Thread: TX: Austin Wants National Latino Museum

Austin wants national Latino museum

Published: April 6, 2010 at 4:47 PM

AUSTIN, Texas, April 6 (UPI) -- Residents of Austin, Texas, hoping the city will be the site of a federally funded Latino museum, concede the possibility is a long shot, officials said.

A group of Austin politicians, academics and consultants believe Austin would be a good place for a national Latino museum, the Austin American-Statesman reported Tuesday.

Such a museum might be affiliated with the Smithsonian Institute, which would make Washington the most likely location, the newspaper said.

The concept of a national Latino museum came to the fore several years ago, when Rep. Xavier Becerra, D-Calif., initiated legislation for its creation. Former President George W. Bush signed a law in 2008 setting aside $3.2 million to investigate where, when and how the museum would come about.

The Austin push began with the unsuccessful effort of amateur historian Robert Hicks to convince federal and state officials to establish a museum based on El Camino Real, a network of Spanish colonizing trails in the American south and southwest.

Hicks began appealing to others to make Austin's case for having the museum located there.

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2010/04/ ... 270586825/

Quote:
"The Austin push began with the unsuccessful effort of amateur historian Robert Hicks to convince federal and state officials to establish a museum based on El Camino Real, a network of Spanish colonizing trails in the American south and southwest."

However, unlike (English) Colonial Williamsburg,which was built by private funds through the Rockefeller Foundation, the "National Latino Museum" would be built entirely with federal funds. I personally do not recall any significant contributions to the development of the United States made by the militant advances of blood-thirsty and gold-hungry Spanish Conquistadores, who came to this continent for no other purpose than to search for gold and other marketable plunder to send back to Spain, and to subjugate any unfortunate native peoples whom they found in their path during their quest for wealth to cart off with them. In contrast, the English and those from other European nations came to settle, make productive lives, and to create a new society, eventually merging the best of the old and the new worlds, a tradition followed by African Americans with courage and creativity after they gained their freedom despite the obstacles of continued segregation. What exactly have "Latinos" DONE in the United States that they deserve a tax-payer funded national museum?

misplaced entry deleted.

hmmmm...Alex Jones is based out of Austin. I wonder if he had any comments on this...

GWB sets aside $3.2 million to investigate the possibility of a museum. Makes a lot of sense to me.
And it is beginning to sound that the Brits need to get some tea parties rolling there across the pond.