Statement from WHEEE:

(Westerners Humanely Engaged for Egalitarian Esperanto)

We are shocked, shocked at the callous disregard of Esperanto by public officials. Created in 1887, Esperanto is spoken at least part-time by around two million people — putting it on a par with Lithuanian! It is estimated that close to 1,000 persons (somewhere) use it as a first language. Think of the lack of esteem that Esperantist children suffer every day by the slights of the majority culture!

Multiculturalism has made many advances against the irritating hegemony of English, with its absurd claim to being the civic language of the United States. (After all, what would immigrant translators do for employment if everyone understood each other in our gloriously diverse country?) But we are deeply disappointed that other pro-Babel advocates have not rallied to the cause of Esperanto.

We therefore demand that all public documents, signs and VCR instruction manuals include an Esperanto translation. Further, we demand that fully qualified Esperanto speakers teach Esperanto-native children in the public schools. Bilingual education's pandering to Gaelic and Nahuatl has got to stop. Besides, Esperanto is easy. Just say, “Unu bieron, mi petas.” You just ordered a beer!

— B.W.