Martin Sandoval, Illinois senator, wants to represent Mexicans too
Posted Wed, Sep 28, 2005 at 8:40 am
Martin Sandoval is a state Senator from Illinois. He's also running for a seat on Mexico's "Institute for Mexicans Abroad" advisory council:
If those apologists are allowing Mexico to establish a political beachhead in the U.S. - and possibly influence our laws - shouldn't we question whether they have the U.S.'s best interests at heart?
And, just because no current laws prevent him from serving two countries at the same time doesn't mean that legislation can't be introduced to either prevent that or to strip him of his office. Please contact (non-conflicted) representatives in Illinois and urge them to introduce such legislation.
[1] From president Bush's O'Reilly interview:
Sandoval would be the first elected official in the U.S. to serve on the advisory council. That raises the peculiar prospect of the Cicero Democrat offering policy advice in an official capacity to Mexican Cabinet members while creating laws in Illinois...Apologists continually claim that all those millions of illegal aliens are "just here to work." [1] While that might be true for individuals, when you have millions of them it forms a political base that the Mexican government - as well as people like Sandoval - are trying to take advantage of.
As it turns out, no law or rule prohibits it, in Mexico or in Illinois. Mexican officials call it an honorary position...
... "I see no conflict at any point. There are always people who will have questions," [Sandoval] said. "I have looked at the four corners of this. I see upside all over the place."
Sandoval said his participation is especially logical because a large share of his constituents were born in Mexico. More than 42 percent of Sandoval's Senate district is foreign-born, the second-highest rate in the state...
If those apologists are allowing Mexico to establish a political beachhead in the U.S. - and possibly influence our laws - shouldn't we question whether they have the U.S.'s best interests at heart?
And, just because no current laws prevent him from serving two countries at the same time doesn't mean that legislation can't be introduced to either prevent that or to strip him of his office. Please contact (non-conflicted) representatives in Illinois and urge them to introduce such legislation.
[1] From president Bush's O'Reilly interview:
"Now look. People are comin' 'cause they wanna work ya' know. Family values don't stop at the border... If you can make fifty cents in the interior of Mexico and five dollars in the interior of the United States, you're comin' for the five bucks and, therefore ... and so long as moms and dads feel the necessity to feed their children, they're gonna come and try to make a livin'."5/14/07 UPDATE: Martin Sandoval won his election some time after this was posted, and, among other things, he's now pushing for discounted college educations for illegal aliens (see the link). You can see his name on the Mexican government's list of CCIME advisors here: www.ime.gob.mx/ccime/directorios/dir_ccime_06_09.htm
Comments
perroazul del norte (not verified)
Thu, 09/29/2005 - 05:29
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Why is Bush the way he is? One thing to recall is that there is an open CFR plan to merge the US, Canada and Mexico into one country(google for it, it's there). No doubt the elites around Bush espouse this plan as an "economic necessity"- a North American version of the EU. Also Bush is probably too much of an incurious ignoramus to appreciate the reality of separate and distinct cultures. He therefore believes that every "furriner" is a kind of proto-American. As an obvious example he probably still thinks that an Anglo-Saxon type of democracy can actually be created in Iraq.
Gary (not verified)
Wed, 09/28/2005 - 10:48
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It is absolutely nuts that our government allows this. For all his posturing and pandering and calling Mexico our "friend," George Bush has either got to be the most cynical president we've ever had, or perhaps the dumbest. Mexico (i.e. the Mexican government) is not our friend, and I think a decent case could be made that their policies, both official and semi-official are more consistent with that of a hostile regime than a friend or even a trading partner. The world is a dangerous place, and we should not have to worry about whose side our elected officials are rooting for.
Conor Friedersdorf (not verified)
Wed, 09/28/2005 - 09:39
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As I note at length in my column today, the very existence of the Mexican government's elected representatives for Mexican natives abroad threatens U.S. efforts at assimilation and representative democracy.