Let's call the English Only amendment what it actually is — the Know Nothing amendment.



We are, in effect, witnessing the rebirth of the Know Nothings in Nashville, circa 2009. Except now the target is not Irish Catholics, but anyone who may not have a perfect mastery of the English language and the taxpayers of Davidson County who will be footing the half-million-dollar tab for this unnecessary special election.

The Know Nothing amendment (cleverly and deceptively now coined as English First by its supporters) would be a giant step backward for a city that has been at the forefront of national progress over the last two decades.

True to creed, the amendment's most ardent supporter, Councilman Eric Crafton, asserted just last week that he does not know what it would actually do. This most comforting admission is accompanied by a taxpayer bill for a special election and the erasure of Nashville from the international map.

In stark contrast to what the supporters of the Know Nothing amendment do not know, we who oppose this ill-conceived amendment do know some things. We know that its enactment would diminish the global perception of Nashville, and Tennessee itself, as a place to do business. A "yes" vote would rip that all-precious keystone from beneath the Shining City on the Hill that Nashville works daily to become.

We also know that Tennessee code already establishes English as the official (but not the only) language of Tennessee, to include all city and county governments.

At its very best, the Know Nothing amendment is redundant. Other pushers of the Know Nothing amendment have freely admitted that the purpose is largely "symbolic." If symbolism is what they are after, let them pool their own money and buy some ad space in this very paper.

Of other things we know — federal and constitutional law would make the Know Nothing amendment impotent from the start. It could not apply to education, public safety, or the courts, which means that where money is actually spent by Metro, the Know Nothing amendment would have no effect. Non-English speaking immigrants needing building permits already do not receive translation services. Nearly all vital services must be provided in multiple languages per federal law and the equal protection provision of the federal and Tennessee constitutions.

Lest we forget, we are a nation of immigrants. The perception that non-English immigrants do not want to learn the language is a false one. No one travels thousands of miles to a foreign land to not communicate.

Sadly, in 2009, what the Know Nothing amendment is set to accomplish is not known by its supporters, but the unfortunate consequences are all too clear to the rest of us.

The only right vote on the Know Nothing amendment is a "no" vote.