He's right: Commissioner's comments about new order right on target

Commissioner Jack Best is upset. And rightly so.

He told those gathered for the county commission meeting that he thinks the federal government's order that some federal documents must be translated into Spanish is not only ill-advised, but wrong, too.

And he is right.

Best suggests that this decision is in direct defiance to the principles on which this country has operated for decades -- we welcome everyone who wants to be an American, if they are willing to do what it takes to become an American. And that includes speaking English.

Best's comments are not anti-Hispanic, far from it. He wants us to remember how and why immigrants used to come to America -- with dreams in hand to make a new life. They did not try to turn this country into a mirror of their homelands. They rejoiced in becoming part of a new country with new customs and ideas.

And that is what Americans have to insist on again.

There are plenty of places for immigrants -- legal and illegal -- to go to learn English. Most of them do not even charge a fee. There really is no excuse for anyone not speaking the language.

Best is right to demand better for his county and his country. And he has reminded us of something else, too -- if you don't speak up, you have to take what you get.

Published in Editorials on December 9, 2010 11:03 AM