From Deseret News archives:
Allegiance to English
The school made the right choice in the end and canceled the reciting of the Pledge in Spanish.
Dual renditions of the Pledge are not unheard of. Florida and North Carolina gave the idea a go, but had to back off. New Jersey still has the Spanish Pledge on its Web site.
The impulse was a good one for Sandy Elementary. They wanted to celebrate the diverse nature of the school's students, get in a little language learning and show that everyone is welcome. The problem is, for people who hold strong opinions about illegal immigrants English has become the last milepost of patriotism the place they draw the line. "English only" is where they make their stand.
The school was not trying to be political, but inadvertently landed squarely in the political arena. It wisely got out.
As a second language becomes more ingrained in a nation, pride and acceptance can emerge. In Quebec, for example, the Canadian National Anthem is often sung in English, then repeated in French. No one complains. French has become part of the fabric of the nation.
Sandy was thinking outside the box and showing imagination and civility. The time may one day come for such things again in regards to Spanish. If so, we have no doubt the folks at Sandy Elementary will be showing the way.
Recent comments
Any smart person knows that to get ahead you have to speak the...
Anonymous | Feb. 19, 2008 at 9:29 p.m.
Melting pot.
Great idea but it will never work in Utah.
Anonymous | Feb. 19, 2008 at 8:55 p.m.
The Canadian Anthem in Quebec in French is not without its...
Utah Visitor | Feb. 19, 2008 at 7:09 p.m.
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97
Love him or hate him, Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch knows how to get attention.
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