The Hispanic community in the United States is not actually any different from other ethnic groups who came to be called Americans. Recent developments over what has now become an illegal immigration crisis have galvanized Hispanics across the nation, and those people of Latin ancestry are not alone. It is interesting to note today, this Cinco De Mayo, the ties between America and Mexico – critically important some would say.
Five May
Cinco De Mayo is a celebration of the defeat of the French armies in Mexico by the army of Mexico at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. That war, not unlike America’s War of Independence, actually solidified at least the idealistic bonds between the United States (in its own Civil War at the time) and the people of Mexico. Unlike the battle for American independence however, the people of Mexico lost Mexico City later on, and their country for a time. Emperor Maximilian I was installed as the President, beginning a very dark time for Mexico’s people.
Though defeated, the people of Mexico proved their worth and steel under General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín at Puebla, and showed the world liberty is always powered by hope. Maximilian was later ousted thanks to maybe Mexico’s greatest hero, Benito Juárez, whose name interestingly is etched on the American-Mexican border town of the same name across the Rio Grande from El Paso, Texas.
Contrary to popular belief, Cinco De Mayo is not Mexico’s Independence Day, but a locally celebrated holiday in Puebla. The legend of this battle, Mexico defeating a better equipped army twice its size, which had not lost a war major battle in nearly 50 years, spoke to people in the United States and elsewhere. This is one reason the holiday is celebrated in America these days. That, and the fact that California remembered Sequin and his followers as a former part of Mexico. Californians have celebrated Cinco De Mayo since 1863 in honor of Mexico’s resistance to French tyranny.
Tyranny By Any Other Name – Even Arizona
Today, the bonds between the people of Mexico, Central, and South America are strained. Arizona and other border states have been inundated with the problems illegal immigration can cause. We need not get into specifics here, but suffice it to say tens of millions of Hispanics have crossed the borders of the southwestern states illegally. Now, Governor Jan Brewer, many of the people of Arizona, and that state’s legislature there have essentially declared war on Latin peoples. There is no refined way to say this. But, Americans inherently understand the seeds of tyranny, the class and ethnic distinctions which often fuel such inequalities. This was ingrained in the people who supported Mexico’s independence struggle against France (people who played a large part in helping them actually), and throughout America’s history.
Many have some here to criticize our recent articles about this situation. They praise Governor Brewer for standing up to the federal government in Washington, a government which has done nothing to stem the flow if illegal immigrants. What a debacle this situation has become for American citizens to come and chastise others for reflecting the same truths which grant them their freedoms? Fortunately, not every American citizen is so obtuse.
All across America, people of every race and creed have been subjected to extreme hardship over the illegal alien issue, and even more so by economic hardships brought on by the same sort of people who occupied Mexico during France’s brief reign there. The deeper implications are far too complex to get into here, but every American should ask; “What is really behind these actions and inactions?”
The simple fact is, Hispanic people are some of America’s most excellent citizens. There is a bond between those people of Latin ancestry and all the other people who make up America that is as old as that nation itself. Outside national boundaries, the richness of each individual’s culture is something America has benefitted from, and cherished for over two centuries. Now, on this Cinco De Mayo, another revolution is at hand, one with equally gravitous implications.
If Arizona’s leader can profile Hispanics as is indicated by their recent attitude and action, what kind of precedent does this set? Who will be next? Sure these questions seem “alarmist” a bit, but American’s have always been attuned to transgressions against liberty. Make no mistake, this is what you are looking at in Arizona. Illegal immigrants should be detained or deported, though those solutions present a whole new set of hurdles. But, firing teachers in Arizona because the have an accent? God forbid Governor Brewer should move to North Georgia, not a southern teacher would be left standing over their drawls.
PR Moves Be Damned – This Is America
The rigth PR inspired things to say here might be; “You do not have to agree with me.” But, this situation goes beyond PR niceties. You have to agree that the suppression of a whole ethnic group, to any degree, is a violation of everything America is supposed to stand for. There have to be other solutions. Reinstate the draft and station a solid line of troops from Texas to California for God’s sake. Anything is better than this Nazi-like stance against fellow human beings, fellow Americans. What are you thinking?
Celebrate Cinco De Mayo this year by emailing your congressman, the White House, Governor Brewer’s office – it would only take a minute. One minute from everyone on the Internet to Google “The White House,” tpye “Civil Liberty for Arizona,”and hits send. Small potatoes compared to those at rest at Arlington or Puebla. Where the heck is Arnold Schwarzenegger when America needs him most – accent and all? The video below shows the ugly side of some Americans, better describing what is wrong in Arizona than all my words.
About Phil Butler
