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This is from the on-line diary of bestselling American author
Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez, named one of the nation's 25 most
influential Hispanics by Time magazine;
Monday, March 27, 2006
Open letter to CNN and other mainstream US media outlets:
1. The vast majority of Hispanics/Latinos in the U.S. (75
percent of us) were born and raised here, including many of us
who have roots here that predate the arrival of the pilgrims.
2. "Immigrant" is not synonymous with "Latino" and the media
should stop pretending they mean the same thing.
3. The CNN analyst who said today "Keep in mind, Latino voters
are LEGAL immigrants, not illegal immigrants" should be FIRED
for sloppy thinking. MOST LATINOS ARE NOT IMMIGRANTS AT ALL,
PINCHE CABRON.
4. Immigrants to contemporary USA come from EVERYWHERE. There
are, for instance, 100,000 Nigerians in Houston, and tens of
thousands of ILLEGAL Irish in Boston and other parts of the
nation. If this debate is truly about immigration, as opposed to
racist portrayals of Latinos, please curb your coverage to be
more responsible.
5. Just because someone waves a Mexican or Colombian flag at a
peaceful demonstration does not mean the demonstration is a
"riot" or the people unAmerican. Lou Dobbs should get his
panties out of a knot and realize it is no different than
someone waving an Irish flag in Southie or an Italian flag on
Columbus Day. These flags are not waved as proof of national
allegiance; they are waved in solidarity with a person's
cultural heritage.
6. You can be a Mexican American and never have had an ancestor
come over the US border; vast portions of the United States of
today USED TO BE MEXICO or SPAIN. If you failed to learn this in
high school, your teachers should be fired.
7. The vast majority of Hispanics/Latinos in the US speak
English as a first language. The Pew Center for Hispanic
research shows that by the third generation, all Latin American
immigrant descendents - 100 percent of them - are English-first,
English dominant. Zero percent speak Spanish as a first or
primary language by the third generation.
8. The US has TWO international borders, not ONE. To date, not a
single terrorist has gotten to the US through Mexico; to date,
at least two suspected terrorists have arrived here through
Canada. In fact, I would not be surprised if, while the media
and xenophobes are focused on the Mexican border, terrorists
figure out that it might be a good idea to walk over from
Vancouver to Seattle for a latte. Oh, and all international
anti-American terrorists who have come to the U.S. so far have
been *smart* enough to come with passports and other documents
supplied to them by the deep pockets of their organizations. Do
you really think a terrorist from Saudi Arabia is going to think
it's a good idea to swim over the border to Texas or Arizona
with a bunch of Mexicans? How stupid is that?!? Finally, please
remember that the anti-American terrorist Timothy McVeigh was
not a foreigner, not brown, and not an illegal immigrant.
9. Not all Hispanics/Latinos are Mexican or of Mexican origin in
the U.S., and most people of Mexican extraction in the US were
born in the UNITED STATES.
10. Please check for plans to give Haliburton the contract to
build a wall along the Mexican border before caving in to the
right-wing propaganda about a "crisis" in immigration from
Mexico.
11. Please be careful when you discuss these issues not to
stereotype or overgeneralize. The anti-Latino frenzy you're
creating is leading to a racist backlash against tens of
millions of native-born Americans who happen to have Spanish
names.
12. The following are also Spanish names: California, Arizona,
Florida, Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Diego, Las Vegas. Why does
CNN allow states, cities and rivers with Spanish names to be
American, while disallowing American people with Spanish names
the same right...? Mister Dobbs, you may no longer say the names
of most states in the United States, because only thirteen U.S.
states have English names; the rest are Spanish, French, or
Native American. English-only, sir. Your rule, eh? Make up new
names, change your ridiculous rhetoric, or stop talking about
Los Angeles altogether.
13. Please tell us what the problems are that are caused by
illegal immigrants. Don't just say there is a "debate". Tell us
in concrete terms what the risks and dangers are being brought
to the US by "illegal" immigrants. Now tell us how these
problems, if any, differ from the problems caused by U.S.
citizens of all other backgrounds. Be precise. Control for
economics and educational background. Can't find any? Thought
so.
14. Please remember that the least legal and least assimilable
of American immigrants were...the English. And the only people
who can claim to be true "Americans" are Native Americans.
15. Most Mexicans are Native Americans.
[]
All best,
Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez
http://alisavaldesrodriguez.blogspot.com/2006/03/how-stupid-are-us-media.html
g00se (a New Mexican immigrant originally from Michigan)
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