Mr. Akaka–I agree that English is the common language of our nation. Everyone should learn it, just as I believe everyone should learn other languages and more about the world around them. But I must oppose the Inhofe amendment because it does not merely encourage learning the English language. I am concerned that this amendment will have far reaching consequences and eliminate the rights of many Americans.

First of all, the Inhofe amendment is unnecessary. English is the de facto official language of the United States. In fact, according to the 2000 census, only 9.3 percent of Americans speak both their native language and another language fluently.

Second, the Inhofe amendment is divisive. The sponsors of the amendment claim that this is needed to promote national unity. However, our common language is not what unifies this country. It is our common belief in freedom and justice. The First Amendment to the Constitution ensures that we have the freedom of speech. We are free to speak in all languages – not just English. For those individuals that do not speak English, this amendment would deny U.S. citizens with limited English proficiency basic rights. For example, our country was founded on the belief that the people of this country hold the power – they are the check on our government. However, limiting services to the English language could deny people the right to exercise this power and receive essential government services.

Moreover, children growing up in homes that speak languages other than English will feel stigmatized. As a young child, I was discouraged from speaking Hawaiian because I was told that it would not allow me to succeed in the Western world. My parents lived through the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii and endured the aftermath as a time when all things Hawaiian, including language, which they both spoke fluently, hula, customs, and traditions, were viewed as negative. I, therefore, was discouraged from speaking the language and practicing Hawaiian customs and traditions. I remember as a young child sneaking to listen to my parents so that I could maintain my ability to understand the Hawaiian language. My experience mirrors that of my generation of Hawaiians. The drawback is that now, many of them and I cannot speak Hawaiian fluently.

This is the same problem facing bilingual education. There is a push to stop the learning of other languages when individuals are young, when it is much easier to learn another language, but then we tell those same people that it is essential that they learn another language to preserve our national security. This is contradictory.

Third, the amendment sends the wrong message to our heritage communities. After the terrorist attacks of 9/11, we sought out these individuals to help with our translation efforts; however, now we are telling them that we do not value their language enough to provide them with essential services in their languages. The ability to speak a foreign language is critical to our national security and we should not discourage that in any way.

Fourth, the Inhofe amendment could prohibit the government from providing emergency services in other languages or providing critical health and safety materials to non-English speakers since such programs may not be required by law. People’s lives might be endangered by this amendment.

Finally, I worry that the very strength of our democracy is threatened by this amendment. I am proud to be an original cosponsor of S. 2703, a bill to amend the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Importantly, S. 2703 will continue to require bilingual voting assistance. Unless every citizen has access to the polls, and can understand the language on their voting ballot, our democracy is not as strong as it could be.

We want immigrants and individuals from all over the world to learn about the United States and what defines us. I think our basic freedoms are what define us. To limit the ability of non-English speakers to know about the United States and experience and observe the freedoms on which this country was founded, would be a disservice to the U.S. Actions speak louder than words, no matter the language. I urge my colleagues to act to oppose the Inhofe amendment.