Does the Obama team think that all Hispanics crossed The Rio Grande?

(My new American Thinker post)

The Obama White House has a PhD on "pandering" to Hispanics. 

They don't have results.    For example, they didn't propose immigration reform when the Democrats controlled the Congress.  They won't explain the lousy unemployment in Hispanic districts or their opposition to reforms in public education.

But they are good at pandering or distracting. 

September is Hispanic Heritage Month and the White House wasted no time to tell you what they think of Hispanics living in the US. 

My friend Jorge Ponce, a fellow Cuban American and contributor to Babalu Blog, brought this to my attention:   

"This year's White House Proclamation to commemorate National Hispanic Heritage Month includes the following language:      

"Whether our ancestors crossed the Atlantic in 1790 or the Rio Grande in 1970 ..."   
What are they talking about?   Just on September 17, 2013, we celebrated the 226th anniversary of our Framers' signing of the U.S. Constitution in 1787.     So, how could our ancestors have crossed the Atlantic in 1790? Were the Framers of the U.S. Constitutions extraterrestrial aliens?  Don't tell me someone messed up the Hispanic Proclamation!!     In addition, are Hispanics considered only those who crossed the Rio Grande? What about all those others Hispanics who came from Cuba, Puerto Rico, and other countries in the Caribbean, Central and South America, and Spain?    I'm confused. Didn't our ancestors come over from Spain in 1492? Moreover, we celebrated a very important event in the history of our Nation in April 2013 -- the 500th anniversary of Don Juan Ponce de Leon's landing in Florida.   I would think that this important feat would have been mentioned in this year's proclamation.    I think that someone needs to take a crash course immediately in the history of Hispanics. But, more importantly, I think that someone should show more respect to Hispanics and to the contributions that they have made to our Nation." (Jorge Ponce)   

Yes, The Obama administration needs a history lesson.  However, this is not a case of historical ignorance or White House staffers who did not take a history class.  It is political pandering, or a way of earning points with Mexican Americans who voted for change and got nothing or "nada."

How much longer will the Obama administration continue to treat Hispanics with so little respect?  The answer is that they will continue as long as Hispanics buy into "el culto" or the cult of personality.

P.S. You can hear my chat with Bill Katz about this topic.  

Online Politics Radio at Blog Talk Radio with Silvio Canto Jr on BlogTalkRadio

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I'd rather be called Cuban-American than Hispanic

(My new American Thinker post)

Once upon a time, we were called "Latinos" or "Latin Americans" or "Cubans" in our case.  

In the 1970s, they started calling us "Hispanics," a term that I had a lot of difficulty relating to. 

I recall this conversation with my mom a long time ago:    

"Mom, I just met a kid in school who said that he is hispanic".

"Really, did you practice your Spanish with him?"

"No.  He does not speak Spanish."   

See what I mean?  I always related the term "hispanic" to someone who actually spoke Spanish.  I'm not saying "fluent Spanish" but I mean more than calling the Cubs "los cachorros".   

Hispanic came into the picture in the 1970s when the federal government created a "little box" for us to check on applicaions. According to Grace Flores Hughes, it was done to account for the growing Hispanic population.  

And so we became Hispanics!   

However, "hispanic' has always left something out.  After all, some Hispanics are white, black or descendants of native populations. Some are the sons and daughters of the Chinese who built the railroads in Mexico.  

My problem with the term Hispanic is that Americans think that we all eat "tacos".  In fact, I did not eat a taco until I moved to Texas.   

There is tremendous diversity in the Hispanic community.  There is "salsa," "tango" and "samba" and that's just 3 of the sounds that you can hear in Latin America.    

Therefore, I have always found that Cuban American describes me better.  It tells you that I am Cuban and a naturalized US citizen.  It identifies me a lot better.  

I have nothing against the term 'hispanic" and understand the reasons behind the "little box" on the application.  However, I will always tell you that I'm Cuban American because it is what I am.   

P.S. You can hear my chat with Jorge Ponce of Babalu Blog about this topic.

Popular Politics Internet Radio with Silvio Canto Jr on BlogTalkRadio

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