>The 16th of September of 1810, marks the beginning of Mexico's struggle for
>independance from Spain. Hence, this day is similar in many ways to the
>American "4th of July," which commemorates American Independance from Britain.
>"El Grito de Dolores," (The cry in the village named Dolores-Sorrows-.) "Long
>live Independance! Long live America! Death to bad Government!"
>
>This proclamation for Independance was made on this day by Miguel Hidalgo,
>from the Balcony of the Parish of Nuestra Senora de Los Dolores.(Our Lady of
>Sorrows.)
>
>A heroic Parish Priest, who is widely regarded as the Father of Mexican
>Independance and a symbol of patriotism, Miguel Hidalgo De Costilla was
>responsible for leading the first large revolutionary forces against the
>Spaniards. Tragically, however, shortly thereafter, he was captured and
>executed by a firing squad.
>
>Father Hidalgo's martyrdom, however, galvanized the Mexican people to struggle
>and fight for independance. After Father Hidalgo's demise, Jose Maria Morelos,
>a small village priest, and a farseeing political and military genius, rallied
>the revolutionary forces until his capture and execution on December 22, 1815.
>
>Historians sum up his service to the cause of Mexican independance by stating
>that "with him ended the heroic days of the Mexican Revolution."
>
>As he read of the guerilla leader's brilliant campaigns, the French Emperor,
>Napoleon Bonaparte said," with three such men as Jose Morelos, I could conquer
>the world."
>
>Vicente Guerrero, a liberal rebel and the inheritor of the Hidalgo/Morelos
>tradition, continued the revolutionary struggle against the Spaniards until
>1824, when the Spanish were overthrown and Guadalupe Victoria, a liberal
>became the first elected president of the Republic of Mexico.
>
>At the time, the Mexican Empire encompased all of Central America and the
>Southwestern United States including California, New Mexico, Arizona, Texas,
>Colorado, Nevada, Utah and parts of what now is the State of Kansas. There is
>even today great controversy and debate as to the questionable, and perhaps
>unethical political means, the United States used to acquire this vast
>territory from Mexico. A few Spanish land grants still survive today , and
>Hispanic land grant heirs still argue the United States should be forced to
>honor land rights they were promised in the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo,
>which ended the Mexican War.
>
>To commemorate these revolutionary heroes, Mexico named three states after
>them. Hidalgo, is a state just North of Mexico City, whereas Guerrero and
>Morelos are two adjacent states in Mexico's West coast. In addition, many
>hospitals, schools and colleges, state and federal parks, universities and
>government buildings have been named to honor these three Mexican
>Revolutionary Heroes - Hidalgo, Morelos, and Guerrero.
>
>
>>
>>
>>
>Date: Tue, 12 Jan 1999 15:16:01 EST
>From: Sprinkraft@aol.com
>Subject: Farm Labor ( The Colony)
>
>I haven't read much in the thread on Farm Labor that seems to come from folks
>who have actual experience in this phenomena. I don't mean to clarify much
>with these anecdotes and editorial, but....
>
>I have employed as many as 7 Mexican nationals in a given year. This goes back
>to way before the amnesty of the mid 80s. I suppose the amnesty had unintended
>results, though one might have seen them coming. Once legalized, millions of
>expatriot Latin Americans started to work their way up the labor ladder. I
>employed, over the years, perhaps 20 in total, and fewer than half of them are
>still in agriculture. I dealt with a large hierarchical family, which
>organized the border crossings, the hiring of coyotes, the employment, and job
>changes, and the jefe looked after the various sons, brothers, cousins,
>uncles, compadres who came in to work. My former leadman is now working for
>Cargill in Tennessee. My adoptive "grandfather" first came up here to haul
>pickles out of Michigan fields in 1944. One young man came in 1985, illegally,
>was underaged, learned English from me, quit the lettuce brigade eventually,
>married, and now is the general manager of a large nursery/home improvement
>store. What's up with that? Why should he shove lettuce in a box forever? He
>was under no obligation to remain in the ag field. Others went from the
>lettuce brigade into construction, truck driving, restraunt work, light
>manufacturing, business ownership. This is not a very simple situation. So,
>more were needed in the fields as these folks moved up the ladder. And they
>came and are coming. And of course who would not want to have their family
>with them? As for compettive wages....these same jobs are done for the
>transnationals in Sinaloa as they are done in Salinas. Why cut lettuce for a
>buck when you can cut it for five up here?
>
>Now that the NAFTA door has been kicked open, it gets more complicated. It is
>impossible, IMPOSSIBLE, to effectively close the border. Our genuflecting
>free-marketers want it both ways. I much enjoy the yowling from the retired
>military honchos, Birchers, conservo-fascists in San Diego County,upset that
>the transnationals want to haul in avos from Michuocan. Why point the finger
>at just one example of blurred legality? What about the transnational pirates?
>Now they want to bring in the Argentine lemons. That's fine with the
>developers in CA-makes that sustainable local ag economy go away faster. Nice
>that these patriots don't want to educate those who live here. The classic
>case was my own father this past holiday, in full fury ( with Rush Limburger
>as background theme noise) ranting about immigrants while out his very window
>there were four brown men clipping his hedges and watering his dwarf citrus.
>Hello?
>
>This is such a thorny issue, bookended by the reactionary maneuvering in
>California against Latino immigration, versus the Texas experience, which is
>more accepting historically. Here in Texas, chief elected officials are
>Latin/Mexican Americans ( Morales, the former Attorney General, and Gonzalez
>the former Secretary of State) and their election and performance is rarely
>cast in terms of race. Many switched to the Repubican party, to much
>amazement. We understand that generally speaking someone like Morales is going
>to take 80% of the vote south of the Nueces River. Its a reality that
>politicians deal with, but do not decry so vehemently as they do in other
>states. The Texas experience seems remarkably odd and transparently non-racist
>on many levels..but by no means entirely. Perhaps it is so because real
>warfare has taken place in this region, and because our border is so vaguely
>drawn. We shrug off the fact that the lower Rio Grande Valley is essentially
>much the same as the Maquilladora Zone in Tamaulipas, Nuevo Leon, C oahuila
>and Chihuahua states. Every time the Texas legislature meets they claim that
>they will fix the "colonia" issue. 400,000 people living on the border without
>dependably potable water and sewer service. Should Texas fix it? Everyone
>agrees that we should, because the area lies above the Rio Grande, but really,
>Its sort of like Mexico without being Mexico. If it were really in Mexico, the
>people would have some actual power, so it is well to continue to call it the
>Colonia, because we treat it as a colony. The Colonia is a good metaphor,
>because it has no border. Welcome to the Colonia, by the way. The
>transnationals own us. If we continue to talk about this as if some
>geographical border was the pivot point, we will never comprehend that it
>isn't those "brown people" who party on the 16th of September we have to worry
>about. ( You go ahead and look up that date, maybe we should all celebrate
>it).
>
>
>
>Steve Sprinkel
>Compostia, Texas
>
>
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