The California gubernatorial recall mixed entertainment with the slow news of the summer. In many ways, it is highly unusual. After all, when else has any other election featured close to 200 candidates, many with no political experience whatsoever, running for the same office? Although the California recall election breaks new ground in politics, it still features blatant double standards, often prevalent in other major elections.
The latest example can be seen in the amount of scrutiny (or lack thereof) given to California lieutenant governor and gubernatorial candidate Cruz Bustamante’s affiliation with Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan (MEChA). Bustamante has acknowledged his membership in the organization during his college years at Fresno State University in the ’70s, and he has repeatedly refused to disassociate himself from the organization.
MEChA is a Chicano student organization with a presence on many college campuses not only in California but throughout the nation as well, including the University of Wisconsin. Many students in the organization believe that it is nothing more than a social group for students of Chicano background, but the story does not end there.
One of MEChA’s stated goals is the return of “Aztlan,” a region of the southwest United States, to Mexico. MEChA also seeks the removal of all white Americans from governing that area. Considering the geographical location of the state of California, this alone should raise red flags about Bustamante’s candidacy as long as he will not sever his ties to MEChA.
Additionally, MEChA used violence to advance its radical agenda. An Aug. 28 FOXNews.com article reports, saying, “At a July 4 celebration in 1996, members of the group, who call themselves Mechistas, were videotaped attacking black and white Americans protesting illegal immigration.” The report continues, “In 1993, students at UCLA caused $500,000 worth of damage during protests to demand a Chicano studies department. MEChA has also been associated with anti-Semitic groups like Nation of Aztlan.” Bustamante’s deafening silence on these incidents should concern all Californians.
MEChA was founded under the El Plan de Aztlán, whose motto is “Por La Raza todo. Fuera de La Raza nada.” (“For the race, everything. For those outside the race, nothing.”) MEChA continues to be funded on this campus by student fees, despite criteria clearly prohibiting exclusionary organizations from receiving funding. This funding continues thanks to Chancellor Wiley’s decision last school year to unilaterally override our student government’s decision on MEChA.
It’s sad enough that many students in Madison do not realize that they are forced to pay for this racist and exclusionary organization. It’s even more disturbing that many people do not realize a front-runner to lead the world’s fifth-largest economy refuses to sever his ties to that same association.
A simple LexisNexis search illustrates the lack of coverage on this story. A search on Bustamante and MEChA produces a mere seven hits. This compares to 29 hits for a search on gubernatorial candidate Arnold Schwarzenegger and his father’s Nazi connections.
Despite the fact that Schwarzenegger’s father (not Schwarzenegger himself) had Nazi connections, the mainstream media feels that this story should take priority.
Additionally, Rabbi Marvin Hier, founder of the Wiesenthal Center, confirmed in an Aug. 14 Los Angeles Times interview that Schwarzenegger himself requested an investigation into his father’s Nazi connections.
When the Wiesenthal Center released its findings, Schwarzenegger made it abundantly clear that he strongly opposed his father’s conduct. In contrast, Bustamante made no such opposition to his personal ties to MEChA.
Voters have a right to be informed about the issues in any campaign, particularly when one of their candidates has affiliations with organizations holding such extreme views on racial politics. The mainstream media’s lack of scrutiny towards Bustamante on this topic has been nothing short of outrageous, particularly when compared to its treatment of Arnold Schwarzenegger.
In reality, this story exemplifies a larger issue. On this campus, and throughout this nation, there is a belief that only white people, especially conservatives, are capable of being racists. Nothing is further from the truth. Until all Americans come to understand this, we will never achieve racial harmony. We will continue to see double standards like the one in California.
Mark Baumgardner ([email protected]) is a senior majoring in electrical engineering.