that's the biggest thing--he forgot his own damn family. He turned his back on his own family in favor of george et al. Does the hard work, the sweat, the back breaking soul breaking work his family did mean nothing to him?

but what really really *really* depresses me is that far too many mexican@s/chican@s see nothing wrong with what he's done, what he's become--they see a point of pride. Even with the subpoena. I mean, you got people like Richard Rodrigez and all them who are going to say, well, he made some mistakes, but, so did the whole group of them. That group will find some way to excuse this.

anyway, it's gonna be tough listening to this shit now--can't wait for all the "we could never really trust him anyway," shit. he sure has fucked things up big time.

fucked things up for the rest of us, that is. (and for all the people currently being fucked with by his fucked up miserable policies)
pinche alberto.

yeah...i hear you. we watched him turn his back on his own parents and their immigrant story. how does that lift us up?

and i don't think he's done falling by any means. this is only the beginning. that's why i feel this way. i have no illusions that he will escape this. the only reason bush is holding on for this cat is because i think he feels that gonzales is the last stop before the focus falls on the Decider. a buffer. and i agree...it will ratchet up the further he falls. did nothing wrong? justified torture? whatever. chican@s saying that, i mean i understand....it feels good to have one of our own so big time. but don't accept that fame and position and notoriety with foul concessions. that doesn't lift us up. stand true and strong and show how righteous and smart and able we can be. not that we can sellout morals and principles just like any other US clown. that isn't doing anything for nuestra gente.

we watched him turn his back on his own parents and their immigrant story. how does that lift us up?

that the truth--and anybody who could turn his back on his own parents labor is somebody who you know not to trust.

the only reason bush is holding on for this cat is because i think he feels that gonzales is the last stop before the focus falls on the Decider. a buffer.

Exactly, and The Decider for sure ain't gonna stick his neck out defending him, either, if it means him going down--Gonzalez is gonna be a bargaining chip, you know? I'll give you Al, if you leave me alone. And if that doesn't work, if they aren't satisifed with his blood, then he'll go the other way and defend Alberto till his dying day. that way all the focus is on Alberto rather than his own genocidal ass.

but don't accept that fame and position and notoriety with foul concessions.

I think too many of us have bought into assimilationist ideas that tell us that we're "good" citizens--and of course, being "good" means riding up that ladder as far as you can. And unfortunately, we haven't been like the black community where there's a lot of pressure on people riding up the ladder to do well by their communities--where people like condi and clarence are rejected by the community. We look at our conservative "leaders" as a-ok citizens. And I'm wondering if that's because our "progressive" leader was a-ok with fucking over the "wetbacks".

(and yes, I am going through my very angry stage at cesar chavez. How dare he? And are we so fucking desperate for a leader, we'll accept that shit from a leader?)

it's like clarence thomas for us, oh god what an embarrassment. i completely agree with 'buffer' theory. who better to kick to the curb for your crimes than a brown/black man? typical W. use people and then throw them away when it suits you.

what will be interesting, and nezua already posted on this re: the daily show, is how our side deals with him. that is, will some on the left fall into racism and stereotyping as he falls and becomes an easier target? i predict yes. it will also be interesting, assuming some form of justice is served upon him, to see how the right wing treats him once he becomes radioactive. it's no bet to say they will slur him along the lines of "see, we told you not to trust those mexicans!" as they seek to distance themselves from the crimes of this administration.

i think you're right, CD. i've been cringing waiting for it. there is no DOUBT in my mind that they will use him in this way. yeah. clarence gonzales.

--

bfp great points on assimilation...you've got me thinking deep, mujer. graz.

I am just glad he's served, and I hope he gets served with more.

yes, i imagine you would have less reason to be conflicted.

This is a source of anger and a bit of shame. While it is true he does not represent all Latinos, he represent the Raza as a whole to the mainstream gringo.

While I understand not all gringos will confuse me with alberto Gonzales, there is still a stigma attached to this choice of "bean" to represnet us in a high position. If I weren't so frigging paranoid I might not suspect the menso was chosen precisely because he is a noteworthy kiss-ass, and a half-baked representative of what Mexican is.

Perhaps that's just crazy thinking.

Sigh. Unfortunately, you are dead on. The fact that some right wingers are still getting a rise out of this is very discouraging. The smiling behind their hands imagery perfectly captures how the part operates as a whole, I think.

There is no way he'll climb down. He's every bit as stubborn as his pal Bush. This guy is going down, surely, but it will not be pretty.

Maybe he'll slip up enough to point the finger to a higher branch on the shit-tree.

This is exactly what the problem I was writing about on a post I decided make private (for personal reasons). We are all cut from the same cloth, however, each piece is different. Life is a pendulum that swings. I am not talking about a person's personal life, I am looking at the big picture. I will take LULAC for an example, they started off being anti-Mexican, it is their history page, it is in achieved records. They did this just to show how they too can be an American. Hell, they threated the Mexican's a lot worse too, than the gringos and I am not talking about calling them wetbacks and such either. Then the pendulum swung the other way, they evolved they are more accepting, in fact they were one a organizations who lead the marches last year. Yet nobody is condemning them for their past. WHY? They were a lot worse than what Cesar Chavez is being accussed of. But, they too pushed for Gonzales when he was nominated. We also have the National Council of La Raza, who also pushed for him, I wonder is the pendulum is swinging the other now.

This really goes back to my Call to Action post I wrote last month.

The question can be asked. Is there really anybody we can blame for the chaos we are in? Or do we actually fear that being idealistic will eventually become compromised, so why bother since the natural order of things is to start off young and energetic and idealistic and well, you know, drop everything because we got ours? Remember, it was the Woodstock kids that emigrated to Wall Street suits. Have they passed down their pessimistic view? However, can we absolutely put the blame on them for throwing in the towel, grabbing the money and running? Or maybe they too fell victim to corporate elites' societal pressures because eventually everyone has to "sell out" when the rent is two months past due or forced to lick clean the last jar of peanut butter.

I can see why some Latina/os are making excuses. There is a lot of internal conflict going on among middle and upper class Latina/os. The question goes like this: "Should I be ashamed for "making it?" This is a conversation Luisa and I had a couple months ago when we were talking about our parents. Until we can truly find a Latina/o identity, we will always have this crises. For me, all I can say to those fools who pushed for him because he was Brown,
"TOLD YA SO PENDEJOS!!!!" WHO DA SUCKA NOW!

Quote of a quote, but typical of Bush's "minority" hires:

Gonzales’s actions at the DoJ provide a perfect portrait of the Republican version of minority recruitment. Like Condi Rice, Claude Allen and lesser known but equally underqualified minority members of the Bush White House like Kay Coles James, Gonzales was guaranteed a high-level post on the condition that he work to reverse the policies that enabled his success and that of his peers. Meanwhile, the legacy programs that have ensured people like George W. Bush easy access to elite universities remain intact, thus preserving the future for victims of the new discrimination.

By way of another excellent little blog(s), The Zen Cabin and Max Blumenthal.

In other words, screw you its all for me bitches! Or the house slave done good! Your choice....

As for Cesar Chavez and violence towards immigrants in the 70s, I have made it my mission to protect the legacy one of our true heroes to the cause. It breaks my heart when I see fellow Latina/os are suckered into believing in the propaganda about being violent. I have done extensive research into this matter and I am planning to make a whole section so that that Google can continue to list on top. I have found was that the UFW was framed by Hoffa's Teamsters. During that time, Jimmy Hoffa and Chavez did not get along and at one time, Hoffa called Chavez "incompetent." In fact, it was President Nixon who instructed Hoffa to rough up the UFW.

Jimmy Hoffa and the Teamsters were the only major working-class organization to support the Republican Party and was the only labor union to support the Bracero Program. Efforts to organize field hands were blatantly cynical because the Teamsters only concern was the welfare of the truckers, who would be out of work without fruits and vegetables to transport. The Teamsters were very intent on mobilizing the campesinos to keep them from striking and ending any association with the UFW. The Teamsters knew how to use their muscle, and they used it very often.

They even thought they might defeat the UFW by convincing the public that the boycott was a fight between two unions and not a fight for the rights of farm workers. Therefore, the violence against immigrants came from the Teamsters who falsely identified themselves as being part of the UFW. It may not have worked back then, but it seems that vicious rumor is working now. Looks like Hoffa and Nixon are having the last laugh.

It makes me very happy to see that you went out of your way to email for in search of the truth. It would be very hypocritical for Chavez to preach non-violence, then go out, and order his organization to go do his dirty work. I hope this helps.

quote of a quote of a quote, then.

Gonzales was guaranteed a high-level post on the condition that he work to reverse the policies that enabled his success and that of his peers.

This is one of the huge issues that has tended, in the past, to make me instantly inarticulate. All of my life, I've heard and been told that we live in this country called 'America' and that there's a thing called 'The American Dream'.

Well, 'America' turned out to actually be USA, and the American Dream was a wild growth crop that got bought up by a bunch of rich white guys. Then, you hear about other rich guys, most of them white, who supposedly found another wild patch of this weed called a dream, but when they did, they laid claim to it as well.

I actually know of a couple of people who found a weed or two, but they lacked the cut-throat, self interest to grab it and hold on for all they were worth. One sold it off to more rich guys, and the other rented it out cheap to a bunch of rich guys who pay a paltry sum to never use it. (They're inventors who lacked the ability, time, and funds to produce and market their ideas, among other "failings". The first was an electronic device I don't understand, and the second was an engine part for fuel efficiency that has never gone into a commercially produced automobile.)

Now, this. I don't think the dream is there anymore, and I don't think it has been for a while. I think those little signs we see of it are just loopholes accidentally created by the powerful elite when they open their fat, greasy arms a little in order to grab at a little more, a little more, and a little more.

Anytime someone does manage to get a little bit of the dream, it's either ripped away from them or they wind up being like Gonzales, pressured? forced? coerced? convinced? allowed? to get their arms as greasy as everyone else's.

My sympathies for the conflict you experience, but I for one don't see him as brown. What I learned from Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X is that The Brown, as our host phrases it, remembers. Gonzales has forgotten. Of course, it's easier for me to take that position, all things considered.

XP, thanks so much for giving me at least, a damn history lesson that I really needed--the thing is, stuck out here in the mid-west where not only did the movement, in general, fail to touch any of us outside of the big cities like detroit or flint--but the current big latin@ org's like LULAC et al, again, pretty much don't touch us.

In short, I know nothing about any of it, except what I can find through research. So thank you so much, XP, i really appreciate it.

I agree, we have to confront all this, and we doubly have to confront shitty organizations that cater to upper class Latin@s--

"Should I be ashamed for "making it?"

Man, XP. If you could have seen how I felt at NYU with all the rich kids. Latina pushing a garbage can through the halls, sweeping up after us. I was so....embarassed. Of course I didn't leave stuff for her to clean, but I always looked at her kindly, said hi...I am just like you my heart was saying...but my class schedule said different, I felt. And I felt like a sellout or something. Then it only got worse when I moved to Postcard Town, and the Brown™ was doing my yardwork.

I don't think it makes me a sellout to make it in the White System. Then again, why do my feelings say something different sometimes?

--

Z, I agree. The dream is a nightmare. And Alberto is brown, but he is clearly not of The Brown™ in his heart. The part we lament is that to the USA, he does represent la raza. So he will mark those of us who share lineage or appearance with him in various ways.

Actually, BFP, I should be thanking you for listening and having an open mind. It is easy to ignore the real facts when there is so much saying the opposite, which is what the propagandist are hoping. It starts off small and one person picks it up and runs with it and then another and so one. It is sadder when it is one of our own who publishes misinformation and then for the nativist to pick it up and go with it. The guy who wrote it was Ruben Navarrette Jr. back in 1997 for the Arizona Republic.

He has continued on this rampage. I have yet to see what proof that Chavez did what he did, except just to say "according to numerous historical accounts." He has yet to cite his sources to back up his claims. Navarrette is a very interesting guy, which is why he is a treat to us. I consider him to be the male version of the conservative Linda Chavez. He like Ms. Chavez shrill antagonistic rants about the bigotry of American citizens which belies their staunchly conservative views.

They are perfect examples of what was found in a study done by Dennis Chong and Dukhong Kim, "The Experiences and Effects of Economic Status Among Racial and Ethnic Minorities." Chong and Kim found that when successful Latinos encountered racial or ethnic discrimination that would effect their own economic success and social mobility, it is then, they are more likely to identify with the group. It comes as no surprise to find both of them talking against the rise in bigotry in the US. They are realizing that the walls are closing in on them because they are realizing that their darker skin color can be mistaken for "the others" if they happened to be harassed by some white supremacist.

Navarrette wrote a very strong response about Gonzales which he was crowing about Gonzales being the first Hispanic to be appointed to Attorney General.

In the flap over the ousted U.S. attorneys, Alberto Gonzales has been hoisted up as a political piñata.

Leading this lynch mob are white liberals who resent Gonzales because they can't claim the credit for his life's accomplishments and because they can't get him to curtsy. Why should he? Gonzales doesn't owe them a damn thing.

Democratic politicians love posing with mariachis as they nibble chips and salsa on Cinco De Mayo. But it was a Republican - George W. Bush - who made history by nominating a Hispanic to serve as attorney general. Problem with Navarrette, Gonzales, and Ms. Chavez, their credo is one of opportunism – to get ahead, downplay their ethnicity, nuzzle at the feet their white elitist conservative "peers" and hide behind the Republican facade of moral superiority.

BFP, I truly understand about being stuck out there in the mid-west where there is little information on what is going on in the rest of the US. Gotta love that corporate media. Living in out in rural IL, I experienced it first hand. I guess that is why I am so adamant about doing extensive research and trying to inform other. It is easy to be lead astray for the truth.

Democratic politicians love posing with mariachis as they nibble chips and salsa on Cinco De Mayo.

jaja! yeah....

and then there's mister mexico.

XP as always, kickin it on the edumakashun tip.

Strange, the quote should have been this:

In the flap over the ousted U.S. attorneys, Alberto Gonzales has been hoisted up as a political piñata.

Leading this lynch mob are white liberals who resent Gonzales because they can't claim the credit for his life's accomplishments and because they can't get him to curtsy. Why should he? Gonzales doesn't owe them a damn thing.

Democratic politicians love posing with mariachis as they nibble chips and salsa on Cinco De Mayo. But it was a Republican - George W. Bush - who made history by nominating a Hispanic to serve as attorney general. Oh well, I guess I did something I didn't I did not notice I did.

--

Nueza - I feel ya. Because those are the same feelings I am also experiencing. *sigh*

While the "political pinata" quote is certainly zippy I think it glosses over the situation. Do you think that the Democrats are going after him because he's brown or because here is another Bush Co. abuse of power and they have the ability to investigate? The architect of torture, gutting habeus corpus and so on, is on the block. I think this has little to do with his race and more to do with his track record.

Will Bush will let him twist in the wind because he's brown or because Bush is known to nominate incompetent friends and then letting them hold the bag when their incompetence catches up to them - talking to you, "Heckuva Job Brownie".

While race may have been a factor in Fredo's nomination, as Bush was trying to rehab his image with Latino voters at the time, I don't agree that his treatment now at the hands of Bush or the congress is or will be any different than any other of Bush's cabinet. Bush will do what is politically expedient for him.

well, pepperhead, time will tell, eh? let's see how the media treats him, as well.

additionally, bush has a habit of using people to dismantle or negate the very programs they are appointed to oversee. i disagree that he was only trying to rehab his latino image. there were more devious reasons, indeed, in his being appointed.

The fact is, expecting someone who coincidentally belongs to a group that one is associated with, to do right by or uphold positive traditions of that group simply by dint of their affiliation is a fool's brightest hope.

I (and I presuppose many of you, also) don't presume anybody who shares my features or background will act in the interests of enlightened interdependence - It places too great a burden on my credulity and meager trusting instincts.

Gonzales was in it for himself, and aligned himself with those who would get him to where he wished to be.
He was used by those who were in it for themselves, seeking useful tools to get them where they wished to be.

He will be retained for as long as he can prove useful or unthreatening, and upon reaching his perceived limit of either state will be 'retired'...But this will be a while, because he is a very crucial firewall to the enterprise that has been weaving its noirish web throughout the American fabric.

There will be those who will use ad hominem slurs (his heritage and so forth) to describe Gonzales as the situation reaches critical mass - Know them for what they are, insidious racists of all political inclinations...No better than Imus, George Allen, Joe Lieberman and all the others who would use word and deed to divide the people so that power over them can be acquired and maintained.

you are calling me a fool in my own house?

No.

Did you believe that Gonzales was going to do right by you simply because of your shared heritage?

the point is my disappointment (unexpected and unforeseen) is a direct result of my feeling betrayed by the actions of a whitewashed mexican american. so in that logical sense, yes. apparently, i did. if that makes me a "fool" to you, well you just dont understand my experience as it relates to this, i guess.

and this "foolish" expectation is what is behind Sharpton's hesitancy (and many others) to endorse Obama. perhaps you don't "get" belonging to a group that has been at the mercy of the dominant culture. but leaders that belong to these groups do owe something. at least thats the position of many others in that group. an allegiance, a shared experience that would inform their actions.

I don't feel that the Dems went after him because he is HIGHspanic per say. But I do believe they targeted him because he is easy pickens' considering there is a hostile anti-Latino environment. If you look at those who attacked Ruben Navarrette, they were your conservative anti-Latino nativists. Gonzales is just like Condi, Powell, and Miers, once they lose their flava', they become yesterday news. Easy to cut off. Yet, you will not see Bush doing that to Cheney, Rumy or Rove and that is a big big difference.

Alberto Gonzales is a disappointment to the human race, and has been for a long time. Bush is worse, but Alberto is so far up his ass there's hardly any difference.
http://www.nybooks.com/articles/17670

'my disappointment (unexpected and unforeseen) is a direct result of my feeling betrayed by the actions of a whitewashed mexican american.

I understand your disappointment, and you are far from a fool in my estimation...Perhaps more of an idealist.
But assuming some foreknowledge of Gonzales' long history with Bush on your part, why would you expect him not to 'get up with white fleas after lying with gringo dogs'?

An honorable heritage is no barrier to craven behaviors for the weak of spirit and character...Neither, evidently, is a deeply religious upbringing and lifestyle (from what we have seen of late in the misdeeds of bureaucrats).

'perhaps you don't "get" belonging to a group that has been at the mercy of the dominant culture. but leaders that belong to these groups do owe something.'

Only if they honor the obligation...If they are wilfully assimilating themselves into a culture that respects nothing but money and power, well...

I have no wish to upset you, Nezua, and thus I will be moving on with peaceful wishes to you.

May you find a politician worthy of your idealism...It is far too late for me.

well, i suppose "idealist" and "fool" are sometimes synonymous! i can cop to that.

But assuming some foreknowledge of Gonzales' long history with Bush on your part, why would you expect him not to 'get up with white fleas after lying with gringo dogs'?

again...nothing was expected but his downfall. the rest was, as i said, "unexpected." i wish i could convey this in a way you understood...i understand that it seems odd that i would regret any part of his exposure. it was odd to me, ya see?

its okay if i get upset, my friend. its' going to happen. and i'm not, anyway. as far as "moving on," i hope you dont mean for good. but if so, farewell! i'm surprised we couldn't handle one tiny disagreement.

if not, nos vemos, catch ya soon, vato.

I don't feel that the Dems went after him because he is HIGHspanic per say.

I don't think they did either--I think this is more of a case where he's gonna fall because no republican will back him. that's where the racism will play out--in how quickly he's gonna be dropped.

You got that right! Like the saying goes here in Tejas, "Ya dance with the one that brung you." And that is exactly what the Rethugs are not doing.

Perhaps expecting one race (even your own) to embody all these positive traits is as misguided as expecting another race to embody all the negatives. Aren't we all saying that people should be judged not by the colour of their skin but by their character? (props to Rev.Dr.King). Every group has their own shining examples and sad object lessons.

XP - you're expecting the rethugs to have some sort of morality or sense of loyalty, haven't we learned yet? Its all about what's expedient for now and I've no doubt that over the next two years we'll see more and more of Bush's inner circle thrown overboard. Just wait.

who said we are expecting alberto to "embody all these positive traits"? are you really quoting MLK to tell me i should not feel let down by the first mexican american attorney general who will end up resigning in disgrace? if you don't understand the feeling, that's okay. but please, non-mexican americans, stop trying to tell me how to feel about such a historic letdown. if you don't think it impacts upon the history of mexican americans in america, you're just wrong. period.

i was just discussing this with a friend this morning. why shouldn't it be expected that someone who has faced social, cultural, etc oppression will have a world view that reflects the common experience of minorities in america?

White Magik Attax always center on dispelling or weakening or denying the notion of Brown Pride. In the case of this (probably unintentional) volley, denying that there is any kind of Brown allegiance (shared experience, causes) serves to avoid looking at what happens when the pressure to assimilate is heeded, and what it means to have such a pressure that the Brown™ faces, and that there is any pressure that divest a person of valuable parts of themselves at all. I don't think it's on purpose, as I said. I think it's hard for White folks to understand this area, as they do not share it, and mostly because they would have unconscious motivation to not see it. I can forgive not knowing. It's that they always feel comfortable coming in and asserting it over and over again that tires me.