Back in November of last year we did an interview with Gabriel Buelna on his documentary Outlawing Shakespeare, about the fight to save and destroy Tucson Unified School District’s Mexican-American studies program.
In the documentary, Buelna interviews many of the local MAS players, as well as some of the other guys up in Maricopa County, like state Attorney General Tom Horne. And he also included activist Dolores Huerta, who is credited by Horne and the other asshats for starting the whole mess just by uttering the phrase, “Republicans hate Latinos.”
In our story “Ethnic Studies Myths: It’s time to separate fact from fiction regarding TUSD’s Mexican-American Studies classes,” (Nov, 17, 2011), we mentioned that Huerta’s comments were mostly truth and not fiction even though she wasn’t thinking about what the crazy crap state lawmakers were doing back then:
Myth No. 1: Republicans love Mexicans.
Around the time when Huerta spoke at Tucson High, a series of bills was being passed by Arizona’s Republican-majority Legislature—including earlier versions of SB 1070, border-security bills, a bill requiring employers to use a work-eligibility-verification system, and bills to deny in-state tuition and financial aid to noncitizen students. Democratic Gov. Janet Napolitano vetoed most of the bills.
There were also four state ballot proposals that targeted immigrants, including an English-only law, which voters passed. Nationally, a controversial federal immigration-reform proposal led to a series of immigration-related protests across the country, including in Tucson.
Huerta’s statement was part of an appeal to students, as she was asking them to look at the legislation and challenging them to start a campaign to address why “Republicans hate Latinos.”
This led to the aforementioned speech by Dugan, and the walkout by students, which infuriated Horne. In an open letter in 2007, he wrote that TUSD’s program should be terminated. Next, in 2008, he worked with lawmakers on SB 1108, the first anti-ethnic-studies bill. He tried again in 2009 with SB 1069, but both bills failed to become law.
But then Barack Obama was elected president, and Napolitano went with him to Washington, D.C., to head up the Department of Homeland Security. Jan Brewer, Arizona’s Republican secretary of state, became governor, and with a Republican majority in the Legislature passing SB 1070 and HB 2281, she signed them into law in 2010.
Truth: When it comes to most Arizona Republicans, Huerta has a gift for stating the obvious.
Buelna recently expanded his original interview with Huerta in a documentary called Outlawing Dolores Huerta: The Tucson Diaries, and it’s now available to view on YouTube. The point, he said, is to document exactly what was said during her 2006 Tucson High School visit, and how the asshats used that to justify the passage of HB 2281 — the anti-Mexican-American studies law.
Buelna told the Range recently that while the failed lawsuit filed by educators and students three years ago in an effort to get the law deemed unconstitutional is in the appeal stages getting ready to head to the Ninth District Court this spring, the timing is right to remind Tucson and others interested in ethnic studies issues that what took place “is still going to be important part of history … and to get (Huerta) on the record.”
“You have a Latina very well-known and very popular, and a lot of politicians who want to destroy her,” Buelna said. “We wanted to let her speak and let people in Tucson view what she had to say.”
Just another example of how Huerta’s been used by the right is a Rush Limbaugh using President Obama’s awarding Huerta the Presidential Medal of Freedom as another reason to do what they do best — remind us why Latinos hate Republicans. Enjoy:
This article appears in Oct 31 – Nov 6, 2013.
Is it possible that Republicans don’t hate Latinos, but do disagree with Marxist/Socialists?
No, Wes, it isn’t possible.
Ms. Herreras, did Rush state anything that was not true?
Mari,
Thank you including the Rush Limbaugh clip. I made much more sense than what Dolores said in her long and clearly scripted interview. Once again, Rush is right and, once again you have mischaracterized the truth; this time by suggesting that an anti-Latino force is driving some of the very necessary changes (personal opinion) to the TSUD curriculum.
As Rush pointed out, the lady is a socialist and not a big fan of American liberties (again personal opinion), but was a fan of the Venezuelan Dictator. I lived in Venezuela, early during his reign and I have personal experience with that horror which she found so favourable. No big surprise our socialist President chose to bestow an honor on a fellow socialist. By doing so however, he has degraded and devalued yet another American institution. For me, 2016 cannot come soon enough so that we can rid ourselves of this colossal embarrassment we have for a President.
RUSH IS NOT RIGHT!
Bisbee boy, you’ve an inaccurate view of right and wrong, if you think Rush Limbaugh is correct. The travesties of Arizona politics … Tom Horne, Arpaio and their ilk … are far from acceptable governance.
Dolores Huerta is correct. So is President Obama for honoring her commendable work.
The border of the United States actually did cross to the south. Limbaugh was wrong in denying that fact, among numerous of his other mistaken aspects of history and politics.
I just purchased the current edition of Occupied America: A History of Chicanos from Amazon.com and recommend the book to everyone for a better understanding. Here’s a link to where you can buy a copy:
http://www.amazon.com/Occupied-America-His…
The border of the U.S. did cross to the south, but the descendents of the people who lived there at the time are not who Huerte works for.
At the time of the Mexican-American war, the Southwestern U.S. had been part of Mexico for only 20 years. Before that it belonged to Spain, and before that to the Apaches, Navajos, et al. and before that to the Mastodons.
None of that information is relevant, in any way, to Huerte’s belief that people from Michoachan have some special right to illegally migrate to the United States.
Occupied America is a propaganda tract. It’s like reading a history book written by Ann Coulter. If you want your prejudices confirmed, and it sounds like it would do so, read it by all means, but if you want to learn something, there are some real history books out there.
Mr. Small,
If you liked Occupied America, you will love Das Kapital by Karl Marx, there are more than a few similarities.
A good read of American history would debunk this idiotic piece of leftist junk you have in hand. And too, remember the US purchased the area we now call home for a huge sum at the time. As history will tell you (the Mexican version of the time, not the US), Mexico sold the land known as the Gadsden Purchase because it was impossible to settle due to the Apaches. In short, the Mexicans sold the US a problem they could not handle.
Please read a bit about the past and make your judgments in the context of those times and those conditions, not in the politically correct craziness of today.
Bisbeeboy, the U.S. purchase was at the point of a gun for a railroad right of way. Your recommendation about Das Kapital is such nonsense and attempts to deflect the issue to a “socialist” “communist” plot, which is no where close to the issue about banning books by TUSD and Horne, et al.
Mr. Small,
You may well be correct that the sale of the Gadsden Purchase area by Mexico was involuntary. The story of nation building has been much the same since before recorded history. As always, the winners wrote the history from their perspective and the losers from a decidedly opposing point of view; i.e. Japan’s current effort to present WWII in a very different light than I recall from my father’s and uncle’s accounts.
In any event, I did take a stab at reading “Occupied America” during a cruse a few years back. I had assumed that our similar ages and common heritage would have interesting parallels. There were none. I could not accept some of the premises he put forth, try as I may.
To be sure Dr. Acuña is a brilliant scholar and most accomplished man, but his life experiences and world view are quite different from mine. Thus, I was unable to finish his work and still enjoy my voyage. I chose to do the latter. I still have the download and may revisit it at some point.
As for TUSD and Horne, these too will pass and I don’t concern myself with this issue. I do however take great offence when someone such as Ms. Huerta is honored for a life’s work that is anti-American.
There are many misconceptions here and untruths. First of all, Huerta calls “illegal aliens” (people who break our laws to come here and even commit felonies like buying & using phony ID’s or buying stolen Americans’ ID’s (fraud is a a felony and they are “all” felons!). She calls them “immigrants” and that is what they want you to believe but it is a lie! The word “immigrant” is an immigration term from the U.S. Code and it means ONLY those who come legally. They know it is a respected word in our country and try to force Americans to use it for the illegal lawbreakers. The radical chicanos have a movement called “Aztlan” (a/k/a “La Reconquista”) and people call them “Aztlaneros” – they are the racists and hate the “gringo” (white people). They are on their 3rd Plan to take over first the SW of our nation and then the entire nation! and murder anyone (including blacks, Asians, etc.) who do not leave willingly. Their books they were teaching in Raza Studies (which also goes by Mexican-American Studies, Chicano Studies, etc.) teach them “hate” for white people and to make a War/Revolution on the U.S. If you wish to read their books and are going to read “Occupied America” by Acuna, then make sure you read the edition they were using (I have proof) – the 5th Edition where they distort American history and make the U.S. into the evil perpetrator. This book has quotes (pg. 323) of “kill the gr-ngo” and at pg. 167 “…execute all white males over age 16”. Also, read “Message to Aztlan” by Rodolfo “Corky” Gonzales where he has whole poems telling the kids to make a Revolution, telling the Indians to “take scalps” and telling them how we must “destroy Capitalism” and so much more. Cesar Chavez believed in non-violence and hated the illegals (he would call the “migra” every time he caught one because they sabotaged his union’s strikes) and Huerta & other radicals make him into a martyr for illegals (another lie). This Aztlan Movement is not a hispanic one but only a Mexican movement and it is based on lies. Mexico only owned the area for 24 yrs. and they stole it from the Spaniards and were not up here before the Spaniards. Their Pres. Santa Ana came begging to us because he had blown the $15 Million we gave him after we won the area from Mexico and asked us for another $10 Million & offered us 30,000 more acres and we accepted. In the radical classes, they teach the kids wrongly that we “stole their land”. Leaders of their Movement when asked stated “Communism” is the closest ideology to what they believe!
Huerta says it doesn’t hurt the U.S. to teach the kids that Mexico owned the area. Yes, it does hurt the country when you are teaching these kids to “hate” another ethnic group (in this case “whites”), teaching them “separatism” and to stay separate and be Mexican first and teaching them to overthrow the government (“treason”) and kill people. U.S. Rep. Charles Norwood wrote a report called “The Truth about La Raza” and if you google this report, you will see he talks about these radical Mexicans/Chicanos’ plan to take over the SW and then make an “ETHNIC CLEANSING” (remember Hitler’s “ethnic cleansing”?) where they plan to get rid of/murder “anyone” NOT of Mexican descent! The reason Americans are against illegal aliens stealing American jobs is we have 23 Million Americans unemployed. And every illegal alien’s child who takes a place in our colleges means an American student has lost his or her education. The real victims are American children and American workers. In Mexico, they rape, rob & murder their illegal aliens and in Mexico it is a “felony” where they get 2 yrs. in prison the first time and 10 yrs. in prison the 2nd time and after! The people who built our nation are legal immigrants not illegal aliens. Real “immigrants” come legally and come to be “American” – not to be Mexican or any other nationality. If you want to be Mexican, stay in Mexico! And don’t come to take over our nation! Also, these radical “hate” teachings have caused the children to beat up white & black children, and some have almost been blinded and murdered! We don’t want hate in our schools nor teachings of Revolution! These classes divide the kids – they don’t bring them together! As one of their books says (Message to Aztlan) at pg. 17 “I sow seeds of hate”…
@JUSTICEFORALL Thank you! I couldn’t have said any of what you said better! I’m an American of Mexican descent and you are right on target with what is going on… and has been going on for decades.
When did Latinos take full ownership of the term “illegal alien”? Are they that self centered? Are they that stupid? Are they just uneducated? Or are they trying to steal what they can from America?