Schwarzenegger Language-Advocacy Link Is Criticized

[realFedUp]

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-usenglish30aug30,1,1067035.story

Schwarzenegger Language-Advocacy Link Is Criticized
The candidate for governor is called on to sever ties with U.S. English. Some leaders of the group have been accused of racial agenda.

By Greg Krikorian and Joe Mathews
Times Staff Writers

August 30, 2003

Arnold Schwarzenegger is coming under growing criticism from civil rights groups and immigrants' advocates for his 16-year membership on the advisory board of U.S. English, a Washington-based organization that bills itself as the nation's largest group dedicated to preserving English as America's official language.

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Other civil rights groups have followed suit, saying that they see a pattern of antipathy to immigrants in Schwarzenegger's service with U.S. English; his support of the 1994 ballot initiative Proposition 187, which would have cut off public services to illegal immigrants in California; and his selection of that proposition's key proponent, former Gov. Pete Wilson, as a campaign co-chairman.

The criticism has been fueled by recent allegations that U.S. English's communications director had ties to white supremacists. Earlier this month, the communications director resigned from U.S. English as did well-known conservative columnist David Horowitz, who said his conscience would not allow him to remain on the board.

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