Picking up where Bill left off: It's a dreary day here in Massachusetts,
where those of us who have been fighting the Unz "English for the children"
ballot measure are feeling done in by the 2-to-1 drubbing the polls handed
us yesterday. My only consolation is that voters in Colorado did what we
failed to do--overturn the Unz initiative there (with the help of $3m from
a medical instruments heiress).
A friend, whose child goes to the same two-way immersion school as my kids,
sent the following along, an amplification of the ending phrase of Bill's
nursery/cursory rhyme. (Mitt=Mitt Romney, newly-elected Republican gov of
Mass.):
"It's actually worse than it looked last night because every time I've
heard Mitt since he was declared the winner he has mentioned "English in
our classrooms" right up there with cutting the budget and not raising
taxes. It looks like he sees it as one of the reasons people voted for
him. It reminds me of an article written back in the 1920's by H.L.
Mencken about "nativism" in the Midwest where he claims it was a Kansas
state representative known as "Sock-less" Jerry Simpson, speaking against
the teaching of foreign languages in the public schools, who uttered the
immortal words "If the English language was good enough for Jesus Christ
it's good enough for me". I think "Shirt-less" Mitt Romney has made it
very clear ... "read my pecs, English in our classrooms."
David
----- Forwarded by David Eddy Spicer/FS/KSG on 11/06/2002 10:42 AM -----
wbarowy@attbi.co
m To: xmca@weber.ucsd.edu
cc:
11/06/2002 09:28 Subject: massachusetts results
AM
Please respond
to xmca
One Mitt to rule them all, one Mitt to find them,
One Mitt to bring them all and in english teach them.
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