First things first. California’s economy places it as the fourth largest economy in the entire world. Unlike Texas, it manages such a feat without a natural gas/oil resource.

Now then, if you don’t wish to learn a foreign language – then you mustn’t do so. But to characterize someone as self-loathing because they appreciate the value in such study is absurd.

Or, perhaps you are employing some type of “special” Texas logic that hasn’t quite made it out of Bush country.

By the way, I am glad that you are finding success in your new career. The original statement was not intended to be derogatory. It was intended to reference to the NPR propensity to embrace self-loathing Americans that are only proud of what America might become. Since leading the free world for a hundred years is not sufficient. Stopping the Nazis and such.

The greatest gift we can give modern man is not freedom or expansion of democracy, but multilingual brats in public schools.

Well, your show on NPR will definitely be wildly successful.

I am not sure I said I was against learning foreign languages. I stated that the standard language for business is English. I merely used Germany as an example. How about Korea, I also do business with folks there, again, English.

By the way, Obama was telling us to teach our children Spanish, not to learn Arabic to support the war on Terror.

Also, the downfall of manufacturing in the Midwest had nothing to do with language or cultural sensitivity. It had to do with free markets and the inability for Union Run Manufacturing Facilities to compete with Japan, Korea, China and everyone else! Why are manufacturing plants being built in the southern states? Are they teaching Cantonese there? No, they have Union-free shops that are economically competitive.

By the way, how are the economics in the great state of California rolling these days? You guys are so culturally concerned and multilingual you should be rolling in the dough! In this, let me sound it out, G-L-A-H-B-O-W-L I-K-A-H-N-O-M-E-E, why is California in such a dire economic state? Texas seems pretty stable. But I guess that is all of the Pro-Ignorance GOP folks that are busying themselves curing cancer, selling energy, building weapons of peace, etc.

I meant SEVEN.

NOTE: We are spending over 800 million dollars on a new Iraqi Embassy, and we don’t have anybody to work in it that speaks the language!

And let’s go to the FBI, charged with protecting us from threats domestic and foreign.

According to recent FBI statistics, of the bureau’s 12,000 agents, only 33 speak even MINIMALLY functional Arabic. It gets worse: Of the 33, ZERO PERCENT work on international terrorism.

And as someone who actually worked in an international business arena, let me assure you that a lack of language / cultural skills is a long-term death-nail. (And I’m from the Midwest, only transplanted to the evil California recently, largely because Michigan allowed itself to be beaten soundly by foreign competition while we beat our chests and screamed ” We’re Number One!”.)

If you think that Germany and the rest of somewhat English-speaking Western Europe is where the long-term action is . . . I have a bridge to sell you. In China.

Do I really have to argue that it might just be a good idea for Americans to learn foreign languages – even if Obama thinks we should?

Perhaps I should take a deep breath. Five years after 9/11 and we reportedly don’t have ten military analysts that can speak Arabic. This is not just ignorant – it is dangerous. Over a billion Chinese speak at least eleven wholly different dialects of Chinese.

If we don’t learn to communicate with them, we are hamstringing ourselves.

Huntington’s “Clash of Cultures” is playing itself out right now today on the Indonesian archipelago – maybe, just maybe, a few of us might just want to learn Bahasa.

Has the GOP really become the pro-ignorance party?

Good luck with that.

I love you man, but you are killing me with that logic! I don’t need to speak German to work for Siemens, I need to speak Spanish to order lunch! It has nothing to do with a global economy and you know it. The standard business language for international companies is, go ahead and sound it out slowly, ENGLISH. That has not and will not change.

Dogging on Americans that are not bilingual is just another way to imply that we are the dumberest folks on the globe. It flies in San Fran and NYC, but not in the majority of the country.

By the way, while W may only have a 35% approval rating, what is it for Obama and his Cronies, 8%?

Newsflash: if the headlines in any newspaper don’t make it clear – even those living in America’s hinterland participate in something called a “global economy” (go ahead, sound it out slowly). It is imperative that Americans from every state have the language and cultural skills necessary to excel in this environment.

But I guess foreign languages are bad, because Obama likes em! The bad news is that he enjoys baseball and lemonade as well. Better add them to the list . . .

Good grief. I haven’t see something mischaracterized this badly since, oh, since the last nut tried to defend some condescending tripe that came out of the Obamessiah’s mouth. He specifically said it was embarrassing that Americans would visit other countries without learning a foreign language first, and implied that that’s why we should be teaching our kids other languages. Not because it might broaden their horizons, but because he was embarrassed. In other places, it has been pointed out that the difference in size between America and countries in Europe make it likely that not many people here will actually need to speak another language to get along, because if you don’t live in a border state, you can’t drive to another country in one day. And let’s face it, as popular as air travel is, MOST people don’t fly anywhere, because they can’t afford it.

You must write this stuff while roaring with laughter. “Educating your readers about the ‘real’ Barack?” Like your hard hitting expose criticizing his temerity in suggesting it might just be a good idea for us to teach our kids a foreign language?

Earlier, you lampooned his speech advocating Fatherhood.

What an outrage. What’s next, criticizing his support of sunshine?

I guess you just assume conservatives are a little dim, but when the current debacle of a administration actually manages a 35 percent approval rating – you have at least 35 percent of the population to start from.

Not a bad target audience. Looking forward to more “education” about Barack.

Here is my job now, as I see it: minimize damage. The country will be damaged one way or another. McCain, I can hardly stomach thinking about voting for him. Obama is as liberal, a leftist progressive can get and will only get elected if he convinces the majority of Americans he is something he is not.

I know what McCain is and will be. He has a nice long record to demonstrate how he’ll govern. I don’t like it, but it is a better alternative to Obama. So, I view my mission is to educate my readers about the real Barack Obama. They certainly won’t find the truth reading the fawning mainstream press.