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by Francisco Frias
Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2003 at 6:37 PM
mymailboxwontbeflooded@yahoo.com
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When Arnold Schwarzenegger said that he wanted every person in California to have a fantastic job, I thought it was funny. However, hispanics should ask if his vision includes us. Until recently one could not accuse Arnold Schwarzenegger of being a racist, since he has not participated in the discussion of social and political issues on a public level, and besides, he doesn’t even vote in most elections. But he’s starting to smell like a racist.
If it were not for his Republican colleague Darrell Issa, an ardent supporter of proposition 187 and chief financer of the movement to recall Gray Davis, he wouldn’t have the opportunity to be a candidate. Additionally, the principal architect of proposition 187, Pete Wilson, is now in charge of Mr. Schwarzenegger’s campaign, and this Sunday let it be known that Arnold Schwarzenegger was for proposition 187 and voted for it. Also, a substantial part of Mr. Schwarzenegger’s support will undoubtedly come from people who would like to see proposition 187 instituted in the state of California, some of who actively work to bring this about. People who with all seriousness tell you that immigration is destroying the state of California.
Proposition 187, based on the erroneous belief that immigrants are the root cause of California’s problems, and that we simply use resources without contributing to the state, can be classified as patently racist and ignorant. The vast majority of Mexicans, and perhaps the majorities of other groups that come from Latin America, can classify ourselves in one of the following ways. We are illegal, or at one time we were illegal, or we have a parent who is or at one time was illegal, or we have a grandparent who is or at one time was illegal. An attack on the dignity of an illegal person is a direct attack on our own dignity for most of us, irrespective of our legal status.
However, let us discuss what we contribute. Let’s take the case of agriculture. It is the base of the economy of the state of California. It’s the sector of the economy that has the largest multiplier effect. It is largely sustained by the labor and the sweat of illegal Mexican immigrants. And I say largely because there are a lot of legal residents who work in this industry as well. These workers create a large part of the wealth of this state as well as a large part of the wealth of their native country through the remittances they send. And they have been doing it for decades. They cultivate and harvest the food Mr. Schwarzenegger eats, which must be a lot, and additionally they feed the nation as well as a considerable part of the world through their work. But Issa, Wilson, and Schwarzenegger along with legions of their supporters have the insolence to say that we do not contribute. That we are a problem. Please. Say that some of us are brown. That some of us don’t speak English. That some of us came to this country with little formal education. That some of us are illegal. All these things are true. And we have an expression which is an adequate response. So what? But to say that we are a charge upon the state and that we do not contribute is a lie designed to mask the fact that they are racists. After all, what did we come to this country for if not to work?
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LATEST COMMENTS ABOUT THIS ARTICLE
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These comments are anonymously submitted by the website visitors.
TITLE |
AUTHOR |
DATE |
I've changed! |
Arnold Schwarzenegger |
Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2003 at 6:53 PM |
SHOOT IMMIGRANTS CROSSING OUR BORDERS |
Squib |
Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2003 at 9:08 PM |
No Borders |
From On High |
Thursday, Aug. 14, 2003 at 12:53 AM |
Gov |
voter |
Thursday, Aug. 14, 2003 at 5:08 AM |
Francisco Frias |
reader |
Thursday, Aug. 14, 2003 at 6:26 AM |
OneEyedMan |
KPC |
Thursday, Aug. 14, 2003 at 7:29 AM |
Thanks Francisco |
Captain America |
Thursday, Aug. 14, 2003 at 12:26 PM |
Wrong |
fresca |
Thursday, Aug. 14, 2003 at 8:40 PM |
shut up frescunt |
systemfailure |
Thursday, Aug. 14, 2003 at 9:01 PM |
shut up frescunt |
systemfailure |
Thursday, Aug. 14, 2003 at 9:01 PM |
Fresca |
fresca |
Friday, Aug. 15, 2003 at 8:37 AM |
Schooltime |
fresca |
Friday, Aug. 15, 2003 at 11:30 AM |
lets see here |
systemfailure |
Friday, Aug. 15, 2003 at 12:47 PM |
illegals and taxes |
legal |
Monday, Aug. 18, 2003 at 8:29 PM |
math? |
anonymous |
Monday, Aug. 18, 2003 at 8:50 PM |
re:semantics |
Proud to Say |
Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2003 at 7:06 AM |
re:semantics |
Proud to Say |
Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2003 at 7:06 AM |
OneEyedMan |
KPC |
Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2003 at 9:38 AM |
OneEyedMan |
KPC |
Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2003 at 10:34 AM |
As I said, its not racist |
KOBE |
Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2003 at 11:49 AM |
OneEyedMan |
KPC |
Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2003 at 12:38 PM |
Something you dont understand there? |
KOBE |
Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2003 at 12:54 PM |
OneEyedMan |
KPC |
Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2003 at 1:09 PM |
OneEyedMoron |
IRS |
Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2003 at 5:00 PM |
Latina |
Stephanie |
Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2003 at 5:09 AM |
WHAT!!!! |
Stephanie |
Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2003 at 5:20 AM |
Shut up, stupid bitch. |
Legal American Citizen |
Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2003 at 6:21 AM |
SHOCKED |
U.S. CITIZEN |
Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2003 at 7:36 AM |
No intente convencerme de que la inmigración ilegal sea buena para mi país. |
Legal American Citizen |
Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2003 at 8:20 AM |
CUIDADANA AMERICANA |
STEPHANIE |
Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2003 at 9:44 AM |
Steph |
doyourduty |
Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2003 at 10:00 AM |
Mi Ciudadanía Americana es más importante |
KOBE |
Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2003 at 10:23 AM |
LO QUE TU DIGAS |
TU PALABRA CONTRA LA MIA |
Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2003 at 10:58 AM |
Shut up, bitch... |
FA |
Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2003 at 11:26 AM |
I am sorry I called you a bitch, okay? |
Legal American Citizen |
Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2003 at 11:33 AM |
WHAT |
doyourduty |
Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2003 at 11:36 AM |
Ah...but you dont understand |
Legal American Citizen (KOBE) |
Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2003 at 11:49 AM |
bueno |
If that is your opinion |
Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2003 at 11:56 AM |
Enough! Stop the Gravey Train! |
Boxcutter |
Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2003 at 12:18 PM |
Hel--looooo! That's what I have been trying to say. |
Legal American Citizen |
Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2003 at 12:23 PM |
The End |
ok |
Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2003 at 12:55 PM |
Why cant you figure it out??? |
Legal American Citizen (KOBE) |
Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2003 at 3:15 PM |
My opinion |
hispana |
Thursday, Aug. 21, 2003 at 2:11 AM |
Stop being ignorant |
Boriqua |
Thursday, Aug. 21, 2003 at 2:52 AM |
Stop being ignorant |
Boriqua |
Thursday, Aug. 21, 2003 at 2:54 AM |
Stop being ignorant |
Boriqua |
Thursday, Aug. 21, 2003 at 2:54 AM |
Ok |
Mike |
Wednesday, Sep. 03, 2003 at 10:56 AM |
¡Dígalo tienen gusto de él es! |
Legal American Citizen (KOBE) |
Wednesday, Sep. 03, 2003 at 12:05 PM |
OneEyedMan |
KPC |
Wednesday, Sep. 03, 2003 at 12:13 PM |
Okay, lets be more blunt, shall we? |
Legal American Citizen (KOBE) |
Wednesday, Sep. 03, 2003 at 12:32 PM |
OneEyedMan |
KPC |
Wednesday, Sep. 03, 2003 at 12:41 PM |
Bush pulled a rabbit out of his hat, didnt he? |
KOBE SBM |
Wednesday, Sep. 03, 2003 at 1:33 PM |
OneEyedMan |
KPC |
Wednesday, Sep. 03, 2003 at 1:40 PM |
Swarzeneggar WILL win, and you will eat your words (with or without Salsa) |
KOBE |
Wednesday, Sep. 03, 2003 at 3:00 PM |
OneEyedMan |
KPC |
Wednesday, Sep. 03, 2003 at 3:16 PM |
OneEyedMan |
KPC |
Wednesday, Sep. 03, 2003 at 3:20 PM |
We will see. |
KOBE |
Thursday, Sep. 04, 2003 at 8:50 AM |
OneEyedMan |
KPC |
Thursday, Sep. 04, 2003 at 12:24 PM |
KOBE |
anti-KOBE |
Thursday, Sep. 04, 2003 at 12:26 PM |
racist |
john |
Thursday, Sep. 04, 2003 at 1:00 PM |
john |
Critical Thinker |
Thursday, Sep. 04, 2003 at 1:34 PM |
Pull your head out... |
FA |
Friday, Sep. 05, 2003 at 4:43 PM |
The Myth |
1984IShere |
Friday, Sep. 05, 2003 at 7:12 PM |
FA |
Critical Thinker |
Saturday, Sep. 06, 2003 at 5:31 AM |
Here y'ar, massah, suh... |
FA |
Saturday, Sep. 06, 2003 at 10:53 AM |
Here's another one, chief... |
FA |
Saturday, Sep. 06, 2003 at 10:56 AM |
Whoops, wrong thread! |
Crud BustaMECHA |
Saturday, Sep. 06, 2003 at 12:57 PM |
College boy Bustamante |
Guzman |
Sunday, Sep. 07, 2003 at 8:23 AM |
RAcist |
Joe |
Tuesday, Sep. 09, 2003 at 7:26 PM |
Systemfailure = dumbass |
Jack Scrappa |
Saturday, Oct. 25, 2003 at 12:20 PM |
"We?" |
Jack Scrappa represents who? |
Thursday, Oct. 30, 2003 at 5:20 PM |
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