The Senate approved an amendment to the immigration bill that makes English the national language.
The measure declares that there is no affirmative right to receive services in languages other than English, except where required by federal law. In other words, the amendment is mostly symbolic ??? it will not change the way the government prints documents or conducts business.
Also on Thursday ??? confusing the issue ??? the Senate also voted 58-39 in favor of a second, weaker amendment, offered by Sen. Ken Salazar (D-Colo.). The Salazar amendment declared English to be ???the common and unifying language of the United States.???
Inhofe???s strong amendment is getting the most attention, however.
Critics, including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, called the Inhofe amendment racist, regardless of its intent. Sen. John McCain worried about making English the ???official??? language. ???It gives the idea that any other language is excluded,??? he said.
Requiring all Americans to become English speaking is not racist. It only defines the culture we wish to maintain as a nation. That is racist? I would throw on the floor an amendment to make Spanish the national language just to see what Reid would say. (Hat Tip: California Conservative+.)
