This is Alabama. We speak English.

[Bucky]

[Yokohammer]

Making this the main issue of a campaign commercial seems a bit trivial to me. Surely there are more important issues and ways to save a lot more money. Looks like an attempt to yank the emotional nationalistic chain without actually saying anything of real importance.

[BigInJapan]

On the other side of the pond here in Japan, prior to Canada becoming one of the privileged countries that Japan deemed worthy of not having to take the tests to obtain a Japanese driver's license, I had to go through the whole process - in Japanese (this was out in the countryside).
They had the written test in English and a few other languages, but I asked for a Japanese version as well as the English was crap, and found found two mistakes in the English translation (which I corrected for them, free of charge).
I also had to take the driving test in Japanese with a non English speaking humourless tester. I didn't ask about having an interpreter with you as I could speak Japanese.
Maybe someone else can verify whether you are allowed to have an interpreter?

[maraboutslim]

Here in California you can take the written test in like 32 languages. When I was a college student preying on German aupairs, they all took it in German. My wife took it in Japanese. Everybody took the driving test in English, though.

My response to Mr. James' "we speak english here," line is ... "since when?" I mean, seriously, what percentage of Americans spoke English when they arrived?

[Christoff]

Here in California you can take the written test in like 32 languages. When I was a college student preying on German aupairs, they all took it in German. My wife took it in Japanese. Everybody took the driving test in English, though.

My response to Mr. James' "we speak english here," line is ... "since when?" I mean, seriously, what percentage of Americans spoke English when they arrived?

not available in ebonics... a recognized language in california

[bolt_krank]

I didn't know language ability affected driving much....

He was speeding due to a language barrier ?

[Coligny]

From what I read everywhere... the furst thing to do would be to make US driving test less of a farce... and after seing aboot the language...

[Kanchou]

He probably doesn't believe this, or even care, he's just pandering to his base (xenophobic racists who can barely read).

(and this is coming from someone from Alabama...)

[omae mona]

Looks like an attempt to yank the emotional nationalistic chain without actually saying anything of real importance.

Yes. Political consultants have a technical term for this. They call it a "campaign commercial".

[Samurai_Jerk]

It's especially funny considering the level of English of your average Alabaman.

When I was teaching international students in Seattle, most of the Koreans took the test in English because the Korean translation was so bad they couldn't make sense of it.

The English test for changing from a foreign license to a Japanese one (which I did last March) is ridiculously easy. You do have to take the driven test in Japanese but your know exactly what the course is going to be before the test, so if you've done your homework, you don't have to even listen to the commands to pass.

[dazz_in_japan]

I guess im lucky im from Australia, Walked in, did the eye test, the ol left right up down test, had a photo taken, and was out the door with no driving test, in 30 mins! Bingo, licenced to drive in Japan!! No questionaire, they even pushed me to the front of the line for my photograph!! (Which was bad manners on their part) because the Japnese waiting for their photo were pissed at me!!!

[Kanchou]

It's especially funny considering the level of English of your average Alabaman.

It's not the average Alabamian you have to worry about so much as the below-average Alabamian, who are extra-extra below-average.

[maraboutslim]

Well, it's like George Carlin said: think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.

[Samurai_Jerk]

It's not the average Alabamian you have to worry about so much as the below-average Alabamian, who are extra-extra below-average.

Reminds me of some jokes I used to hear when I lived in Atlanta (not that Georgia is much better but at least there's Atlanta, Savannah, and Athens).

Q: What's the best thing to come out of Alabama?
A: I-20.

Q: What do an Alabama divorce and a tornado have in common?
A: Somebody's losing a trailer.

A girl in Alabama has a date one night and needs to drive into town. So she goes to her father and asks, "Daddy, can I borrow the truck tonight?".

"Sure", he says, "but first you gotta do a little somethin' for me."

"What's that?"

"Suck my dick."

"Ok, Daddy."

She goes down on him and starts sucking away.

"Eww, Daddy, this tastes like shit."

"Oh, that's right! Sorry, your brother's got the truck."

[omae mona]

It's especially funny considering the level of English of your average Alabaman.

When I was teaching international students in Seattle, most of the Koreans took the test in English because the Korean translation was so bad they couldn't make sense of it.

The English test for changing from a foreign license to a Japanese one (which I did last March) is ridiculously easy. You do have to take the driven test in Japanese but your know exactly what the course is going to be before the test, so if you've done your homework, you don't have to even listen to the commands to pass.

Even better... if you understand enough Japanese, the official spends 10 minutes before the test describing all the details of the course and all the tricks you need to know to pass. So you don't even need to do your homework (at least that's how it was when I did the gaimen kirikae process in Tokyo)

[IkemenTommy]

Of course it can be debated whether all citizens of Alabama speak English too.

Then it's a good start.

[Coligny]

Even better... if you understand enough Japanese, the official spends 10 minutes before the test describing all the details of the course and all the tricks you need to know to pass. So you don't even need to do your homework (at least that's how it was when I did the gaimen kirikae process in Tokyo)

You guyz are lucky... In the Toyokawa police test center (the village next to me village) the closed course test is hell on earth. Need to take it around 10 times... (really) I once screwed up so badly that the cop shouted on me for a good five minutes while being totally red faced, never been so happy not to understand a single word... The open road test was a little easier (got it on second try). I had only the automatic licence.

Meanwhile, I upgraded it to manual (because of those pesky Alpine A310) on a private driving school. Got it on first try, while I: started with parking break on, stalled at the railway crossing, drove on the right side of the road and I'm sure I forgot a 4th one...

[Behan]

[SIZE="6"]I thought real 'bamans spoke 'merican.[/SIZE]



(Apologies to hardcore Dukes fans who know that this show was actually set in Georgia. Yee-haw!)

[Coligny]

[SIZE="6"]I thought real 'bamans spoke 'merican.[/SIZE]



(Apologies to hardcore Dukes fans who know that this show was actually set in Georgia. Yee-haw!)

oh dear... I feel like fucking my sister again...

[Behan]

oh dear... I feel like fucking my sister again...

Did you call bro'?

[Iraira]

oh dear... I feel like fucking my sister again...

You perv, don't you know that in Georgia it's ONLY legal to marry your first cousin once she turns 13.

[Samurai_Jerk]

The open road test was a little easier (got it on second try).

Open road test?

[waruta]

Open road test?

Passed my WA driver's test on the first try, PC-based touchpanel test, 15mins and you're good to go...

Japan was a whole different matter, I had to bring supporting documents that showed I was in the US for more than three months at any given time during the validity of the license. I have the rotten luck of having to goto Futamatagawa which is second only to Tokyo's test in terms of difficulty passing...

[Samurai_Jerk]

Passed my WA driver's test on the first try, PC-based touchpanel test, 15mins and you're good to go...

Japan was a whole different matter, I had to bring supporting documents that showed I was in the US for more than three months at any given time during the validity of the license. I have the rotten luck of having to goto Futamatagawa which is second only to Tokyo's test in terms of difficulty passing...

I passed the driving test in Tokyo on the first try and got 100%.

[Yokohammer]

I did the whole Japanese driver's license thing last year.

I originally had a CA license which I used to get a Japanese license. The CA license expired while I was in Japan. Then the Japanese license expired while I was at college in Boston ... about 35 years ago. Couldn't be bothered attempting to renew either from overseas.

So ... I didn't drive after that. 35 years.

Then last year I moved up to the sticks and decided it was time to drive again. Went to the local driving school and did the whole process in Japanese, tests and all. Passed everything at the top of my "class" the first time. Not that I'm a genius or anything (far from it), but most of the Japanese kids just didn't work at it hard enough. There were kids cramming in the lobby of the test center right before the main exam. Fourteen people took the final test the day I did, and only four passed (the groups in Tokyo are *much* bigger, of course). So much for the myth of Japanese studiousness. I was very surprised.

[Coligny]

Open road test?

Yes, in me countryside, when you take the full course, you got 2 written tests and 2 practical tests.

In that order:
1st written test
1st Practical test on a private test track.
There you got a Karimen driver license allowing you to drive with warning stickers on your car beside a regular driver license owner.

2nd written test (more or less the same)
2nd practical test that you do on real city streets surrounded by your usual bunch of psychotic japanese drivers. (which for me by opposition of closed track is an open road test, like in 'open to traffic')

[Behan]

From the Proud State of Alabama?

And answer in English, dammit!

(A) George Wallace


(B) Shefiff Jim Clark


(C) Lynyrd Skynrd








Wikipedia says the band was formed in Florida.

[Mike Oxlong]

[yt]qe-W4K6JVAw[/yt]

[Bucky]

God Bless Alabama! Damn Right! We're 'mericans in Alabama!
[yt]jU7fhIO7DG0[/yt]

[nottu]