English-only bill in Ohio gets Tower of Babel treatment by bloggers

A BUZZFLASH NEWS ALERT
by Meg White

    "In sum, this is a very costly bill in search of a non-existent problem."

Ohio bloggers may be coming together to protest the creation of a lingua franca, but they are not doing it all in one voice. The Blogging in Tongues project was launched Tuesday at 9 a.m. EDT to bring attention to Ohio's House Bill 477, which seeks to establish English as the official language of the state. Bloggers are writing against the "English-only bill," as it is called, with posts in many different languages.

Well over a dozen bloggers participated in the online protest. It was organized by Ohio blogger Jill Miller Zimon, who wrote her piece in Portuguese on her blog Writes Like She Talks.

"As pessoas precisam de obter com o século 21 e parar de ser tão temeroso do que é diferente," Zimon wrote. Or, for non-Portuguese speakers: "People need to get with the 21st Century and stop being so fearful of what is different."

Though each blogger is posting in their chosen language on their individual site, readers can access the translated blogs here. Much like the immigration debate is not just about Latinos, the blog translations range from Korean to Hungarian to Croatian.

Though the bill, sponsored by Rep. Robert Mecklenborg (R-30), has passed the Ohio House, the Senate Committee to which it's been referred is not scheduled to meet until after the summer recess. Participating bloggers are urging readers to use this time to contact their state senators about the bill.

The bill has also gotten nationwide attention. Carrie Davis, staff attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio, testified before the Ohio House last month that the state is not providing enough English as a Second Language instruction for immigrants to learn the language quickly. She also called the bill "an official expression of hostility" that would harm both Ohio's job market and national security by alienating potentially helpful communities from civic life.

Davis also told legislators passage of this bill would amount to state government shooting itself in the foot. Vaguely worded exemptions make it difficult for government employees to know when the law would be enforced and when it wouldn't.

"In sum, this is a very costly bill in search of a non-existent problem," Davis told lawmakers.

Many of the proposed changes, such as the requirement that public meetings be held in English, are already the norm. Blogger Tim Ferris noted the vague and redundant language in his Blogging in Tongues post:

"It gives the impression it's going to be restrictive, and then lifts all the restrictions. It's a big woof, followed by a whimper and a whine and a retreat with the collective tail between the legs."

According to the 2000 U.S. Census, little more than 6 percent of Ohioans speak a language other than English in their homes. The national average is almost 18 percent.

A BUZZFLASH NEWS ALERT

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