The one man show that is known as Trump is on the verge of instigating a national "Huelga" or Strike by thousands of his laborers. As if that were not enough, he may also unleash a "Boicot" or Boycott of his business interests from Sea to Shining Sea and beyond. All because he has foolishly heralded a New World Order - "No Spanish Spoken Here." Give me a break dude.
In my elementary school days, in New York no less, teachers were in the vanguard of the "Melting Pot" social progrom. It was their mission to accelerate this process and turn us Spanish speaking charges into true Americans. By the time I reached High School the teachers had moved on to the "Assimilation" progrom which, for all practical purposes, was based on the same "Mission" goal. Puerto Ricans kids like Mexican-American kids had to endure racist insults due solely to their ability to speak another language. The same treatment was experienced by Native-Americans and many others no doubt. Unfortunately, our educators failed to fully appreciate another social theory called the Salad Bowl theory, also known as pluralism. This theory is more reflective of reality and perhaps accounts for way in my High School 12 different languages were offered. The Statewide Regents Exam also demanded proficiency in a second language for those on an Academic Track. Never made sense why others were encouraged to learn languages but native speakers were required to give theirs up. Go figure.
Like many, I have encountered my share of Americans who eagerly expressed their opinion that I should go back to where I came from simply due to my bilingualism. On many occasions these fine countrymen of mine would ask that I stop speaking Mexican. And although I would get angry I could laugh at these idiots who did not understand that Mexican is not a language. Jorge Ramos, the journalist, ran into one of these idiots the other day. They are still with us. And they still enjoy expressing their racist beliefs with us.
Just like Trump they display a variation of intolerance that is as common these days as it was when I was a kid. But they do not speak for America. South Carolina recently faced intolerance down when it put an end to the Confederate Flag being dignified as a symbol of Southern Pride. The Supreme Court has reclaimed the lesson of "Love Thy Neighbor," and perhaps Love itself, when it announced in Obergefell v. Hodges that love is a language all its own and cannot be conquered by unconstitutional practices. Imagine that. President Obama demonstrated the restorative power of tolerance when he renamed Mt. McKinley to its ancestral name of Denali, much to Trump's chagrin.
But then, as we all know by now, Trump like Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis answers to a "Higher Authority." In his case, himself. Both suffer from illusions. Mrs. Davis lacks a basic understanding of the First Amendment and the fact that we do not live in a theocratic state. Being an American and a Christian is not a mutually exclusive conundrum. Nor is being an American who speaks Spanish or any other first or second language. Mrs. Davis needs to lose her job simply because she took an Oath to Honor the Constitution not God. That simple. Trump need not be given our nation's highest post for a much clearer reason - that America can ill afford to give power to hate. He has no more right to be President then to tell me and my fellow countrymen to stop speaking Spanish or for that matter any other language. So to Trump I say "No Mas." And as our late and great Civil Rights leader Cesar Chavis once proclaimed - "HUELGA."