Monday was the day it all happened. A 56-42 vote in the Iowa House is what it took to make English the “official” language of Iowa. That’s correct; we have officially made the English language “official” in Iowa.

The Iowa Senate passed the bill last March by a 27-23 vote. It now sits on the desk of Gov. Tom Vilsack for approval. It is unknown exactly what Vilsack will do, however he pledged his support to the law if support for English-as-a-second-language instruction is included. It was included. It’s also interesting to mention that Mr. Vilsack will be up for re-election next year.

The Iowa English Language Reaffirmation Act is Senate File 165. Looking at the legislation, one is left with serious questions as to what it actually does.

It states that, “all official documents, regulations, orders, transactions, proceedings, programs, meetings, publications or actions taken or issued . shall be in the English language.”

But there are many exceptions to the above rule. In the later sections of the bill it lists the teaching of foreign languages, writing of critical documents for health and safety and use of proper names or phrases from languages other than English. Good thing they remembered that section.

Moving through the document, part “a” of the act states, “The state of Iowa is comprised of individuals from different ethnic, cultural, and linguistic backgrounds. The state of Iowa encourages the assimilation of Iowans into Iowa’s rich culture.”

What is “Iowa’s rich culture?” Is it the culture of about 17 diverse American Indian tribes including the Ioway, Sauk, Mesquaki, Sioux, Potawatomi, Oto and Missouri who inhabited this land for centuries before Europeans?

Perhaps “Iowa’s rich culture” is that of the French explorers Louis Joliet and Father Jacques Marquette who stopped in Iowa in 1673. After all, some of our most important cities have such blatantly English names as “Des Moines” and “Dubuque.” Certainly that part of our history and proper naming is not part of our current culture.

The question that remains to be answered is whose history constitutes “Iowa’s culture.” In terms of foreign-born population, Germans and Scandinavians far surpassed English-speaking immigrants according to the Iowa Official Register’s “History of Iowa” numbers. Are these Norwegian, German, Swedish and Danish speaking people not part of Iowa’s culture? True, they learned to speak English over the years, but today’s immigrants do as well.

Do immigrants need to be “assimilated” or do they simply add to the multiplicity of cultures in Iowa? It is unfair for the legislature to simply refer to a “culture” of Iowa. That’s right folks, it’s singular. Culture. Not cultures.

In reality, the “cultures” of Iowa are a very diverse mix of American Indian, French, Scandinavian, English and Eastern European ancestry. In addition, considerable Hispanic, Bosnian, Sudanese and Laotian populations are more recent immigrants. These people all contribute their cultures to what Iowa has become.

Iowa has been a place with diversity in language, religion and ethnicity since the beginning. People come to Iowa seeking opportunity just as early immigrants did years ago. They come here with the hope of learning English and to thrive using it.

This act of legislation does not change much of anything. It is effectively dummy legislation that serves no practical purpose or has no pragmatic effect.

Our government functions in English. It did when hundreds of thousands of immigrants came from Scandinavia and Germany a century ago and it does today. Why was this kind of legislation not proposed in the past?

The exceptions to this legislation allow our census, health, safety and other important documents to remain multilingual. In effect the act does little to change the day-to-day operation of the Iowa state government.

It does, however, have two grave implications. First, it sets a precedent for future legislation that could further restrict multilingualism. Where will it stop? Are we to retro-“English-ify” our proper names at some point? After all, the place that is the nerve center of our state government is a French word. What about names of people?

Will we follow other states in requiring only English in the workplace as well? Where will it stop?

Second, it implies that people whose first language is not English are not welcome here, despite a blatant public relations-inspired section in the legislation. It is obvious. People come here and want to and do learn English.

We are fortunate to have people coming in. Iowa ranks in the top states with people over 85. Young adults are leaving the state by the U-Haul load, and here we are trying in vain to scare immigrants off. Perhaps a reinvigoration from diversity will help keep everyone here.

This should be an exercise in cross-cultural communication and interaction. Instead this legislation is little more than a futile exercise in fear and arrogance.

E-mail Gov. Vilsack and tell him to veto this bill and spare Iowa from further damage. Ask him to resist the coercion of an impending election year.

The proposed Iowa English Language Reaffirmation Act disgraces Iowa’s rich history of multiplicity in language and ethnicity and will serve as little more than an ugly mark of intolerance. Let us take this opportunity to encourage people of all languages and cultures to Iowa and recognize the prosperity, strength and vibrancy in that diversity.

Omar Tesdell is a sophomore in journalism and mass communication and technical communication from Slater. He is online editor at the Daily.