Correction To An Earlier Post

Yes the sign did include the word PLEASE. Now that I have seen a picture of the sign from a different angle, I can make it out. I had said I did not see it in the pics I saw, not that it mattered much to me, but it should matter to the politicians who are considering screwing this guy, and making him remove the sign from his business. The word "please" in the sign clearly indicates that this is a request that people speak English when ordering, it is not a mandate, and therefore it could not possibly be discriminatory in as much as being a violation of someones civil rights. As Mr. Vento has said over and over again, if someone does not or cannot speak English, they still get served, but this is the USA and he prefers they speak English. Good Man.

By the way, this pic was found at: FoxNews.com at: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,316939,00.html.

All the best,

Glenn B

On Speakng English In America...

Do you remember the case of the restaurant owner in Philadelphia who posted a sign by his service window that said: "This is America, when ordering speak English". (Some say it says Please before the words speak English, but when I look at the pics I have seen I do not see that word - not that it matters to me).

Well, as I just discovered over at Michelle Malkin's site here, the case is coming to a head and Mr. Vento is being tried by the Philadelphia Human Relations Commission. I am aghast at the prospect that the unifying force within our borders, the English language, also seems to be on trial as being discriminatory against people and their civil rights. How can the city which houses the Declaration of Independence (our founding document written in English), and from whose towers rang the Liberty Bell, and wherein whose halls were many meetings of the Continental Congress (all held in English mind you), how can said city be against one of our citizens requesting, even demanding, that his customers speak English?

I decided to put finger to keypad, and I wrote a letter to the above mentioned commission voicing my displeasure that they would even consider this case let alone bring it against Mr. Vento. My letter follows, and after reading it I urge you to do likewise. Should Mr. Vento be found guilty of violating any one's civil rights, should he be required to remove that sign, should the English language in this country be diminished by the city of Philadelphia, then I would urge you to boycott Philadelphia and the state of Pennsylvania.

"Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations
34 South 11th Street, 6th Floor
Philadelphia PA 19107

Dear Sirs and Madams,

As a United States citizen by birth, but with ancestors on both sides of my family who were immigrants, and with my wife being an immigrant and naturalized citizen of this great nation, I am incensed that you are seriously considering the case against Mr. Vento regarding the speak English sign posted at Geno’s Steaks (restaurant). To say that asking customers to speak English when ordering is discriminatory is reprehensible. It is not discriminatory, but rather it is unifying with regard to our culture. When Mr. Vento or anyone else asks an immigrant to speak English, it is in fact asking that person to assimilate into the culture of the United States of America which has been, and remains, a primarily English speaking republic. For people to complain about being asked to, or being required to, learn how to speak English in this country is unpatriotically outrageous and it is racist and discriminatory on their behalf, and not on the part of Mr. Vento. When my great-grandparents told me of how they immigrated to the USA, they also told me how they learned English once they arrived. They said it was tough, but they were extremely proud of the fact that they learned how to do so, and that they then went on to pass the citizenship test and become United States citizens. For any immigrant to this country to do otherwise would show them to be divisive, and prejudice against our culture here in America. It would also be disgraceful because it would be counter-productive to assimilation, and simply un-American.

Any decision by you saying that Mr. Vento’s request to have his customers speak English was wrong, or was discriminatory in violation of the law, would be blatantly un-American. It would also show that you are promoting separation/division of the cultures in what was once the melting pot of the world. The one great unifying force within a country is not its politics, is not its laws, is not is religions, is not it citizens, is not its immigrants, but is definitively its language. Note I did not say its languages, as multiple languages only cause and lend to divisiveness among a nations peoples.

The government of the United States of America requires it workers to speak English, the government of the state of Pennsylvania requires likewise, and the government of the city of Philadelphia requires the same; yet somehow you seriously consider whether or not Mr. Vento asking his customers to do the same is a violation of people’s civil rights. It is his civil right to free speech at stake here. It is the right of a nation to expect its immigrants to assimilate that is at stake here, it is the language, the culture, and the borders of the United States of America that are all at stake here should you decide against Mr. Vento.

I can assure you that should you decide against Mr. Vento, I will express myself by way of my first amendment right to free speech and I will discourage anyone from visiting your city and your state. I have visited Philadelphia and other parts of Pennsylvania many times throughout my lifetime (and spent lots of money there), and had planned on doing so in the future. However, if your city becomes one that is geared at ignoring the duty of each and every immigrant to learn that language, and therefore if your city is geared at destroying the unifying force within our borders, I will rally myself and as many others as will heed the call against you, your city, and your state with all I can muster under the laws of our great nation.

With all due respect,


Glenn R. Bartley"

You too can contact the commission at the following:

The Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations
The Philadelphia Fair Housing Commission
The Curtis Center
601 Walnut Street, Suite 300 South
Philadelphia, PA 19106

Tel: 215-686-4670

TTY: 215-686-3238

Fax: 215-686-4684

E-mail: faqpchr@phila.gov


All the best,
Glenn B

On Duane Dog Chapman and Musings on Language...

...and the freedom and liberty to use it, and the freedom and liberty to make a stupid, outlandish, or emotional statement now and again without anyone crucifying, classifying, or categorizing you as a racist or other type of bigot:

Kraut, dego, bitch, goat-roper, slut, porker, lib-tard, pig, asshole, chink, Mrs., freak, midget, string bean, beaner, gorilla, jerk, bimbo, gigolo, tard, looney, racist, wuss, nerd, ho, scrooge, rocket scientist, kike, RINO, ass kisser, hunk, tart, donkey, tonk, fuck, jerk-off, cunt, spic, frog, cowboy, honky, pimp, howlie, whitey, hamster, fag, carpet muncher, boy, masser, bastard, chrome dome, fatso, rag-head, gimp, dummy, choir-boy, pecker-wood, animal, wet-back, wop, nazi, polock, slope-head, cracker, fuck-off, dick-head, crazy, cheapo, jap, wasp, coon, queer, lush, alky, doper, scrote, sleaze, Nancy-boy, whore, whoremaster, cannuck, po-po, prick, neo-con, camel-jockey, demoncrat, blimp, are all words that can be used to degrade others. In fact they are all words often used to degrade certain kinds, or groups, of people. Yet when we say them, if we do, we do not always mean them to be derisive of a group, nor do we mean them as anything other than an outlet for anger. The same goes for the word nigger. Yet, I usually do not see a national, even international, furor whenever someone utters any of those other words. So why don't we all grow up, and the next time we hear someone say nigger (no you will not hear me call it the N-word here in this rant) why not just ignore the asshole who said it and get on with our lives. It is not the end of the world to speak it, to write it, to see it, to hear it; and it is ridiculous when some one's use of it in a personal conversation, causes an uproar if that person was out of character when he said it, or if that person's intent through use of the word was misconstrued by the mind police among us, or if that person was just an out and out lout (I mean what would you expect of him, so why get all riled up over the spewing forth of a lout).

Sure if using such a word defines a person's outlook about a group, such as the word nigger could show us a person's perception of a certain race, and that person is in a position of trust, or leadership, or something like celebrity, or even just your neighbor, then slam the person if you must. Remember though, just because someone says an insulting word, such use of a word was not necessarily definitive of what the person believes or practices on a regular basis. Saying a word like that is not necessarily a secret look into their soul, in fact it usually is not even a peek at what they truly believe but is often just an outburst of anger in which they are lashing out and trying to hurt someone whom they believe is trying to hurt them. Unless the person is a friggin saint they may never say something like one of those foul words or phrases, but bear in mind even some saints had their faults. So when a less than complimentary word is barfed out in a fit of anger, or if it comes out in some other way where it is just a momentary emotional thing like blowing off steam or frustration - why not let it ride - and judge the person who said it not just on his having said an offensive word on rare occasion, but rather on his actions and words over the long term. If you cannot respect a person for what he truly is, then how can you expect respect from him in return.

Duane Dog Chapman is a rough guy, yet he can be quite compassionate from what I have heard. So he said a nasty word, boo-hoo. He was not doing it to insult a whole race, he did it in a fit of anger while arguing with his son who then seemingly betrayed him (just pointing that out to show you how nasty a spat it must have been). So stop with all the BS already, and live your lives as you were before you heard about it. As for A&E - the honchos at A&E need to get a life, get real, and put him back on the air instead of suspending his show because of a personal argument he had with his son in which he used bad language. My heavens, what in Hades did you folks at A&E expect this guy to be - a friggin saint? Well it just ain't his way, and you knew that when you hired him on. You took on his show for ratings because he was a bad assed dude, now you want to drop him for the same reasons. In my opinion you are all just a bunch of snivelling, money grubbing hypocrites. As for Reverend Al, and Jesse J., please shut up before you even start on this one. Thanks, and Amen.

All the best,
Glenn B