Three Sonorans Is Back Online

David Abie Morales is back online with his Three Sonorans’ blog. See for yourself at threesonorans.com.

The header at the top of the Three Sonorans’ new home is a mantra that many have repeated and others dismissed—History is being made today. What side will you be on?

It’s a good question and reminder—despite the criticism we’ve dished on him from time to time—of what Morales does best: Question the community and advocate for the Mexican-American studies program (including its teachers and program director) and, as he reminds us in his latest post, the future of our desert and its resources.

One situation I’ve been thinking about a lot since writing on the blog being booted off the TucsonCitizen.com site is why people continue to question what it is about the Three Sonorans that many, many people love and many, many people hate.

Right now there is a severe lack of leadership in the Mexican American community. No group brings everyone together and regularly meets to develop important and meaningful strategy and then act—something that has been needed all along to effectively fight. What exists are many different independent players working like islands, and often what surfaces is a different agenda that is more about politics.

In Tucson, Sylvia Campoy, who is representing the Mendoza plaintiff’s in the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund’s ongoing desegregation lawsuit, is as close to a focused leader the community has right now. Who comes in a close second? Three Sonorans. Yep, that’s what I said. But Morales is an activist, not an organizer, and he works to remind the community about what’s important and the result is sometimes a prophetic voice of what’s to come.

You love Morales. You hate Morales. Either way, I’m sure you’re headed to the blog site to read what he writes next. In Morales’ latest post, his reminder regarding video reporting is correct. He’s one of the only people out there with a camera capturing important moments and statements from state players — like state Superintendent of Public Instruction John Huppenthal.

This is a favorite gem here:

Here’s part of the lastest “Citizen”-free post from the Three Sonorans:

In all this, the main point is being missed, and I think these accusations serve their purpose. Why deal with the huge elephant in the room when we can argue semantics? Whether it be exposing corporations, racism, or domestic violence, let us worry about how you didn’t dot the i’s and cross the t’s when you wrote about it.

Consider the Arizona House today. Even Democrats are bringing guns into the state capitol for fear of one of their own. That’s how afraid they are!

But my words exposing this are inaccurate?

My time at the TucsonCitizen.com has been coming to an end for some time. My writing for the “Voice of Tucson” did not fit in with voices they wanted to hear. I started thinking about this when Mark Evans told me recently that Three Sonorans does affect how the overall Tucson Citizen is viewed by others.

To me, if you give me some speech, and it’s free, I’m going to take as much as I can! Isn’t that what we always claim soldiers are fighting/dying for? Our freedom?

Tucson is UA country, and the importance we place on putting spheres through circles (basketball) is demonstrated by following the money. Who gets paid the most at the UA… which bloggers get paid for writing at the TucsonCitizen.com?

These are the different Tucsons that we experience, and I have no hard feelings against Evans. We have different ideas for the future, of what is important, and that is fine.

So now I have my own independent blog at ThreeSonorans.com.

This article appears in Apr 5-11, 2012.