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Topic: Po Dunk Town in NV Setting a Precedent? (Read 901 times) |
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Tiannia
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Po Dunk Town in NV Setting a Precedent?
« on: Nov 20th, 2006, 1:54pm » |
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Pahrump NV - Town known more for the Chicken Ranches, where a man can easily spend $5000 on a weekend of Debauchery, is making a statement...
http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2006/Nov-15-Wed-2006/news/1084773 5.html
Quote:Nov. 15, 2006
Pahrump targets illegal immigrants
Ordinance declares English town's official language, limits flying foreign flags, denies benefits
After a heated public meeting Tuesday night that was repeatedly interrupted by boos and applause, the Pahrump Town Board adopted an ordinance that targets illegal immigrants.
The ordinance declares English the town's official language, sets restrictions on flying foreign flags and denies town benefits to undocumented immigrants.
Approval of the ordinance was met with a standing ovation and cheers by many of the approximately 250 people at the meeting.
One man wore a stars and stripes bandana on his head and a T-shirt that said: Speak English or get the (expletive) out.
Another proponent, Elliott Brainard, who identified himself as a naval officer who served during World War II, said, "These people who don't speak English ... take money and support away from our citizens who need it."
Another man, who said he was an Army veteran, said since this is the United States, there should be only one language.
"I go bananas when I go to Wal-Mart, put my credit card in and they ask me if I want English only," he said.
About a dozen audience members spoke during the hour-long public hearing. The comments were about evenly divided for and against the ordinance.
Most of those for the ordinance said the federal government has failed to deal with immigration issues and has forced leaders of cities and towns to take matters into their own hands.
Those who spoke against the ordinance, like Pahrump resident Vicky Parker, were roundly booed by other audience members.
Parker told the board that she was "appalled at the overt Hispano-phobia going on."
"In the United States people have the freedom to speak in any language, not just English," she said.
Lee Rowland, staff attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada, was called "evil" by one audience member and was heckled throughout her three-minute comment period.
Rowland told the crowd the treatment was "fine."
"I like a feisty crowd," she said.
Rowland told the board that the ordinance has nothing to do with patriotism, immigration or what sort of language is heard at Wal-Mart.
"What patriotism really means is our Constitution and our Bill of Rights," she said. "Our freedom is based on our ability to express ourselves as Americans."
Rowland said the section of the ordinance that disallows a solo display of a foreign flag is clearly unconstitutional. She warned that was opening the door for litigation.
"If you pass an ordinance that is blatantly in violation of the First Amendment, this town will be on the hook" for a lawsuit, she said.
The board adopted the ordinance with a 3-2 vote. |
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| « Last Edit: Nov 20th, 2006, 2:49pm by Tiannia » |
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Tiannia
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Re: Po Dunk Town in NV Setting a Precedent?
« Reply #1 on: Nov 20th, 2006, 1:56pm » |
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Quote:Richard Billman, the town board chairman, called it unnecessary and unenforceable.
Board member Laurayne Murray said she was bothered by the section that denies benefits to undocumented immigrants without identifying what those benefits are.
Most everyone agreed that not much will change with the ordinance's adoption.
The town's business is already conducted in English, the ordinance regulating the display of flags won't be enforced, and the town has no real "benefits" it can take away because public aid there is administered by the state or the county, officials said.
The ordinance is a stripped down version of a previous proposal by town board member Michael Miraglia. The original version also would have made it illegal to hire, do business with or loan money to illegal immigrants.
Miraglia said he proposed the "English Language and Patriot Affirmation" ordinance after getting tired of encountering people who don't speak English.
He toned down the ordinance a bit because the town doesn't have the money or resources to go after employers and landlords.
Tuesday night, Miraglia said the ordinance was "for all our servicemen and women who died for our country."
But earlier in the day, Lucero Enrriquez, an immigrant from Mexico who lives in Pahrump, said racism is the true inspiration for the ordinance.
The 30-year-old owner of Mi Ranchita market couldn't think of any other reason anyone would want to pass laws that she says target immigrants, documented or not.
"We come here to work, and we work very hard," Enrriquez said in Spanish while ringing up non-Hispanic customers who were buying tacos, fresh guacamole and Mexican pastries.
Enrriquez said she didn't understand why an ordinance was needed to declare English the official language.
"It already is," she said.
Her English is passable but not perfect, she said.
"Some of us don't speak English well," she said of herself and her Hispanic employees. "But a taco is a taco, carne asada is carne asada in Spanish or English. Why should we be forced to speak English?"
Still, Enrriquez said, she will respect any ordinance that is passed. She will even remove the painting of a flag with the colors of Mexico from her building.
"I'll take it off," she said, shaking her head. "But I have to let people know it's a Mexican market somehow."
George Romero, the owner of Romero's Mexican restaurant a few miles away from Mi Ranchita, also blamed racism for the ordinance; but, he said, it was the racism of one man, Michael Miraglia, not the entire town.
"Most people are not in favor of it," said Romero, who helps organize the town's annual Cinco de Mayo festival. "It's just a handful of people who support it. The problem is that others (who would oppose it) don't know about it."
Pahrump as a whole is a very accepting community, he said. But when Romero chose to close his business on May 1 to show support for immigrants' rights, vandals painted slurs on the windows of his restaurant, he said.
"It was nasty, nasty stuff," he said, declining to be more specific.
Romero said one person also left a post-it note with a message: "Don't bite the hand that feeds you."
He said both the official language and flag portions of the ordinance are "silly."
At the last Cinco de Mayo festival, 75 percent of the attendees were non-Hispanic, "And they didn't say, 'Don't wave the Mexican flag.' We did it respectfully with both (the Mexican and U.S.) flags."
Miraglia countered the racism allegations aimed at him by turning them around.
"Who's refusing to speak English? The ones promoting that people should speak their own language are racist," he said.
Town Manager David Richards said the ordinance is meant as a statement "that this is America and we speak English here."
"Everyone should speak English, and if you are going to move here then you ought to respect the American flag and fly it in prominence," Richards said.
Miraglia said he hoped the ordinance "gets the ball rolling" for other cities.
"We have to start somewhere," he said, "and in the state of Nevada the town of Pahrump is going to be the start." |
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| « Last Edit: Nov 20th, 2006, 2:49pm by Tiannia » |
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Tiannia
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Re: Po Dunk Town in NV Setting a Precedent?
« Reply #2 on: Nov 20th, 2006, 2:00pm » |
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http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2006/Nov-16-Thu-2006/news/1086090 4.html
Quote:Nov. 16, 2006
HISPANICS IN POLITICS: Pahrump meeting criticized
Romero: 'In the olden days, they called those lynch mobs'
Many Pahrump residents who opposed a controversial town ordinance may have been intimidated into avoiding the public meeting about it Tuesday night, Hispanics in Politics President Fernando Romero said Wednesday.
Romero said many oppose the ordinance, which declares English the town's official language, sets restrictions on flying foreign flags and denies town benefits to undocumented immigrants, but he can't blame them for not showing up to urge its rejection.
"They (the opponents) were probably fearful, thinking, 'Well, what would those people have done and who would they have taken their ire out on?' " he said.
The board's decision in favor of the ordinance came after a vitriolic hour-long public meeting and was greeted with a standing ovation from many of the approximately 250 people who attended.
Those who spoke against the ordinance, including Romero and Lee Rowland, American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada staff attorney, were booed and heckled by a crowd heavily in favor of the ordinance. At least a handful of the men were wearing guns on their hips, as is legal under state law for owners of registered handguns in Nevada.
"It was not a meeting," Romero said. "In the olden days, they called those lynch mobs."
Rowland told the board members they could count on being sued over the ordinance because it is unconstitutional. |
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| « Last Edit: Nov 20th, 2006, 2:48pm by Tiannia » |
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rickyshot
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Re: Po Dunk Town in NV Setting a Precedent?
« Reply #3 on: Nov 20th, 2006, 2:40pm » |
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Two or more OFFICIAL languages is the biggest political pain there is. I know cause I live in Canada where the fight is still on to the tune of milliions.
However I am not against immigrants speaking or keeping their language. If they set up ethnic shops like a Mexican restaurant, they should be able to fly their flag and serve in two languages but to have a public shop I think to succeed you must have English or you will have less of a market. I mean I am not going into a store where they can't serve me cause they don't speak English the offical language. It would be up to the shopkeeper to decide how many customers he wants. I remember in the old days how immigrants would have their young children working along them to translate. Didn't do the kids any harm and everyone worked hard. Now with all this PC shit yeah try and put little Johnny in the shop.
But I digress.
Bottom line one official language please and I think it would be a courtesy to offer services to the minority in your market area in their language if you so DESIRE.
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vig
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Re: Po Dunk Town in NV Setting a Precedent?
« Reply #4 on: Nov 20th, 2006, 4:40pm » |
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isn't that where Art Bell lives?
maybe they speak Martian there too!
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BarbaraD
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Re: Po Dunk Town in NV Setting a Precedent?
« Reply #5 on: Nov 20th, 2006, 5:54pm » |
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If every city would do that -- MAYBE the guys in DC would get the message.... Some things have to start on the local level.
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Charlie
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Re: Po Dunk Town in NV Setting a Precedent?
« Reply #6 on: Nov 20th, 2006, 6:04pm » |
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Learn to speak English. It's polite.
My grandfather said it was just the thing to do...then anyway.
Also, don't overdo enforcement of such. It probably encourages people to be PITAs.
Charlie
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| « Last Edit: Nov 20th, 2006, 6:05pm by Charlie » |
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BobG
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Re: Po Dunk Town in NV Setting a Precedent?
« Reply #7 on: Nov 20th, 2006, 7:13pm » |
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Art Bell used to live in Pahrump. Last I heard he ran off the the Philopeen islands or some such place.
One funny thing about speaking only English in Pahrump is that the town's name is native American Indian.
But, like Tiannia said, it does have the Chicken Ranch and a casino called Terrible's.
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Charlie
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Re: Po Dunk Town in NV Setting a Precedent?
« Reply #8 on: Nov 20th, 2006, 7:53pm » |
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I actually caught some of that goof Art Bell in the middle of the night not long ago. He is in Manilla, Philippines.
Late night radio sucks now. 
Charlie
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Tiannia
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Re: Po Dunk Town in NV Setting a Precedent?
« Reply #9 on: Nov 21st, 2006, 10:47am » |
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Yeah Art Bell is not there anymore.
About 5-6 years ago Shaun and I looked into buying a house out there. Well, I said hell no after we looked at one housing track and they made a point to tell me that we could not have more then 4 chickens and a goat. Im a big town girla nd I aint dealing with any chickens of goats or anything else that someone might decide it ok for living in the middle of BFE.
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BobG
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Re: Po Dunk Town in NV Setting a Precedent?
« Reply #10 on: Nov 21st, 2006, 12:38pm » |
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on Nov 21st, 2006, 10:47am, Tiannia wrote:| Shaun and I looked into buying a house out there. Well, I said hell no after they made a point to tell me that we could not have more then 4 chickens and a goat. |
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I think your real estate agent was confused.
You should have been told you must have at least 4 chickens and a goat. And 13 cats. And there must be at least 1 battered Chevy in the front yard (with the engine removed). And you must have at least 1 non-working appliance on the front porch of the single wide. It's in the city constitution.
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Tiannia
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Re: Po Dunk Town in NV Setting a Precedent?
« Reply #11 on: Nov 21st, 2006, 12:50pm » |
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RED NECK capital of the West..................... 
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JeffB
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Re: Po Dunk Town in NV Setting a Precedent?
« Reply #12 on: Nov 22nd, 2006, 12:48pm » |
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I knew I should have moved to Pahrump. What is so wrong about making English the towns official language?? For me, I am sick and tired of seeing buses with spanish ads on the side.
Is that friggin wall up yet??
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floridian
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Re: Po Dunk Town in NV Setting a Precedent?
« Reply #13 on: Nov 22nd, 2006, 10:30pm » |
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on Nov 22nd, 2006, 12:48pm, JeffB wrote:
Is that friggin wall up yet?? |
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No, we are still waiting for the French to send us the plans for the Maginot Line.
Are we going to close all international airports in the U.S. when we find that those that can't get across the wall just hop on aeroplanes and enter as tourists? Safer and not that much more expensive than paying the coyotes to get smuggled across the desert.
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BobG
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Re: Po Dunk Town in NV Setting a Precedent?
« Reply #14 on: Nov 23rd, 2006, 11:35am » |
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Yesterday, in protest, a Pahrump couple raised 2 flags over their house. He put up and Italian flag for his side of the family and she raised the Polish flag.
During the night the Italian flag got egged. 
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JeffB
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Re: Po Dunk Town in NV Setting a Precedent?
« Reply #15 on: Nov 24th, 2006, 11:00am » |
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Wasn't me!
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