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David Stanley Ford

Okla. lawmaker plans official English legislation
Okla. lawmaker plans official English legislation

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Published: March 18, 2008

The author of Oklahoma's sweeping anti-illegal-immigration law said Tuesday he plans new legislation that would ask voters to make English the official language of the state.

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Rep. Randy Terrill, R-Moore, said the measure will seek a constitutional amendment requiring that all official state government business be conducted in English similar to proposals adopted by 30 other states that have made English the official language.

The legislation addresses government speech and recognizes the state's right to control the way it communicates with citizens and how citizens communicate with it, Terrill said.

If approved by voters, the measure would prevent the state from having to deliver taxpayer services in a language other than English and avoid the cost of providing services in multiple languages by using translators and publishing state documents in various languages.

"Translation costs money," Terrill said. "We know the costs are significant."

The measure also adopts a federal government policy that encourages immigrants to assimilate into American society by speaking English.

The bill carves out exceptions for American Indian languages and would not interfere with tribal language programs. English-only legislation died in the House last year after it was opposed by tribal officials.

"This bill simply does not touch Native American languages at all," Terrill said. "This bill, I think, is legally air tight."

The "official English" requirements are in an amendment Terrill plans to insert into a Senate bill that is pending in the House General Government and Transportation Committee. Terrill said he hopes to fast-track the bill and have it approved by the House and Senate and awaiting Gov. Brad Henry's signature by the end of March.

Terrill authored last year's House Bill 1804, anti-immigration legislation that had wide bipartisan support. It went into effect for the public sector on Nov. 1 and will go into effect July 1 for private sector employers.

Among other things, the measure bars illegal immigrants from receiving tax-supported services, requires employers to verify the immigration status of their employees and exposes employers to legal action for hiring unauthorized immigrants in place of U.S. citizens.

The "official English" proposal is part of legislation Terrill filed to strengthen last year's bill that also would have allowed law enforcement agencies to seize and forfeit assets used to harbor, transport or conceal illegal aliens.

Terrill said he did not pursue the bill because it had far less political support than last year's measure. Public opinion polls indicate voters support expanding state anti-illegal immigrant guidelines but businesses say the guidelines have driven Hispanic workers — legal and illegal — out of the state, making it harder to find workers.

The idea of making English the state's official language is not new. In 2002, the state Supreme Court ruled that an initiative petition to make English the official state language was unconstitutional and infringed on the right of free speech, the freedom to petition the government for redress and upon the policy-making function of the Legislature.

In 2006, the city of Altus reached a settlement with a group of Hispanic municipal workers who challenged the city's English-only policy. The workers had filed complaints with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that said the city did not show there was a need to prevent them from speaking Spanish and that the policy singled out a nationality.

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David Stanley Ford





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What I think is funny is that no one has said anything about all children in our educational system need to learn other languages. Everyone talks about how we need to make English the mandatory and the recognized language of the country but no one is talking about how many other countries such as Japan, India, and pretty much all the European countries mandate at least 3 languages in schools. If you want to feel completely stupid about yourself, do yourself a favor and visit another county. When you see the taxicab drivers switch between Danish, German, and English and you need to keep asking everyone you see "Um... Do you speak English?" Chances the person will laugh internally and say "no". Stop bitching about the influx of illegals and start talking about how our jobs are going to people from these other countries that are just as well trained as our own people, but they are polyglots and they know not just the culture of their country but the culture of others. I just don't understand the never ending xenophobic behavior of the people in this country. Now before anyone says I'm a "spic lover", I'm not advocating that we should stop American progress to help the minorities (i.e. spics, beaners, latinos). I'm saying that we need educational reform. We can't keep talking about how good America use to be, because looking at the past won't fix anything. I'm talking about educational reform that would bring our young people into a competitive grounds not with their fellow Americans, but with the people of the world. We should have our kids learning not just 2 languages but at least 3-5. French, Japanese, Arabic, Spanish. If we mandated these languages for our kids, America would be the home of the call centers, not India. I mean there is a reason why our Government passed the Abraham Lincoln act to get more of our College Students into other countries and the give kids from other countries the chance to study in the states. TO PROMOTE CULTURAL UNDERSTANDING. Not this typical Xenophobic fair that seems to be the case with America.
Sam, Edmond - Mar 23, 2008 at 10:08 pm
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nice job paris..you can character assassinate me all day and it wont matter...you still cant defend your reasoning...guess your sister got all the brains. my question is why didnt you get the looks? i mean always hiding behind your sheet and all.
Randy, Moore - Mar 20, 2008 at 11:54 am
Quimper, don't get too upset with Jason. He is a living example of how a person can function without a brain.
Thoughtful, Oklahoma City - Mar 19, 2008 at 8:22 am
Bout damn time.Go get'em Mr. Terrel. I am stinkin tired of having to press one for my own language.
randy, norman - Mar 19, 2008 at 6:31 am
Bout damn time.Go get'em Mr. Terrel. I am stinkin tired of having to press one for my own language.
randy, norman - Mar 19, 2008 at 6:31 am
Bout damn time.Go get'em Mr. Terrel. I am stinkin tired of having to press one for my own language.
randy, norman - Mar 19, 2008 at 6:30 am
Tim in Norman, You bring up some good points. The weekest part of my last post was pointing to the fact that more than 70% of the people in this state support 1804 and like legislation. That in itself does not make it right. In fact I was pointing out that a previous post stating that "every one else disagrees with 1804" was false and misleading. Your other premis that the state should provide services in what ever language needed is "unreasonable". How many different languages do we support? When is enough, enough? And finally, who gets to decide? By your argument, and others here, it would be the loudest and most obnoxious. Your side would like the rest of us to agree just because you are passionate about your beliefs. Well guess what, so are we.
Bobby, Edmond - Mar 19, 2008 at 5:56 am
Nice post Rich!
I'm not really sure what the logic of this bill is here anyway. It will mean that Oklahoma doesn't give taxpayer services in a language that taxpayers understand? Don't we want people filing tax returns?
The bottom line is that there are citizens of our state who need the services that this bill is trying to eliminate. It is unreasonable to suddenly expect them to speak English with no support in learning it and no time to learn it. This is a significantly different bill than 1804, and people who support 1804 (unlike me) need to realize that. This harms legal citizens and legal residents- people who by anyone's standards we should try and help.
I'm perturbed by the folks who use the argument that since the majority of the state's voters agree with this we should do it. 2500 years ago Aristotle noted that democracy was bad when the majority of the people supressed the minority. Is that the kind of state we want to be?
Tim, Norman - Mar 18, 2008 at 11:48 pm
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i think the state should also decide what route I drive to work, how long I wear my hair, and what color I paint my house. I would say Terrill is a Nazi, but that would be too easy. So I'll say "aren't there more important things to worry about?" Randy... lets get to work on something besides eliminating anyone/anything that is different.
rich, moore - Mar 18, 2008 at 10:56 pm
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Bobby in Edmond. Good post! Simple logic is a hard thing to debate, as all democrat/socialists can attest.
Brock, Beaver - Mar 18, 2008 at 10:37 pm
It is nice to know that Paris' aunt taught English at Vanderbelt. I've heard of Vanderbilt but I can't find the other. Maybe that shows how smart she and her little cronies are that sit around and complain about illegals causing all of the problems in their lives, including their inability to order their double cheesburgers at McDonald's drive-thru.
Chris, Warr Acres - Mar 18, 2008 at 9:54 pm
Tracy/Bethany - Beg your pardon, but 1804 *does* have at least one provision dealing with aliens who are here legally. My husband and I spent lots of time and treasure getting his green card the right way, yet Terrill's first child has had major effects on us and on our family. It's neither right nor fair. Thanks for your time.
Donna, Oklahoma City - Mar 18, 2008 at 9:37 pm
Amy/OKC, I'm with you on that point - xenophobia is awful. What fun that Americans go to Paris or Cancun or Rome for vacation and demand that the people who live and work there speak English! (Their logic? "If they want my money, they'll speak my language." I think they might just be too stupid or too lazy or too stupid *and* lazy to either learn a few key phrases or carry around a phrase book.)
Donna, Oklahoma City - Mar 18, 2008 at 9:35 pm
hey quimper. give me your address. ill come put up sign's in your lawn(if you have one) that reads "liar"...or "bigot" ...or "racist". and see how you like it. or i know lets talk about the real issue. which is how my posts threaten and scare you. otherwise you would not be resorting to character assassination. doesnt it make you feel better to belittle me on a message board? thats not very spartan of you. you should try it face to face. you would feel better about yourself.
Randy, Moore - Mar 18, 2008 at 9:08 pm
Reading the tripe posted here tonight reaffirms what I have seen every time this discussion gets started. The side opposed to any restriction to illegal immigration or to any statement of national language, resorts to name calling and condescension. Those people use terms like racist, morons, rednecks, uneducated, dumb okies, and the list goes on. People generally resort to those types of characterizations when they are unable to present a valid argument or are unable to win the discussion. Regardless of the reason, polls have consistently shown the public to be supportive of these initiatives by more 70%. Ignoring those polls only proved to show how narrow minded you are, educated or not.
Bobby, Edmond - Mar 18, 2008 at 9:05 pm
I feel sorry for those who are terrified of all things different.
amy, oklahoma city - Mar 18, 2008 at 8:24 pm
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Terrill plays well with two groups, the redneck uneducated and the smug, slack-jawed, well to doers full of "you gotta be just like me or else."
lanny, Tulsa - Mar 18, 2008 at 7:41 pm
If any would check the post that I have made on this issue, you will not find the use of the term "Mexican" in any of them. There are more pressing issues in the future of our state than making English the offical language.
JH, deep red creek - Mar 18, 2008 at 7:17 pm
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I don't know how old Jason may be but it would seem that he has a infintile personality because from what I am reading, if anyone upsets his apple cart, he resorts to name calling and I can just picture him lying on the floor, kicking his feet. Poor baby.
Quimper, Oklahoma City - Mar 18, 2008 at 7:15 pm
It seems to me that English has always been spoken in the United States since the Mayflower hit the shores.
United we stand and devided we fall. I think that God punish the people,d while trying to build a tower to heaven, by making them speak in different languages. Mind you, I said "punished". I personally don't prefer being in public with people who refuse to conform to the traditions of their surrounding and If I don't understand what they are saying, how am I to know that they are not telling someone to pull out their guns and shoot these people and/or worst yet, to pull the string on the bomb they have strapped to their bodies. In a world where terrorism is rampant and viable, we as Americans, should, under the Patriot
act and/or any other national security act, demand that English should and will be spoken in any public domain. I pesonally could care less what someone speaks in the comfort of their own homes.
Quimper, Oklahoma City - Mar 18, 2008 at 7:02 pm
william why do you have to continue with personal insults? why do feel so threatened? please explain to me why you think i am stupid. doesn't matter to me. i know im not the sharpest tool in the shed, but i know right from wrong. all i am saying is that randy could choose to take on a real issue instead of the polarizing, self promoting issue that everyone agrees is wrong. and that "dumb-okies" just get in line, rattle there sword, and accomplish nothing. english is the offical language. what a joke. next time you walk into a store go pick up a six pack, set it on the counter, nod your head, give the money , get your change, and leave. YOU DONT EVEN NEED TO SPEAK ANY LANGUAGE! this state speaks english and will speak english as the main language for 100 years. simply useless.
Randy, Moore - Mar 18, 2008 at 6:54 pm
Jason, I love intimate sexual relation's with small Mexican boy's. I am so civilized that I can not understand that some people that post on message boards actually express their opinions based on experience.
Randy, Moore - Mar 18, 2008 at 6:46 pm
As Forrest Gump would say; Stupid is, as stupid does.
william, pampa - Mar 18, 2008 at 6:45 pm
Jason, why don't you stay away from us civilized folks?
judie, Oklahoma City - Mar 18, 2008 at 6:40 pm
Paris, I wasn't correcting anybody. I was just stating a sad fact. As far as communication goes, I've made myself understood in foreign countries with my hands and very limited knowledge of that language. Being able to read and understand someone else speaking that language is another story. Most, just like here in America, speak very quickly and with a great deal of slang. It can be very difficult.
judie, Oklahoma City - Mar 18, 2008 at 6:38 pm
will.i.am. from podunk..cun u phleeze grade it fer me. tracymae tuld mah u were smurt. or how about lol rofl at your backside because of instead of seeing cindy crawford you see her mole. lol i leave the grammah and the composition and the spellin to the professors. ive made my bones. lenny dykstra cant read but has made 100's of millions. if you have a gripe about peoples grammar or sentence construction on a message board, you may try staying away from them.
Randy, Moore - Mar 18, 2008 at 6:34 pm
Jason, regardless of what your opinion is, you really need to get a grip on your composition, spelling and grammar. They are awful. It makes it very difficult to read what you write when it is so poorly constructed.
william, pampa - Mar 18, 2008 at 6:26 pm
well im sure we could take a collection and get you "tooth" fixed... you are to funny.
Randy, Moore - Mar 18, 2008 at 6:00 pm
Whatever Jason, I live in a double wide and and drive a truck for a living. If it were'nt for those dirty little mexicans I could get my tooth fixed.
Randy, Moore - Mar 18, 2008 at 5:58 pm
maybe you should take paris on a date to mcdonalds, i hear they got wunderfull survus.
Randy, Moore - Mar 18, 2008 at 5:53 pm
tracy if you fell in a barrel of breasts, you would come out sucking your thumb ...if you cant find...one..point in that.
Randy, Moore - Mar 18, 2008 at 5:52 pm
I have nothing... Let's all let Jason win. I certainly do not want to EVER read something that long and meaningless again. Make a valid point Jason or go away.
Tracy, Bethany - Mar 18, 2008 at 5:45 pm
its laughable that you go to mcdonalds for good service. so tell me paris, when they short you a burger or an order of fries at the the drive through....does that make the employee a rapist? i mean ...does your head hurt from the thinking for yourself, or can you not hear through the sheets?
Randy, Moore - Mar 18, 2008 at 5:44 pm
hey paris you said earlier, "Just wait until you go to McDonalds and try to order from the drive in window. You can't understand what is being said. Get out of you car go in and try again. What passes for some form of english is repeated back to you. Order comes, all wrong. Ask to speak to manager only to be told by her that you should learn to speak spanish. Why? I never plan to go to Mexico again. You come here you learn our language. You come here for a better life, don't bring you baggage with you. How rude to live in this country for years and not speak the language or even try to be a part of our country. I am insulted by this behavior.
Paris, Oklahoma City - Mar 18, 2008 4:35 PM"

who says the person at mcdonalds was illegal? maybe they were "high" and uneducated, ive seen that type before working at mcdonalds(a place i can afford to now avoid by the grace of god) who do you think you are to just lump all people with speech impedements, are slow, or just stupid are illegal. and nobody cares if you go to mexico. and it is not rude to not speak english. in the oklahoma i grew up in diversity has always been admired. and if not speaking english is rude to you, i hate to think of what your family and friends think of you.
Randy, Moore - Mar 18, 2008 at 5:40 pm
Jason, you are so wrong about who is in the majority. Do you read?
Thoughtful, Oklahoma City - Mar 18, 2008 at 5:28 pm
Jason.. sorry I am going to come right out and say it... You are an uninformed idiot.
Tracy, Bethany ,....wow i guess you were there. exactly what is it that i am uninformed on?
Randy, Moore - Mar 18, 2008 at 5:26 pm
Someone please hand that idiot a aluminum hat.
Tracy, Bethany - Mar 18, 2008 at 5:26 pm
Judie, there is a difference between grammer and communication. This is about communication, not grammer. My aunt was a professor of engish at Vanderbelt. She thought it was very, very rude to correct a person's grammer or spelling unless ask to do so.
Thoughtful, Oklahoma City - Mar 18, 2008 at 5:24 pm
and tracy. yeah its racist when "dumb okies" like you, paris, gary, charles, and JH sit here and talk about "the mexicans"...and not the blacks, whites, yellows that are here illegally aswell. put that in your pipe and smoke it. not only your a racist, your an ignorant racist too. color blinded one tracked hillbillies!!! you ARE NOT THE MAJORITY OF OKLAHOMA!!!and if you are this will be a spiritually, and moral bankrupt state within 30 years.
Randy, Moore - Mar 18, 2008 at 5:24 pm
Rofl @ Paris
Tracy, Bethany - Mar 18, 2008 at 5:22 pm
Politicians pick and choose the battles they want to fight. Most pick something that does not need a tax increase, popular with the general public and gives the appearance they are saving us from the hoards of "heathens" that are trying to over run the state. They do not want to take on the real issues because when they fail, they loose credibility.
JH, deep red creek - Mar 18, 2008 at 5:22 pm
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Jason, is it time for your medication?
Thoughtful, Oklahoma City - Mar 18, 2008 at 5:21 pm
The only one who has made any sense here is Donna, Warr Acres. Less than 10% of college graduates even mildly understand the language they want all to learn. Maybe everyone needs to take refresher courses, or else those coming out of ESL will speak more intelligently than the rest of you here.
judie, Oklahoma City - Mar 18, 2008 at 5:20 pm
Sorry Jason I meant to say.. Dear unintelligible American.
Tracy, Bethany - Mar 18, 2008 at 5:20 pm
and yeah paris you can have your uneducated meathead hillbilly cops, ill take the multi ligual ones everytime. no telling when your sister from ethiopia comes over for a visit and gets lost coming home from a bingo hall. your cops get sued....mine find solutions.
Randy, Moore - Mar 18, 2008 at 5:19 pm
Jason.. sorry I am going to come right out and say it... You are an uninformed idiot.
Tracy, Bethany - Mar 18, 2008 at 5:18 pm
I agree with you Paris. I wonder if I went to Mexico and demanded a translator what would I get? Name any other country on this planet that would allow this sort of stupidity to continue. Soon we will be calling these people English Challenged Americans. I can just see the media jumping on it now.
Tracy, Bethany - Mar 18, 2008 at 5:15 pm


yeah Randy way to go!!! how many translators you put out of work? 20? how many more jobs are you going to cost the state. well lets see you were against the lottery and gaming...how many jobs did that create?? hundreds! wow randy you hate peoples right so much you had a elementry schools christmas tree decorated in lottery tickets removed? well thank god for that! then randy comes to my front poarch not once, not twice, but three times and boldly lies, and could not even give me the dictionary definition of republican or what it means to reduce goverment. not only that randy goes on to ask if he can use my property to put up his campaign signs. i reply"hell no", but he does it anyways. then randy goes for the big time. the little man from alva. he decides he can run for a bigger office by making more immigration laws to rile up the "dumb-okies" to what amounts shooting fish in a barrel. everyone knows that illegal immigration is not good for the state, the country, and our tax dollars. any okie that thinks 1804 changed anything but terrill's popularity is just wrong. oklahoma or any other state will have illigal immigrant problems, UNTIL the federal government steps in and enforces our "american" borders. so really...and be honest...what does this bill do? have vast amounts of illegals left the state? have the translators really lost their jobs? has crime noticably decreased? has a republican created more government? did randy really just pick the "hot topic" easy path to popularity? i mean, come on, im randy!!! pedophiles should be jailed if not shot. thats an easy issue aswell. illegal immigrants brown, yellow, black, and white do such a small amount to damage to the job market, and economy pie that its hardly noticable. way to go randy you have divided the people of the state. wasted four years of tax dollars, campaign money, lied, impossed your will in this district to long. why not end your career with something truely spectacular. why not try to get health care for the kids of this state. why not do something to improve the lives and saftey in your district...community... your in the position of power. stop making it a popularity contest and do some real good in peoples lives. engish will always be the "official" language of the USA. every american knows that. is that really all you can come up with? not economy, health, taxes, social services, crime, water, tourism, to name a few? if i was your employeer, and i do vote, and i am in your district, you would have been replaced long ago. you have done nothing but harm to your district. oh and you know what i was saying about "dumb-okies" that cant see past there rasict nose....pt barnum once said "a fools born every minute" terrill's becoming a millionaire.peace out.
Randy, Moore - Mar 18, 2008 at 5:15 pm
Don't even name police in this. Have you looked at the cars they drive and the homes they live in? Someone is getting paid well. I can't afford a Mercedes or an Escalade little lone one of each. We have 3 who live in our neighborhood and only one of the wive's works. Homes in our addition start at $235,000 and up. Believe me they don't live in the lower end homes. So just scratch that one off the list. If you know a police officer ask them how many officers they have had to hire just to take care of people who can't speak the language.
Thoughtful, Oklahoma City - Mar 18, 2008 at 5:14 pm
Don't you think that slowing down our children's learning is costing all of us. Education gets 61 cents out of every tax dollar now. Just how much more are we supposed to give? I work with legal latino's that have children in school who can barely speak english and have to have some one translate for them. That doesn't come free. If these people are legal and their children can't speak the language what do you think the illegals do? The longer we wait to try to do something the harder it will be.
Thoughtful, Oklahoma City - Mar 18, 2008 at 5:08 pm
You are correct JH, but guess what? That more than likely won't happen either... Have a nice evening!
Ollie, Oklahoma City - Mar 18, 2008 at 5:08 pm
Regardless of the offical language of our state, changes have to be made and the longer we wait the more we place the children of our state in harms way. Again, the priorities are not in order.
JH, deep red creek - Mar 18, 2008 at 5:01 pm
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DHS gets raked over the coals every so often, and I believe they are in the process again or were just recently... DHS is a SINK-HOLE for money and investigations... Education, where is all that LOTTERY money that was ear marked for EDUCATION? Sounds like a Political Scandal to me! And every time we pass a TAX for ROADS, POLICE, FIRE, etc, etc... they necer see it all it gets diverted, but to where?!
At least making ENGLISH the OFFICIAL LANGUAGE would show alittle something, if only taking down some signs and saving more MONEY to send to that SOMEWHERE we don't know about yet...
Ollie, Oklahoma City - Mar 18, 2008 at 4:58 pm
JH, If we can get our problems with illegals coming into the state and milking our social services and school system and our roads that will make a lot of difference.
Thoughtful, Oklahoma City - Mar 18, 2008 at 4:57 pm
I think speaking english goes a long way in making TONS of changes to DHS and education right from the get go.
Tracy, Bethany - Mar 18, 2008 at 4:55 pm
Randy for president.
Thoughtful, Oklahoma City - Mar 18, 2008 at 4:51 pm
It is a shame that some of the energy making English the offical language of Oklahoma could not be channeled into making changes in DHS, education, roads, etc...do we really have our priorities correct?
JH, deep red creek - Mar 18, 2008 at 4:48 pm
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I'd like to know what is wrong with this State and our Country making English the OFFICIAL language! No one is saying you have to stop speaking your Native Tongue.. No HATE it just makes it run SMOOTHER...
Ollie, Oklahoma City - Mar 18, 2008 at 4:47 pm
This bill may not change the world, but it is business that needs to be taken care of and the sooner the better. The language spoken and understood by the vast population of this state and country is English and this should be the official language of our state and nation. This doesn't mean that other languages will not be spoken and taught by one generation to another, but there should be one "official" language for our laws, school books, road signs, etc. to be printed. Thank you, Mr. Terrill for taking this task on. There will always be naysayers, but this task promised to be a thankless one from the start. Please perservere!
Lisa, Mustang - Mar 18, 2008 at 4:42 pm
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Just wait until you go to McDonalds and try to order from the drive in window. You can't understand what is being said. Get out of you car go in and try again. What passes for some form of english is repeated back to you. Order comes, all wrong. Ask to speak to manager only to be told by her that you should learn to speak spanish. Why? I never plan to go to Mexico again. You come here you learn our language. You come here for a better life, don't bring you baggage with you. How rude to live in this country for years and not speak the language or even try to be a part of our country. I am insulted by this behavior.
Thoughtful, Oklahoma City - Mar 18, 2008 at 4:35 pm
Go Randy!!!
G. L., Oklahoma City - Mar 18, 2008 at 4:23 pm
The day people who insist English be our "official" language pass a collegiate grammar test is the day I support this type of legislation....
Donna, Warr Acres - Mar 18, 2008 at 4:23 pm
We said you WON with the big word... enough already. We give in.. we will all learn spanish and hate bush because you said so... weeeeeee.
Tracy, Bethany - Mar 18, 2008 at 4:17 pm
This isn't about rationality. It's about being a demagogue. From Wiki: Demagogy (also demagoguery) (Ancient Greek δημαγωγία, from δῆμος dēmos "people" and ἄγειν agein "to lead") refers to a political strategy for obtaining and gaining political power by appealing to the popular prejudices, emotions, fears and expectations of the public — typically via impassioned rhetoric and propaganda, and often using nationalist or populist themes.
stinkerpants, Oklahoma City - Mar 18, 2008 at 4:15 pm
Desiderius, Uptown - Mar 18, 2008 at 4:15 pm
Comanche needs to be the "official" language! This is mostly their land. This will end up in court costing us more money. NON-ISSUE!
Desiderius, Uptown - Mar 18, 2008 at 4:15 pm
He used a big word he WON!!!
Tracy, Bethany - Mar 18, 2008 at 4:14 pm
This isn't about rationality. It's about being a demagogue. From Wiki: Demagogy (also demagoguery) (Ancient Greek δημαγωγία, from δῆμος dēmos "people" and ἄγειν agein "to lead") refers to a political strategy for obtaining and gaining political power by appealing to the popular prejudices, emotions, fears and expectations of the public — typically via impassioned rhetoric and propaganda, and often using nationalist or populist themes.
stinkerpants, Oklahoma City - Mar 18, 2008 at 4:12 pm
This isn't about rationality. It's about being a demagogue. From Wiki: Demagogy (also demagoguery) (Ancient Greek δημαγωγία, from δῆμος dēmos "people" and ἄγειν agein "to lead") refers to a political strategy for obtaining and gaining political power by appealing to the popular prejudices, emotions, fears and expectations of the public — typically via impassioned rhetoric and propaganda, and often using nationalist or populist themes.
stinkerpants, Oklahoma City - Mar 18, 2008 at 4:10 pm
Renee, you're absolutely right!
Jan, Oklahoma City - Mar 18, 2008 at 4:10 pm
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Kate,
Aren't we capable of dealing rationally with an opponent without throwing in the "racist" slur.Have you and Seminole Sure been reading the same leftist propaganda?If most Oklahomans support 1804 what does this mean-they are "racists".I don't believe you have ever spoken with Terrill.
charles, tulsa - Mar 18, 2008 at 4:08 pm
What is racist about the law Kate? Name 1 thing. I personally think the law is crap anyway since it only enforces laws that should have already been being enforced.. but not racist. What would happen if 15 Million American Indians demanded everyone learn their language? How about 15 million American Germans? Russians????
Tracy, Bethany - Mar 18, 2008 at 4:05 pm
If in 2002 is was ruled unconstitutional why are we wasting our money on this?
sue, seminole - Mar 18, 2008 at 4:01 pm
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Randy Terrill once told me he doesn't fill out any survey of any public group unless he is paid to do so. That attitude translates into every thing he does unfortunately. The anti-immigrant law he is has spawned is terrible trash and now this - can he be anymore of a racist? I am white and ashamed he represents our state. Maybe he and Sally Kern should go to Texas together - great idea.
Kate, Norman - Mar 18, 2008 at 3:57 pm
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Hey Cale,1804 is very popular with Oklahomans and the English language proposal will be passed by the voters overwhelmingly.You and Seminole Sue are completely out of touch with majority opinion in this state.Randy Terrill for governor.Sue do you hate Randy.You are such an expert on so-called "hate groups".Seems like you have been reading too much leftist trash from the SPLC.Clean up your hateful mind,girl.
charles, tulsa - Mar 18, 2008 at 3:57 pm
Yawn....
Tracy, Bethany - Mar 18, 2008 at 3:55 pm
I believe that the point is to keep special interest groups from suing because the warning signs weren't printed in a non-English language. (also, government docs, money, etc..)
Marc, Moore - Mar 18, 2008 at 3:53 pm
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Randy doesn't care if he saves the State of Oklahoma a dime he is only trying to better himself. He is going to run for governor and I will do everything in my power to keep him out, other people may think its ok to work with hate groups but I don't. I wish Randy Terrill would move to Texas. He has never worked a hard day in his life. Why doesn't he work to better Oklahoma and our way of life and help us get the price of fuel down
sue, seminole - Mar 18, 2008 at 3:46 pm
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Hey Gary from Houston, Texas can have OUR Randy Terrill. He's not doing anything here anyway but running for governor and the people here are feathering his nest. I've known Randy since he was 14 and he's no different now than he was then. Trust me people, Randy Terrill is for Randy Terrill and no one else. He will tell you exactly what you want to hear and unfortunately with the education in OK being what it is with around 20% of the adult population with post-high school education, Randy knows what you want to hear.
Cale, oklahoma city - Mar 18, 2008 at 3:32 pm
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I've travelled over a great deal of Europe and I have never had a problem finding people that spoke English. I wonder if visitors (not residents) from Europe could say the same as us. We have become snobbish isolationists in this country unless we invade another country for our own economic benefit.
judie, Oklahoma City - Mar 18, 2008 at 3:27 pm
Funny you say that... I am a native american too ... I jokingly tell my friends not to worry and just take the beads. Back to the subject making it a law that people assimilate into society is not racist or hatred. It is mutually beneficial for both parties. Once again... anywhere else in THE WORLD if 15 Million people showed up illegally and demanded things... it would be considered an invasion... scary huh?
Tracy, Bethany - Mar 18, 2008 at 3:16 pm
i remember taking Spanish at OU and struggling with it. My professor told me that to get really good at the language I should study abroad because "you'd be forced to speak it if you want to get anything done." funny how that doesn't work both ways.
Renee, edmond - Mar 18, 2008 at 3:15 pm
English may not be the "official" language of the state, but it's pretty clear that it's the most common spoken language and therefore by default it's the official language. This legislation will not change anything though, folks will still speak Spanish, or whatever language they choose. and I will continue speaking English, along with the majority of this state.
Renee, edmond - Mar 18, 2008 at 3:12 pm
I too have lived in three different countries. The main difference I see is in the education system where all children are required to learn at least two languages, sometimes 3. When I lived in Italy our babysitters daughter who was 16 spoke English and French. She said that it was required of all children in public school. She had been taking English since she was 5 years old. The same is true when we lived in Germany and Japan.
judie, Oklahoma City - Mar 18, 2008 at 3:03 pm
States need more Randy Terrill's!!!!
GARY, Houston - Mar 18, 2008 at 3:01 pm
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Tracy people in Germany do learn english. Also hb1804 was written by FAIR which is known as a hate group, so if you want to be part of that go ahead, but I do not support this. Lets do something productive with our lives, not tear everyone down. Randy Terrill is wasting my money as a tax payer and I have every right to speak what I think. I am native american so I think everyone should learn my language you are living on Indian land.
sue, seminole - Mar 18, 2008 at 3:00 pm
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On the anniversary of a war that costs $200 billion a year, on the eve of a recession caused by the President of his party--and he wants to make sure we all speak English. Great. What a winner.
stinkerpants, Oklahoma City - Mar 18, 2008 at 2:55 pm
What?????? You.. mean.. um..it's not the official language already??? Sorry Sue HB1804 isn't about hate it is about people in the country illegally. If you have a problem with it we can always use the policy that Mexico has... I would be glad to implement it. Also I think less kids that slow down the english speaking class is a good thing. You want to live here learn the language. I do not plan on going to Germany and forcing everyone to learn English.
Tracy, Bethany - Mar 18, 2008 at 2:55 pm
People are losing their homes, paying almost 4 dollars a gallon for gas and food goes up everyday and all Randy Terrill wants to do is get his picture in the paper. This bill has nothing for the State of Oklahoma, our economy or anything else, except make some class rooms have less kids in them in Tulsa. He is wasting my money by spending all his time at the Capital trying to write bills against hispanics. I am against him and everything he stands for, he had help writing hb1804. In the paper the other day he said FAIR helped him write the bill. FAIR was listed last month as one of the 888 hate groups in the US.
sue, seminole - Mar 18, 2008 at 2:37 pm
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Rep. Terrill certainly has my support. If they want to live here they need to speak English! I've worked in many other countries and never been afforded the luxury of having English provided for me without hiring an interpreter! This is not Mexico and hopefully won't ever be.
Bill, Paden - Mar 18, 2008 at 2:35 pm
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He represents Moore. Enough said.
matt, oklahoma city - Mar 18, 2008 at 2:35 pm
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Candace, we could probably go back further than that, with grunts and moans being the official language. I'm sure the natives were speaking something of that sort in the beginning of time. Maybe bird chirps or animal noises could be the official language. Anyway, what does it matter maybe it will change the next 200 years.
J.T.(I), Norman - Mar 18, 2008 at 2:30 pm
If Randy wanted to save tax payers money he wouldn't be causing the state to have a vote on this topic. It cost alot of money for elections.
sue, seminole - Mar 18, 2008 at 2:11 pm
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Randy Terrill seems to enjoy stirring up controversial issues. I think we should really go back to the language of our land and speak "Arapaho" or "Choctaw" or any of the Native Tongues of the Native Oklahoma People!
Candace, Lakeland - Mar 18, 2008 at 2:03 pm
I am glad that it will come to a vote so that everyone will know that it is the will of the people. That should shut them up hopefully for good. I agree it shouldn't even be a question that English is the language we speak but some people just think we need to cater to everyone at whatever the cost.
Jimmy, Sandy Shores - Mar 18, 2008 at 2:02 pm
yeah Randy way to go!!! how many translators you put out of work? 20? how many more jobs are you going to cost the state. well lets see you were against the lottery and gaming...how many jobs did that create?? hundreds! wow randy you hate peoples right so much you had a elementry schools christmas tree decorated in lottery tickets removed? well thank god for that! then randy comes to my front poarch not once, not twice, but three times and boldly lies, and could not even give me the dictionary definition of republican or what it means to reduce goverment. not only that randy goes on to ask if he can use my property to put up his campaign signs. i reply"hell no", but he does it anyways. then randy goes for the big time. the little man from alva. he decides he can run for a bigger office by making more immigration laws to rile up the "dumb-okies" to what amounts shooting fish in a barrel. everyone knows that illegal immigration is not good for the state, the country, and our tax dollars. any okie that thinks 1804 changed anything but terrill's popularity is just wrong. oklahoma or any other state will have illigal immigrant problems, UNTIL the federal government steps in and enforces our "american" borders. so really...and be honest...what does this bill do? have vast amounts of illegals left the state? have the translators really lost their jobs? has crime noticably decreased? has a republican created more government? did randy really just pick the "hot topic" easy path to popularity? i mean, come on, im randy!!! pedophiles should be jailed if not shot. thats an easy issue aswell. illegal immigrants brown, yellow, black, and white do such a small amount to damage to the job market, and economy pie that its hardly noticable. way to go randy you have divided the people of the state. wasted four years of tax dollars, campaign money, lied, impossed your will in this district to long. why not end your career with something truely spectacular. why not try to get health care for the kids of this state. why not do something to improve the lives and saftey in your district...community... your in the position of power. stop making it a popularity contest and do some real good in peoples lives. engish will always be the "official" language of the USA. every american knows that. is that really all you can come up with? not economy, health, taxes, social services, crime, water, tourism, to name a few? if i was your employeer, and i do vote, and i am in your district, you would have been replaced long ago. you have done nothing but harm to your district. oh and you know what i was saying about "dumb-okies" that cant see past there rasict nose....charles from tulsa is a prime example.peace out.
Randy, Moore - Mar 18, 2008 at 1:59 pm
Randy Terrill has more guts than all the rest combined. Why is this so needed and controversial? English has been the language of the land since this country was established. For those who don't know, english won by one vote over German. This would not be issue if not for all of the bleeding hearts who are so afraid of offending someone. Try going to France and telling them that you want to conduct all of your business in English. Keep it up Mr. Terrill.
Bobby, Edmond - Mar 18, 2008 at 1:40 pm
Thank you Randy.This will save the state money.No more translators.Spanish ballots,etc.Our state is delivering the message that English is the glue which has kept this wonderful country together.Terrill for governor.What a courageous man.
charles, tulsa - Mar 18, 2008 at 1:29 pm

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