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Interstate truck and bus drivers across America may find themselves pulled off the highway if state troopers or vehicle inspectors find they can't speak English. The requirement has been on the books for decades, but enforcement has begun before Mexican trucks are allowed in the U.S. interior as of Thursday. "We have found people in violation of this for a number of years, and we're working feverishly to correct it," said John Hill, head of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Since 1971, federal law has said that commercial drivers must read and speak English "sufficiently to understand highway traffic...

A commercial truck driver from Monterrey who has crossed Laredos international bridges countless times was stunned earlier this month when he received a ticket from U.S. inspectors because he cant speak English."We were worried," said Samuel Tamez Treviño, owner of the truck that was driven by Rafael Segovia. "We consulted with attorneys. We were somewhat relieved when they told us it would be treated as a warning. But now what are we supposed to do?" Tamez Treviño, whose transportation company is in Montemorelos, is concerned that his drivers may be unable or unwilling to learn English, considering that even a...

MERRIMACK – Latino people remain free and welcome to come swimming at Naticook Lake at Wasserman Park, but they are not going to find any Spanish-language signs to tell them the park rules. The town council last night voted 5-0-0 to update the park rules only in the English language, ending a two-week debate that captured national attention and hit at such nerves as public access and immigration. Finlay Rothhaus, whose grandfather immigrated from Germany in 1921, was the councilor who made the initial objection to the Spanish-language signs, and explained his line of thought to the public last night...

ROCKVILLE, Md. — Charges against a man accused of repeatedly raping and molesting a 7-year-old girl were dismissed last week because the court could not find an interpreter fluent in the suspect's native West African language. Mahamu Kanneh, a Liberian native who received asylum in this country and attended high school and community college here, according to The Washington Post, was denied a speedy trial after three years awaiting a court-appointed interpreter who could speak the tribal language of Vai.

(Charleston) -- South Carolina's Department of Motor Vehicles has about ten thousand drivers manuals printed in Spanish. But after they are distributed the agency says no more will be printed. Senate President Pro Tem Glenn McConnell of Charleston says he was shocked to learn the state had the Spanish manuals. He says the official state language is English and official business should be conducted in English. Department of Motor Vehicles chief of staff Jimmy Early says 40,000 manuals in Spanish were printed five years ago when the agency was a division of the state Department of Public Safety. Early says...

The vast majority of people in the United States believe everybody who calls themselves an American citizen should speak the national language, according to a poll by Hart/Newhouse released by the Wall Street Journal and NBC News. 89 per cent of respondents support having all immigrants applying for citizenship being required to learn English. In May 2006, U.S. president George W. Bush addressed the nation to discuss his immigration proposals. Bush outlined five clear objectives: securing the borders, creating a temporary worker program, holding employers to account for the workers they hire, allowing illegal immigrants "who have roots" in the...

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Latino immigrants who want to learn English more quickly should avoid Spanish-language media. "You’ve got to turn off the Spanish television set,” Schwarzenegger said at the National Association of Hispanic Journalists convention in San Jose on Wednesday. "It’s that simple. You’ve got to learn English. I know this sounds odd and this is the politically incorrect thing to say and I’m going to get myself in trouble. But I know that when I came to this country, I very rarely spoke German to anyone.” Asked how to improve the academic performance of Latinos, the Austrian...

All of the Republican presidential contenders have turned down an invitation to speak in Orlando to the nation's largest gathering of Hispanic elected officials, at a time when their constituents are poised to be a powerful force in the 2008 election. Making the GOP field's absence particularly conspicuous, all of the leading Democratic candidates are planning to address NALEO, the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, on June 30. The Republicans were asked to participate in a forum the previous day. About 1,000 Hispanic leaders, representing the fastest-growing part of the electorate, are expected at the conference. Hispanic...

The title of this column is taken from Larry Elder's superb book Ten Things You Can't Say In America, even though we don't cover much of the same ground. Hopefully, Larry won't mind because imitation really is the sincerest form of flattery. 1) The U.S. military should be far less concerned about civilian casualties. We've gotten to the point where the United States is now regularly getting into conflicts with enemy nations that have far less regard for the lives of civilians in their countries than we do. We hold off on hitting high value targets because civilians are in...

NASHVILLE — MAKE no mistake: This is still Guitar Town, and the cavernous Nashville Used Music store is proof. Here, amid rows of new and used six-strings, one finds country music veterans, hirsute rock dudes and honky-tonk strivers picking away most hours of the day in a gloriously dissonant jumble of twang. But in a back corner, co-owner Charlie Shrader has been stocking, in ever-growing numbers, the gaudy symbols of the new Nashville: the Gabbanellis. That is, Gabbanelli brand push-button accordions — bright, spangled things, some tricked out in the red, white and green stripes of the Mexican flag, and...

LOS ANGELES Circulating recall petitions in languages other than English is not necessary, a federal appeals court ruled in a local school board case Tuesday. The 11-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned an earlier decision by a three-judge panel that found the petitions must be translated into other languages. "The expense and trouble of fulfilling the translation requirements are likely to deter proponents who otherwise would launch petitions," the opinion stated. A lawsuit challenging the legality of a 2003 election that resulted in the recall of Santa Ana Unified School District trustee Native Lopez was...

Arcadia rejects immigration proposals The city of Arcadia, Wis., will not pursue a plan to crack down on illegal immigrants and make English the official language. The city’s attorney announced Friday that the city council has backed away from Mayor John Kimmel’s proposed ordinances targeting immigration issues, citing the potential for lawsuits. Kimmel had proposed five ordinances that would: alert federal agents to complaints of undocumented workers; make English the official language of Arcadia; forbid any other nation’s flag from display without an American flag alongside; and ensure all signs and city documents be printed only in English. In August,...

Mr. Wayne LaPierre Executive Vice President National Rifle Association 11250 Waples Mill Road Fairfax VA 22030-9400 Dear Mr. LaPierre: As an NRA member of many years, I was surprised and disturbed to learn that the NRA now has a Spanish language website (www.nraespanol.org). I thought the NRA stood for patriotism and the defense of our nation and our way of life. Why, then, are you encouraging the balkanization of our citizens into English-speaking and Spanish-speaking camps? If people were born in the United States, surely they would have learned enough English to use the main NRA website by the time...

BOGOTA -- A month after he demanded the removal of a Spanish-language billboard, the mayor hopes to make it clear that English is the borough's dominant language.  Mayor Steve Lonegan has proposed a non-binding ballot question asking residents whether they would support an ordinance declaring English the official language of Bogota.  Lonegan plans to ask the Borough Council tonight to authorize the November referendum."The message is that English is the language that binds us together as a community," Lonegan said Wednesday. "We recognize that, and we're striving to maintain that."  Critics said such an ordinance would fan the flames of...

When Massachusetts abolished bilingual education, kids were given one year to learn English. After that, the theory went, kids would know English well since they learn languages fast. That’s a myth. Kids learn languages slowly while adults learn them faster. To be sure, children do have some advantages over adults in learning a language. When they start the study of a language before puberty, they usually manage to acquire a native accent. Adults will almost always keep some kind of foreign accent. Who will know more English six years later? In some ways the father in so far as language...

The mayor of a small Bergen County, New Jersey town is calling for a McDonald's boycott if the fast-food chain does not take down a Spanish-language billboard.... Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan said the advertisement is "offensive" and "divisive"......"The true things that bind us together as neighbors and community is our belief in the American flag and our common language," Lonegan said. "And when McDonald's sends a different message, that we're going to be different now, that causes resentment." Representatives for McDonald's and CBS Outdoor in New York, the company that owns the billboard on River Road in Bogota, defended the...

OLEY, Pa. (AP) - July 19, 2006 - The people who run the Oley Legion Diner in Berks County have put up a new sign poking fun at the English-only cheesesteak flap in Philadelphia. The owner of Geno's Steaks in South Philadelphia has posted signs stating, "This is America: When Ordering Speak English." The Oley Legion Diner's new sign says, "Please Order in PA Dutch." The Pennsylvania German-only request isn't enforced, although some regulars say they often speak the dying dialect. Oley resident Carl Sayer says, "Sometimes that comes out first." Paul Kunkel of Emmaus (eh-MAY'-uhs) has taught the dialect...

A Florida Mayor Turns to an Immigration Curb to Fix a Fading City

Illegal Aliens: A Few Myths to Keep in Mind . . . Mexico City. Last Tuesday the Pew Hispanic Center announced that 41 percent of Mexicans surveyed in February and 46 percent questioned in May stated they would live in the United States if given "the means and opportunity." Indeed, two out of 10 people interviewed said they were prepared to enter the U.S. illegally. These figures could have amazing consequences because our Spanish- speaking neighbor has a population of nearly 106 million inhabitants.

In a challenge to owner, protesters get their cheesesteaks. To test Joey Vento's mantra that he has never refused service to anyone, a group of out-of-towners descended on his South Philadelphia steak shop with one goal: to order cheesesteaks in Spanish, then see what happens. "What we seek is to be served when we order in Spanish," said Gilberto Garcia, a North Jersey lawyer who organized the event Saturday at Geno's Steaks, timed for the Fourth of July weekend. Garcia stood to the side while 30 other Spanish-speaking immigrants lined up, wearing white T-shirts saying, "Pan, Bisteck y Queso, Por...