Right Wing Distortion of the Week

In response to Barrack Obama's recent off the cuff comment that - 

"“...it’s embarrassing when Europeans come over here, they all speak English, they speak French, they speak German. And then we go over to Europe and all we can say is ‘merci beaucoup!’” 

The right wingers went bonkers.  As is so often the case,  the nativist "English only" argument is a cover for ugly xenophobia and racism. Writing in the "Dakota Voice", a particularly cosmopolitan media oulet, Anton Kaiser (I'm not kidding!) distorts this - alleging Obama said - "We are now told that every American child should learn to speak Spanish."    Huh?   When did he say that?  *

The science is in on this - learning languages improves brain function, employability,  cognition and widens our understanding of the world around us.  This is a bad thing?  

It is embarrassing.  I am always secretly a little pleased when someone assumes that as an American I only speak English.  When I've been overseas and respond in Spanish, French or Italian they always have a double take moment when the ask if I am really American.

(In the sprit of full disclosure - I should say my French doesn't go much beyond Merci Boucoup...")

Hmmm... 

"are you really 'merican?" 

a bit like Anton  Kaiser... 

*  I notice that whenever someone says "we are now told"  this seem to be a cue that what follows is a gross distortion.  From a neuro-lingustic perspective "we are now told" implies reactivity. (I am acted upon, and thus must react aggressively.)  Along with the infamous "some say" It seem to be a favorite phrase on Fox news as a way to attribute things people never said to them.