Angry???

It’s been a week and a few days since the election. My mental stability is better so I feel a little more capable of writing something that won’t offend most people. I admit I still have bouts of craziness and anger over what happened in our country. My soul keeps telling me that it is a golden opportunity for La Raza. My gut is still tied up in “I want to kick somebody’s ass” knots.

It is obvious that Latino voters did put up a firewall in California, Nevada and Colorado, that saved the Democratic Party from losing the Senate. Political pundits took note! Everyone on both sides is trying to figure out the strategy to get our vote for 2012. As far as I am concerned, at least in Nevada, Sen. Reid never changed his story. That was the magic. He supported the Dream Act, was against SB 1070 and for Comprehensive Immigration Reform. That was his platform from the beginning and he never wavered. Governor elects Jerry Brown personally thanked Latino voters for his victory. He knew that they had helped him immeasurably. I am reading that The Republican Party is considering their new Latino pinups Mark Rubio and Susana Martinez as Vice Presidential Candidates. I love the strategy! Supposedly we (Latinos) are so stupid that we would vote for a Latino just because they are Latino. Same strategy that Mc Cain used with Palin. Women will vote for her because she is a woman. It proved to be a bad plan.


What happened in Arizona, the apartheid state, the "show me your papers" state, and the "you have no civil rights" state? Well, 14% of us turned out to vote out of 18% percent. We turned out substantially for Terry Goddard and Rodney Glassman. We were able to help save Raul Grijalva and Ed Pastor's return to Congress. The rhetoric of hatred and fear created by Jan Brewer and Russell Pearce was successful in creating votes. Latinos became the "boogey men". Were there more Latinos to register to vote? Could we have done better? Was the election about special interests and money buying the election? Yes to all of the above! But now is not the time to be “shoulding” our selves. Things will be getting much worse for us. We have far greater things to worry about before 2012 than how many of us are voting. We need to concern ourselves with protecting our civil rights and how we interact and react as a community and culture.

When Rosa Parks refused to go to the back of the bus it wasn’t just for blacks it was for everyone who suffers injustice. We need to remember that in our own struggle for justice. We need to give a hand up to anyone who is trying to get on that Freedom Train. We need solidarity within our own Raza Community and stop the prejudice to our own. “You're not “Mexican” enough because your mother is white!” “That kid doesn’t speak Spanish he's not Mexican to me!” “That guy is a damn wetback.” “ I am more indio than you.” “You have blue eyes, you can’t be a Mexican.” We have been doing our own racial profiling within our community forever. If we are going to make a change in our country we have to see ourselves as a multifaceted rainbow people. We need to embrace our differences within La Raza and the greater Latino community. We need power now not pettiness.

In Tim Wise’s Open letter there was a lot of anger. I would be lying to you if I told you I was not angry. When Vivi and I read the letter it reflected some of the cultural anger we were feeling at that moment. I sent it to several friends . My favorite Tall, Dark and Hispanic Man thought it went too far. He made me think with his comments. “If you only like “white people” that meet your criteria of worthiness and acceptability, doesn’t that in fact make you a racist too. I prefer Gandhi’s approach of civility, understanding intellectual presence and positive thinking …the anti revolutionary if you will. The ability to see the good in all mankind, not the ability to justify ones anger and hatred as being more just than the others guys hatred.”

He had me! I had flunked non-violence 101 way back in the 60’s when I was doing civil disobedience. I always got mad when they put those cuffs on. I always got a little bite or kick in when they were hauling me away. I am no Gandhi, no Cesar Chavez and no Martin Luther King.

I took a shower after this conversation with my friend. A hot one. It always helps me to think. I realized where my anger was coming from. I am fighting against the “man” who controls the global corporations whose only agenda is hate and greed. They have bought politicians and they have made us the enemy. They know about the “browning” of America and they hope they can control us before we get too “uppity”. They control the media who strives to control the minds of people who can’t think for themselves like you and me. I am not willing to wait 40 years for us to out number them. I will be dead. This is the “man” that has to be stopped. He will use any race, creed or culture to get his way. The sheets need to be pulled off of this monster. None of us will survive their agenda if we aren’t brave enough to stand against this.

We all have our own idea of how to accomplish this . Lets support all these good ideas. Lets be brave. Lets use our power instead of our hatred. They are afraid of our power. For myself I pray for civility and I am thankful to friends who can counter my “chispas” with thoughts of peace.