No on Alberto Gonzales My wife always gave me a hard time for my reluctance to simply state "Yes, I am Mexican."
Whenever the subject of my etnicity was brought up I didn't know what to say. My ancestry included elements of French, Spanish and Native American. As far back as I knew, my relatives were on what is now U.S. soil. I wasn't Mexican in the "my family crossed the border back in '32" sense. I was Mexican in the "my family was on this piece of land when it used to be Mexico, and Spain, and France, and the Republic of Texas" sense.

In school most of my friends were white, and the Latino ones were much like me - coconuts.

But there was a sense of pride when I was with other Mexicans and we could joke around as such.

So in that instance I was a hypocrite.

And then this year - on official documentation, I declared my ethnicity as Mexican-American. And I do take pride and pleasure in being Mexican-American.

So how do I feel about Albert Gonzales, the first Latino to be nominated for Attorney General of the United States.

Amazingly disappointed. This guy has to be the first?

My question to him would be, "Do you honestly believe that lowering our standards such that torture is an acceptable practice makes us safer as a nation and in the long run upholds American ideals and values? Or, is your head so far up W's arse that you can't see straight?"

I honestly don't know which is worse. That Gonzales could have come up with this thinking on his own or that in a head-long rush to please his boss all morals and ethics are out the window as he writes the memos to attempt to cover the administrations ass.

Given the coverage that Gonzales also provided for Bush's DUI and myriad other items, sadly it appears to be the latter.

I can't wait to hear the first schmuck to pull the anti-Hispanic card against Democrats that speak out against Gonzales nomination.

All Americans should oppose this nomination. Mexican-Americans should be particularly disappointed.
  ¶ 1/25/2005 04:41:00 PM