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Let me see if I have this right: We elect Ken Salazar to represent Coloradans, send him to Washington, and he delivers a speech inside the U.S. Capitol in Spanish? Quick, someone tell him he is an American, not a Mexican. He has to make up his mind which he is serving.
I knew this would happen if we elected him. I didn’t serve in the military most of my adult life so we could speak Spanish inside Congress. Bad enough he will not enforce our laws against his illegal immigrant friends. We will never vote Democratic again if they continue like this!

Patrick Cipolla, Estes Park

READER COMMENTS

I totally agree with you, Patrick. I jumped off the democratic bandwagon years ago, for similar reasons. Unfortunately, the Republicans are headed the same direction. I'm independent now - show me someone who wants to end illegal immigration and who wants English to be the official language, and someone who will do away with "press 1 for Spanish", and they will get my vote. Ken Salazar should run for office in Mexico and clean up that country instead of encouraging the destruction of ours.

Mr. Cipolla, your opinion is a very valuable one and more North Americans need to take it seriously. However, the fascination with anything Mexican displayed by our nation has absolutely nothing to do with political parties. Such an implication would indicate that most of the owners/managers/directors of meat packing plants, produce farms, orchards, and feedlots are democrats. The trend toward the "latinazion" of our beloved country has been occurring ever since the tiff with Fidel's Cuba. Look at what happened to Miami since it became a Cuban stronghold. If a person dares to speak English in that city, he's treated like a foreigner. Now that the floodgates between here and Mexico are open, our country has been overrun by those who our politically correct fascists label as "Hispanic," implying that they are arriving from Spain with a stopover in Mexico. We've become so enamored by Mexican customs that low-riders, Cinco de Mayo arrogance, gangsta attire and behavior, bilingual everything (including ballots and the national anthem), and even the Mexican peso are increasingly considered legitimately acceptable. English must remain the official national language of the United States. One nation, one flag, one language. Period.

Yep, I couldn't understand why people voted for Salazar. I saw it coming.

I totally agree, you are in America. Speak American!!

I feel a need to throw a wrench into this whole argument. Has anyone reflected on how the United States stole the Southwestern U.S. from Mexico? Much of Southern Colorado land has land grants that go back to the King of Spain. I'm sure that also goes for Arizona, New Mexico, California and Utah. I'll be gracious and not include the royal screwing the natives of THIS country took.

I am outraged at Ken Salazar delivering his speech in Spanish, WE NEED HIM OUT OF OFFICE.

when colonizers first came to our great lands, they were not expected to learn the true language of the land. the indiginouse peoples did not create laws making them criminals. we forget that english is not the language of this land, and one flag is not the ways of the peoples enhabiting this land. white europeans were the first wel-fare cases to america.

when colonizers first came to our great lands, they were not expected to learn the true language of the land. the indiginouse peoples did not create laws making them criminals. we forget that english is not the language of this land, and one flag is not the ways of the peoples enhabiting this land. white europeans were the first wel-fare cases to america.

I am bilingual: English/Spanish; I am not a happy camper. I go bananas when my tax dollars are spent to send out ballots in Spanish or when the library asks for choice between Eng/Spa or when telephones say "press." Judge Kane argues that America's official national language is the language of law; however, notice: the language of law is in English. As an independent, I had to vote for the lesser evil as the other guy was and is a shill for the Iraq war.

The lands that the U.S. acquired from Mexico that form the southwestern portion of the U.S. were all bought or transferred to U.S.possesion from Mexico by financial compensation to Mexico. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo signed by General Santa Anna after the defeat of Mexico by the U.S. ( War with Mexico of 1848-49) relieved prior debts by Mexico to the U.S., thus forming the majority of what is the American southwest. The U.S. then gave Mexico 5 million( I believe) for the Gadsden purchase of what now is southern N.M. and Az.
After the War with Mexico of 1848-49 , there were only around 14,000 Mexican citizens in Ca, Az, Tx NM. et al., many being Anglos. Mexico wanted the money not the defaulted land that Spain left them, and they of course lost the war against the U.S.
Mexico could not take care of their own people or run any assemblance of an effecient, fair government. Much like contemporary times. I would submit that the "taking" of the southwestern U.S. is fallacy.

We all know Salazaar doesn't care about Colorado residents. "Colorado Dream" If you work hard and follow the rules, Salazar will change the rules.

Salazar does not seem to care at all about the people he is supposed to represent in this state (legal citizens). He should not be allowed to stay in office.

There are hundreds of thousands of native born Americans, for whom, English is not their first language.

Language is always evolving. The english we speak would be all but unrecognizable from the english spoken by Britons not so long ago in history.

Geez, I just heard a Texan man on Fox using words like "excessable" instead of "excessive" and I can't even begin to figure out how to spell the way he mangled the word, "exacerbate".

Our own president doesn't even speak literate English. It was just a years ago that people got in uproar over the issue of ebonics, but our own president speaks "Texbonics".

Yes, I do prefer that people who come here learn to speak English to faciliate their intergration into our society and that all of our documents be printed in one language for tax savings so that this money can be better spent.

However, I firmly believe that official English and immigration are phantom issues meant to divide us and divert our attention from more serious issues.

The Nazis used these same tactics to shore up the German economy and morale, using Jews as their scapegoats.

It is shameful that we have not learned from history and are repeating the same behavior.

Thomas, Illegal immigration a phantom issue? Illegal immigration is and will be the most trying domestic issue of our time if it is allowed to continue.

Thomas, the Jewish folks were not illegal immigrants

I am SO proud of our Sentaor Salazar:

He is the first Senator to be able to translate in the Senate.

My grandmother was from Costa Rica\, and my other grandmosther was from Denmark. We are a melting pot people, get over it!!!

My grandfather helped build the Panama Canal, and met Anita from Costa Rica while on R and R...

My grandmother from Denmark worked as a maid for a Doctor and brought 11 of her brothers and sister over from Denmark.

Have a little pride in your families...we all didn't come from England!!!!!

The statue of liberty isn't on the Mexican border with the torch pointed south. What does the tired phrase "melting pot " have to do with the huge numbers of illegal aliens that have entered the USA in the past 2 decades, and continue to trespass into the USA by the thousands, DAILY and by the millions annually? Salazar and other "representatives" who allow this to continue are derelect in their duties.

To Janis,

My family came from Ireland and Sicliy, they came here for a better life, My Great-Grandmother who was born and raised in Sicily came here and learned ENGLISH, because that was required to be a US Citizen, no one is saying not to be proud of your heritage or culture. This is the United States of America, our official language is ENGLISH, learn it, be bi-lingual if you wish. Salazar showed a lack of respect to the US CITIZENS in this country by doing a speech in Spanish. He is a United States Senator, since when is a United States Senator going to dictate to the US Citizens what our language should be. My father didn't fight in two wars to listen to his government making speeches in Spanish to the US Citizens. Maybe you need to get over it.

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