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quo. It's not uncommon that the majority opposed to Spanish as a form of expression similarly dispute other forms that contradict the status quo. The act of a same sex couple holding hands, of a bunch of "hippies" protesting an unpopular war, of environmentalists preventing bulldozers entry into a forest, are enough to incite a conservative faction that spearheads attacks on these "intrusions." What it is able to imply is that changes like these threaten its understanding of the world and are therefore liable to be diminished. After all, tradition is what got the country here so far; why should there be a deviation if the trend works, right?

Learning and understanding English is essential to the success of an individual in this nation. In this there is no doubt and no one is rejecting it. The predominant nature that this native tongue has in this country should compel all to let it become part of themselves if they are to call this their home. Yet why must the prevalence of a language imply that it is the only one that should be spoken? If expression was meant to be a homogeneous and unvarying mechanism, how likely would it have been that over 200 years ago, a nation would have formed with a compromised structure for the years to come? How likely would it have been that at a time when state was warring against state, the elected official would have been able to remind the country what other men did "four score and seven years ago" to establish America's conception of equality? Decades later, how likely would it have been for a man of great conviction to march his cause to the steps to the Lincoln Memorial and share his dream of all people being free at last? Undoubtedly, all of these defining moments might have never come to pass had these individuals not been at odds with the complacency and status quo of their respective time periods.

Whether by action or speech, the freedom to choose how one expresses himself/herself is fundamental to what America represents. Speaking a language other than English should not be attacked simply because it's a cheap tactic at tackling the bigger issues. Rather, it should be understood that when it is spoken, it is an effort of conveying ideas and emotions in a personal manner to the speaker-the intrinsic intention of freedom of speech.

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