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| Santorum to Puerto Rico: Speak English if you want statehood (919775) | |
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| (919775) | |
Santorum to Puerto Rico: Speak English if you want statehood |
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Posted by dand124 on Wed Mar 14 18:18:26 2012 http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/14/us-usa-campaign-puertorico-idUSBRE82D16Z20120314Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum told Puerto Ricans on Wednesday they would have to make English their primary language if they want to pursue U.S. statehood, a statement at odds with the U.S. Constitution. Santorum traveled to the U.S. territory to campaign ahead of the island's Republican primary election scheduled for Sunday, where he, Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich are vying for 20 delegates. Puerto Ricans, who recognize both English and Spanish as their official languages, are scheduled to vote in November on a referendum to decide whether they want to pursue statehood or remain a self-governing U.S. commonwealth. In an interview with El Vocero newspaper, Santorum said he supported Puerto Ricans' right to self-determination regarding the island's political status. "We need to work together and determine what type of relationship we want to develop," he told the newspaper. But Santorum said he did not support a state in which English was not the primary language. "Like any other state, there has to be compliance with this and any other federal law," Santorum said. "And that is that English has to be the principal language. There are other states with more than one language such as Hawaii but to be a state of the United States, English has to be the principal language." However, the U.S. Constitution does not designate an official language, nor is there a requirement that a territory adopt English as its primary language in order to become a state. Congress would have to give approval if Puerto Rico is to become the 51st state. Although Congress has considered numerous proposals to make English the official U.S. language, none has ever passed. However, some states have passed their own laws declaring English the official language, including heavily Hispanic Florida. Puerto Rico has about 4 million people and its population can vote in partisan primaries but not presidential elections. Puerto Ricans on the mainland have the same voting rights as other U.S. citizens. Santorum's statement may fall flat with Puerto Rican Republicans, who have always argued that issues of language and culture should be controlled by state governments and not the federal government. It also could alienate the 4.2 million Puerto Ricans who live on the U.S. mainland, including nearly 1 million in presidential swing-state Florida. Romney and Gingrich have both said Puerto Ricans must decide their future for themselves. Romney has said that if they choose to pursue statehood, he would help them achieve it. Romney, who is scheduled to travel to Puerto Rico on Friday and stay through the weekend, won the endorsement of Governor Luis Fortuno, who is also the head of Puerto Rico's pro-statehood New Progressive Party. Santorum was to meet with Fortuno on Wednesday before a town hall meeting with residents. He said he and Fortuno are friends because they went to the same church in Washington when Fortuno served as Puerto Rico's non-voting representative in the U.S. Congress from 2004-2008. Santorum also said that he does not support "at this time" allowing residents in territories like Puerto Rico to vote for president, although he said he was open to analyzing alternatives, such as allowing their votes to count in the popular vote but not in the Electoral College. Gingrich will send his daughter, Kathy Gingrich Lubbers, to campaign on his behalf in Puerto Rico on Thursday and Friday. She is fluent in Spanish and was expected to hold a town-hall style meeting. |
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| (919809) | |
Re: Santorum to Puerto Rico: Speak English if you want statehood |
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Posted by SelkirkTMO on Wed Mar 14 18:45:27 2012, in response to Santorum to Puerto Rico: Speak English if you want statehood, posted by dand124 on Wed Mar 14 18:18:26 2012. Heh. And they VOTE. :)Funniest part of all this is that we're still a LONG way from October. (grin) |
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| (919812) | |
Re: Santorum to Puerto Rico: Speak English if you want statehood |
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Posted by italianstallion on Wed Mar 14 18:53:08 2012, in response to Santorum to Puerto Rico: Speak English if you want statehood, posted by dand124 on Wed Mar 14 18:18:26 2012. Way to win the PR vote.And he's such an idiot, he cites a law that doesn't exist. |
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| (919818) | |
Re: Santorum to Puerto Rico: Speak English if you want statehood |
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Posted by SelkirkTMO on Wed Mar 14 18:58:55 2012, in response to Re: Santorum to Puerto Rico: Speak English if you want statehood, posted by italianstallion on Wed Mar 14 18:53:08 2012. I haven't met anyone who is still a republican lately who isn't an idiot. :( |
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| (919825) | |
Re: Santorum to Puerto Rico: Speak English if you want statehood |
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Posted by italianstallion on Wed Mar 14 19:02:30 2012, in response to Re: Santorum to Puerto Rico: Speak English if you want statehood, posted by SelkirkTMO on Wed Mar 14 18:58:55 2012. Sad, isn't it? I began my political interests as a Rockefeller Republican, worked as a volunteer for Lindsay, etc. At college, though, I saw the handwriting on the wall. I was drummed out of the College Republicans by the Tea Partiers of the day ( this was in 1969!). So I have had a front-row seat on the crazy-fication of the GOP for over 40 years. |
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| (919831) | |
Re: Santorum to Puerto Rico: Speak English if you want statehood |
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Posted by Dave on Wed Mar 14 19:06:59 2012, in response to Santorum to Puerto Rico: Speak English if you want statehood, posted by dand124 on Wed Mar 14 18:18:26 2012. The man is a moron. |
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| (919834) | |
Re: Santorum to Puerto Rico: Speak English if you want statehood |
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Posted by SelkirkTMO on Wed Mar 14 19:09:08 2012, in response to Re: Santorum to Puerto Rico: Speak English if you want statehood, posted by italianstallion on Wed Mar 14 19:02:30 2012. You too? When I was in school, I too got out there for him and even earlier for Barry. I didn't hang it up as a republican until Reagan and his assholes came along. Been "unenrolled" in any party ever since then. |
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| (919835) | |
Re: Santorum to Puerto Rico: Speak English if you want statehood |
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Posted by bingbong on Wed Mar 14 19:09:14 2012, in response to Santorum to Puerto Rico: Speak English if you want statehood, posted by dand124 on Wed Mar 14 18:18:26 2012. LOL. Didn't anyone tell him they have primaries, too?Hillary won the 2008 Democratic primary in PR simply because she showed up. After that statement, I would not recommend Sanitorium do the same. |
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| (919840) | |
Re: Santorum to Puerto Rico: Speak English if you want statehood |
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Posted by SelkirkTMO on Wed Mar 14 19:13:19 2012, in response to Re: Santorum to Puerto Rico: Speak English if you want statehood, posted by Dave on Wed Mar 14 19:06:59 2012. And a "true conservative" ... even more so than Noot. What does THAT say? :( |
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| (919842) | |
Re: Santorum to Puerto Rico: Speak English if you want statehood |
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Posted by SelkirkTMO on Wed Mar 14 19:15:38 2012, in response to Re: Santorum to Puerto Rico: Speak English if you want statehood, posted by bingbong on Wed Mar 14 19:09:14 2012. He should take in the beach at Vieques ... I hear it's lovely this time of year. :) |
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| (919845) | |
Re: Santorum to Puerto Rico: Speak English if you want statehood |
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Posted by orange blossom special on Wed Mar 14 19:28:21 2012, in response to Santorum to Puerto Rico: Speak English if you want statehood, posted by dand124 on Wed Mar 14 18:18:26 2012. Looks like another echo chamber. While we're messing with quotes, f Puetro Rico, he should impose that rule on Texas! |
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| (919869) | |
Re: Santorum to Puerto Rico: Speak English if you want statehood |
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Posted by bingbong on Wed Mar 14 19:59:55 2012, in response to Re: Santorum to Puerto Rico: Speak English if you want statehood, posted by orange blossom special on Wed Mar 14 19:28:21 2012. Aside from the fact that ther eis no law, rule or Constitutional mandate WRT language.....Texas is already a state. |
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| (919870) | |
Re: Santorum to Puerto Rico: Speak English if you want statehood |
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Posted by orange blossom special on Wed Mar 14 20:03:13 2012, in response to Re: Santorum to Puerto Rico: Speak English if you want statehood, posted by bingbong on Wed Mar 14 19:59:55 2012. There's no rules or laws that deal with laguage? Wonder how they know what to do the forms in. |
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| (919873) | |
Re: Santorum to Puerto Rico: Speak English if you want statehood |
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Posted by bingbong on Wed Mar 14 20:24:55 2012, in response to Re: Santorum to Puerto Rico: Speak English if you want statehood, posted by orange blossom special on Wed Mar 14 20:03:13 2012. Vernacular? In PR, that's Spanish. |
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| (919927) | |
Re: Santorum to Puerto Rico: Speak English if you want statehood |
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Posted by FYBklyn1959 on Wed Mar 14 23:20:07 2012, in response to Re: Santorum to Puerto Rico: Speak English if you want statehood, posted by orange blossom special on Wed Mar 14 19:28:21 2012. Or |
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| (919950) | |
Re: Santorum to Puerto Rico: Speak English if you want statehood |
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Posted by italianstallion on Wed Mar 14 23:51:35 2012, in response to Re: Santorum to Puerto Rico: Speak English if you want statehood, posted by SelkirkTMO on Wed Mar 14 19:09:08 2012. Well, how about that. I started with Barry in 64 (but only a high schooler), went left to Rocky and Lindsay, and then , after Vietnam got messy, went full left in 72. Been a Democrat ever since, but an increasingly moderate one. (Voted for 1 Republican since 1972, Giuliani for his first term - before he too got crazy.) |
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| (919953) | |
Re: Santorum to Puerto Rico: Speak English if you want statehood |
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Posted by italianstallion on Wed Mar 14 23:52:57 2012, in response to Re: Santorum to Puerto Rico: Speak English if you want statehood, posted by SelkirkTMO on Wed Mar 14 19:15:38 2012. Actually, it is. My son went there in January - it was beautiful. |
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| (919964) | |
Re: Santorum to Puerto Rico: Speak English if you want statehood |
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Posted by SelkirkTMO on Thu Mar 15 00:22:23 2012, in response to Re: Santorum to Puerto Rico: Speak English if you want statehood, posted by italianstallion on Wed Mar 14 23:51:35 2012. McCarthy, McGovern, Humphrey, Dukakis ... nah. I couldn't step in any of that shit. I voted for Anderson. :) |
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| (919965) | |
Re: Santorum to Puerto Rico: Speak English if you want statehood |
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Posted by SelkirkTMO on Thu Mar 15 00:23:29 2012, in response to Re: Santorum to Puerto Rico: Speak English if you want statehood, posted by italianstallion on Wed Mar 14 23:52:57 2012. Partly cloudy with a chance of shells. Ponce's much better. :) |
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Re: Santorum to Puerto Rico: Speak English if you want statehood |
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Posted by LuchAAA on Thu Mar 15 00:23:41 2012, in response to Re: Santorum to Puerto Rico: Speak English if you want statehood, posted by SelkirkTMO on Wed Mar 14 18:58:55 2012. Do you really meet people? |
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| (919967) | |
Re: Santorum to Puerto Rico: Speak English if you want statehood |
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Posted by SelkirkTMO on Thu Mar 15 00:29:49 2012, in response to Re: Santorum to Puerto Rico: Speak English if you want statehood, posted by LuchAAA on Thu Mar 15 00:23:41 2012. Well yeah ... unlike your cities, we don't have sidewalks around here to stare down at and ignore throngs of people. We have skies and trees and birds and critters and people who wave and say hi when you encounter them. Most wanna know how you've been doing and you wanna know how they've been doing even if you've never met them before and that awful thing called "human interaction" occurs despire our sorry old selves.We get laid too. :) |
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| (920010) | |
Re: Santorum to Puerto Rico: Speak English if you want statehood |
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Posted by Edwards! on Thu Mar 15 05:58:30 2012, in response to Re: Santorum to Puerto Rico: Speak English if you want statehood, posted by bingbong on Wed Mar 14 20:24:55 2012. You are giving him a ton of confusing thoughts... |
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| (920025) | |
Re: Santorum to Puerto Rico: Speak English if you want statehood |
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Posted by GP38/R42 Chris on Thu Mar 15 08:16:15 2012, in response to Re: Santorum to Puerto Rico: Speak English if you want statehood, posted by SelkirkTMO on Thu Mar 15 00:29:49 2012. We don't have sidewalks here either. |
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| (920177) | |
Re: Santorum to Puerto Rico: Speak English if you want statehood |
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Posted by SelkirkTMO on Thu Mar 15 18:10:12 2012, in response to Re: Santorum to Puerto Rico: Speak English if you want statehood, posted by GP38/R42 Chris on Thu Mar 15 08:16:15 2012. And I'll bet you're also "forced" to interact with people then. :) |
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Re: Santorum to Puerto Rico: Speak English if you want statehood |
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Posted by Train Dude on Thu Mar 15 18:12:50 2012, in response to Re: Santorum to Puerto Rico: Speak English if you want statehood, posted by SelkirkTMO on Thu Mar 15 00:29:49 2012. And floods. Big floods. Lets not forget the floods. |
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| (920209) | |
Re: Santorum to Puerto Rico: Speak English if you want statehood |
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Posted by SelkirkTMO on Thu Mar 15 18:54:18 2012, in response to Re: Santorum to Puerto Rico: Speak English if you want statehood, posted by Train Dude on Thu Mar 15 18:12:50 2012. Yep ... I know how much all that suffering for everybody up here just MADE your day. |
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Re: Santorum to Puerto Rico: Speak English if you want statehood |
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Posted by orange blossom special on Thu Mar 15 19:04:47 2012, in response to Re: Santorum to Puerto Rico: Speak English if you want statehood, posted by SelkirkTMO on Thu Mar 15 00:29:49 2012. Sounds aweful! |
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Re: Santorum to Puerto Rico: Speak English if you want statehood |
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Posted by SelkirkTMO on Thu Mar 15 19:33:22 2012, in response to Re: Santorum to Puerto Rico: Speak English if you want statehood, posted by orange blossom special on Thu Mar 15 19:04:47 2012. Aye ... but we try to cope nonetheless. :) |
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