My take on language/ immigration (may offend some- fair warning!)

First off, "hello". This is my first blog, and I'd like to welcome you. Get comfy, and feel free to leave a comment, if you feel strongly enough to do so.
I was on Facebook a little bit ago, and a local news station asked this question: "Last night during Sunday Night Football, NBC 4 received calls from angry viewers after the network aired a commercial in Spanish. Some of the graphics during the game were also in Spanish. The game was played in Miami, which has a large Hispanic population-- presumably the reason behind those decisions. How do you feel about the Spanish influence during the broadcast? Was it offensive or appropriate?"
I (as I sometimes do) responded that since we live in America, English should be the prevalent language, and should be learned by all those who live here. I even think it's good to learn the language if you're only visiting for a short period of time. Now, before some of you start calling me a racist or a redneck or whatever derogatory term you like to throw around at people you disagree with, hear me out. I am an American, born and raised (on the playgorund is where I spent most of my days...), and as such, I speak English. I'm also online a bunch, so I try to use English as well as I can when typing, although that seems to be a crapshoot on some days (especially if I have to type "the" a lot... it comes out as "teh".... grrrr). It really irritates me when people try to make the argument that English should be the only official American language, then proceed to violently murder it with reckless abandon. I'm no expert, but, please, I think you need to learn English as much as Abdul does... just sayin'.
Anyway, the point I'm trying to make is this- if you are going to spend any time in America, do yourself and all of us a favor, and learn the language. How do you expect to do anything substantial in this country if you don't first learn the language. It's akin to me moving to, say, Germany, with the intent of starting a business to make a better life for myself and my family, only refusing to learn German. I hear that many Europeans speak English (or at least that's what Hollywood has told me for years), so it'll be cool. If I can't speak German, how am I going to do anything, much less start a business and be profitable? Hand gestures and facial expressions can only go so far. In order to make the most of my time in Germany, the first thing I would do is learn German... that way, I can at least communicate with the population, and not be seperated from them (except on the grounds that I'm an "ugly American"... no amount of German can wash that away!).

It's the same here. Someone mentioned that America is a "melting pot", and I completely agree. I want every single person who wants a better life to come to my country, and to make a name for themself. I want them to scrape together just enough money to get here, not know the language (at first) and make something from the $5 that's in their pocket when their feet first touch our majestic soil. That's how it's been done for years and years, and you know what? It's made out nation great. Once you get here though... integrate yourself into our nation... learn the language, the customs, the history... become an American... don't become a foreigner in America, but a fell-fledged American citizen with all the rights and liberties that come with that distinction. Melt into this pot, and become something great! Without the common thread of language, we are doomed to be seperate, no matter how close we are, physically. Look at Babylon from the Bible... when the tower of Babel was being built, everyone spoke one language, but once people started speaking different languages, everything fell apart, and the people scattered. That's what's happening now! I'm happy to see people from different ethnicities and backgrounds coming to our country, but if I can't at least speak to them, they may as well still be in their native land.

On a somewhat related note- I've heard an argument for illegal immigration pertaining to the Native Americans who got shafted by the Europeans who invaded what is now the US. I completely agree that what happened with the Native Americans was a travesty, but rather than shrugging it off and allowing it to happen with others, I'd like to learn from history, lest I be doomed to repeat it. If illegal immigration isn't stopped, we will be overrun and overtaken- "hello, reservations". No thank you.