Eugene Robinson: In Arizona, just say no to Latino heritage

[cal04]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/13/AR2010051304373.html?hpid=opinionsbox1

At least we don't have to pretend anymore. Arizona's passing of that mean-spirited immigration law wasn't about high-minded principle or the need to maintain public order. Apparently, it was all about putting Latinos in their place.

It's hard to reach any other conclusion given the state's latest swipe at Latinos. On Tuesday, Gov. Jan Brewer signed a measure making it illegal for any course in the public schools to "advocate ethnic solidarity." Arizona's top education official, Tom Horne, fought for the new law as a weapon against a program in Tucson that teaches Mexican American students about their history and culture.

Horne claims the Tucson classes teach "ethnic chauvinism." He has complained that young Mexican Americans are falsely being led to believe that they belong to an oppressed minority. The way to dispel that notion, it seems, is to pass oppressive new legislation aimed squarely at Mexican Americans. That'll teach the kids a lesson, all right: We have power. You don't.

Arizona is already facing criticism and boycotts over its "breathing while Latino" law, which in essence requires police to identify and jail undocumented immigrants. Now the state adds insult to that injury.

[WCGreen]

1. Yep....

[Chipper Chat]

2. Gov. Brewer has unleashed Pandora's Caja.

The boycott, which republicans are dismissing, is only going to get mas grande y mas grande.

[Igel]

6. Absolutely.

Y sera preciso, bez somneniya, parce qu'il y aura toliko problema u Arizoni, das nicht werde moeglich ich nie wyrzucic z SZA.

Da ziveme absolutemente spokoino.

Capisci?

Not my favorite way of communicating.

[Chipper Chat]

8. Wowimente!

[struggle4progress]

3. Here's how it works. Juan Crow is a system of economic exploitation;

it depends on keeping labor cheap by demoralizing people with police raids and the threat of deportation -- even if they're here legally and even if they're citizens. Like all systems of exploitation, Juan Crow comes with the traditional big free grabbag of sleight-of-hand magic tricks to obscure what's really going on:

Latino's are organizing against Juan Crow? Why? We all got along fine in the past! It must be the fault of those damn ethnic studies programs!

[Doctor_J]

9. I thought it was Jaime Crow

:shrug:

[struggle4progress]

10. Call it what you will

[The Damned]

4. It's like King Canute

They're attempting to deny the fact that (OMG OMG OMG) us fine white folks won't be the majority in a few decades.

:nopity:

[pinboy3niner]

5. What lessons are they teaching the next (nonwhite) majority?

Demonstrating the abuse of power to repress a minority is, in the end, not a very smart thing to do.

[The Damned]

12. You got THAT right!

I think the lesson they'll take away from this is not the Golden Rule, but rather, "Do unto others AS THEY'VE DONE unto you!"

[amb123]

7. Arizona: The NEW South Africa

Apartheid lives again!

:nuke:

[tomm2thumbs]

11. well put - very much so

and I think this time the GOP is going to hear it big time from all minorities and majorities with a brain who realize they have crossed so many lines, it isn't even funny any longer. Time to wipe the floor with this mindset.

[GTurck]

13. "Ethnic solidarity"?

Does that mean no one can learn about those ethnic British, Irish, Swedes, or Germans too? Seems the new law can really cut both ways. Like most such endeavors the blind couldn't see the road ahead on their little National Socialist Party scheme and have put their feet in a great big fresh cow patty. Can they smell the stink yet? They will, they will - but only when they bring it into their own houses. :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: