The fabled Mexican battle at Puebla will be commemorated today although most people celebrating it wont know what they are celebrating. Cinco de Mayo is not as celebrated in Mexico as it is in the US. Cinco de Mayo is in fact a uniquely American celebration about one of it's many cultures' historical mile stones. The holiday was only big in Puebla until it was big here. A signal that being Latino is as American as a double Patron margarita strained into a large salted martini glass ( try it if you haven't yet).
A sore spot among Latinos has long been that America accepts our cultural best while openly vilifying us in general. Salsa has long replaced ketchup as our country's favorite condiment. Americans have adopted Cesar salads to the extent that most don't even know it is a Mexican creation. Suburbanites love the hard work ethic that is embedded in our cultural DNA and that they so readily hire. Tierra, Shakira, Ricky Martin, Eve Longoria, Raquel Welch, Vicky Carr are loved. The man that fixes fences, the trust worthy woman who creates safety and care for children, the boy that bags groceries are sought after. The voter that preserves balance and the politician that consistently votes for education are courted. All of these people are admired.... when needed.
Yet these same people are conflated by the media with drug smugglers and terrorists. The disconnect is painfully irritating and quite frankly politically and socially unsustainable.
No place is this hypocritical disconnect more obvious then in the political arena. The President called on Latino voters recently to help save his Democratic legislative majorities and a few days later seemed to roll over while the broken US Senate decided that climate legislation was to be it's sole next priority. In the US Senate races the dissonance is dramatically experienced in Colorado as incumbent Democratic Senator Michael Bennet tells Latino activists that he is better on immigration issues than his primary opponent but fails to move aggressively on immigration reform and on condemning the Arizona hate bill. Bennet cannot win without a clear Latino super majority. It seems that in politics as in life Latinos are charged with doing the heavy lifting for little pay back.
The Arizona boycott movement has been a immediate success. People of all races and ethnicities have reacted with their pocket books and are sending Jan Brewer and the GOP led state legislature a strong message. The message has been passionate and clear. While the strength of the boycott movement will undoubtedly have a huge impact on the Arizona market place it provides a warning to the national political arena as well. For now the boycott is limited to Arizona and the market place of goods and services. Both political party's would be wise to work hard to contain it as such.
While politicians tonight toast Latinos with margaritas as they dip their chips into mild salsa they would be wise to remember that the battle that is being commemorated was one won by an outnumbered and grossly underestimated people determined to maintain their freedoms and independence. A tough lot to beat, just ask the French.
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Mario Solis-Marich is a radio talk show host who can be heard on AM 760 in Denver and world wide at www.GoToMario.com. You can find Mario on Facebook.
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Eric Lurio: Cinco de Mayo: Not Mexican independence Day!
It's actually a Mexican-American holiday, and over the years has become the official Mexican ethnic day. In other words, it's a harmless, if totally fake holiday.
This Lecture was in 1999. - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FM1YU-Ni_84
Looking at the chart when he gets there,
What they estimated in 1999 for 2010 is spot on what actually happened.
[Just over 300 million in the US.]
When he gets to the gumball demonstration bear in mind the large jar doesn't represent Mexicans.
It represents the people in the world that are WORSE OFF than Mexicans.
Because of illegal immigration from 1999 to present we've had to:
Build TWICE as many schools.
Build TWICE as many roads.
Build TWICE as many sewer plants.
Build TWICE as much about anything else.
Have to have twice as many cops and firemen and teachers. [Or leave areas under serviced.]
And use TWICE as many trees.
Anyone that thinks that isn't a significant load on our economy is a moron.
If you don't want every city in the US to become a giant LA Slum within ~40 years, then illegal immigration has to STOP NOW!
~
Link to just the chart. [Sorry about the quality.]
http://www.numbersusa.com/content/files/imagecache/fpage/files/cck_images/population.jpg..
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California Penal Code Section 834b
http://law.onecle.com/california/penal/834b.html
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2. Blaming Michael Bennet for not single-handedly bringing about immigration reform as the next topic on a national level is unrealistic and unfair. Your politician-du-jour Andrew Romanoff may believe he can wave a magic wand and instantly get everything he wants in Washington, but he is dreaming. Building alliances, partnerships and support take time. Senator Bennet said he supports comprehensive federal immigration reform and he will do what's right -- on his schedule, in consultation with the President and all of the other progressive members of congress, not on AM760's schedule, or on Andrew Romanoff's.
Oh, yeah - that's right - they wear different shoes, according to one right-winger who should have disqualified himself from holding office by that remark.
You can bet money that I won't be going to Arizona as long as this law is in effect.
Can't handle a State with a Police force that is 53% people of color.
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not one day, not one dime
Beyond that, there are many drug smugglers from Mexico, as well as gang-bangers terrorizing neighborhoods all over this country. There are over 10 million illegal immigrants here living and working in the shadows, as they say, and many citizens are tired of supporting people who aren't even supposed to be here.
I don't think most Americans hate Mexicans or Mexico. I do think the flood of illegal immigrants as well as the violence from the border is creating a backlash. No surprise there.
Finally, perhaps you might direct a tad bit of your ire at the government of Mexico, and the rich people in that country who refuse to tax themselves, refuse to even build a decent water or sanitation or education or healthcare system for their own people, refuse to invest in their own country. It's actually their fault that so many poor Mexicans end up crossing the border illegally.
Yes Mario, but they were defending Mexico from the French, we are in the difficult position of having to enforce our laws and we are defending our country from an illegal invation. You too, confuse immigration reform and illegal aliens, thats two different issues.