Rules for the phone.

[Scarecrow]

How ALL business phones in America SHOULD be answered!



GOOD MORNING, WELCOME TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA .

Press "1" for English.


Press "2" to disconnect until you learn to speak English




And remember only two defining forces have ever
offered to die for you,




Jesus Christ




and the American Soldier.





One died for your soul, the other for your freedom.



Recieved this in an E-mail

[sodaklostsoul]

I thought maybe you were gonna talk about phone sex. :D

[Irish]

How ALL business phones in America SHOULD be answered!



GOOD MORNING, WELCOME TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA .

Press "1" for English.


Press "2" to disconnect until you learn to speak English




And remember only two defining forces have ever
offered to die for you,




Jesus Christ




and the American Soldier.





One died for your soul, the other for your freedom.



Recieved this in an E-mail
Well said! Irish

[Loulabelle]

Seems a bit unfair on the only people who actually have the God given right to live in America, for whom English is NOT their first language (obviously).

How quickly, it seems, history can be forgotten.

[jseal]

Americans are, after all, as human as the citizens of any other country.

[Loulabelle]

Yup, as egocentric and xenophobic as all the British (and other nationality) immigrants who settled there all those years ago and treated the natives so poorly.

[jseal]

Oui! Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose. :)

[Lilith]

Yup, as egocentric and xenophobic as all the British (and other nationality) immigrants who settled there all those years ago and treated the natives so poorly.

And then there were those who stayed put yet still held those views. America does not by any means have the lease on ethnocentricity.

[Winston77]

No Irish need apply! :irish:

[Scarecrow]

Yup, as egocentric and xenophobic as all the British (and other nationality) immigrants who settled there all those years ago and treated the natives so poorly.


Loulabelle there are no 'Native Americans', some just immigrated a lot earlyer than others and it is still in dispute whether the Aisan tribes or the European (Viking) tribes found this land first. And if it was the European tribes then the Aisan tribes killed of the European tribes first.

P.S. In Canada they are called First Americans not 'Native Americans', the Canadians have it right.

[jseal]

Sacrebleu!

[Oldfart]

Scarecrow,

America, like Australia, had a series of waves of colonisation. Each wave eradicated or absorbed beyond recognition the one before.

Along came the Europeans who didn't obliterate the Natives (quite rightly), but left a legacy of discontent.

How many of the colonists (Dutch or English) learned the native languages beyond "Can I borrow a turkey please".

[Neige]

P.S. In Canada they are called First Americans not 'Native Americans', the Canadians have it right.

First time I hear that term myself... Native American is a common term here, actually.

But you're right, the Canadians do have it right. I certainly appreciated my right to be educated in my native tongue - which just happens not to be English.

[campingboy]

Actually in Canada they are would most often be referred to as First Nations.

[Jude30]

God forbid people crawl out of their little xenophobic shell and learn to speak something besides English.

Personally I'd love to speak another language. I can't and my brain just doesn't seem to be wired to learn. I've taken French, Spanish, and German, in middle school, high school, and college respectively. I just don't get languages. Teach me math or give me a schematic or instructions, and there's very little I can't take apart, put together, or figure out. Just don't ask me to do it in any language besides English. I'm sure there are quite a few people who come to this country who have my exact problem.

And to think that people come to this country and don't try to learn the language is a bit ignorant IMO. My wife is third generation Mexican American. She speaks little to no Spanish while her older siblings speak more/better Spanish the older they are. Both her parents speak both Spanish, and English and have even acted as translators for court cases in their small town. But to each other they speak primarily Spanish. I really don't understand why so many people have a problem with that. I go to their house and they speak Spanish to each other. It's their house. They're also getting old and if they need to call the Social Security, Medicare, or what ever and they can have a Spanish option I think that's great. Even though they speak English it's a hell of a lot easier on them to hear Spanish.

Get over it. Every so often we get a rush or immigrants who noone thinks will ever adapt and become "real Americans". People have tried in the past to keep out about every other group of people on the assumption they wouldn't assimilate, and every group has proved the xenophobes wrong. So why wouldn't the hispanics be any different?

[CrazeeeWhorse]

Yup, as egocentric and xenophobic as all the British (and other nationality) immigrants who settled there all those years ago and treated the natives so poorly.
:truce: My ancestors were there to Greet the first "boat load", I'm pretty sure language and immergration rights, was not the first thing on their minds.(more like;There goes the Nieghborhood) So,with heavy heart,and very worn thin "Welcome" mat, I, as an "Native" american ask you,,,Is'nt the BIGGER question here,,,,Why cant there be a "Press '3',to speak to a LIVE operator"? instead of endless recording's that all bring you back,to menu or leave you in that Black Hole of, Voice Mail Boxes,,,Everybody came from Somewhere, and Now Here We are....Take care of each other..... :welcome: Crazeeeeeee,,,,,,,,,,,,, :rolleyes2

[Wicked Wanda]

So where do I fit in, exactly?
Neither of my parents were born in the USA, but both became citizens. They insisted "english only" was the rule - i.e. only english was spoken in our home, though they often spoke French privately to one another. (I listened through the door sometimes) My Papa, like most Quebecers, spoke fluent english when they arrived here, my Mama' having only been in Canada for a few years, spoke only some english, but became fluent quickly.
I do wish I had learned more French from them, most of what I know is Cajun French, which is oddly different.
My point is that I am a first generation "Born in the USA" child of immigrants, so I appreciate the issues, but I have to note that so many recent immigrants, (of all types and origins) by contrast, seem to have little interest in becoming citizens or even in learning english!
Why?
I have met many that say they are only here to earn money to send home. That's fine, I guess, but I see lots of them in the hospitals without insurance, some even admit they come illegally for "free health care"
Why are there protests in the streets of Mexico City when California limits access to public hospitals if you are an illegal alien?
Is it like Walmart, who pays so poorly and with such limited benifits that the Medicaid system essentially is supporting/subsidizing Walmart?
We are subsidizing Mexico and Central/South America? India, Pakistan, Africa?

I am not arguing a point of view. I am concerned and confused about these issues. Even as an honest to goodness libertarian- leaning Nurse, I swear I have no idea how to lean on this.

By the way, I have learned from Leigh that one reason so many callers (sales and service calls) speak poor or heavily accented english is because they are in other countries, as so much customer service and sales departments have been "out-sourced". To places like India, I suppose.

(returns to sipping her wine on a lazy, rainy day)

WW

[Wicked Wanda]

I killed another thread.

WW

[Lilith]

LOL. It was dead before you arrived on the scene, lovie. It just enjoyed a momentary rebirth.

[Neige]

I do wish I had learned more French from them, most of what I know is Cajun French, which is oddly different.

It's wonderfully different. The Cajun dialect is the one that most resembles my own that I've encountered so far (even more than other Acadian dialects). I bet you would understand me much, much more easily than the Québecois I deal with daily here.

(Fact : I was speaking to my parents on Skype earlier, and my roommate (who has lived here in Québec since he was 2 years old) asked me what language I was speaking. He did not believe me when I told him I had been speaking French, and insisted that he heard me speak another language.)

:jacques:

[Oldfart]

A renaissance with Wanda?

Lilith you bitch, you're messing with my head again.

I'll have words with you in Nashville, young lady.

[scotzoidman]

She's looking to get a serious tongue-lashing, no doubt...




Can I watch?

[Oldfart]

Video at $14.95 plus sintax.

[LixyChick]

Yippee Kiyeaaaa Mother Fucker!

^^^^That's English with a southern twist

[Wicked Wanda]

"....And remember only two defining forces have ever
offered to die for you,

Jesus Christ

and the American Soldier.

One died for your soul, the other for your freedom. "

I was re-reading this, and I have to ask...

What about police officers, firefighters, paramedics, rescue workers in general?

Or the bystander who puts themselves in danger to help another?

There have been others, mostly civilians, sometimes even politicians, who died rather than betray someone else, or their own beliefs. My own dear Matt was embedded in a front line Marine unit (or Army, I am not sure just now) risking his life, unarmed, so he could write accurately about the invasion of Iraq.

Or teachers who risk their health and safety only because they are dedicated to their task?

((((Lil))))


Last, I survived the horror that was New Orleans after Katrina.
I wrote only a little about what happened to me, and what I saw. Honestly, I have not been ready to say more about it. Two years later and I am STILL waiting for the bad dreams to stop. (yes, I am in therapy, but I was in therapy before Katrina too)
I saw a lot of people who risked their lives repeatedly to try to save others, mostly Nurses, Doctors, even clerical staff.
I escaped with a broken arm. I consider myself lucky.

The statement is one of those wonderful, romantic things that sounds good, but ignores reality.

WW

[Oldfart]

Damn good point, WW.

Perhaps they were the only two groups who could be ordered to, rather than singly offer to.

[scotzoidman]

"....And remember only two defining forces have ever
offered to die for you,

Jesus Christ

and the American Soldier.

One died for your soul, the other for your freedom. "

The statement is one of those wonderful, romantic things that sounds good, but ignores reality.

WWI found the statement useful in identifying the sort of small minds that enjoy passing around e-mails like this.

[Neige]

I found the statement useful in identifying the sort of small minds that enjoy passing around e-mails like this.

I did, too.

[Oldfart]

"scotzoidman has exceeded their stored private messages quota and can not accept further messages until they clear some space."

Gratuitous comments about Scotz' full box are hereby invited.

LOL

[Jude30]

I killed another thread.

WW

No I think that was me you just brought it back.

I take things like the original post personally because people who pass around emails like that always say they aren't racist, but personally I find that hard to believe. It's just a feeling I get. Personally I just think that people who aren't racist don't want everyone to be just like them.

[Wicked Wanda]

Damn good point, WW.

Perhaps they were the only two groups who could be ordered to, rather than singly offer to.


Sweetie, if we ever meet, I am going to rock your world...


(((OF)))

WW

[scotzoidman]

"scotzoidman has exceeded their stored private messages quota and can not accept further messages until they clear some space."

Gratuitous comments about Scotz' full box are hereby invited.

LOLscotzoidman's box has now been sanitized for your protection...

[jseal]

... Personally I just think that people who aren't racist don't want everyone to be just like them.
Jude30,

Intolerance can be found even where you would not expect it.