Santorum to Puerto Rico: Speak English if you want statehood
Source: Reuters
Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum told Puerto Ricans on Wednesday they would have to make English their primary language if they want to pursue U.S. statehood, a statement at odds with the U.S. Constitution.
Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/14/us-usa-campaign-puertorico-idUSBRE82D16Z20120314
Ooooo, talkin' tough. The popularity contest has gone to his head, methinks.
sakabatou
(42,174 posts)cstanleytech
(26,319 posts)Mind you that would be one heck of a shot for you to have tried though on him seeing as he does tend to keep his head well protected by leaving it shoved up inside his ass.
freshwest
(53,661 posts)Hell Hath No Fury
(16,327 posts)RKP5637
(67,112 posts)Guy Whitey Corngood
(26,505 posts)sexo anal.
rfranklin
(13,200 posts)Ellos comen mierda diariamente.
Guy Whitey Corngood
(26,505 posts)Rozlee
(2,529 posts)...me censuran mi commento.
louis-t
(23,297 posts)oh, and Santorum is a complete asshole.
Xipe Totec
(43,890 posts)MBS
(9,688 posts)Iliyah
(25,111 posts)helluva nerve there asswipe!
dipsydoodle
(42,239 posts)Fuck off.
LeftishBrit
(41,210 posts)Vayase a la mierda!
(One of the few Spanish phrases I know, taught me by a helpful Spanish friend!)
dipsydoodle
(42,239 posts)F.O. is pretty universal.
liberal N proud
(60,344 posts)brooklynite
(94,727 posts)Romney will keep saying goofy, pandering things, causing him to stumble along the campaign trail, but he can always count on Ricky to blow his forward momentum with a statement that veers off of blue-collar economics into Tea Party land.
Mz Pip
(27,453 posts)Seems like this comes up every once in a while but it seems PR is content with the status quo.
iscooterliberally
(2,863 posts)I haven't been down there in over 20 years, but I remember that not too many people wanted to be the 51st state.
Indianademocrat91
(390 posts)How does telling a "territory" to pretty much fuck off unless you change to my ways get him any votes? I can't believe there are that many idiots in Puerto Rico...maybe I'm wrong
Lost-in-FL
(7,093 posts)is what's keeping Puertorricans from embracing statehood. Statehood would not change their status as second class citizens.
BlancheSplanchnik
(20,219 posts)join a club that clearly let me know they thought I was s&*#t
Off topic, too---where the heck did you get that avatar? It's great! I want the sticker!!
Lost-in-FL
(7,093 posts)I wish they had one too. DU should create one to place on sale. Lol!!
BlancheSplanchnik
(20,219 posts)I don't see a DU store anymore, though
iscooterliberally
(2,863 posts)It seems like he only opens his mouth to change feet.
BiggJawn
(23,051 posts)I figure they're thinking of aligning with Cuba...
Skittles
(153,193 posts)unionworks
(3,574 posts)Puerto Rico has lost a disproportionately high number of its sons and daughters in our wars. Santorum needs his mouth washed out with soap.
Dont call me Shirley
(10,998 posts)lastlib
(23,286 posts)stop speaking Dipshit.
Xipe Totec
(43,890 posts)southernyankeebelle
(11,304 posts)maybe a VP. The nerve of this guy. I am originally from PA. I should say I was just born there. Didn't spend much time growing up there. He reminds me of my Italian relatives (2d generation) telling my mother who was from Italy your in america and now you have to speak american. I think it is terrible.
mackattack
(344 posts)By chance?
southernyankeebelle
(11,304 posts)who was a hispanic. They had children and we were allowed to play together. But we found ways to get around that. My parents didn't raise us to hate. They always said the more you meet people of other backgrounds the more comfortable to be around others. They were right.
Ian David
(69,059 posts)awoke_in_2003
(34,582 posts)from your first cigarette to your last dying day." That will be running through my head all night.
crunch60
(1,412 posts)This is a bilateral country whether you like it or not. Of course, I realize your not big on education. You are as ignorant as they come!
tener un buen día imbécil ignorante!
southernyankeebelle
(11,304 posts)take the time to listen. He is an idiot.
SDjack
(1,448 posts)They just happened to be present to reflect his position on language to the RW nutters in the States.
LittleGirl
(8,291 posts)standard language, don't you think?
Aviation Pro
(12,186 posts)...if Foamy gets the nomination he'll sweep his immediate family in the general election.
mackattack
(344 posts)HockeyMom
(14,337 posts)Take that one.
mackattack
(344 posts)Doesnt the invisible hand of the free market say that you can speak whatever language you want as long as you can make a living while doing it. Why does Mr. Santorum hate capitalism?
demosincebirth
(12,543 posts)MarianJack
(10,237 posts)She, her immediate family, her extended family and the family friends we met when we visited Puerto Rico a few years back can ALL speak English better than that little shit has ever spoken in his life.
It amazes me how often racist dipshits like little ricky think that speaking more than one language is a sign of ignorance.
I truly hope that little ricky is the nominee so that President Obama can mop the floor with him from coast to coast.
PEACE!
TNLib
(1,819 posts)I went to Puerto Rico last Feb and the only place I had a hard communicating with anyone was in the Miami National Airport. Most people I dealt with PR spoke fluent english and fluent Spanish.
So fuck you Santorum it's obvious you havent' been to PR.
sulphurdunn
(6,891 posts)who don't speak English?
awoke_in_2003
(34,582 posts)my ex-fiance was Puerto Rican, and had a very large family. Her parents and grandparents were born there. They knew how to speak english even before they moved to Ohio.
Bacchus4.0
(6,837 posts)have limited to very limited English skills.
and a third speak English fluently and a third in between.
the statehood supporters make up about 45% so its a non-issue right now outside of the island anyway.
sarcasmo
(23,968 posts)Octafish
(55,745 posts)Hey, chickenhawk rick! These guys had Spanish sounding surnames.
Laura PourMeADrink
(42,770 posts)Blaze Diem
(3,384 posts)no doubt
Lost-in-FL
(7,093 posts)If he is for implementing "state laws" which he chooses to use those to promote hate towards the GLBT, immigrants, et al., purely out of party politics and his extremist christianity... then why can't PRs choose to keep Spanish as their language of choice under THEIR state law? Or is he now against state law?
"O the pintas o the haces rolos?"
se debe cerrar la boca. La mierda esta saliendo de dos aperturas me parece
gejohnston
(17,502 posts)what some asshole Anglos did (and continue to do) to Arizona (not so much New Mexico as far as I can tell) after statehood and mass produced air conditioning:
Sun City
Jan Brewer
Stazi Sheriff Joe
Why would they want statehood?
sikorsky
(96 posts)having English be our 'official' language. I've made it a point to learn enough of the local languages in every country I've visited/worked in (actually 52 countries so far) to at least navigate around and conduct basic human activity (finding lodging, food, bathroom, phone, transportation, etc.). I'm reasonably fluent in Spanish, Italian and French and I can 'get by' in Japanese, Portuguese and German...certainly not able to translate novels but well enough to survive. I've found that just making the effort reaps enormous benefits...most 'foreigners' will bend over backward to be helpful (and enjoy some laughs at our expense) if we just TRY.
If I were ever to relocate to a non-English speaking country to live or commit to a long-term stay, I'd absolutely accept their desire for me to accommodate their wishes if they included a requirement for me to adopt their language. I guess what puzzles me is why some think that shouldn't be done in all directions.
Lost-in-FL
(7,093 posts)...not their citizens in the USA. Unlike the US, Puerto Rico has an official language, both Spanish and English. I am sure there are plenty of good reasons to keep the USA from adopting a language.
sikorsky
(96 posts)I am genuinely interested. I get it that some Americans are against having an 'official' language (and of course many are for it too), would those in the former camp also be opposed to, say, Chile, proposing or mandating Spanish as -their- official tongue? I'm just trying to figure out why it works only in one direction (if it does)
Lost-in-FL
(7,093 posts)I am not sure. But I do not think it would make a bit a difference. Me thinks in the end it is purely about politics.
It is said (a survey by the PEW Research Center a few years back mentioned this) that the great majority of people not fluent in the English language are newcomers (1st Generation). For the most part, those newcomers heavily encourage their kids to learn English in addition to the native language of their parents but many others avoid teaching them a language other than English all together afraid their kids they would be mocked or discriminated against. By the 3rd generation there are no traces of a foreign language in the family according to the PEW Research. This only proves that regardless of "a law" the "de facto" language of the US is English. Making it the official language is a waste of $.
LanternWaste
(37,748 posts)It begs the question-- What is the precise and relevant reason to indeed call a language official? Precisely and objectively how would it make our lives in the United States as American more effective... more efficient... easier?
What in deed and in fact, would it accomplish that is not already accomplished?
sikorsky
(96 posts)in any given nation confers many advantages, culturally and financially. I'd even support having an 'official' WORLD language if there were any way to implement it. I suspect it will eventually happen anyway, the question now seems, however, not "When will it be English" but "Will it be English or Chinese".
AlbertCat
(17,505 posts)Like Puerto Ricans (and other Spanish speaking people) don't.
The opposition is that it is dumb and a waste of time.
But if you want to follow PR's lead and make Spanish and English the official languages of the USA, then every child must be taught to be bilingual from the 1st day of kindergarden or day care. Now that's not a bad idea.
sikorsky
(96 posts)My question was about the sometimes almost hysterical response to suggestions that a country (Now I mean the USA which I understand isn't the specific subject of this thread but the implications are very clear) - I have actually encountered local people who are violently opposed to this but don't object when other countries do the same thing when their own particular lingua franca is at issue. It confuses me. I didn't mean to divert the discussion, but I do think my question is relevant...
Bradical79
(4,490 posts)Usually, there are racist undertones with the politicians and groups who push for English to be made the official language. It seems like I often see these ideas coupled with moves to remove necessary services for those who aren't fluent in English, or other policies irrationally hostile to immigration.
Lost-in-FL
(7,093 posts)abelenkpe
(9,933 posts)so embarrassing....
AlbertCat
(17,505 posts)Does this guy ever think about anything important?.... Anything? .... anything at all....
Like, just how are they gonna arrange 51 stars on the flag? Huh? How they 'gonna do it, Rick?
former9thward
(32,077 posts)There is no evidence that Puerto Rico wants statehood or independence. It has always been voted down in referendums there.
Response to former9thward (Reply #52)
CreekDog This message was self-deleted by its author.
former9thward
(32,077 posts)I was just curious since they seems to be no evidence PRs want a change in their status. But I don't live there and maybe there is a movement.
RebelOne
(30,947 posts)I have been there and never had a communication problem.
Justice wanted
(2,657 posts)lunasun
(21,646 posts)so many valid issues such a narrow brain
Odin2005
(53,521 posts)mackattack
(344 posts)Idioto. The "a" indicates he is feminine. Am I correct in this?
Common Sense Party
(14,139 posts)doesn't change endings depending on the gender.
Guy Whitey Corngood
(26,505 posts)Odin2005
(53,521 posts)sikorsky
(96 posts)(hand) is 'feminine'. Go figure.
edit, I meant to add a little joke about one of our own oddities, "I before E except after C in this weird society"
Douglas Carpenter
(20,226 posts)Canuckistanian
(42,290 posts)So insulting them won't make a difference.
Harry Monroe
(2,935 posts)....now he's going for losing the Latino vote. What an idiot!! If this guy becomes President, I'm renouncing my citizenship!!
longship
(40,416 posts)women must wear burkas. Muslims and Jews must eat bacon just like all good Christians. We are a Christian country.
alp227
(32,052 posts)Let's see:
- Newt Gingrich calling Obama a "food stamp president";
- He-who-shall-not-be-named: "I don't want to make black people's lives better by giving them somebody else's money."
- Oh wow, I just learned that Gingrich actually used the term "states' rights" in a Feb. 29 speech in Georgia!
- And Mr. S-Word actually doubled down on the Grinch's food stamp insult: "Speaking to a large crowd at the conservative Americans for Prosperity Presidential forum here, Santorum said he planned to 'talk to minority communities, not about giving them food stamps and government dependency, but about creating jobs so that they can participate in the rise of this country.'"
I guess he may lose the US territory vote here, but the territory delegates are insignificant compared with those for the 50 states. Plus, at least Santorum was smart enough not to trash the Cajun people of Louisiana. Because Louisiana's primary is soon. (Some in Santorum's war room have told him to talk in dog whistle about a certain OTHER race...)
eyewall
(674 posts)This idiot keeps my cognitive dissonance in overdrive.
I thought Mrs Palin was a complete outrage, and then they give us this.
I just can't believe it.
Historic NY
(37,453 posts)Kalidurga
(14,177 posts)I remember the good old days when the most outrageous thing I heard was some guy a RWer saying children should be hired as janitors...
burrowowl
(17,645 posts)Not really.
In New Mexico English and Spanish are the official languages, since many at the time it became a state used to be Mexicans.
Heywood J
(2,515 posts)Blue_Tires
(55,445 posts)Zambero
(8,965 posts)When all else fails, go out of your way to insult your target audience. Did he mention that seeing signs or hearing conversations in Spanish makes him want to throw up?
NoGOPZone
(2,971 posts)they're still citizens. His head might explode.
Liberalynn
(7,549 posts)In order to be a human being you need a functioning brain!
Hepburn
(21,054 posts)How can anyone be THAT out of it?
This is off the charts even for a Repuke.
iris27
(1,951 posts)I made fun of GWB's bad Spanish grammar when he gave a speech to Puerto Ricans and threw in a bit of Spanish. And I made a LOT of fun of Newt when he told the Univision interviewer he could give the questions in Spanish if Newt could respond in English...but then he didn't even understand "vamos a empezar, bien?" (we're going to start, ok?).
But Jesus, at least they were trying, and not chastising Spanish-speaking Americans.
Redford
(373 posts)Why? Because Puerto Ricans that could speak English were more likely to move to the states for job and education opportunities. It is why there are more Puerto Ricans in New York than in PR today. When American corporations built factories over in PR (they did not have to pay tax on goods produced there) they needed a captured workforce. So the governor, Luis Munoz Marin, took English out of the public schools so they people were less likely to leave thus insuring the the workforce. There is a great book on the subject titled "Isla Verde". The tax loophole was closed up a few years ago and the corporations shuttered up factories are everywhere.
I lived there for three years in the early 2000's and my kids attended private school taught in English with the children of the very wealthy Puerto Ricans. The rich make sure their kids their kids speak fluent English.
Lost-in-FL
(7,093 posts)As a matter of fact, my nephew currently goes to an english only 'charter' school in Puerto Rico and will be graduating in June. I was born and raised there and my parents were dirt poor. We never had a chance at getting a private school education. I moved from PR at the age of 23 years in search of employment and opportunities. Most of my English I learn in the PR public school system and publicly funded state university (Recinto Universitario de Mayagüez-University of Puerto Rico). My brother, a PR graduate with a PhD in Medical Microbiology and now professor at a PR Medical school, has never set foot in the US for longer than 2 weeks and he speaks English fluently.
The only reason why there are no corporate tax breaks for companies to encourage low unemployment numbers any longer is because the pro-statehood governor at the time, Carlos Romero Barceló, thought it was a great idea to choke PR's economy with the intention of forcing Puertorricans to plead for statehood.
Since you mentioned Luis Muñoz Marín, who by the way has little to do with removing English from public schools, he was the one person responsible for bringing a democratically elected governor to PR. Prior to formal elections, PR was ran like Iraq shortly after the invasion. Washington would name a general or a 'Bremmer' type big cheese to command the island from an office somewhere in Washington.
You can learn more about the colonial relationship between PR and the USA through this book by a real historian and law professor and expert on PR-US relations in America's Colony. It is a well researched book with a very useful bibliography. http://books.google.com/books/about/America_s_colony.html?id=pKqVpqGVsJYC
Amonester
(11,541 posts)"a heck of a job" (foot-in-mouth) pRick!
Rosa Luxemburg
(28,627 posts)just think Obama versus 'Stupido'