Compare and Contrast and Contrast: English Only

[English First] is not mean-spirited or divisive.

- - Eric Crafton in his motion to approve last night

The U.N. recently adopted English as its working language — the only people that objected were the French ... That made it an added bonus in my opinion.

- -Eric Crafton in his motion to approve last night

I don't want to be anything like the United Nations.

- - Eric Crafton in his motion to defer on December 5, 2006

This morning's mainstream media coverage once again ignored or overlooked the inconsistencies. The covering City Paper reporter downplayed Crafton's mean-spirited comments as "sarcastic" and portrayed them as entertaining to the public in the gallery.

On a side note: English Only/First/Whatever supporter Randy Foster appealed to the Statue of Liberty and its English language plaque in his comments on the bill. Minor detail: the Statue of Liberty (or La liberté éclairant le monde) was given to America as a gift by the French, who supported the American Revolution. A replica stands in Paris, facing the original in New York Harbor.

Those rotten French. I suddenly have cravings for "Freedom Toast" and a cup of coffee from Portland Brews; maybe the Crème Brulée Roast, or as I like to call it, "Freedom Pudding Roast" (HT: Will Forte, SNL).


UPDATE: I updated Mr. Crafton's exact December 5, 2006 quote above and the corresponding link, which now takes you directly to the video tape of the quote.