October 16, 2003
Memo From Mexico, By
Allan Wall
Mexico’s Terminator Tantrum
Arnold Schwarzenegger is a racist
anti-Mexican who, as governor of California, is going to
persecute immigrants.
Well, that’s what I’ve been reading
and hearing down here in Mexico—before, during, and after
the recent California recall vote.
Ricardo Monreal is governor of the
state of Zacatecas. Up to half the population of his
state has emigrated to the U.S. After the recall,
Monreal indignantly said of Schwarzenegger:
“We know his history, and
it makes us think there could be a surge of
anti-immigrant, xenophobic or racist feelings.”
[“
Schwarzenegger Victory is International Drama,” Tracy
Wilkinson, LA Times, Oct. 9th, 2003]
On the floor of the Mexican
congress, Mexican congressman Carlos Jimenez, secretary
of the foreign relations committee, declared of Arnold’s
triumph that
“This is something about which Mexican
migrants [i.e. illegal aliens in the U.S.] should
be very concerned.” [“
Mexico
fears Schwarzenegger is bad news for migrants,”
Lisa J. Adams, The Arizona Republic October 9th,
2003]
And for a real over-the-top case
check out the cartoon page of
Jornada.
The October 8th issue featured two cartoons of Arnold
Schwarzenegger. One
portrayed the actor in a bodybuilder pose casting a
swastika shadow. The other
showed Schwarzenegger speaking with an American flag
behind him—but instead of stars the flag had swastikas.
In fact, Schwarzenegger has long
been portrayed in the Mexican media as racist,
anti-immigrant, anti-Mexican, etc. etc. It’s been that
way since 1994, the fateful year in which Schwarzenegger
dared to support California’s Proposition 187. (Of
course, the majority of California’s voters supported it
as well. But that just shows they’re…)
Nevertheless, Schwarzenegger’s
action movies are popular in Mexico. I saw
Terminator 2 here, with Spanish subtitles. Even
the “hasta la vista” line was subtitled.
Schwarzenegger has actually filmed
four movies in Mexico. Which means he’s contributed
more to the Mexican economy than your average Mexican
politician.
Back in 1994, it was the hysteria
that I witnessed here over Proposition 187 that helped
influence me to become a staunch immigration reformer
and, ultimately,
VDARE.com contributor. I came to understand that
many Mexicans, especially those whose opinion counts in
the media and politics, simply do not respect the right
of the United States to control its own border or
regulate its own immigration policy. This especially
applies to California, which is treated as though it
were part of Mexico. (It may be eventually, for all
practical purposes. But right now it’s not.)
Throughout the California recall,
Schwarzenegger was ritually denounced in the Mexican
media. On Election Day, even the popular celebrity
gossip show “Ventaneando” carried out some
Arnold-bashing.
And just as in 1994, this election
became an opportunity for Mexican interference in
American domestic politics.
A month before the recall vote, the
Mexican Chamber of Deputies (House of Representatives)
was the scene of a Defeat Arnold Meeting. El
Universal reported that:
“U.S.-based
emigrant worker organizations launched today in Mexico a
campaign against actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, candidate
for governor of California.”
[
Lanzan grupos mexicanos campaña contra Schwarzenegger
El Universal, Sept. 8th, 2003]
According to Maria Garcia, leader
of the coalition, “We wish to warn the Mexicans who
reside in California, and all the Latino community, of
the danger of this actor of European origin...”
Hmm, why did Garcia specifically
point out that Schwarzenegger is “of
European origin”—is that a bad thing?
Jose Medina, representing a
labor organization in Los Angeles, California,
U.S.A., explained how the campaign was to work:
“....
We wish to launch this campaign from Mexico, so that all
those with
relatives in the United States, but especially in
California, send letters, emails, or call on the
telephone to those they know, and tell them to vote no
on Arnold next October 7th....”
["Por
eso queremos lanzar esta campaña desde México, para que
todos los que tengan familiares en Estados Unidos, pero
en especial en California, manden cartas, correos
electrónicos o llamen por teléfono a sus conocidos y les
digan que no voten por Arnold el próximo 7 de octubre",
dijo Medina.]
On October 6th, 2003,
the day before the election,
El Universal reported that “PRD (Partido de
la Revolución Democrática) senator Jesús Ortega, urged
Mexicans in California with
double nationality to
vote against the actor Arnold Schwazenneger
[sic].” [Pide Jesús Orteg a migrantes no votar por Schwazenneger
(sic) El Universal, Oct 6th, 2003]
According to Ortega “It would
not be advisable that they vote for a racist like this
action movie actor.”
Schwarzenegger’s triumph elicited
stern commentaries from
Mexican Foreign Secretary Derbez and Interior
Minister
Santiago Creel. Elba Esther Gordillo, Secretary
General of the PRI (former ruling party) promised
Mexicans in California that the PRI would still
support them. [“Ofrece
Gordillo apoyo del PRI a mexicanos en California,”
Miguel Cabildo, Proceso, Oct. 9th, 2003]
Sounds nifty—but when does the
PRI plan to start supporting
Mexicans in Mexico?
I could go on, but you get the
picture.
Do Schwarzenegger’s Mexican critics
really have anything to worry about? Or, to put it
another way, do America patriots have anything to hope
for?
Frankly, not a lot. Schwarzenegger
said in the press conference the day after his
victory that he supports the appalling
McCain Guest Worker/ Amnesty Fiasco (so ably
dissected by VDARE.COM’s own expert Juan Mann.
Perhaps significantly, one of
Schwarzenegger’s advisers is
Carlos Olamendi, dual American/Mexican
citizen/activist. In an exclusive interview with El
Universal, Olamendi announced that he himself was
staying in the Schwarzenegger administration, that
Arnold would work for a guest worker accord with other
border governors, and that he wants a good relationship
with Mexico. [Dispuesto
Schwarzenegger a buscar pacto migratorio con México,
El Universal, Oct. 9th, 2003]
Still, Schwarzenegger has promised
to repeal Gray Davis’ license-for-illegals law. And at
least Schwarzenegger, unlike too many politicians,
does understand the difference between a legal
immigrant and an illegal alien.
My fellow English teacher,
VDARE.com columnist and recent gubernatorial candidate
Joe Guzzardi has expressed
cautious optimism about Schwarzenegger But our
VDARE.COM colleague Steve Sailer
thinks Schwarzenegger will be swallowed by the
California GOP Establishment—despite the fact that he
won basically because the Democrats chose to turn the
election into a
referendum on illegal immigration.
I hope Joe is right. It would help
if Californians (and other Americans) keep
Schwarzenegger’s biceps to the burner and encourage him
to do the right thing.
But the real message from Mexico: any American leader
perceived by Mexico’s elite as threatening the “Mexodus”—their
de facto
policy of dumping Mexico’s poor on the U.S.—can
expect to be vilified and slandered.
It
happened to Pete Wilson and it's happening to
Tom Tancredo.
Let’s all get used to it.
American citizen Allan Wall lives and works legally in
Mexico, where he holds an FM-2 residency and work
permit, but serves six weeks a year with the Texas Army
National Guard, in a unit composed almost entirely of
Americans of Mexican ancestry. His VDARE.COM articles
are archived
here; his
FRONTPAGEMAG.COM articles are archived
here; his
website is
here. Readers
can contact Allan Wall at
allan39@prodigy.net.mx.
