Do Any of You Know Why the Mexican Flag is Being Flown?

[rene moon]

I would bet many of those who marched, especially the kids, are Americans. But they feel that their culture and heritage is being attacked.

I know I do. My heritage and my people are being attcked and treated like dogs. Yes, I said it, dogs.

Yes, there were probably some who marched with the Mexican flag who are undocumented. I know that the March in Tucson had little to no Mexican flags---I saw a large amount of American ones though.

Mexicans are kind-hearted people and one of the most hardest working people I have ever had the priviledge to know and be related to.

They want the American dream, or what is left of it. And they will work hard for it.

[Bridget Burke]

1. Yes.

For the same reason that the Irish flag was flown on March 17th.

Nowadays, St Patrick's day is often just an excuse to drink. But the Irish Catholics began celebrating the day with parades to express their pride in their roots. Not that they didn't also become good Americans.

[lonestarnot]

2. Yes

but if there are lines there are lines. Why should one person advance in front of another because he knows how to sneak better?

[TallahasseeGrannie]

3. Are you Mexican, Rene?

Explain how your people are being treated like dogs. I don't know any Mexicans in this area, so this is a new topic. Can you elaborate?

[Deja Q]

4. Many Americans have worked hard for the dream. Lost it too. Nor can they

reclaim it or even get a piece of it back. But that isn't the point I want to discuss.

My question isn't why but allegiance. This is America. When one comes here because it's better to show loyalty to America. Particularly if one becomes a legal immigrant, of which I certainly have no qualms with!

But when one leaves a country in favor of another, the loyalty goes with it. It cannot be had both ways. It's like me ditching Windows for Linux, going to a Linux expo, and waving a Windows banner all over the place. (and we all know how some Linux users get... emotional... for their "cause".)

Case in point, and by describing this it does not follow I'm going to do it (so freepers need not attack me this time, sorry I didn't make it clear yesterday): If I renounced America and went to live in another country, for me to raise and fly the American flag in their country after becoming a citizen or ever at all would be highly insulting to the people born in that country, to the leaders of that country (regardless of what they do), and I'd look pretty dumb too. Or worse.

It works both ways. It's called 'respect'.

It is not disrepecting to one's originating country to fly the American flag when in America.

It IS disrepsecting to renounce one's previous country and then proudly fly its flag in their new home country after fleeing it.

[RB TexLa]

10. Sorry but I have more allegiance to one entity/nation before America

I have more allegiance to the Vatican than I do the US. Countries come and go.

As far as another county I have very much loyalty to Ireland don't know if it is more than I have to the US or not. This country is not a "melting pot" it is a "salad bowl," everyone retains their identify, instead of conforming to whatever the majority culture is at any given moment.

In a "melting pot" everything melts into one thing, I would think most would find that pretty bland, kind of like all resturants have a sign up that says "serving food."

With a menu that reads:

Small serving of food $2.00
Medium serving of food $4.00
Large serving of food $6.00
Extra large serving of food $10.00

[TomInTib]

5. A lot of people in Mexico are still upset about the theft of...

Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California.

[northzax]

6. having taught in LA

I'd wager you are wrong. Most of the students flying the flag are probably not US citizens. That should not be taken as an implication that they are undocumented (although a certain percentage probably are). in my 5th grade classroom seven years ago (which would make them seniors this year) out of 37 students, 11 were US citizens and not one of my latino students was born in the US. I never asked about documentation, since the law would have required me to report a violation, if I had evidence of it. It was the ultimate 'don't ask, don't tell' situation. I also, didn't really care, one way or the other.

[Warpy]

7. I live in New Mexico

where I've largely escaped the incredible prejudice that exists in the other border states. Yes, the Mexicans I know are exactly as you describe.

They aren't the problem.

The problem is the cheapass employers who want a free ride on their backs.

When we raise the minimum wage and prosecute employers who exploit foreign labor to fatten themselves, then we'll be attacking the problem the right way.

Nobody deserves exploitation. Not the Mexican who is desperately trying to escape poverty, to send money to his or her family, who hopes to return home with enough dollars to open a small business there. Not the American worker who sees the willingness of Mexican labor to work for wages that won't support an American as driving his own wages down. We're all equally victimized by the same enemy.

The cheap labor conservatives in both parties are our enemies.

[dogday]

8. See this post

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=781990&mesg_id=784430

[Lostnote06]

9. What are the solutions?

....Being ever the optimist I believe most positive solutions exist outside of the box so to speak.....The children of Mexico dress as hip-hop kids,embrace western themes of behavior and obviously are here enmass....I believe that the solution exists in our ability to combine economic realities with our countries idealism.....I am reminded of JFKs Peace Corp......Simply put I believe that Bush and Fox should gaze deeply into each others eyes and agree that an economic development zone needs to be established in Mexico or any other country willing to participate...All of the economic bonuses in a repatriation process would dilute the anglo vs chicano BS that has been exploited by those willing to degrade the value of a human being....best wishes

[Inland]

11. They make the same mistake that many in DU make,

equating immigration controls with racism. Ergo, the opposite response is racial pride. However, the flying of a Mexican flag at marches on whether people should be allowed to become Americans is a mixed message.

The fact is, being proud of being of Mexican descent has nothing to do with a rational discussion of immigration, just as racism doesn't. Two irrelevancies don't make a right.

[Lostnote06]

15. Two irrelevancies don't make a right......lmao....bingo

[Inland]

12. dupe

dupe

[RB TexLa]

13. here was my reply on anther thread about the Mexican flag

and a couple of other things the poster didn't like.


25. So if you were the child of someone without legal status


and these protests have largely been children, teenagers, you would have full respect for the law when you think the government is getting ready to take your parents away? When your parents told you that part of why they risked their lives say locked in the back of a truck for 18 hours through 100 degree weather in Texas or Arizona or New Mexico to get here so that one day they could have children that would be American citizens by birth. That they sold everything they owned to pay the person to put them in the truck to get here in part to one day give birth to you so you could be a citizen of the US and have the opportunity to become anything you want to be? That they told you that they cleaned bathrooms, that they cut grass and tended grounds for hours upon hours so that you could be born here. After you have seen them hold your birth certificate and social security card to their chest in pride. After all of that you would say, oh I best not hold the flag that represents my family's heritage, and I really shouldn't make any kind of statement about this without first getting a permit, and I shouldn't do anything that would impede traffic, someone getting to Starbucks before the line gets too long is just so much more important than making a statement.

[lectrobyte]

14. I pledge allegiance to me and you. This flag-symbol business

is just getting in the way.