"Nativo American"

Nativo Lopez is California's Mexican-"American" alternative to Al Sharpton (who, bad as he is, is at least an American). Lopez gets featured in the Weekly Standard:

Here's a suggestion for [the Mexico-traveling Fabian Nunez]: In order to bridge California's illegal-immigration divide, [Nunez] should start on the northern side of the border, with the more militant elements of California's Hispanic community, who shamelessly interject race into the public discourse--and whom Democratic leaders dare not offend.

And that means standing up to the likes of Nativo Lopez.

LOPEZ IS PRESIDENT of the Mexican American Political Association and a leading force behind Hermandad Mexicana Nacional (Mexican National Brotherhood), a tax-exempt non-profit formed to aid undocumented workers which nevertheless dabbles in partisan affairs--so much so that it's been the subject of an election-fraud investigation.

Until last year, "Nativo" (his real first name is Larry) was a Democrat. Then he switched to the Green party to join the Nader-Camejo presidential juggernaut. Lopez's own brush with elected office was even more calamitous. Elected a decade ago to a seat on the Santa Ana school board of trustees, Lopez was recalled by residents of Orange County (just months before Gray Davis met the same fate) for his refusal to comply with California's Proposition 227, which ended bilingual education in public schools. The recall vote wasn't close: Lopez lost by a 40-point margin. He said he wanted to make Spanish California's primary language; he was rejected in every precinct of the most Spanish-speaking city in America.

Normally, that would be the end of the story--gadfly gets swatted. However, Lopez continues to write new chapters in the art of race-baiting...

...Lopez's approach to the sensitive topic [of driver's licenses for illegal aliens] is to liken it to the Holocaust. When asked by La Opinion newspaper about an alternative that would place a special mark on California drivers' licenses to distinguish between legal residents and illegal aliens, Lopez declared that the latter "do not want to be the Jews of Nazi Germany in California" and "will not be the new black slaves of the sureAaos states of the United States in this state." He added, "We will not be the Palestinians either that in their own earth undergoes an oppression. We are pioneering in California, a creative town of values, peace and fighters..."

Immigration2005b · Wed, 09/07/2005 - 07:25 · · Importance: 1