educate me, please, on the move to reclaim S.W. U.S. for Mexico?

[grasswire]

I saw a discussion on CNN or MSNBC Thursday where the panelist mentioned the movement of Mexicans to reclaim the southwestern United States? It was said that this movement is the genesis of the flying of Mexican flags in the recent protests -- that flying the flag isn't really about immigration to the U.S. for work, that it really is about claiming the land as Mexican property.

I am totally ignorant about this movement, and would welcome education.

[norml]

1. Chamber of Commerce wants to make Cinco De Mayo as big as St. Pat's Day

http://www.vivacincodemayo.org/history.htm

[mike_c]

2. oh the horror....

Next they'll want to change the definition of "football."

[EFerrari]

4. I don't think they want Dallas.

:rofl:

[seabeyond]

20. it is already bigger in my southwest area. we all participate in it

and have a blast. just like all us non irish participate in st patricks

[mohinoaklawnillinois]

3. Well, here's my answer..

Are the Irish trying to "reclaim" New York, Boston or Chicago, on or about March 17th every year???

I was at my sister-in-law's house tonight looking at her daughter's (my niece's) wedding pictures. Driving home through the Mt. Greenwood neighborhood of the City of Chicago there were plenty of Irish flags flying from front porches and flagpoles. I guess I should think that these people want to "claim" this part of the southwest side of Chicago as the 33rd county of Ireland...

BTW these Irish flags fly year round as do Polish flags, Lithuanian flags, Italian flags and Mexican flags alongside the American flag.

This "talking" point is totally ridiculous.

[EFerrari]

6. Welcome to Ridiculous Week at DU.

I think we should all lay off the sugar for a few days, myself included.

[mike_c]

5. this is utterly ridiculous....

What earthly purpose other than disruption does a thread like this serve? Movement to reclaim the southwestern U.S. for Mexico? Jesus fucking christ. Who is making this shit up?

[JohnyCanuck]

7. People of Anahuac:

This is our land and our continent, this is not property of the Europeans or their descendants. Not one inch of this continent belongs to Europeans, no matter what lies or distortions of ownership they may present. European squatters are today stealing not just our land, they are stealing the wealth of our oil, our forests, our farmland and all of our other resources. They are also stealing our honor, our dignity, and our sense of being one Anahuac independent nation. We have a human right to exist as a people who are independent from European control of our lives, our continent, and our wealth.

Remember that we have only temporarily (and illegally) been deprived of the rights to our continent and our heritage. This occupation of our continent is not a permanent condition. We can change the colonial slave condition of our people! We know that none of the Europeans will easily give up all that they have stolen from us.

We know that Europeans will continue to steal from us if we do not declare our rights to our continent and the resources of our continent that they are now stealing from us.

The first step to to take in order to reclaim our continent and all of its wealth is to let everyone know of the criminal and genocidal history of the Europeans on our continent and their ongoing crimes against us and their illegal occupation of our continent.

http://www.mexica-movement.org/timexihcah/intromain.htm

http://www.mexica-movement.org/timexihcah/intromain.htm

[Name removed]

10. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[JohnyCanuck]

18. What are you getting on my case for?

I don't feel particularly threatened by it, but the OP was requesting information about the movement by some Mexicans to reclaim the US South West. I had recently come across that web site I linked to while surfing news stories about the immigration controversies and the illegal workers crossing the Southern US border to find work, and it seemed relevant to the OPs request. If some Mexicans or indigenous people feel that strongly about their claim to the land and their apparent desire to dispossess those of European ancestry from what they consider their land, it doesn't do any good to ignore the fact that people like that exist and are thinking along those lines. What you might write off with barely a second thought as the ravings of a few cranks, someone without a decent education, any prospects for a job that pays higher than minimum wage, and the feeling (rightly or wrongly) that he is being discriminated against because of his his skin complexion might see as a potential solution to his problem.

If enough Mexicans or people of Mexican origin living in the US feel that they are being victimized and being held down and forced into poverty, either by their own Mexican elites and/or US trade and immigration policies, it's possible that the really radical organizations like the one listed could find their membership growing and they potentially could cease to be just a fringe movement (as I assume they are right now) and become a real source of conflict. It's just one more factor to weigh when trying to understand the potential ramifications of not resolving in a fair and equitable manner the current hot-button immigration issues with your Mexican neighbors is how I see it.

[grasswire]

19. the organization was named something like ANX???

I'll try to find the transcript tomorrow so I can look for info about it. It was in a roundtable of journalists, if I remember correctly, that it was mentioned. The guy essentially said "this is something that isn't talked about, but it's driving the protests you're seeing." It brought me up short, and I've been wondering about it since then. A map was shown that included most of the West Coast as territory wanting to be reclaimed.

I am not in the slightest way a racist. I'm just uneducated on this, and I just want to know the truth with no unspoken undercurrents.

[silverweb]

8. I think you mean MEChA?

A much maligned and mischaracterized group, I think... although I really can't claim to know a whole lot more than what I've read.

Here's a summary: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MEChA

Some feel very threatened by them, others (like me) don't.

[Nailzberg]

9. Next thing you know they'll be changing all the towns to Mexican names

[mike_c]

11. I'm sorry, I don't know whether you're being sarcastic or serious....

Please tell my this is sarcasm.

[Nailzberg]

12. Sarcasm, yes.

Actually I did hear this from an ignorant ass I worked with. He was always complaining that if we didn't watch out, the Mexicans were going to take over Los Angeles.

[shanti]

13. it has happened, right?

:shrug: just saying....

[mike_c]

15. san francisco, los angeles, santa rosa...

...give me a break.

[EFerrari]

16. El Cerrito, Santa Ana, San Mateo, Fremont

Oops!

:)

[mike_c]

14. thank you-- that gave me a bad moment or two....

Damned dry humor.... :hi:

[Lexingtonian]

17. it's silly

The Latino side is not actually serious about claiming the SW for the government of Mexico. It's like Swedes in Minnesota driving Volvos.

It's all just a good talking point for white racists. No Mexican I know has any desire to live under existing Mexican governments. But what group symbol other than the Mexican flag do Latinos really have that they can bring to big assemblies- sombreros? Jalapenos? A brick of adobe? The funniest- most intentionally ironic and telling- sign I saw in photos from the L.A. demonstration was one that said "Beaner Power".

If you trace the Nahua (Aztec) people's migration into the Valley of Mexico backwards by linguistics, it turns out that their linguistic family tree (the Ut-Aztecan one) starts in the LA Basin. The first, oldest, split (between 'Numic' and 'Takic' branches) in this tree coincides geographically with the San Gabriel and San Bernardino mountain chains.

[EFerrari]

21. That's interesting, Lexingtonian. The LA Basin? Any links?

It's interesting to me because most of the people in CA were small bands -- Paiute? Is that right? It would be interesting to find out how such a significant split could be accomplished in that area.

Geek alert, lol!

[Nailzberg]

22. Other group symbols? They could bring chips and salsa.

It sure would get me out to the next rally.

[Ronnie]

23. I saw it on Lou Dobbs.

Lou has jumped the shark. Seriously.