In America, We Speak English
Republican Senators J.D. Vance of Ohio and Kevin Cramer of North Dakota will introduce legislation today that would establish English as the official language of the United States.
Near the end of a week of radicalization, this is welcome news. Over the course of the past few days, a transgendered woman opened fire in a Christian day school, the mentally ill have scheduled their own “day of vengeance,” and a man who had previously been arrested twenty times stabbed one of Rand Paul’s staffers in broad daylight of the nation’s capital, sending him to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.
So we can take a breath of fresh air when news comes in that some members of Congress are ruling in ways that might convince an outside observer that Americans still live in a society. Among other things, the legislation would require all naturalized citizens to “read and understand generally” the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and our nation’s laws.
When members jump onto this legislation as cosponsors, they will signal at least partial membership in a political movement that says adios to multiculturalism, recognizes unity to be more valuable than diversity, and sees a role for federal and state governments to codify these priorities into law.
Free speech absolutists are likely to raise objections, but only a principled few will give them a second thought: Citizens are more interested in preserving their own portrait of America than permitting new arrivals to make it a blank canvas.
Convincing their colleagues of the political value of this legislation might be a tough sell for Vance and Cramer, but pressure could increase over time. If the moderate wing refuses to grant even acquiescent approval to this proposal, supporters could make the issue a rallying cry in ’24: Any native speaker would be compelled to cheer along to 45 proclaiming, “In America, we speak English!”
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