Languages in Spain 2

How can Spanish be declared an official language in the US when its constituion does not even declare English as its official language?

Therefore English is just a de facto official language of the US. Its official status lies in the hands of the states and many states including California which has the largest number of Hispanics. If Obama declares Spanish as an official language, it would be unconstitutional.

Currently, although all the official documents in the U.S. are written in English, the United States federal government does not explicitly specify an official language.

* English is an official language in these states:[11]
o Alabama (1990)
o Alaska (1998)[12]
o Arizona (2006)
o Arkansas (1987)
o California (1986)
o Colorado (1988)
o Florida (1988)
o Georgia (1986, 1996)
o Hawaii (1978)
o Idaho (2007)
o Illinois (1969)[13]
o Indiana (1984)
o Iowa (2002)
o Kansas (2007)[14]
o Kentucky (1984)
o Massachusetts (1975)[15]
o Mississippi (1987)
o Missouri (1998)
o Montana (1995)
o Nebraska (1920)
o New Hampshire (1995)
o North Carolina (1987)
o North Dakota (1987)
o South Carolina (1987)
o South Dakota (1987)
o Tennessee (1984)
o Utah (2000)
o Virginia (1981, 1996)
o Wyoming (1996)

* English and Hawaiian:
o Hawaii (1978)[16]

* English and French:
o Louisiana (1807)

* "English Plus" resolutions:
o New Mexico (1989)
o Oregon (1989)
o Rhode Island (1992, pending)
o Washington (2007-8, pending)

* None:
o In addition to the states not otherwise mentioned:
o Alaska's 1998 Official English amendment was overturned by the Alaska State Supreme Court in 2002.
o Arizona's 1988 Official English amendment was overturned by the Arizona State Supreme Court in April, 1998. It was reinstated by voters in November, 2006.
o West Virginia passed a law in 2005 but it was rescinded due to a technical flaw.

Also, English and Spanish have been official languages in Puerto Rico since 1993; from 1898 to 1952, however, it was a misdemeanor to speak Spanish in public there. English and Chamorro are the official languages of Guam and the Northern Marianas Islands. English and Samoan are the official languages of American Samoa.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English-only_movement#cite_note-16

French and Hawaiian have an official status but Spanish does not have.

The Constitution can be reformed.

How can Spanish be declared an official language in the US when its constitution does not even declare English as its official language?

Therefore English is just a de facto official language of the US. Its official status lies in the hands of the states and many states including California which has the largest number of Hispanics, declared English as its only official language. If Obama declares Spanish as an official language, it would be unconstitutional.

Currently, although all the official documents in the U.S. are written in English, the United States federal government does not explicitly specify an official language.

* English is an official language in these states:
o Alabama (1990)
o Alaska (1998)
o Arizona (2006)
o Arkansas (1987)
o California (1986)
o Colorado (1988)
o Florida (1988)
o Georgia (1986, 1996)
o Hawaii (1978)
o Idaho (2007)
o Illinois (1969)
o Indiana (1984)
o Iowa (2002)
o Kansas (2007)
o Kentucky (1984)
o Massachusetts (1975)
o Mississippi (1987)
o Missouri (1998)
o Montana (1995)
o Nebraska (1920)
o New Hampshire (1995)
o North Carolina (1987)
o North Dakota (1987)
o South Carolina (1987)
o South Dakota (1987)
o Tennessee (1984)
o Utah (2000)
o Virginia (1981, 1996)
o Wyoming (1996)

* English and Hawaiian:
o Hawaii (1978)

* English and French:
o Louisiana (1807)

* "English Plus" resolutions:
o New Mexico (1989)
o Oregon (1989)
o Rhode Island (1992, pending)
o Washington (2007-8, pending)

* None:
o In addition to the states not otherwise mentioned:
o Alaska's 1998 Official English amendment was overturned by the Alaska State Supreme Court in 2002.
o Arizona's 1988 Official English amendment was overturned by the Arizona State Supreme Court in April, 1998. It was reinstated by voters in November, 2006.
o West Virginia passed a law in 2005 but it was rescinded due to a technical flaw.

Also, English and Spanish have been official languages in Puerto Rico since 1993; from 1898 to 1952, however, it was a misdemeanor to speak Spanish in public there. English and Chamorro are the official languages of Guam and the Northern Marianas Islands. English and Samoan are the official languages of American Samoa.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English-only_movement#cite_note-16

French and Hawaiian have an official status but Spanish does not have.

Obama will reform the US Constitution to include Spanish.

<< The Constitution can be reformed. >>

You mean amended. Yes it can be but not because of the Spanish language and I do not think that the senate and the congress would open a session for the Spanish language issue to make it official when they never had one for the English language. It would be very superficial for them and not an important issue to be discussed.

<< Obama will reform the US Constitution to include Spanish. >>

He will not be able to do it because the US constitution does not declare English or other languages as the official language of the country. English is just the de facto official language and I do not think that the states would amend their constitution to accomodate Spanish.

All I know is Mexico, Dominican Republic, and Central America are planning to make English as an official language.

The Constitution does not recognize any languages but that can be changed . Spanish is already recognized by the Constitution of New Mexico so they can do the same at the federal level.

Spanish is a language of poor nations. I prefere to live in an English-speaker country.

The federal government has no power to do that just the state governments are the only ones who have that power and they would not declare Spanish as an official language just English except for Louisiana and Hawaii.

If the Constitution is properly amended then States will cease having power in that matter. Remember that the Constitution is above each States' laws. Through American history US states diminished their autonomy so it would not be that strange.

The US government is federal. There is a big difference between fedral and autonomy.

It may be federal but if the Constitution of US is amended so the Governments of each State cease having power in certain matters, then they have to obey to the Federal Government.

The US government is federal. There is a big difference between federal and autonomy.

The federal government will not bow down to what an incoming president just to declare Spanish as an official language.

CHINESE BOICOT TO FRENCH PRODUCTS

We hope you are able to boycott Carrefour at least on 1 May, to deliver, by the empty Carrefour that day, one message to the western world: Chinese shouldn’t be humiliated! Chinese people shouldn’t be insulted!
The boycott against Carrefour is going to spreading all over the country, and we anticipate your presence! Thank you.

Carrefour, the French retail giant, is the newest target on the list of what cyber-nationalists in China hate and aim at. Cell phone text messages calling on boycotts are popping up, over 5000 net cafes in China, as Daqi.com summed up, have been rife with posts against Carrefour, and quite a few radical netizens have already made the slogans into practice.

The boycott is supposed to be caused by the recent grief and violence the Olympic torch relay suffered from in France and the saying that a big shareholder of Carrefour, LVMH group, has donated money to the Dalai Lama.

The original text of the widely circulated appeal also explains the cause of the campaign,

http://www.globalvoicesonline.org/2008/04/16/chinacarrefour-under-boycott-threat/