La Raza Offers Tortured Logic To Defend Itself
By Jim Capo
Published: 2007-04-05 14:25 Email this page | printer friendly version



ARTICLE SYNOPSIS:
"We recognize that some people might be confused about our organization's name, our mission, and our work. Much of this is understandable. Compared to some of our venerable counterparts in the civil rights and advocacy community, we are a relatively young institution, representing Latinos, an historically disadvantaged and oft-misunderstood ethnic minority. We have a Spanish term in our name, "La Raza," (meaning "the people" or "community") which is easily mistranslated," wrote Janet Murguía, President and CEO for the National Council of La Raza, in an open letter to the public.

Follow this link to the source article: "The Truth About NCLR: NCLR Answers Critics"

COMMENTARY:
Last September 20th, Congressman Charlie Norwood of Georgia issued a press release charging the National Council of La Raza as being "radical" and "anti-American." La Raza immediately responded leading Congressman Norwood to offer a conditional apology based on La Raza satisfactorily addressing seven key points.

Unfortunately, while La Raza busied itself with crafting and issuing their response to Congressman Norwood's seven points, he became distracted by the process of dying from cancer, eventually succumbing to the disease on February 13th of this year.

In Congressman Norwood's honor then, let me offer what might have been part of his reply to La Raza's Orwellian attempt at setting the record straight:

I find your response not only lacking in the requirements I would deem worthy of an apology on my part, but I am extremely disappointed that you would expect any person in possession of even the most basic skills in critical thinking to be swayed by your tortured logic.

English speakers who open their Spanish dictionaries, use their favorite on-line translators, or check common usage in context can only find one primary translation for the Spanish word "raza" and it is "race," not "community" or "people," as you are trying to redefine it for us.

Even so, let us give you the benefit of the doubt that the usage between Castilian purists and the Spanish speaking provincials in Mexico may afford you the more politically correct meaning you wish to promote as the correct one for the chosen name of your organization. To be sure, it is likely that some of our friends in Britain chuckle at Americans who are certain that being a certified public accountant or mechanic is a wholly desirable appellation, whereas in the home country it is more likely to be used for a person headed to the looney farm — or as we might say more correctly back in the States, life-enhancement center for bipolar individuals.

You can not have it both ways, however, and I am rather shocked by the arrogance that would allow you to post on-line, for the whole planet to see, such incredible and bald-faced double-talk. What level of individual are you expecting to convince with your crippled logic? Rather than offer us the sneering rebuttals of journalists who suggest that people such as myself just don't know our Spanish, perhaps it is people in your organization that need to further their schooling or otherwise improve their ability to lie without being so easily called out on the carpet for it.

To the point, we cannot take your reply in good faith when you argue that "La Raza" when used in the title of your organization means "the people or community" but then you immediately turn right around and claim to "unequivocally reject" the MEChA motto, "For La Raza todo. Fuera de La Raza nada." As an organization avidly promoting socialist solutions for issues confronting our communities, let me ask you what part of, "For the community everything, outside the community nothing," do you find offensive?

Let's be honest. There is only one way for the MEChA motto to be considered as repugnant, racist, and totally incompatible with American society or citizenship as I have called it and that is if, like the moniker for your organization, la raza means, without question, the race.

Should I even bother to add at this point, that I find your defense of MEChA as a "a student organization whose primary objectives are educational — to help Latino students finish high school and go to college," lacking in all credibility? Please, it is hardly convincing to see you hiding behind the quote of an op-ed Mechista in the Los Angles Times who dismisses the MEChA founding principles of "Reconquista" and "Aztlán," because, "few members take these dated relics of the 1960s seriously, if they even bothered to read them."

I cannot help but think that you must be getting guidance from one of your more prominent members U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, who has taken the art of tortured logic, or was that the logic of torture, to new heights.

I stand by my charges against your organization and you will have no apology from me even if I was not dead. Words do have meanings — in all languages.

I'm sure the late congressman would have had more he could have said, but I'll leave it at that.

La Raza and its affiliates clearly seem to enjoy rubbing their growing influence in the face of American citizenry. Their local (taxpayer-assisted) affiliate in North Carolina, El Pueblo, Inc. proudly proclaims its success in getting the large illegal immigrant population in the state out into the streets last year during the nationwide mass protests. This year, the organization called on the North Carolina legislature to provide taxpayer funding of English language courses in immigrant communities, while at the same time opposing local and state police enforcement of federal immigration laws.

When El Pueblo, Inc. went looking for new downtown office space in the state capital, they somehow ended up with the landlord you can see in the included photograph. Undoubtedly, they will aver it was just a good lease rate that was the attraction.

Jim Capo
Jim Capo is the John Birch Society's National Spokesman on Trade Policy, and a coordinator for North and South Carolina.



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