Eric Crafton is not saying who is pulling the strings behind his English only effort, but the forked tongue of one of his supporters has been heard from: Jon Crisp, former chair of the Davidson County Republican Party.
In early July, Crisp sent out an e-mail promoting the English only effort. Crisp says:
Sadly, in general, today's immigrants are not the same as those of our past and seem to want to reap America's bounty while not committing to our culture. Will we become a patchwork quilt of third world nations that have set up shop in Nashville?
So how do today's immigrants differ from our grandparents and great-grandparents who immigrated to America from Italy, Eastern Europe or elsewhere because they were poor and wanted a chance for a better life? Most of them learned English on their own, and if they didn't, they still succeeded well enough to make our lives possible. Does Crisp really want to tell us that the people who made great sacrifices for us are inferior people?
But he's not done. Crisp says:
So let's set the record straight ... This effort to make English our language officially was begun because some involved in Metro government began to see evidence that our city was moving toward policies that would make Nashville a "Sanctuary City" for illegal immigrants ... such as San Francisco. Those forces that were at work under Bill Purcell are still at work in Nashville today.
The idea that Nashville would become a sanctuary city is laughable. Nashville was one of the first in the nation to begin checking on a person's immigration status during arrests under the sheriff's 287 (g) program. Sanctuary cities forbid such actions.
Whether Crisp likes it or not, we live in a diverse world. He and Crafton can build all the walls they want, but they will only succeed in isolating themselves. The rest of the world will move ahead.
If Nashville is going to be a 21st-century city, we can't let the unfounded fears of people like Crisp and Crafton isolate an entire city. Petty issues such as this divide the community and tells the rest of the world that Nashville is living in a false reality.
Nashville is better than that. Much better.
Which is why the good folks at Nissan picked Nashville to be their new headquarters. Imagine the choice they might have made if Crisp and Crafton were guarding the welcome mat.
-- Jim Grinstead
Comments