" This is a morbidly wrong issue. We live in America. We speak ENGLISH here! Like the Austrialians said, "If you don't like our ways,.. GO HOME!!" "

" That's ok Kathleen it won't be long before Lincoln has a Spanish language publication.Oh,if it was really that important,why was it put on Page 7B why not the front page? "

" Why does the LJS just print the "Hispanos Unidos"?(Hispanic United) I'm sure there are alot of other groups that would like a special newspaper for themselves each week,how about it LJS? "

" Isn't it interesting how in other countries you meet young people who are proudly learning their 3rd, even 4th language. But not here. "

" Just as packaging and product instructions are now in both English and Spanish, it makes sense to publish Spanish headlines and articles in cases such as this. Don't let the narrow minded among us dictate your policies. I know of many Americans who speak Spanish as their primary language. This does not make them any less American. I thought we were free here... even if we choose to speak or read Spanish (or another language). "

" I’m not sure who the “Austrialians” are (perhaps undocumented Austrians?) but the recent comments are the epitome of white privilege. "

" All the more reason for these people to learn to speak and read basic English!! If we spent as much time trying to help them learn English instead of trying to find ways to communicate in Spanish, we all would be better off. Yes I agree 100% that we should help, we are just going about it in the wrong way. "

" I am extremely proud that the Journal Star printed the article in Spanish! I believe everyone that lives in Lincoln/Lancaster county and beyond are your customers. "

" We need citizens that can read and speak various languages however we ALL need one common language. That language is English in the United States. In Mexico it is Spanish. "

" Since we don't have an official legal language in our country ( we don't, check it-really, Ill wait) it is socially irresponsible to expect those that speak other languages to just get by without translating some things into other languages. There is no legal requirement for fully competent english for citizenship, and nothing stops a parent from teaching their child at home only in their native language. It's sad that english gets held up on some pedestal and that Americans, especially in the mid-west are so proud of their over-moralizing, close minded ignorance. While english speakers are still the majority, white Americans are no longer the majority and the speaking of english as the dominant language will follow suit. I would rather spend my time learning another language instead of beating my chest about how 'superior' my polyglot language is. "

" I don't understand why apologies are necessary. Printing a relevant story in Spanish so that Spanish-speaking people can read it and be reassured is, as you say, a public service. Those people mean-spirited and insecure enough to find a problem with that are just... pathetic. You very nearly make it sound as if it were some sort of sacrilege to print an article in a foreign language. Believe me, Ms. Rutledge, most of your articles may as well be written in a foreign language- average reading comprehension skills in this city being what they are. "

" What is everybody complaining about?!?! How did this hurt anybody? It's not like you paid extra for the Spanish translation, or that there was some critical piece of local news which was cut to make room for the piece. And don't say it's the principal, because public service to others is a principal that does and SHOULD extend beyond language barriers. "

" Instead of this paper following the lead of the liberal PC media and kowtowing to the Hispanics who don't bother to learn to speak the language that's been spoken in this country since before its inception, why don't you offer to provide ESL classes free of charge to any Hispanic who wants to take them? See, if they learn English, they will no longer be confused when they read a story and you won't have to confuse the 99.7% of the people who read your newspaper who actually speak the language spoken in this country since before its inception. The thought process here, for those who can't follow, is the Hispanics have come to this country, not the other way around. We should be demanding the Hispanics learn the language spoken by a HUGE majority of the people who live here instead of pandering to their inability to speak English. If you go to live in Germany, France, Spain, Italy or anywhere else around the world, you better learn their language because they don't kowtow to those who can't speak their language. They tell you to learn their language if you want to get along there. We should be telling foreigners the same thing. "

" Please tell me how a alien can pass this part of the Citizenship test and not speak fluent English? "An applicant for naturalization must demonstrate a knowledge and understanding of the fundamentals of the history and of the principles and form of government of the United States. Applicants exempt from this requirement are those who, on the date of filing, have a medically determinable physical or mental impairment, where the impairment affects the applicant’s ability to learn U.S. History and Government. a lawful admission for permanent residence for at least 20 years and are over the age of 65 will be afforded special consideration in satisfying this requirement." It says nothing about an exception for poor English! "

" I enjoyed practicing my Spanish and realizing I can still read in that language although a dictionary still provides a helpful accoutrement. "

" Kudos to the Journal Star for trying to get the word out, but 7B? How many non-English speakers are gonna dig that deep into a paper they can't read a word of? Detractors: Your ancestors likely spoke their native language for a generation or two. Get over it already. "

" Dear "nitemare" Due to your spelling and punctuation errors, we must ask you to leave. Sincerely, Americans Who Actually Know English "

" I'm normally very liberal on social issues, but I believe immigrants should have to learn English. I live in a neighborhood with many different ethnic groups, and I see first-hand that those who learn English are able to get better jobs. This benefits their entire family, as does being able to communicate with their children's teachers, medical professionals, police officers -- on and on. Finally, I'm tired of having my car backed into in parking lots by Bosnians, Asians, Hispanics and others claiming not to understand English. "

" To clarify for King Frog, who apparently forgot anything he learned in history class, English was not the predominant language in America before it's inception. That would be one of the hundreds of Native American languages that existed on this continent. You remember the Native Americans, right? Those people whose used to exist before we took their land and destroyed their way of life, who were (contrary to popular belief) the people that were here first and who didn't invite the English to conquer their land. Speaking of people who illegally enter a country and refuse to learn the language of the natives... "

" English is the language of BUSINESS, OUR LAWS and DIPLOMACY, it will take many hundreds of years for that to change. If you rely completely on Spanish you will get NO WHERE in this country or the world. "

" It's bad enough I have to push 1 to hear English in my own country. Now this? "

" Gee Mat,some of these illegal aliens have been here for 20 years and still need a translator, maybe they should keep some of the 25 billions dollars they sent back to Mexico each year and pay for some English classes? "

" Most of our ancestors came over here with a sense of pride about who they are and where they are from. They knew they had to find work and learn english to conform. they knew that they came here to be americans. They knew if they worked hard they could prosper and do better for their families. I don't think anyone would have a problem if that were the case today. Today some people feel we should translate, hand out free health care and not encourage people to become americans. Instead some of these demand rights as mexicans living off of americans. People scream racism if something negative is said about this. That isn't the point at all> If someone truly wants to work hard and be a part of this county then they should take pride in conforming. That doesn't mean they have to give up their heritage they just should not be a burdon on society! "

" Sick. lets bow down and kiss the tortilla. thanks for validating poor little illegal immigrants who can't/wont learn our language. instead if them becoming americans, we can all become mexicanos! now I have to listen to what a big rascist I am. "

" The Native Americans spoke English? Really? Silly me.....so all that French, Dutch, and Spanish that was spoken by the indigenous people's and the traders must have just been my imagination. Thank you for clearing that up for me, King. "

" You could print a Spanish version of the paper and sell it to them. I would expect it to be a litte more expensive than the regular paper since in every other category you have to pay extra for convenience. Food items etc.....I think $1.00 an issue. I would like 10% for the idea. Por favor. "

" I would LOVE if the local paper would print more articles in different languages. It seems like it would be easier to practice Spanish, French, whatever language I'm working on with the kids if I didn't have to dig around to find material. A daily dose of language other than English would go a long ways to helping kids be more well-rounded. "

" King Frog, please tell us what language they speak in France. My ancestors are French and they spoke German. Also, explain why my ancestors from Italy spoke French. Thanks. Oh also, what language are U.S. citizens in Puerto Rico expected to speak? Thanks again. "

" Start doing what I have done and start teaching yourself Spanish but make sure your Spanish speaking coworkers don't know it. You will quickly learn which ones speak English and which ones don't. You will also get great insight into what "they" are thinking. I think the contention that they have no intention of assimilating has quite a bit of validity, whether it's by design or the convenience we provide the end is still the same. "

" Why in the heck does the journal star have to apologize for publishing a spanish article?? I'll tell you why...because there are a lot of closed minded people out there who can't seem to understand that "English as the dominate language" is NOT in jeopardy just because a spanish article appears. This newspaper is not a government publication and it has every right to print it in any language it likes. Heck, it could print the entire thing in Russian if it wanted. All those saying, "learn our ways or get out..", you need to take a history lesson and you should probably learn about your own family history. For example, I have a fair amount Danish blood in my family. When my great great grandparents came over they spoke Danish exclusively!! And their children spoke Danish in the house, but learned english out of the house. Then the next generation, my grandparents, spoke 100% english. People, this is the norm! Its a gradual process...the second generation of the spanish speaking immigrants will speak english. So, get off your high horse and drop the "when you're in America do as Americans do" rhetoric because I'm sorry to tell you this, but THEY ARE DOING AS AMERICANS DO!! "

" Apparently you can only satisfy the anti-Hispanic community by requiring everyone who comes here to learn to speak English FIRST! Since they seem to want to forbid newspapers from making important and timely news available to them, ever, in Spanish (and isn't that just right-wing PC?), the only way would be for immigrants to learn to speak it before they get here! Having grown up with lots of European immigrants (mostly German, Russian, Italian), I still remember quite a few who spoke poor English even after 30yrs in the US! And that ignores (for the "Learn English or Go Home" crowd) the fact that Spanish was spoken in a sizeable chunk of what is now the U.S. long before English was spoken there! And there are literally thousands of born-in-the-USA folk out there who grew up speaking Spanish as their first language. Only lately have these nativist, PC-spouting, bigots been demanding everyone be exactly like they are! "

" Wow. Hooray for racism in Nebraska. These comments make me sick and ashamed. "

" Too bad that everyone is pointing fingers blaming others for the downfalls of this nation. We are a melting pot that is boiling over because almost everyone believes that they are right. For the USA to survive, we must agree to communicate with one another and that will take an effort on everyone's behalf. I could be angry towards the "Mexicans" for when my father in law and a friend were speaking Cech in a Mexican food service place, they were asked to leave because the help thought they were making fun of them??? The language barrier is one that has been there for many years. It is not going away anytime in our life time. So deal with it. "

" Look, this isn't the 19th and early 20th century. Yeah we had a lot of immigrants who came to this country and in less than 3 generations most spoke English as their primary language. Immigration now is very different, yeah the reason is the same economic opportunity etc., but we don't have an ocean seperating the country immigrants came from. We don't have a central processing center for immigrants. We have an unsecured border with millions coming over each year with absolutely no reason to assimilate. It's VERY different now. I'm telling you if you go to some parts of this country and in fact some parts of this state if you DON'T speak Spanish you are out of luck. In fact I can take you to business's in this state that WON'T do business with you if you are an English speaking non-hispanic. The naivete` of some of the posters here is beyond belief. Until you have been in a situation where you are discriminated against in the workforce because you AREN'T Hispanic and DON'T speak English don't pretend there isn't a problem. This isn't the "melting pot" anymore. "

" just because many want our country to remain english speaking doesnt mean we're racist. the cost of multi language to business, schools and OUR society is huge. the immigrants from germany, africa, sweden...have learned english, i dont think its unreasonable to expect the immigrants from mexico to do the same. "

" Next time you "learn to speak English" people take a vacation overseas, try to get by without knowing their language, and without signs translating things into English for you. (See how that works both ways?) "

" What's all the uproar about? I think the main point is that the LJS did provide a public service for this special circumstance. It seems like it was a very practical decision. If anyone was upset by encountering one article in Spanish in the LJS, they need to open up their minds just a tiny crack and let a little sunlight in. "

" ¿Es usted personas ignorante espantada? "

" Of course a lot of those "immigrants" from Africa didn't have a lot of choice, did they? "

" Let's face it, nobody in Nebraska cares about assimilation or bilingual education, they only care about whether they understand what the other guy is saying at Walmart. If I had to choose, I would choose to learn Spanish over English; It’s the easiest languages to learn, is very similar to many other Latin based languages, and very hard to screw up grammatically (a big bonus for most people around here who aint know how to speak English good). If multi-lingual countries are so logistically and economically complicated, how do most European countries make it work? I suggest teaching your kids a second language for their own well being. "

" We're not going to win this one, primarily because the Hispanic people do not WANT to learn English. I've lived in the NYC area for over 40 years and Hispanic people who came here 40 years ago still talk like they arrived yesterday. They do not want to change, we'll have to adapt to them. Not likely. English is the language of the USA; the least they can to is to learn it. New country? New language!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! "

" I was in the Military for 20 years and every country I was station in we had a newspaper to read that was printed in English. It was called "The Stars and Stripes." "

" Why is it considered racist to expect citizens of a country to speak the predominant language? I'd love to go to Europe and explore different countries, but I wouldn't dream of traveling to a country where I couldn't speak their language. And if I moved there, you can bet I'd be well on my way to learning their language. People need to have a little respect for the country whose opportunities they want to take advantage of. "

" Can't believe the ignorant people who want to coddle these illegal aliens while they seal your jobs behind your back, not to mention straining our social and health services. Wake up people! We have a crisis on our hands and encouraging these law breakers by publishing anything in their language is only going to make it worse. It's time for them to go home! "

" is NOT the official language of the U.S. Look it up! There is no law that states this. "

" Just as true to many other things, adaptation to changes is always apparent. This country is special in the way that we try to accomodate needs and different boundaries. Wide ideas and thoughts to better the overall picture. Dont let the narrow minded dictate if a spanish article is published in a small section of the paper. Why do people care if a simple portion, goes to a minority?? Does it really matter that a space for an ad, is taken to provide news to a large population of people here in Lincoln. Because they are Americans just like us, they most certainly deserve this to happen every week!! We are all free even if we speek spanish. Some comment that "we speek english here in america" well we speak spanish too!! There is no official language in the U.S. Instead of stating that ENGLISH IS SUPERIOR, I would rather be taking time to learn spanish or any other language for that matter. How did this hurt anyone?? I don't undertand why appologies are neccesary. Thank you LJS!! "

" Sometimes it is really embarrassing to be from Nebraska, such as when other people in my community act like ignorant, racist hicks and demonstrate to the rest of the world that we are basically uneducated, white hillbillies. Have any of you even traveled outside the United States? Signs in most European cities are partially in English. Many cities in Asia and Latin America have English language newspapers, despite it not being their official languages. Racism against Mexicans is the last acceptable form of racism in the United States and that's sad. Can you imagine the outrage if people posting to this article were complaining about Jewish, Black or Chinese people? There would be protests, I assure you! Yet, it is somehow acceptable to hate Mexicans because of immigration concerns. If our country deported every single undocumented Mexican, the United States economy would collapse. "

" One of the reasons that I left Lincoln in 2000 was to escape the xenophobia, the hatred, the exclusionary attitudes that have no place in 2007. I apologize for the first sentence, allow me to explain myself. My name is Jason Frye, I live in a bi-coastal nature (Cambridge MA, and San Diego CA) and I was born, and raised, in Lincoln. I know that our calendars read the same, however after several of the comments that I have read, and the Editor's apologetic stance on publishing an article in spanish, i feel compelled to do a service and reach out to you from the 21st Century. In the 21st Century Latinos are an integral part of our American Culture. They add economic and cultural riches to our melting pot. If you remember what the American dream meant in the previous century, coming to America, working hard, and pulling yourself up by your bootstraps to provide a better life for your children, yourself, and your community. Latinos exemplify this. Lest you forget that grandma and grampa Schadenfreude moved to Nebraska from Germany, and them and their first brood were criticized for their initial lack of acculturation. Remember that your xenophobia is a fascist value more reminiscent in Nazism than the sentiment on Lady Liberty's Tablet (bring us your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breath free). Well because of NAFTA's failed policies here come the poor. We shot ourselves in the foot with that one. Sent our jobs overseas to create low wage jobs in other countries that hinder economic development, and we explicitly invited them. Its fun and cute and all to be white-o-centric, but lets take a one sec to try real mexican food, not the crap they try to pass off at "Amigos", mexi-fries anyone? Lets lend an ear to the intensely emotional and beautiful art and music of the latin culture. Please, please, please, i dont mean to brow beat, but honestly; Migrant Labor helps keep prices down, latin culture is beautiful, mexican food is delicious, and our cultural isolationist ideologies are only hurting progress and growth. Stop depriving yourselves based on fear and anger. Don't be angry at people who are only looking for work. Be angry at a system that causes your hatred, failed economic policies, and evil unprovoked wars of aggression. Look it up, start to think and read... its easy, pick up a book. You will learn that its all tied to money, power, and religion. "

" I am just completely shocked by the ignorant postings put on this site. I just happened upon this article when a friend pointed it out. Recently my friend and I experienced some prejudiced behavior of our own. As much as I was shocked, him, being Mexican, was not. He brought to my attention what he has to deal with on a daily basis. I think we could all learn a little bit by becoming a bit more accepting. And to reiterate what some already have...English was not the native language here, Australian what?? and if you have not traveled to Europe dont pretend you know what you are talking about. A very bad example to be used when they accept all languages there because they speak so many. I have never been told in Holland, Germany, Belguim or even many of the Spanish speaking countries I have frequented to learn their language or go home!! "

" Good work LJS. Well said, Mrs. Rutledge. Ignore the rampant xenophobia in these comments. "

" We all came from somewhere, but unless you are a Native American or Mexican it sure as heck wasn't inside the lower 48. It is nice to see that the majority of comments made here are by people who have bothered to educate themselves about the world. Maybe we should take the uneducated, close-minded, hateful minority and send them back to wherever THEY came from. "

" If you don't like America, you can giiiiiiiiiiiit OUT! (in hillbilly accent) "

" Dismayed indeed....because I know that it will be long after I am dead that people will finally grasp that we are ALL in this together. If any of you terrified foreign-phobic hicks would wake up and learn a little about the rest of the world, your opinions would most likely change. Your judgments are based on the very small world you reside in. Stop suggesting that people who are willing to go to the lengths that most Mexican immigrants go through to come here, are too lazy to learn English. That is just not the case. "

" Really,you were there as a tourist,not a illegal alien! There is a difference. "

" If some of us complaint about illegal aliens then we're called racist.But the facts are that illegal aliens do come here illegally and get jobs with stolen Social Security numbers.They then sent 25 billion dollars a year back to Mexico, at the same time holding out their hand for public assistance. It costs the American tax payer around 50 billion dollars a year to pay for their Free medical care,Rent assistance,Food stamps,Translators for their children in our public schools and Free lunches. American cities along the border provide free emergency medical care for Mexican citizens, and what do the pregnant Mexican women do in return? They come across the border to have their babies ( American Citizens).How about Elvira Arellano and her child,she was deported came back,had the child and return to work with a stolen Social Security number,she also had been in our country for 10 years,but had to have a translator at her news conference! Earlier this year illegal aliens demonstrated in the streets of our cities demanding amnesty by flying the American flag upside down below the Mexican flag and carrying signs saying "this land is ours Gringo" I would ask the supporters of illegal aliens what do you tell the millions of immigrants waiting in other countries that want to come here legally? Just because we share a common border that they can wade across to get here,does not give them the automatic right to American Citizenship Its worth more than that! "