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The Obama administration believes that an inability to speak English is a civil right. It is even more distressing that the administration, legally speaking, may be right. In April President Obama's Department of Justice threatened to cut off federal funding to Oklahoma if that state's voters approve a state constitutional amendment making English Oklahoma's official language, Sen. James Inhofe (R-Oklahoma) revealed. The threat came in the form of a letter (PDF) from Acting Assistant Attorney General Loretta King to Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson. King wrote that "implementation of this amendment may conflict with Oklahoma's obligations to protect the civil...

The battle over federalism begins on a new front as US Attorney General Eric Holder fired a shot across the bow of the great State of Oklahoma by threatening the loss of federal tax dollars over the State constitutional amendment initiative of an English-only requirement slated to appear on the 2010 ballot (via PatriotsForAmerica):

BY CHRIS CASTEEL Published: July 29, 2009 WASHINGTON — The Oklahoma congressional delegation wants U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to explain why the Justice Department got involved in a debate by the Oklahoma Legislature this year over making English the state’s official language. Oklahoma's congressional delegation wants Holder to explain why the Justice Department got involved in a debate by the Oklahoma Legislature this year over making English the state’s official language. The delegation sent a letter to Holder on Tuesday questioning why his Civil Rights division sent a letter to Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson in the midst of...

The Oklahoma congressional delegation wants U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to explain why the Justice Department got involved in a debate by the Oklahoma Legislature this year over making English the state’s official language. The delegation sent a letter to Holder on Tuesday questioning why his Civil Rights division sent a letter to Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson in the midst of the English-only debate reminding him that state entities receiving federal funds have to observe certain laws regarding people with limited proficiency in English. The letter, sent by all seven members of the delegation, asks Holder to explain his...

ATLANTA – Georgia would require that new drivers take a written license test in English under a bill being considered by state lawmakers, and the proposal has some employers and immigrant advocates worried it would keep people unfamiliar with the language from being able to work. The measure is the latest in a series of English-only legislation around the country, but Georgia is believed to be the only state that would have a law requiring that drivers take the written test in English without a translator or other aid. Versions of the bill have passed both chambers of the Legislature,...

Nashville rejects English-only measure Opponents feared the change would put up a 'go away' sign in the city where 1 in 10 residents are foreign born and international businesses keep the economy humming. By Richard Fausset January 23, 2009 Reporting from Atlanta -- Modern-day Nashville is a city that thrives as much on global trade as it does on its trademark twang. So for many business and government leaders, it was a great relief Thursday night when voters rejected a ballot measure that would have limited local government to conducting its business in English. The proposal sparked debates familiar to...

The city of Nashville, Tennessee has decided that it will not become an English-only city. Yesterday, voters there gave a thumbs-down to a proposal - called "English First" - that proponents say would have not only united the city but saved money. It would have mandated that the government there conduct its daily affairs in English.Opponents say becoming an English-only city could have given Nashville a "bad reputation."From the Associated Press via Fox News: Business leaders, academics, religious leaders, Nashville Mayor Karl Dean and Gov. Phil Bredesen argued the measure would tarnish the city's welcoming image, harm tourism and business...

Gov. Phil Bredesen and Nashville Mayor Karl Dean are urging rejection of a controversial English-only amendment on the Nashville ballot. They said they will cast early votes on Monday in the referendum election on proposed amendments to the Metro Charter, including the English-only amendment. Gov. Bredesen and Mayor Dean will vote at 8 a.m. CST at the Davidson County Election Commission, which is located at 800 2nd Avenue.

NASHVILLE - The presidents of eight Nashville universities call the possible adoption of an English-only ballot initiative "a distressing prospect." The proposed charter amendment would prevent the city from translating written materials into other languages or using interpreters to communicate with people who don't speak English well.

The children gather around “Miss Danielle” Buehner. “Good morning. Buenos dias," she welcomes the preschoolers. “Buenos dias, Miss Danielle,” they chime. In this class of 3-, 4- and 5-year-olds, the children come to learn social skills and practice their numbers, colors and thinking skills. They also come to learn a second language — Spanish. Of the 14 students enrolled in Irving Recreation Center’s dual language preschool, two live in Spanish-speaking homes, two have a bilingual parent, and another with Latino ethnicity was adopted into an Anglo home. All the rest are English-speaking youngsters whose previous exposure to the Spanish language...

A federal judge ruled Friday that a Wichita Catholic school policy requiring students to speak only English didn't break any civil rights laws.

Is VFW Post Phone MessageA VFW in Susquehanna County is drawing some attention because of its answering machine message. Some in Montrose wonder if it the right message. The VFW near Montrose is a busy place along Route 706, a place where many in the area come to socialize. But some folks are questioning the post's answering machine message, saying it's not very social at all. "Hello, this is Montrose VFW. We are an English speaking, American establishment. If you do not speak English or believe in America, please hang up," the message says. "Racist. I mean, that's like, this...

In an under-covered moment I only caught by streaming the event online, Sen. Barack Obama told voters today in Powder Springs, Georgia, they should not be worried about making the United States an "English-only" country. He said he agrees immigrants should learn English, but felt the concern should be more about global competitiveness. "Instead of worrying about whether immigrants can learn English, because they will learn English, you need to make sure your child can speak Spanish," he said. "We should have every child speaking more than one language." For comic effect, he added, "It's embarrassing when Europeans come over...

The Bradley Project Releases Its Report, 'E Pluribus Unum' - Calls for National Dialogue on America's National Identity http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/06-03-2008/0004825455&EDATE= http://tinyurl.com/6jrswk Report Finds That America is Facing an Identity Crisis and is in Danger of Becoming Not "From Many, One" - E Pluribus Unum - But Its Opposite, "From One, Many" June 3, 2008 PR Newswire (press release), NY Sixty-Three Percent of Americans Believe Our National Identity is Weakening, and One in Four Believe the Nation is So Divided That a Common National Identity is Not Possible WASHINGTON, June 3 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Bradley Project on America's National Identity today released...

An Iowa district court ruling has changed the state's online voter registration forms. The decision upheld Iowa's English-only law that went into effect back in 2002. "The rule of law has been reaffirmed by the court," said United States Congressman Steve King. He spent years as an Iowa state senator spearheading the effort to pass the English Reaffirmation Act. It became law in 2002 and required official documents including voter registration forms to be in English-only. "Having a common language binds us together, the most powerful unifying force known throughout history," King said. King and other state leaders thought the...

OKLAHOMA CITY -- The federal government is investigating whether the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety violated the civil rights of Iranian immigrants by refusing to provide them with driver's license tests in their native Farsi language. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration launched the investigation in March after a complaint filed on behalf of two Iranian nationals living in Bartlesville accused the state agency of unlawful discrimination based on their national origin, according to a letter from the NHTSA to Public Safety Commissioner Kevin Ward. Public safety officials said Tuesday that offering state driver's license tests in Farsi could force...

SAN ANTONIO -- A group of passengers were allegedly subjected to a 15-minute berating from a VIA bus driver Friday after he became upset when one rider couldn't speak English. According to one passenger, the driver became upset when an elderly man was 25 cents short on a bus fare. When the driver asked for the extra quarter, the man needed the assistance of a fellow passenger to explain the price discrepancy, said rider Maria Sandoval. After the man paid the remaining fare, the driver was still upset, said Sandoval. "The lady told the bus driver, 'He doesn't understand you...

A cell phone assembly line worker says she is afraid she could lose her job for speaking Spanish at work. Julie Rios said she has received verbal and written warnings for talking in her native language, even though, she said, she was not informed about the rule when she was hired. Rios, who was hired by temp company CoWorx, has been working at a North Texas plant for 10 months. But in February, she was issued a written warning about speaking Spanish. The memo issued by CoWorx read: "You are being issued your first written warning for not adhering to...

It was the small sign that stirred up a legal tornado. Last week, Joey Vento, owner of a popular Philadelphia cheesesteak restaurant, finally won the right to keep his sign: "This is America: When Ordering, Please Speak English." It took him two years, much abuse and hundreds of hours of work by paid and volunteer lawyers, but a local regulatory body finally ruled his sign wasn't discriminatory or offensive. Mr. Vento, owner of Geno's Steaks, says he never refused service to anyone who didn't speak English and put up the sign only as a political statement because so many people...

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - The owner of a famous cheesesteak shop did not discriminate when he posted signs asking customers to speak English, a city panel ruled Wednesday. In a 2-1 vote, a Commission on Human Relations panel found that two signs at Geno's Steaks telling customers, "This is America: WHEN ORDERING 'PLEASE SPEAK ENGLISH,'" do not violate the city's Fair Practices Ordinance. Shop owner Joe Vento has said he posted the signs in October 2005 because of concerns over immigration reform and an increasing number of people in the area who could not order in English. Vento has said he...