Schwarzenegger Language-Advocacy Link Is Criticized

[realFedUp]

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-usenglish30aug30,1,1067035.story

Schwarzenegger Language-Advocacy Link Is Criticized
The candidate for governor is called on to sever ties with U.S. English. Some leaders of the group have been accused of racial agenda.

By Greg Krikorian and Joe Mathews
Times Staff Writers

August 30, 2003

Arnold Schwarzenegger is coming under growing criticism from civil rights groups and immigrants' advocates for his 16-year membership on the advisory board of U.S. English, a Washington-based organization that bills itself as the nation's largest group dedicated to preserving English as America's official language.

-snip-

Other civil rights groups have followed suit, saying that they see a pattern of antipathy to immigrants in Schwarzenegger's service with U.S. English; his support of the 1994 ballot initiative Proposition 187, which would have cut off public services to illegal immigrants in California; and his selection of that proposition's key proponent, former Gov. Pete Wilson, as a campaign co-chairman.

The criticism has been fueled by recent allegations that U.S. English's communications director had ties to white supremacists. Earlier this month, the communications director resigned from U.S. English as did well-known conservative columnist David Horowitz, who said his conscience would not allow him to remain on the board.

continued

[jiacinto]

1. Interesting

I wonder if this will help Cruz Bustamente's campaign.

[trumad]

2. Interesting because I can barely understand a word Arnie is saying.

:wtf:

[realFedUp]

3. lol....read his lips

.

[NNN0LHI]

4. And the strange thing is that I can't understand a word Schwarz says

Its kind of like he sounds like he is speaking english...almost, but I still cannot understand him. Like he has a mouth full of shit or something. How long has that motherscratcher been living in America?

Don

[realFedUp]

5. Twenty five or so years...

Do you think he got any speech training as an actor?
Did he take acting classes?

I'd guess they didn't want him for classical work...

[Doctor Panacea]

6. Schwarzenegger is easy to understand

What he is saying is this:

I am a Repobblican becahwse my fahdder vahs a Nazi.

[Ernesto]

7. I think it would be great

if who could pronounce the word "California". It is NOT "Kaleeforneeya"

[0007]

17. Your funny

eom

[0007]

8. funnny? The chicks love it!

The funnier you talk the faster the chicks will fuck or suck ya. Are ya kidding?

[SodoffBush]

9. What's w/Arnie's attitude toward immigrants, gays and women?

A little something he picked up from his father, perhaps?

[Ernesto]

10. I think it was Prop. 187

Which banned illegal immirgrants from receiving Ca state social services. Arnold & his buddy PeeWee Wilson Were big supporters. Not exactly a smart move, this attempt @ playing the race card simply woke up the sleeping giant known as the Latino vote.... Cruz knows all about it.

[AP]

11. One thing some of the stories about this issue fail to mention

is that, after it was revealed that US English's founder had some racist motivations, Walter Crohnkite, the guy who hosts Jeopardy, and even David Horowitz quit the board of directors (according to a story I heard). Arnold, however, wouldn't quit.

That's the part of this story that is really interesting.

Decent Americans can disagree about whether English should be the first language, but when Crohnkite, Horowtiz, and a game show host all agree that a guy is a racist loon, chances are the guy is a racist loon. That Arnold didn't find this a problem should be a problem with a lot of Californians.

[realFedUp]

13. this is the first mainstream news article I've seen about this

and I don't think I've heard any discussion of
the group or board members from tv pundits...
don't think people know anything about this, but
Latinos would be especially troubled by this
group and Arnold's membership.

[AP]

Democracy, Now! did a story on this last week.

What I've heard since seems to be a watered down version of what I heard on Democacy, Now!

Shortly after those other board members quit, US English hired a guy who had strong connections to (I believe it was) the KKK.

NPR did a story on this which sounded like it was an open question as to whether membership on the board of this organization was a good or bad thing. Well, duh. If Walter Crohnkite was on the board, they obviously made it sound like they were doing good work. The problem with this organization is that it became apparent that it had an initially covert racist agenda deeply held by its founder.

People then quit the board (except for Arnold), and US English went on to become even more weird (by hiring the KKK-connected guy). NPR didn't report that part of the story.

[Voltaire99]

23. And a superb piece it was.

Go, Amy Goodman! Surely one of the best people on the air.

Coincidentally, if you've not already heard her discussion with Peter Manso about the ancient Oui interview check it out...

[Voltaire99]

24. And while I'm at it, this is not to be missed

Off topic, but what the hell: let me recommend to anyone interested in the arts, community, and racial harmony Democracy Now's beautiful piece from Thursday about the Brooklyn photo exhibit of work by Milton Rovinin.

This is a rare glimpse of a different era, when a man savaged by McCarthyism could pick up his camera and just by photographing his neighbors, make a difference...

There wasn't a dry eye in the Voltaire house:

http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=03/08/28/1647239

[Ladyhawk]

20. Could you give me some links about this organization?

My mother has always complained about immigrants not learning English. I guess the actual issue is debatable, but I'd like to know more about this organization.

[neomonkey]

12. My background

I was born in Los Angeles, but I trace my entire heritage to Mexico. I consider myself nothing but an American, and I happen to be of Mexican ancestry. I can certainly understand some of the logic behind making English the "official" language of this country, although I disagree.

I think perhaps my primary source of discomfort with this whole thing is not the cause but those behind the cause. I can't help but notice that most of the people who are seriously behind this agenda (especially many of those in U.S. English) have a serious abhorrence of Mexican immigrants. They hate what these people bring to the U.S., they hate the language, the customs, etc. For this reason, much of what they have to say is lost on my ears because I know deep in their hearts, whether they admit it or not, they would love nothing more than to "cleanse" the U.S. of the poor brown people from south of the border. Perhaps English as an official language of the U.S. is an idea which should be considered seriously and with sincerity, but as long as most of the people who believe in it are nothing but closet racist thugs, I can never seriously consider that idea. And the fact that Arnie has belonged to this organization for so long really makes me wonder where he's coming from. Maybe if he could speak English clearly I would understand.

[NNN0LHI]

16. My mother who I love very much never lets up on the...

...issue that the Mexican people who become citizens should learn to speak english. She goes completely nuts about it. Until I remind her that her mother, my grandmother, who passed away just a few years ago and was in her 90's never learned english even though she lived in America since she came here from Italy as a child. The only word I ever heard her say in english was "machine", which she used in place of automobile. My mom is a Republican by the way.

Don

[demdave]

19. How far would your mother get if she never learned english?

What kind of job could she get, how much would it have paid. How much harder would it have een for you to learn english. I think your mother saw this senario first hand and has the knowledge of experience. I think I would listen to her wisdom.

[NNN0LHI]

21. How much farther could she get? I told you she was a Republican

She learned english and see how far that got her? My grandmother had much better sense than my mother. Grandma was a Democrat.

Don

[robbedvoter]

14. Ha!ha! Just posted this morning the WBAI version and got locked

Somehow, the story has legs and the "Just because his daddy is a nazi, don't make Arnie one" thesis seems to crumble...Here's the Amy Goodman interview:


> http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=03/08/26/1430228&tid=25
> --A Look at Schwarzeneggerís Fatherís Ties to the Nazis and Arnoldís
> Connection to Racist Hate Groups

Let's see the devil advocates defend this one! Even Horowitz and Linda Chavez were grossed put by this company...But Arnie who voted only 3 times in the past 8 elections and one of these votes was for prop 187 and has Pete Wilson to prove it...
I can't wait the explanation about how in California this is cool!
And if you try to sell me his great love for English, try reconciling
this membership with this story, skipping his daddy:
"
Arnold Schwarzenegger is an Austrian citizen. The leading Republican
candidate to replace California Gov. Gray Davis should Davis be recalled
on October 7 holds dual Austrian-United States citizenship. The San
Francisco Chronicle reported on August 18 that the bodybuilder engaged
in the exercise of political string pulling to maintain his Austrian
citizenship after becoming an American citizen. Austria generally does
not allow dual citizenship, but Joseph Krainer, former governor of
Styria, Schwarzeneggers home province, helped the celebrity retain his
status as an Austrian.
http://www.onlinejournal.com/blog/blogger.html

[AP]

15. People need to listen to this KPFA link if they're confused about this

issue.

This isn't about whether English should be the first language of America. It's about racism.

[olmy]

18. He is also a member of the "He Man Woman-Haters Club"

Spanky...Rush swore him in.

No seriously folks, I have been giving this some thought and I think that this guy knows exactly what he is doing at all times, concerning the big picture.

I really do not think he is a womanizer in the sense that he means it. In a nutshell, I think that he gives off the hyper-masculine gig to counteract the bodybuilding/possibly switch hitter rumors that started when he was first starting out.

He is not the only person to do this. He acts as piggy as possible, then no one could believe the earlier rumors of the mid 70's.

[robbedvoter]

22. Ja...und he is racist because?

Seems you are jumping from one defense to another.
Here's a movie for ya:

http://toostupidtobepresident.com/shockwave/schwarzenegger2.htm