In a recent post describing the failures of the Bush Administration and the on-going war we face, I found some points that I take serious issue with. Firstly, the office of the president is one of respect and dignity. As Americans, we are to support our Commander and Chief. I have no problem with a display of disagreement, that is your first amendment right to voice your opinion, but to disrespect him I find as unpatriotic, if not treason. All things are permissible, not all things are profitable. I can easily proclaim that I disagree with Obama and his latest excursions and decisions, but I don’t refer to him as the babbling faerie. His position is one of respect, and thus, it is our duty to treat him as such. The facts of the Bush Administration will not be completely revealed for another fifty years. Everything presented as such, is rooted in opinion, agenda, and speculation. I did not agree with everything Bush did, but I’ve never met the man, so I surely cannot refer to him as ignorant or stupid. Running a country can’t be the litmus test for intelligence.
Secondly, military intelligence is complicated. When I went to enlist with the Marine Corps Reserve, I was asked to enter the Intel field. I was briefed upon the job description (MOS), but promptly turned it down to accept the MOS of machine gunner. Why would I turn down a desk job for the most deadly job specialty in world? Intelligence analysts have to be brilliant. They have to posses unparalleled focus, and an ability to sit in a dark, window-less room for thirty hours at a time, staring at monitors. Additionally, you have to have clearance to do your job correctly. If I, as an intel analyst, intercept an email between two figures on the CIA’s watch list, and among the topics includes detailed summaries of bomb configurations, I have ample reason to pursue that lead. However, if I do not have clearance to pursue them, or have to wait to pursue them while I get clearance, the opportunity may be missed. Red tape, such as the right to privacy, dictate the boundaries of your job. And if you miss something, the deaths of all those involved are on your shoulders. I would rather be responsible for the twelve men I kill with a .50 cal, and risk my life, than be responsible for the perishing of an entire city because I missed an censored word alert at four in the morning, or was disallowed to continue my pursuit for legal reasons. Simple mistakes cost lives in this field. Now explain to me, what part did the president, or his administration have in this? Bin Laden escaped. That’s not a fault, that’s a fact. But no, we have to blame it on somebody, right? Bush did it. It’s his fault.
We are already involved in the area. The stability of the region depends on our current inhabitation. If we were to up and leave, it would collapse, and everything would have been pointless. Thus a repeat of Vietnam. When it comes to coordination, we have a bi-partisan system. How are we ever going to have coordination on a subject that is disagreed upon. Republicans are attempting to fund a war, while democrats are attempting to yank funding and call foul play. Honestly, we can afford neither, but how can we support our troops and provide the backing they need while half of the country is banking on failure, just so that they can claim, “I told you so!”. How low is that?
What we convey to our men and women that protect us:
“Hey soldier. You’re going over to the Middle East to root out terrorists that may, or may not, want to kill your family. But, just so you know, you’re doing it for nothing. In fact, you’re going to die for nothing. Have fun.”
What we post on our bumpers:
“We support our troops!”.
Yeah, that’s convincing.
The only thing that I agree with in this post is the statement,”By sending our troops overseas, we are doing nothing but losing our soldiers and loved ones.” We are responsible for the deaths of our soldiers, simply because we are not equipping them to do their job. Honestly, I’m more proud to work with the United States Marine Corps, than I am to be a citizen of the United States. At least the soldiers I work with, aren’t two faced or opportunists. The men I know, know hardship. Honor, courage, commitment; those are qualities I respect.
Our government can always do better.
Wednesday, December 09, 2009
Tuesday, December 01, 2009
English as the National Language
Passing legislation designating English as the nation's National Language should hardly be an issue of priority and pertinence within our government, yet the matter is growing in national relevance. As immigrants continue to arrive at the ports and fly over the borders, multiple languages and cultures are brought with them, adding to the "melting pot" of celebrated diversity that many officials encourage. A deeper issue, however, is present. Hispanic immigrants no longer struggle to learn the English language, that of which Americans do business with, and rather, maintain their cultural heritage through the heavy usage of their Spanish language. Because of this, pockets and ghettos are created based upon the language spoken, rather than just poverty or suffering.
American businesses have no choice but to cater to such a clientele. With Spanish-speaking residents occupying the majority in many areas, businesses begin to advertise in Spanish and offer services bilingually to maintain a profit margin. This catering to the Spanish community has allowed immigrants to continue living in the country without learning the English language. It is required that all immigrants who do not fluently speak English must take an English course to obtain citizenship, however, most Hispanic immigrants never apply for citizenship, but rather, have their children in this country, legally designated them guardians of American citizens, and thus essentially, citizens themselves. Yet they never had to learn English.
Simultaneously, the massive influx of Spanish-speaking individuals in the Southwest has prompted schools to start teaching bilingually as well. This again presents problems as all standardized tests are in English, yet many of the students are unprepared to take the test because they barely speak the language, much less be able to succeed at reading comprehension and writing prompts. A local high school in my neighborhood, dominated by a Spanish speaking student body, has an average score in the 38 percentile in TAKS testing within the writing section. Our education system isn’t just lacking funding, it’s lacking English. Our national scores are falling because many students just don’t comprehend, and schools are enabling them by teaching bilingually.
Personally, I have found that many immigrants are unwilling to take part assimilating into the United States. Maintaining your native culture is upstanding and praiseworthy, but neglecting to conform is disrespectful. Immigrants used to be proud to learn our language, yet now derogatory and foreign words are thrown about describing those of us who promote it. I walked into Burger King last week and they removed the signs on the trash cans, the ones asking you to please get your trash in the can somehow, because no one understood what they were saying. Because they were only in English, the Burger King figured that the Mexicans of the neighborhood did not know they were trash cans. To continue with the absurdity, they removed the eight foot "Have it Your Way" sign above the soda fountain, and replaced it with a Spanish alternative. There isn't even an English version in fine print. That's pathetic.
I work with an entirely Mexican crew in a restaurant, all of whom continuously speak Spanish. To communicate with them, I am forced to speak in Spanish because they do not have the slightest desire to learn English. But why would they? Signs are in Spanish. Their paychecks are in Spanish. They work in the back, so if anything adverse occurs, the English speaking employees get blamed since they run the storefront. In order to keep the business running affluently, I have to learn to speak their language.
Language is a barrier between the lower and middle class. Immigrants that do not assimilate into our language have severely reduced odds of experiencing the American Dream and advancing social classes. My Vietnamese comrades work in a blind and shade assembly factory. My Hispanic comrades work in restaurants and lawn care companies. I have never met a highly successful individual that was not literate and at least moderately versed in the English language.
English is the language of our nation, the language that we were built upon and thrive on. The passing of English as a National Language is not racist, nor discriminatory, but rather preserving English as the language that the government officially acts through and reserves English as the language through which services are provided. The successful unification and breach of the language barrier could possibly boost our economy, as the spread of ideas and business opportunities would exponentially increase and spread rapidly, and the dissolution of language-centered ghettos would finally begin.
American businesses have no choice but to cater to such a clientele. With Spanish-speaking residents occupying the majority in many areas, businesses begin to advertise in Spanish and offer services bilingually to maintain a profit margin. This catering to the Spanish community has allowed immigrants to continue living in the country without learning the English language. It is required that all immigrants who do not fluently speak English must take an English course to obtain citizenship, however, most Hispanic immigrants never apply for citizenship, but rather, have their children in this country, legally designated them guardians of American citizens, and thus essentially, citizens themselves. Yet they never had to learn English.
Simultaneously, the massive influx of Spanish-speaking individuals in the Southwest has prompted schools to start teaching bilingually as well. This again presents problems as all standardized tests are in English, yet many of the students are unprepared to take the test because they barely speak the language, much less be able to succeed at reading comprehension and writing prompts. A local high school in my neighborhood, dominated by a Spanish speaking student body, has an average score in the 38 percentile in TAKS testing within the writing section. Our education system isn’t just lacking funding, it’s lacking English. Our national scores are falling because many students just don’t comprehend, and schools are enabling them by teaching bilingually.
Personally, I have found that many immigrants are unwilling to take part assimilating into the United States. Maintaining your native culture is upstanding and praiseworthy, but neglecting to conform is disrespectful. Immigrants used to be proud to learn our language, yet now derogatory and foreign words are thrown about describing those of us who promote it. I walked into Burger King last week and they removed the signs on the trash cans, the ones asking you to please get your trash in the can somehow, because no one understood what they were saying. Because they were only in English, the Burger King figured that the Mexicans of the neighborhood did not know they were trash cans. To continue with the absurdity, they removed the eight foot "Have it Your Way" sign above the soda fountain, and replaced it with a Spanish alternative. There isn't even an English version in fine print. That's pathetic.
I work with an entirely Mexican crew in a restaurant, all of whom continuously speak Spanish. To communicate with them, I am forced to speak in Spanish because they do not have the slightest desire to learn English. But why would they? Signs are in Spanish. Their paychecks are in Spanish. They work in the back, so if anything adverse occurs, the English speaking employees get blamed since they run the storefront. In order to keep the business running affluently, I have to learn to speak their language.
Language is a barrier between the lower and middle class. Immigrants that do not assimilate into our language have severely reduced odds of experiencing the American Dream and advancing social classes. My Vietnamese comrades work in a blind and shade assembly factory. My Hispanic comrades work in restaurants and lawn care companies. I have never met a highly successful individual that was not literate and at least moderately versed in the English language.
English is the language of our nation, the language that we were built upon and thrive on. The passing of English as a National Language is not racist, nor discriminatory, but rather preserving English as the language that the government officially acts through and reserves English as the language through which services are provided. The successful unification and breach of the language barrier could possibly boost our economy, as the spread of ideas and business opportunities would exponentially increase and spread rapidly, and the dissolution of language-centered ghettos would finally begin.
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