Letter: Proposed Pahrump ordinance is un-American

Sunday, Oct. 1, 2006 | 7:35 a.m.

Why is it that those individuals who claim to support American values so often show this support by disregarding the U.S. Constitution? Pahrump Town Board member Michael Miraglia's proposed "English Language and Patriot Reaffirmation Ordinance" makes me wonder if he's read either the U.S. Constitution or George Orwell's "1984."

This country is made up mostly of immigrants and the descendants of immigrants. If the freedoms granted in the Constitution do not apply to immigrants, they apply to no one.

We do not have an official language of the United States because the people have the right to speak any language they choose. Should they make an effort to learn English? Most definitely! Those who refuse to learn a common language limit themselves and their opportunities. In a Las Vegas Sun article about the proposed ordinance, Mr. Miraglia speaks of a restaurant where none of the employees speak English. Imagine the audience that would open up to that restaurant if most of its employees were bilingual.

Mr. Miraglia's proposal before the Pahrump Town Board also seeks to make it illegal to close a business in support of a protest. These are private businesses. Are they not allowed to do what they wish even to the detriment of their bottom line?

Under the First Amendment the people have the right to protest: "Congress shall make no law ... abridging the freedom of speech, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances." Democracy is advanced citizenship. Making certain types of peaceful protests illegal would simply gag the voice of the people.

I believe Mr. Miraglia's heart is in the right place, but his methods are misguided. His proposal will only widen the rift between new immigrants and native English speakers.

Robert Williams, Pahrump