La Lingua Nacional

The senate passed two interesting measures, yesterday, including one making English “the national language” (at least of official business) and a murkier, harder to describe amendment, seemingly at odds with it, proposed by Senator Ken Salazar (D-CO), making English the national unifyinig language and guaranteeing some multilingual services.
Funny… we’ve gotten along for over 200 years now, in English, without the need for the “in your face” aspect of “an official language” (the way, perhaps, that German is the official language of an EU member or two… and yes, I mean what you think I mean.) But I guess, a wedge issue is a wedge issue. The Iraq thing means the Iran thing isn’t playing so well, the gay bashing marriage ban is out there, but just doesn’t have the legs to undo a 29% approval rating… so…
I guess the beauty of the immigration thing is that there’s no need to sugarcoat: there are nativist elements in the Republican Party who just feel there are too many Mexicans and other Latin Americans here (illegally or otherwise) and that this is an issue they can run with come Election Day.
I suppose we’ll see how los elecciones turn out este novembre.

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