Ha, passing a law saying that an employer has to make sure his/her employees can converse with each other in english is nonsensical. Some of the other bits make at least a little bit of sense (english used in required public postings, for eample) but who on earth is harmed if a restaurant allows two back kitchen employees to speak to each other in, say, Chinese?

So you think it makes sense that public postings can't be put in newspapers written primarily in Spanish, even if the posting is in English? Or even if the posting isn't in English, what about, say, a class-action lawsuit looking for Spanish-speaking participants?

I'm not saying I'd vote for it, I'm saying that it's at least arguably sensible to require postings be made in a language that a majority of people will understand. Requiring postings to begin with is generally pointless (I'm not entirely clear on what this is focused on, but I assume it's that page in the newspaper with hundreds of announcements in small font that nobody reads), but if we're going to require it, it seems pointless to allow the postings to be made in languages that nobody can read. Postings in Urdu, for example, would be tough on most of us. Saying that they must be in the most popular language in the country seems at least arguably reasonable.

Interesting how the majority feel so threatened by the minority in the US. You wouldn't believe what people said to me in Cambridge during the Question 2 referendum in Mass. This kind of language law, however, down to font size on postings, is actually what has preserved the French language in Quebec, but we're talking a major minority on the continent.

Ingen, I see your point about saying that public postings must be in English, but the law is going way beyond that, saying:

1) A Spanish translation can't be posted side-by-side to the required English posting; and

2) Even if the posting was in English, it can't be posted in English in a newspaper written primarily in Spanish.

Annie, given that it's been a few years since Question 2 passed, how do you think it's affected education in the long run?

Yeah, the restrictions on what employers can do seem particularly illegal. Note however that the broad language of the first item means that almost anything the government wanted to say would have to be published in a newspaper, which I bet is making the newspaper publisher there quite happy.

I am filled with slight rage (assuming that's not an oxymoron) every time I interact with these idiot bumpkins who feel threatened by illegal immigrants. If they are not actually racist, they are still xenophobic and taking it out on some of the poorest and most exploited people among us.

Shit like this and the fact that our government can take any American citizen and legally detain and torture them on a whim makes we want to move to Sicily.  Who's with me?

I don't think Question 2 has really changed education. Legally I send out a waiver form every fall, which parents probably don't read (it took me half a year to figure out how to draft it and understand it myself) and the bilingual schools still exist (I just got three new students who have spent 5 years in a Spanish-English program and their skills are excellent as expected by the research and in my experience). The DOE has gotten better at tracking bilingual students through testing and I think it's a good test. Mostly I just think it's a shame the statement things like Question 2 send and the general population's completely unfounded fears of what they can't understand (literally). As far as Sicily, I'm all for moving there or anywhere really, but I think in Europe their powers of search and detain are even stronger on a whim. I've seen friends searched for no reason.

I like how it excludes "actions... necessary for trade, tourism or commerce". Our jingoism is strictly for show! If you're paying us, we aren't as into 'principles' and stuff.

And is all the language about how the law only extends as far as is Constitutional standard boilerplate, or is it code for "we know we aren't allowed to do this, but, um... we're violating the Constitution on purpose, so it's okay! Right?"

I would hope that the government would work first to post things in English, but see no problem with these same things also being published in Spanish or whatever the language of a local large sized minority might be.
Nobody else is disturbed by the flag portion of this bill? Does this mean that an Irish bar (I don't know of many country bumpkins who are still scared of the Irish.) can't fly only an Irish flag?
What about that last bullit point that says businesses can't close in sympathy to a foreign person or country? I don't see many examples where a business would want to do this, but aren't most businesses (barring banks) allowed to set their own hours? I do know of a few Armenian restaurants that close for Armenian Martyrs Day. I don't know if there are many Armenians in Parumph, but would these businesses be forced to stay open?
CM, does this thing have any chance of passing.

I have no idea. We'll see.

A better question is, who would name their town after my dad's ass?

I just wonder how passage of this ordinance would impact Pahrump's brothels.

I promise to give you a first-hand account if it passes, Alina.

Now in addition to English, would the prostitutes have to be fluent in sexual slang?

Insert Dirty Sanchez joke here.

Our general counsel, who attended the first reading of this ridiculous law, reports that the council was less hostile to him than anticipated. The business rights issues (as Roden pointed out: btw, a lot of places closed here for immigrants' rights protests and cinco de mayo) and the blatantly unconstitutional issues (like the flag stuff, although we pointed out that they might be more sympathetic to the example that they couldn't fly just the confederate flag) are actually being considered as real issues.

Also, for technical reasons ('Pahrump' is mostly unincorporated land; and the council has jurisdiction over only a small incorporated section of what is consdiered 'Pahrump'), all brothels are riiiiight outside the jurisdiction of the council's ordinances. Translation: Bones, your French whore is a-waitin'.

Well, that answers that question. I am so relieved. Now if only I could do something to rid my mind of the disturbing images of Screech Powers and Lisa Turtle in flagrante delicto.

Just add in Mario Lopez and you'll be all right.

And Mr. Belding, too.

I'm not so worried that businesses will be closed on Cinco de Mayo, rather I worry that they will try to convince me that drinking Tecate is a good idea.

[...] The passed resolution is similar to the original one proposed with a few of the more grossly unconstitutional items removed. There are several ins-and-outs to the resolution, but let me state the two major issues discussed at the meeting: [...]

Nobody is saying that a person can't speak Spanish, Mandarin, French, etc.... Some of us are just tired of having to order our quarterpounder sin cebolletas. I sympathize with people wanting to come to America to better their lives but, if I were to go to their country, how many people would try to accomodate me by speaking English so I could work there? It used to be that all immigrants had to sign and be accounted for with a sponsor providing them with support and they had to learn English to get their citizenship (my great grand parents coming from Germany for example). It's not racist...it's common sense. Whoever was talking about fear of the minority, your wrong. It's not fear, its just being fed up with having to accommodate the MINORITY. The majority and the official language of USA is ENGLISH