government to get ahead."

But James says the exams are a public safety issue. On his campaign website, he cited a 2004 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report that connected a 72 percent increase in work/traffic-related fatalities to drivers' inability to read road signs in English.

"It makes common sense to ensure everyone with an Alabama driver's license knows and understands traffic laws and traffic signs," he said. "Political correctness may endear you to the Rachel Maddow crowd, but here in Alabama, the safety of our people comes first."

Drivers license exams are currently offered in Arabic, Chinese, English, Farsi, French, German, Greek, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Spanish, Thai and Vietnamese.

At the conservative blog Hot Air, the blogger "The Other McCain" had sympathy for James' position.

"C'mon, Farsi? Thai? in Alabama?" he wrote.

And here's my piece: People are such dumbasses.

Disclaimer: I don't have volume and haven't been able to listen to the video. If it's not as bad as the article implies, forgive me some more. I still stand by people as dumbasses, though.

[Verity Bromley]

This is an interesting article. I'm not sure whether I agree with it or not because I have arguments for both sides....and I don't want to start a fight haha

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

Where's Ryan when you need him? This is right up his alley.

[Jory Addison]

First of all: ROTFL at that video. Seriously? With the music and the cuts and the facial expressions....come on.....

Secondly: I do think (and I think we can all respect everyone here, yes?) that there's nothing wrong with wanting people to speak English. English speakers are expected to learn the language if we go to another country, there's nothing wrong in expecting the same. BUT we don't have an official language (unless that's changed since last I checked....) so we can't legally force people to learn it, though it would probably be considered common courtesy to learn the native language of whatever country you move to.

And again: lmao at the video *shakes head*

[Verity Bromley]

haha true
btw the video basically just says what's in the article i've discovered that by using my headphones i can still hear things on my computer since my speakers are blown!! yayy

haha yeah the video was funny. it almost sounds like a joke

[Jory Addison]

My first thought was it looks just like something that would be on an episode of Family Guy as a parody...

[Verity Bromley]

haa i was thinking more like SNL
i just watched the video for the fourth time haha i can't stop laughing

[Jory Addison]

I don't watch much SNL, but I could see it, lol.

[Verity Bromley]

ohhh i love SNL except i haven't actually watched it in a while...

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

I love the way conversations shift.

[Verity Bromley]

oooooops. haha i didn't even realize it...

[Celyn Corvus]

I LOLed!! I'm not really into the whole debating politics because usually I just get a nutsload of people pissed at me (not that I care), but I think I understand where he's coming from and yet at the same tiime you have to consider the people. A lot of people coming to the U.S may not speak English, but that doesn't mean they don't want to learn. I mean driving has become pretty much the most used form of transportation, why should a persons life stop because they can't get from point A to point B. For all we know a person needs a car to get to a ESL center.

I mean I live in the middle east and the official language is Arabic. I do know the language to a certain extent, but if you go to the mall or to a convenience store or whatever, the people working there will speak....... ENGLISH (I know what a shock!!)! But, that's because expats make up more of the population than the natives do. Well, then again there are a lot of other Arabs who come, but even they prefer to speak English. And if you do speak English or even have a passport of a westerner, you'll be paid more and have better job privileges.
At the same time, I think everyone going to the U.S.A or any country should take the time to at least learn the basics of the most common language. I don't really know if I'm for or against this guy, but I am happy to say this.....

Thank GOD I'm not a politician!

(Oh yes Dare, unfortunately this world is made up of 99% dumbass, the other one percent varies from 'not really a dumbass' to 'bloody brilliant')

[Ocean Abbott]

We need reform. I agree. Many illegal citizens don't pay taxes. But this assumes that people are illegal. If someone is a legal immigrant they should have time to adjust. Many legal immigrants are to old to learn a second language successfully by the time they get here. Terrible idea. Go after illegals. Not legals.

[Verity Bromley]

apparently there's a huge immigration reform protest here in DC tomorrow...
i agree with ^ and ^^

~In many other countries, you learn their language or you're out of luck.
~English is the more common language. Which is what happens when the people who settled and tried to get rid of the native population here were English. It would be in anyone's best interest to learn the basics if they live here since, although more schools/companies/everything else are including spanish translations for everything now, most products and information are given in english.
~I can almost remember when the Chinese population here was increasing...and how I rarely saw a McDonalds bilboard written in chinese or even warning labels written in Chinese.
~I don't think everyone should be forced to learn English...especially those who don't learn as easily or quickly as others...and especially since English is one of the more difficult languages to learn. I do think that it is necessary to know some English in order to live here.