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Originally published in The Capital (Annapolis, MD) on May 12, 2004
Copyright 2004 Capital-Gazette Communications, Inc.
By; VAISHALI HONAWAR
Wading deeper into a controversy he
kicked off in a radio interview, Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. yesterday
refused to apologize for dismissing multiculturalism as "bunk" and
lamented that ethnic groups are "separating out of a common culture" in
America.
Speaking with reporters, Mr. Ehrlich
expressed surprise that some groups were offended by his comments on
WBAL AM-1090 in Baltimore just a day after Comptroller William Donald
Schaefer said immigrants need to "adjust" to life in America.
"That was a very clear statement and should not be controversial," he said.
The governor told WBAL Thursday that he rejects the idea of multiculturalism.
"Once
you get into this multicultural crap, this bunk, you run into a
problem. With respect to this culture, English is the language," he
said. "Should we encourage young folks here to be assimilated, to learn
the culture and values? Of course. There's a major distinction to
ethnic pride and multiculturalism."
Yesterday, the governor said his words "stand on their own."
"We
have a melting pot ... we should not separate ourselves but celebrate
our ethnicity. We invite people of all ethnicities to share common
American cultural values and history," Mr. Ehrlich said.
"We need to get back to our roots," he said, adding that his view on multiculturalism "is a common-sense view held by everyone."
Mr. Ehrlich's comments earned strong criticism from Hispanic groups and Democratic members of the House of Delegates.
Yesterday, Ricardo Flores, president of the Maryland Latino Coalition for Justice, said the governor should issue an apology.
"I
think he's living in a different Maryland. Long before he was governor
there have been many generations of immigrants in Maryland, from
diverse places around the world, including people like my parents who
have worked hard to create a better life for themselves and done so,"
said Mr. Flores.
Hispanic advocates said
that Maryland has among the country's lowest levels of funding for
English as a second language education.
Mr. Ehrlich
said yesterday that increased funding under recommendations of the
Thornton Commission would help considerably to boost funding levels for
ESOL.
Mr. Flores said immigrants work in
decision-making roles at major corporations that boost the state's
economy, not just fast food jobs.
"Multicultural
people and bilingual people contribute to our society. ... For him to
say that as a matter of history such a society cannot survive, I think
is to completely ignore the current reality," Mr. Flores said.