Unfettered Letters

Our new language

Is a rose still a rose by any other name? The Obama administration doesn’t seem to think so.

In the new tone we no longer have terrorists, but instead “detainees.” I feel safer already. We put their trials on hold. They quickly responded as a group by confessing they attacked us and would do it again. Where’s the thanks?

Now the attorney general tells us some detainees may actually be released inside this country. (In his neighborhood I hope.) Don’t worry. In appreciation they will use only clean, sharp knives to cut our throats, not the rusty, dull ones.

Taking this new language further, our Treasury secretary said that the banks no longer hold toxic assets. They are now “legacy assets.” Makes you want to go out and buy some of that worthless paper. For quite some time new taxes have been redefined as “investments.”

Are the school books being rewritten to teach this new language?

Denny Diekroeger
Lenexa

‘South’ a direction, not a place

I have one question for J.R. Ramsey (2/27, Letters), who thinks the phrase “it went south” insults the South: Are you serious? That phrase refers to things going up (north) or down (south). It could be said in Zimbabwe, Paris or Sao Paolo.

Maybe you should spend more time and energy being offended by real issues: the crashing economy, food prices or the health insurance crisis, just to name a few.

Lori Allen
Overland Park

Common phrase slights the South

Sometimes people write or say something that is insulting to others and don’t realize it. One of those phrases is “it went south.” That implies that something was bad, broken or not good.

Well, folks, I am from the South, and I am proud of it. There is nothing bad about the South. I realize that some African-Americans don’t care for the South, but I am an English-German-American, and I love it.

So please show a little respect for the South.

J.R. Ramsey
Belton

Learning a foreign language

David B. Smith’s letter (1/27) expresses a fundamental misunderstanding of teaching foreign language. Having the teacher speak the language of the student is in fact a hindrance, not an advantage. I speak from the personal experience of teaching English as a second language to students of more than 10 native tongues.

Learning a foreign language is an uneven process that takes more time for some, less for others. For those interested, there is abundant evidence that the majority of immigrant households in the U.S. speaks English as the primary language at home after the second or third generation.

We have a lot bigger fish to fry than the imagined “cultural invasion” mentioned by Mr. Smith. The convenience of whipping up hysteria over immigrants is a serious distraction from those issues that we have seen repeated throughout history.

Tom Owens
Kansas City

Teaching English to immigrants

Since Timothy Johnson (1/16, Letters) claims that too many Americans are unwilling to teach English to immigrants, I should point out that it certainly helps if the teacher is bilingual. That’s one reason it’s much easier to learn English in the U.S. than to learn Spanish in Mexico.

The reason so many immigrants don’t make the effort to learn our principal language is because they don’t really need to anymore. It is the sheer volume of immigrants, not lack of teachers, that makes them “able to spread their languages across our country.”

This is more than mere immigration, Mr. Johnson, this is cultural invasion. So please temper your “disgust” the next time you feel like telling someone to “shut up.”

David B. Smith
Kansas City

Appalled by ‘Doonesbury’

I am writing regarding the “Doonesbury” comic strip by Garry Trudeau in the Jan. 18 Comics section. I am appalled that someone was allowed to write this and print this, especially in the part of the newspaper targeted towards children. I have an 8- and a 10-year-old, and even though we do not speak like this, my daughters are intelligent enough to know what the asterisks are for. I really feel that someone needs to be held responsible for printing such filth.

I understand that everyone is entitled to their own opinion and some people have very strong opinions toward President Bush. However I feel it is very immature and irresponsible to express it in the comic section that so many kids read.

Carrie Willmon
Kansas City

Speaking English in America

There has been a healthy debate in Letters on freedom of speech and the requirement, or lack thereof, to learn and speak English in the U.S. over the last few weeks. The debate has been fueled by labor secretary appointee Hilda Solis’ decision to conduct part of her selection speech in Spanish.

Every American ought to read Theodore Roosevelt’s thoughts on “Americanization” from his later years. “We have room for but one flag, the American flag ... for but one language here, and that is the English language ... and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people.”

What message would it send if Mexico’s labor secretary spoke to that country’s citizens in English?

Mike Curley
Leavenworth

Help immigrants learn English

I am one American who is disgusted with other citizens complaining about foreign immigrants being unwilling to speak English.

Many letters to The Star imply that immigrants do not want to speak English. The immigrants want to speak our language. Unfortunately for them, too many Americans are unwilling to teach. As a result, the immigrants have been able to spread their languages across our country.

Too many Americans argue that if immigrants do not want to speak English, then they should go somewhere else. Well, I have this to say: If Americans do not want to teach immigrants English, they need to shut up.

Timothy Johnson
Kansas City

You know, it’s really irritating

I enjoyed the editorial “Let’s bury these ill-begotten words and phrases” (12/31, Opinion). I kept searching for that certain phrase that I did not find.

Many times when watching television interviews, we keep hearing the statement “you know,” and it is repeated so many times during the same interview session. Often, it is the person on the street. Other times, it may be a professional sports person. Sometimes it is a professional person, such as one who wishes to enter the political arena.

My response is normally, “No, I don’t know. Please inform me.” I would like to see the “you know” phrase sink into the deepest ocean.

Harold Minshall
Raymore

Speak English in U.S.

I disagree with Malcolm Edwards (1/1, Letters, “Freedom of speech includes Spanish”) on his interpretation of freedom of speech.

I am a trilingual Hungarian, but I learned English for three reasons: It is the official language of the country; so I could teach at universities; and so I could communicate with anyone whose maternal language is different.

Would you call it freedom of speech if I were chosen labor secretary and I started speaking Hungarian?

Yes, you can speak any language on your paid TV channel, but there has to be respect for those who eventually will not be speaking Spanish.

Istvan “Steve” Javorek
Leawood