BS: Illegal Immigration

Subject: BS: Illegal Immigration
From: GUEST,Don't ask
Date: 01 Oct 04 - 06:37 PM

Is there a statute of limitations?

Subject: RE: BS: Illegal Immigration
From: CarolC
Date: 01 Oct 04 - 06:44 PM

Which country?

Subject: RE: BS: Illegal Immigration
From: GUEST
Date: 01 Oct 04 - 06:47 PM

USA, England, Australia.

Subject: RE: BS: Illegal Immigration
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 01 Oct 04 - 06:55 PM

It's probably too late to prosecute the Pilgrim Fathers.

Subject: RE: BS: Illegal Immigration
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 01 Oct 04 - 06:55 PM

Depends. In the U.S. there have been various legal measures that allowed certain people in specific categories here before certain dates to stay. Most others, if caught and can't prove they fit in that eligible category, can be deported. But it's a complex subject to research. Good luck.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: Illegal Immigration
From: Rapparee
Date: 01 Oct 04 - 06:56 PM

But which one are you or the person involved in NOW? That's what rules.

Subject: RE: BS: Illegal Immigration
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 02 Oct 04 - 03:11 AM

And don't forget England used the US of A as a penal colony as well as Oz.

eric

Subject: RE: BS: Illegal Immigration
From: dianavan
Date: 02 Oct 04 - 03:21 AM

McGrath's post says it all.

d

Subject: RE: BS: Illegal Immigration
From: katlaughing
Date: 02 Oct 04 - 10:28 AM

You might find some answers at ilw.com

Subject: RE: BS: Illegal Immigration
From: GUEST
Date: 02 Oct 04 - 02:49 PM

Thanks.

Subject: RE: BS: Illegal Immigration
From: Sorcha
Date: 02 Oct 04 - 03:12 PM

Ask for political asylum?

Subject: RE: BS: Illegal Immigration
From: GUEST,sorefingers
Date: 02 Oct 04 - 04:50 PM

The INS thinks - ahem - there are 1 million people crossing the Mexian border illegaly evey year. Others say the number is about 1.5 million. Last week I heard a report on the radio that said the number is 3 million.

I don't think anybody really knows, but after a few years the real numbers do come in when people have to get some kind of legal papers.

According to one analysis it is estimated that in 20 years Latinos will be the largest ethnic community in the USA.

United Latinized States Of America

Hola Todos

Que Passo Man!

Subject: RE: BS: Illegal Immigration
From: Peace
Date: 02 Oct 04 - 08:26 PM

Deseo gracias para sus palabras amables. Usted es un caballero y un erudito.

Subject: RE: BS: Illegal Immigration
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 03 Oct 04 - 05:57 AM

Yes you can all come back from the penal colony , your sentence is up.

i'll put the kettle on. Welcome home!

Subject: RE: BS: Illegal Immigration
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 03 Oct 04 - 06:24 AM

"in 20 years Latinos will be the largest ethnic community in the USA."

Is that suppposed to be a bad thing?

Subject: RE: BS: Illegal Immigration
From: GUEST
Date: 03 Oct 04 - 06:59 AM

Of course when they cross the border they are in ..... part of Mexico that was annexed by the United States.

Subject: RE: BS: Illegal Immigration
From: Bill D
Date: 03 Oct 04 - 09:45 AM

"in 20 years Latinos will be the largest ethnic community in the USA."

"Is that suppposed to be a bad thing?"

-----------------------------------------------------------------
yep...sadly, it is. Any time you have multiple ethnic communities in the same political/economic community you will have more problems than virtues. It is not a matter of who is better or who was 'here first'...it is a matter of communication and value systems and jobs and leadership.

People (most people) want their 'diversity' in small, non-threatening doses...they don't want multi-lingual schools and neighborhoods changing so that the they don't feel comfortable and/or safe.

What it really come down to is whether the language and values of various cultures come into conflict, and more & more, they are.

I don't know a solution, and I know it is not 'politically correct' to point at this problem, but it is quite evident in some areas. You don't see it a lot in North Dakota, but you sure do in Los Angeles or Washington DC....

There's a lot to say and discuss about this ...maybe on another thread sometime....it's not an easy issue.

Subject: RE: BS: Illegal Immigration
From: Amos
Date: 03 Oct 04 - 09:51 AM

As opposed to part of the Aztec Empire annexed by Spain?

A

Subject: RE: BS: Illegal Immigration
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 03 Oct 04 - 10:33 AM

How would the USA overall be any less of a multiple ethnic country if the Spanish speakers outnumbered the English speakers, rather than the other way round? Or if your National Anthem looked like this:

Oh, decidme, ¿veis a la primera luz de la aurora
La que izamos con orgullo al último rayo del crepúsculo,
Cuyas anchas bandas y brillantes estrellas, en la fiera lucha
Contemplamos ondeando gallardas sobre las murallas?
El resplandor rojizo de los cohetes y el fragor de las bombas
Probaban que por la noche nuestra bandera aún estaba allí.
Oh, decidme, ¿flota todavía la enseña estrellada y listada
Sobre la tierra de los libres y la patria de los valientes?

En la costa apenas perceptible entre las nieblas del mar
Donde la altiva hueste enemiga reposa en temeroso silencio,
¿Qué es lo que la brisa al soplar oculta en parte
Y en parte descubre su elevado pedestal?
Ahora recibe el destello del primer rayo matutino
Reflejado en todo su esplendor, y ahora se destaca en el aire
¡Es la enseña estrellada y listada! Que ondee largos años
Sobre la tierra de los libres y la patria de los valientes.

¿Y dónde está aquella banda que engreída juraba
Que el torbellino de la guerra y la confusión del combate
Nos privaría para siempre de patria y hogar?
La sangre ha lavado la mancha de sus pasos desleales.
Ningún refugio pudo salvar al mercenario y al esclavo
Del terror de la fuga o de la lobreguez del sepulcro.
Y la enseña estrellada y listada ondea triunfante
Sobre la tierra de los libres y la patria de los valientes.

Así sea siempre, cuando los hombres libres se interpongan
Entre sus amados hogares y la desolación de la guerra:
En la victoria y la paz, este país, socorrido por el cielo,
Alabe al Poder que nos creó y conservó como Nación.
Hemos de triunfar, pues nuestra causa es tan justa,
Y sea nuestra divisa: "¡En Dios está nuestra confianza!"
Y la bandera estrellada y listada flotará triunfante
Sobre la tierra de los libres y la patria de los valientes.

Subject: RE: BS: Illegal Immigration
From: dianavan
Date: 03 Oct 04 - 04:20 PM

Bill D. - You said that with "multiple ethnic communities in the same political/economic community you will have more problems than virtues"

I strongly disagree since I live in a multicultural country which builds on its diversity. Are you saying that the U.S. is safer and more virtuous? Canada is a strong nation which recognizes that regardless of ethnic background, basic needs are the same.

Educate yourself. We're right next door.

Ignorance is a bigger problem than ethnicity!

d

Subject: RE: BS: Illegal Immigration
From: GUEST,Mingulay
Date: 04 Oct 04 - 09:35 AM

Pardon my ignorance in such matters but has anyone asked the remaining members of certain ethnic tribes who, if I remember right, were somewhat displaced, what their take is on the subject.

I speak as one whose ancestors were heavily into Celt bashing at one time, which makes me a White Anglo Saxon Pagan.

Subject: RE: BS: Illegal Immigration
From: GUEST,Hugh Jampton
Date: 04 Oct 04 - 11:11 AM

I hope the day never comes when the US national anthem is as posted above by McGrath. Just imagine having to sit through all of that each time the Americans won a gold medal!!

Subject: RE: BS: Illegal Immigration
From: Bill D
Date: 04 Oct 04 - 11:54 AM

dianavan...I am not 'un-educated' ..I agree with what you say and point out about 'diversity'...up to a point. Basic needs are indeed the same, and I am well aware that Canada has done quite well integrating certain aspects of diversity....but let me answer Mc Grath's question, and you'll see why I say what I do....(and while you are reading, imagine the French language issue in Quebec spreading to almost every province, and adding in Vietnamese, Chinese, African-American, Native groups..(Inuit?)..etc....in quite large numbers in many metropolitan areas)

Kevin...of course we would still be a multi-ethnic country if Latinos..etc...outnumbered English speakers, and we would have a situation where the infrastructure, from major business to the news media to school systems..etc were still largely controlled by Caucasians, mostly of W.A.S.P persuasion...(and fueled by current Republican arrogance and intransigence).

We are not talking about people who come here seeking a 'better life' and want to be *Americans* and learn English and integrate into the community, becoming average citizens with different features and skin color ...we are having LARGE groups who want to remain Latino, Oriental, etc. and simply live in America. We add this to the already large communities of African-Americans who retain a VERY different culture and value system, and we have problems NOW.

This weekend I was at an Octoberfest fair in Maryland, where various German/Bavarian/Swiss traditions were celebrated ...food, costumes, music..etc...and it was delightful....but on Monday, those people will not be in costume, and their language will be English, with very few showing much trace of ethnic accent.

We have also here, various Latino festivals which are also delightful and happy...but on Monday, most of THOSE participants will be back in narrowly defined areas, speaking mostly Spanish, watching mostly 3 Spanish TV channels with 'limited' programming options, going to 'mostly' menial jobs ..etc...etc...etc... and THEY are the lucky ones. At least some signs and closed-circuit TV programs have Spanish captions. Most of the Oriental groups do NOT get this help, nor do the Nigerians, Ethiopians...etc..etc...etc...

Well, dianavan.. you see where this is going as a description, but I'm guessing you do not see my point yet. We have two situations here. One is a matter of 'fairness' and 'openness' that the USA is supposed to modeled on, with equal opportuniy for all. The other is a practical matter of how to educate, communicate, integrate, etc. when some of these groups do not like each other, as well as not liking to adapt to the Anglo value system that still clings to power.

No one can agree on how to spend tight budgets to operate school systems with large, ethnicly diverse populations who require special classes....and no one can agree how many police, etc, should be trained to deal with crime that is ethnicly based...and simple problems like understanding the cab driver or the counter help at McDonalds is not a minor issue...though it is NOT PC to complain, or even notice.

We are, simply, becoming ethnicly diverse faster that we can adjust the system, and although this, as I said, is not yet a big issue in N. Dakota, it IS already in many large cities.....and the question out on the horizon is "Just how much adustment can the system take before it is a totally different system?"

I state simply that the practical problems ARE beginning to overshadow the nice theories about the wonderful values of Ethnic Diversity, and as one who has FOUGHT for fairness and equality all my life, I am worried..........

Subject: RE: BS: Illegal Immigration
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 04 Oct 04 - 12:24 PM

Caucasians? I always find that quaint expression Americans use a bit bizarre. I can't understand why they don't go the whole hog and use the term Ethiopian to refer to black Americans. After all:

"The term Caucasian meaning the so-called white or European race originated with Johann Frederich Blumenbach (1752-1840), a German professor of natural history in Göttingen...Based on skull measurements, he classified five races: American, Caucasian, Ethiopian, Malayan, and Mongolian."

All these different people insisting on speaking their own different languages, and most often time that won't be English... Why, you might as well be back in Europe. And that's not so bad, honest.

Subject: RE: BS: Illegal Immigration
From: Bill D
Date: 04 Oct 04 - 01:40 PM

ok...fine, I almost used another term than Caucasian, anyway...I just assumed it made the point internally in the paragraph. I certainly don't suggest it is the best way to define "whitish" groups any longer.

So...as to the point....you tell ME whether there are any language problems in France, Germany, Italy, England...etc... Would it be a problem in England if pressure were building to have TV channels in, say, Chinese and the school system was having to spend many extra £s to have parallel classes in Chinese?

I know that the French, especially, are pretty defensive about their language, and that there is a strong movement to promote Welsh as a viable, vibrant language, which MUST have some effect on the social norms of the UK. How are these things playing out? How does London deal with large Pakistani populations? Is it smooth, or are there conflicts?

Sure, in Europe, there are all these " different people insisting on speaking their own different languages,", but it was my understanding that they did it mostly in their own countries....am I wrong?

I am reading in the Washington Post just this morning this sort of item:

"From the shores of North Africa, Western European affluence is only a short boat trip away, and each year thousands of illegal immigrants attempt the trip. Often the result is tragedy, as overloaded vessels overturn in high seas."

"The wave of travelers approaching Libya includes refugees fleeing civil war in Sudan, war in Iraq, conflict in the Palestinian territories, anarchy in Somalia and poverty in places as far away as Chad and Nigeria. Libya is a magnet for the migrants partly because of its proximity to Italy but also because, for many years, the government of Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi permitted Africans and Arabs to enter his country without visas, in the name of pan-continental solidarity.

Libyan officials estimate that more than a million migrants live within the country's borders. Italy's interior minister, Giuseppe Pisanu, has put the number at 1.5 million.

"Some neighborhoods in Tripoli are entirely under the control of immigrants," Foreign Minister Abdel-Rahman Shalqam told reporters in Tripoli recently. In remarks to the Italian newspaper La Stampa, Shalqam indicated that the long barren frontier made it virtually impossible to stem the tide. "If for you Italians illegal immigration is a problem, for us it's much more. It's an invasion," he said.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

This world, with much of the 3rd world painfully aware of the advantages to be had by escaping to Europe or America (including Canada), seems to have problems deciding how...and IF...to regulate immigration, legal AND illegal. Add in the current religious element in terrorism, and you can't have an issue with clear-cut, easy answers anymore. Everyone in the world can't move to those parts of the world deemed safer and 'better'...so where is the line to be drawn, and by whom?

I am fascinated and intrigued by diversity in art, language, culture, etc...but I'd like to do it without the angst that pervades the situation currently. I, too, have a culture, language and social system that I'd like to practice comfortably, and gradually incorporate bits of other cultures and languages, much as was done when the process was slowed by sailing ships. (Even then we had conflicts when the Irish arrived in New York and slavery brought many thousands of Africans to an Anglo world!)

......I don't HAVE a simple solution, but I refuse to ignore the problem just because any stated solution is disagreeable to someone.

The one thing which could gradually ease the situation IF other things were also worked on is population control...but that is another can of worms, hmmm?

Subject: RE: BS: Illegal Immigration
From: dianavan
Date: 04 Oct 04 - 11:09 PM

Bill D. -

The French language issue is quite a different cup of tea. French was spoken in Canada before English. It has spread to other provinces. Canada is officially a bi-lingual country. Our school system requires that both languages be taught.

The Chinese use our schools after 3:00 dismissal to teach their language. Any cultural group intent on keep their language alive is free to do the same thing.

As far as the school system goes, 30-50% of my grade 2 students are just learning English. Most are very good students because their parents value education. They bring with them a keen desire to learn. This motivates some of our more complacent English speaking students. In other words, part of the reason our students rate so highly internationally is because of what they learn from each other.

I have never heard of "crime that is ethnicly based." In this country a criminal is a criminal, regardless of ethnicity. What are you talking about?

As far as your remark, "We add this to the already large communities of African-Americans who retain a VERY different culture and value system, and we have problems NOW." There is a theory that says that the sub-culture that developed was a culture of opposition. In other words, WE ARE NOT THEM. It is no wonder it is a problem. Having lived through the process of integration, I would say that although the U.S. is less than perfect in regards to their treatment of Afro-Americans, much progress has been made. The U.S. has gone from slavery to segregation to integration. The U.S. can change and will change over time.

As to your own fears - Nothing is perfect but if you focus on the similarities instead of focussing on the differences, you will find most immigrant people have similar values to your own. The differences are usually interesting. Believe me - I wouldn't trade my multi-ethnic neighborhood for the suburbs ever! The thought of being surrounded by people the same as me sounds way to boring.

d

Subject: RE: BS: Illegal Immigration
From: GUEST
Date: 04 Oct 04 - 11:16 PM

Steven's Kat was guilty and deported.

Subject: RE: BS: Illegal Immigration
From: Bill D
Date: 05 Oct 04 - 12:56 PM

late in getting back to this:

dianavan...I know, of course, how younger kids, like your grade two students, more easily pick up a new language and, hopefully, integrate it into their lives so that they can comfortably converse in either one and be understood easily.

(just to double check your post...is French 'offically' taught in all of Canada...including B.C and Alberta..etc?...I understand that signs and such MUST have French shown in Quebec...but elsewhere?)

to clarify about crime...I had in mind gang violence that specifically relates to current issues with Black, Latino or Asian gangs, usually directed against other gangs of like heritage but a distinct problem for the community at large. Since police need to deal with any crime, having 3-4 different ethnicities to try to understand when investigating problems can be awkward. It DOES require extra training, recruitment and assignment scheduling. (Just having officers who can speak Spanish well can make a big difference). Are we to require all US schools to teach both Spanish and English, as you say Canada does with French? And if so, how about Arabic and Vietnamese--at least in some areas?

I do not question that we can do better, and that understanding and tolerance is important, but no matter WHAT you note as historical causes and "a culture of opposition", we have groups (African-American especially) who are going out of their way to remain different and maintain a language barrier....and then to simplify their poor access to jobs and housing by labeling it 'discrimination'. Is is that, and much more.
   I once heard a Black woman educator from Chicago defending 'Ebonics', the black dialect with different grammatical rules as a 'language', and arguing that it should be taught in black school. Fine....but THIS woman was at least able to switch into perfectly good standard English in order to make the argument, while the kids she was referring to were not! She had no plan to make the kids able to compete on an equal basis in a job interview...she was merely touting Ebonics as 'good enough' as a language.

What I fear is that the situation Canada just is not a close enough correspondance to that in the US...we have a Spanish speaking country with economic problems right to our south, with several more a bit further south, and enormous numbers of illegal immigrants flooding over the border every day. In that situation, it is really hard to focus on the multi-cultural 'values' you note.

finally, you remind me that "... you will find most immigrant people have similar values to your own."...well...yes, sort of. They all want basic human homes, work, families, music...etc....but they often have values in various areas which do NOT easily fit in a community. Even basic habits in driving automobiles and standards of 'personal space', and what counts as 'fair' in business dealings can be sources of strife. In smaller doses, these can be worked with, but sometimes it really is an issue.

My claim is that this is getting worse in the US, just as we have a president and government who are not inclined to be reasonable in how they approach the problem.....

we shall see.....

(it good to compare the ideas, anyway!*smile*)

Subject: RE: BS: Illegal Immigration
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 05 Oct 04 - 01:28 PM

French was spoken in Canada before English.

And Spanish was spoken in what are now the United States before English.

Subject: RE: BS: Illegal Immigration
From: Bill D
Date: 05 Oct 04 - 02:22 PM

'who got there first' is interesting historically, but hardly relevant when dealing with what is We have to take the situation as we find it. Of course, there were 'Indians' of various sorts already here in both countries.

Subject: RE: BS: Illegal Immigration
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 05 Oct 04 - 03:28 PM

"We have to take the situation as we find it." And the situation is already, as I understand it, that the USA is a bi-lingual country. Well, more languages than that, obviously, but English and Spanish are by far the largest numbers.

Looked at objectively, Spanish is a much more straightforward and consistent language than English is. There'd be a lot of advantages if it were to become the lingua franca of the world rather than English.

Subject: RE: BS: Illegal Immigration
From: Bill D
Date: 05 Oct 04 - 04:05 PM

well...'parts' of the USA are marginally bi-lingual. Some border areas and certain large cities certainly are, but even the term bi-lingual is a misnomer, as all it means is that two languages are commonly heard on the streets. It does not mean that a majority of the people in those areas speak both languages even semi-fluently. Shopkeepers in San Diego, or Miami, or Del Rio, Texas of both groups can no doubt 'get by', and many school personel are having to learn both, and kids who play with others pick up the others' language pretty well, as well as often having classes in it....but there is no sense that the USA, as a whole, is likely to be required to learn Spanish from early school days.

As to the rest of the world? Don't hold your breath..*wry grin*. There are as many disadvantages as advantages to Spanish.....and if you want a universal language, Esperanto is waiting on the sidelines.
I can imagine the Russia and the Baltic areas and the Chinese being told to learn Spanish!

I rather imagine that in 200 years, if we last that long, the internet/WWW will settle the issue, and that many changes will be made, both in lingua franca and translation.

Subject: RE: BS: Illegal Immigration
From: dunkel_esel
Date: 05 Oct 04 - 04:15 PM

why do people write such long messages - I dont have a long enough attention span!

mjxx

Subject: RE: BS: Illegal Immigration
From: Bill D
Date: 05 Oct 04 - 04:42 PM

'cause short messages don't let you say it all.

Subject: RE: BS: Illegal Immigration
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 05 Oct 04 - 04:58 PM

Some parts of Canada don't have that many French speakers, but that hasn't been a reason not to recognise it as a language of equal national status.

Even aside from the presence of lots of Spanish speakers in the USA, most people in the rest of America speak Spanish. I'd have thought that it would be a language which children would learn at school as a matter of course.

Subject: RE: BS: Illegal Immigration
From: Bill D
Date: 05 Oct 04 - 06:26 PM

by that reasoning, Brazil should speak Spanish also...*shrug*...it just happened that the USA was settled in patterns that favored English. It could easily have been Spanish...or French, but it was many years before the US expanded into Texas and California and even came into contact with many Spanish speakers. We were dealing with more Irish and German and Swedish for most of the middle 1800s...then a war with Mexico made Spanish a pretty unpopular tongue for awhile....

and...if it had not been for pressure from Quebec, would the rest Canada have even pretended to take French seriously? Countries don't do things like that without overriding reasons, and "that's a nice language they speak next door" is not usually a reason for adopting it formally..

Subject: RE: BS: Illegal Immigration
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 05 Oct 04 - 06:37 PM

I rather suspect that most Brazilians wouldn't have all that much difficulty in getting by in Spanish.

But are you saying that in fact it isn't a normal part of schooling in the USA to learn Spanish? That'd be about as silly as not teaching English in schools in your neighbours to the South.

Subject: RE: BS: Illegal Immigration
From: Greg F.
Date: 05 Oct 04 - 06:54 PM

Kevin, the teaching of languages in U.S. primary and secondary Schools is a disgrace. There's no requirement to show proficiency in any language other than English- and standards there are slipping as well.

Its hubris- "just speak English slowly and loudly..." and jingoism, and lack of adequate education funding into the bargain.

How folks in the U.S. can keep from cringing with shame every time a newscast shows a peasant from some place like Azerbaijan or Chechnya speaking perfect English......

I could tell you the story of a local French teacher who took a group of students to Québec and was really annoyed that the residents wouldn't speak English to her-

Subject: RE: BS: Illegal Immigration
From: Rabbi-Sol
Date: 05 Oct 04 - 06:56 PM

Here in the New York area you have a choice in High School as to which foreign language you wish to study. Spanish is not a required language. Believe it or not, many students here are opting for Russian over Spanish. There are a ton of Russian immigrants in the major population centers of northern and central USA. SOL ZELLER

Subject: RE: BS: Illegal Immigration
From: Bill D
Date: 05 Oct 04 - 07:12 PM

Spanish is offered as an elective almost everywhere, and 'many' people take a couple of classes....but my son, for example, is taking Chinese in college. You would be suprised, Kevin, to see how little importance is given to being able to speak Spanish. Mexico is usually considered either a source of migrant workers, or a tourist destination, and in both cases it's "YOU learn English".....

Indeed, we ought to do better at Spanish...but there simply is little incentive to do so with all the rest of the worlds issues crying for people to learn other languages.

It is sad, but "Spanish" often means just "illegal immigrants" to many in the US...except, as I said, in border areas and places like Miami where sizeable groups of Cubans have made entire communities. It is, I suppose, difficult to understand how the size of the US affects the situation, when in Europe, another country is usually not far away, and some familiarity with another language is more common.

Subject: RE: BS: Illegal Immigration
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 06 Oct 04 - 10:23 AM

Those sound like reasons why a Spanish speaking majority in the USA would be a good thing.

Subject: RE: BS: Illegal Immigration
From: Bill D
Date: 06 Oct 04 - 12:01 PM

'good'?? in what way? Are you having me on or arguing seriously? I would think it would just cause strife as Spanish speakers began to lobby for "full equality" in all ways....separate editions of newspapers & magazines?...and how would schools be run? Most English speakers would likely object....some VERY strongly, and we hardly need more strife right now. And speakers of 3rd & 4th languages would reall be caught in the crunch!

I would think it would make most sense for ANY country to say "this is our National language. Everyone is expected to be fluent in it."

I know some countries have 2 or more 'common' languages, but how do they treat those for issues like conducting government? (sessions of Congress/Parliament) How does Canada do it? Headphone and translators like the U.N.? The 'official' language of countries is usually reflected in what is spoken on the news programs of radio & TV...I know Germany, with several dialects, has what is called 'Die Umgangsprache', a standardized version that everyone knows, even if it is not what they speak at home.

I am really trying to wrap my head around this idea...but it ain't easy....

Subject: RE: BS: Illegal Immigration
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 06 Oct 04 - 12:48 PM

Since it's probably coming, best look on the bright side and look forward to it. Being bilingual, and even more than that, isn't that difficult, plenty of ordinary people all over the world manage it without a problem.

Subject: RE: BS: Illegal Immigration
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 06 Oct 04 - 09:32 PM

Aussie Immigration Policy

Subject: RE: BS: Illegal Immigration
From: GUEST
Date: 15 Oct 04 - 05:20 PM

What happens if one is turned in?

Subject: RE: BS: Illegal Immigration
From: Padre
Date: 15 Oct 04 - 06:29 PM

It seems that many people are choosing to miss the first word in this thread - ILLEGAL immigrants are very clearly breaking the law of whatever country they enter illegally. If a citizen of the United States of America were to try to enter one of the countries of the European Union (or Mexico) illegally, he would be turned back at the border, or would be deported when caught, regardless of how long he had lived there. Why, then, should the USA not be permitted to take similar actions against those who enter her borders without permission?

Subject: RE: BS: Illegal Immigration
From: dianavan
Date: 15 Oct 04 - 08:47 PM

Bill D. - you said, "and...if it had not been for pressure from Quebec, would the rest Canada have even pretended to take French seriously? Countries don't do things like that without overriding reasons, and "that's a nice language they speak next door" is not usually a reason for adopting it formally.."

True enough their was pressure from Quebec. As mentioned before, French was spoken in Canada before English and yet those who spoke French were being discriminated against because they did not speak English. The compromise - make Canada bilingual.

How does it work? All packaging and advertisements must be in both languages. It is a requirement that you learn both languages in school. Federal politicians speak both languages if they want the votes. Provincial politicians speak one or both languages - depending on the population. As far as newspapers, magazines, and media in general, we have both. If there is a demand, there is a supply. Nobody forces me to read or watch or listen to French if I don't want to. I have choice.

What are you afraid of? I know a Spanish speaker married to a French speaker. Their children speak three languages. All three languages are spoken at home. My daughter is fluent in both languages because 1/2 her family is French and 1/2 her family speaks English. In Vancouver, I often have a class where 5 or more languages are spoken at home.

Whats the problem? The more languages that are known, the better.

Spanish should be more than elective in U.S. schools. If children are schooled in their first language, they have a much better chance of success. To recognize only one language is to exclude a large number of people from the economy. Exclusion and marginalization is what leads to socio-economic problems, not inclusion.

d

Subject: RE: BS: Illegal Immigration
From: Peace
Date: 15 Oct 04 - 09:01 PM

Dianavan,

I must correct that notion. In Quebec, the language MUST be French. English also is optional. However, if English is on a French sign, the French lettering MUST be bigger or bolder.

Subject: RE: BS: Illegal Immigration
From: Metchosin
Date: 16 Oct 04 - 12:15 AM

well its only fair, after all, French is always on the back of the cereal box in English Canada. LOL

Subject: RE: BS: Illegal Immigration
From: dianavan
Date: 16 Oct 04 - 01:40 PM