The Mayor wants to leave as one of his legacies, a tangible tribute to the ever increasing Latino community in Portland. That's why he wants to rename Interstate Avenue for the Latino labor union organizer.
From Chavez's friend to me when I asked him if Cesar would have wanted a street named for him. Here's his answer:
Cesar is deserving of a street, but not because he was politically correct but because he was a WWII vet and succeeded in organizing the first viable trade union among America's most exploited workers in its most dangerous occupation (more deaths and maiming injuries than even deep mining).
As for political correctness--he wasn't. Cesar called for secure borders most of his career (until the 80's). In 1969, he led a march from Indio, CA, to the border to protest INS's failure to enforce the border against illegal aliens. A decade later, he testified before Congress for control of the border to prevent illegals from flooding in and breaking strikes. In the mid-70's, the liberals were frothing at the mouth attacking him for his stand against illegal aliens and open borders.
Today, phony instant amnesty protestors invoke his name as if he was a champion of open borders. He was the opposite.
The business owners along Interstate Avenue are upset their street is being renamed period. They're sick of the tokenism to be sure but they're also sick of bearing the brunt of the city's experiments. For instance, their street has been torn up for years while the local politicos put in a light rail line called "interstate light rail line" oddly enough considering Interstate is the road they
want to change into Cesar Chavez Blvd.As you may know, 94% of Multnomah County's growth in the past seven years is Latino and there's no question a large percentage of these new folks are illegally here. Paying homage to a Latino leader is part of showing the "tolerance" of Portland. Their allegiance in a future election probably wouldn't hurt, either. Since Oregon doesn't check citizenship when registering to vote and doesn't go back retroactively to check citizenship, no doubt a consolidation of this voting bloc is what the D's desire.
15 comments:
Does knowing that Chavez was anti illegal (and even much of the easy legal) immigration, from Mexico, make you more in favor of having a street named after him?
I am sure your mayor is aware of Chavez' views. It really doesn't take much research to uncover them.
He was trying to improve the working conditions of people, and a free flow of cheap replacement labor was not really something that helped his cause.
It is a street name, not high on my list of issues I care about.
The only reason Portland is renaming Interstate Ave for Cesar Chavez is because not even Mayor Moonbeam thinks he could get away with naming it after Hugo Chavez.
While a single act of renaming a street isn't all that important, when added to all the other acts in favor of illegal immigrants it becomes more important.
Whether or not Cesar was anti illegal immigration really has no bearing as those who have decided to pander to current illegals are the ones today turning a blind eye to it.
It wouldn't surprise me to one day see a proposal in Portland to rename something after Che Guevara.
Let's just be done with it and name it Larry Craig Boulevard.
Iago,
I'll call your Larry Craig and raise you: Craig isn't from here, either!
Lew,
I guess what I don't understand, is why naming a street after Chavez is about doing anything in favor of illegal immigration.
Chavez was not in favor of illegal immigration (or was he later? This is something I am not clear on.) At the time he was active in the fight for worker's rights, he saw easy immigration, legal and illegal, as detrimental to his cause.).
Chavez was not an illegal immigrant (or even an immigrant).
He was an individual, who made personal sacrifice to fight for the rights of a group of workers (legal workers).
So how is naming a street after Chavez, an act in favor of illegal immigration?
Lew, how does your wife feel about this. I am curious, because being of Mexican heritage herself, would possibly give her a different perspective. Does she see Chavez as a hero?
I see him as a hero, who is deserving of having a street named after him.
And it has nothing to do with my views on immigration.
Coboble, if we weren't pandering to illegals currently or fighting the efforts at amnesty, it might be that big of adeal to name something after Cesar Chavez. Maybe something new, though, not something that has stood a long time and was supposedly named in honor of someone or something else.
Could you or anyone else explain just what his connection to Portland, Oregon is, though?
Cesar Chavez is credited with beginning a Union for farmworkers which has become the United Farm Workers. Union workers get great benefits, in most jobs, and drive up the cost of our produce. At least, that is what we are told to justify why we need so many illegal immigrants, right?
Did he really do anything all that heroic if we must today justify allowing millions of illegals into the country to work at substandard pay and conditions because otherwise, our food costs too much?
As for my wife, she doesn't agree with the renaming and sees it as pandering to the growing Illegal Immigrant population. In fact, she said "that's ludicrous." But, we don't live in Portland, so what is done there doesn't always affect us as much as ya'll over there.
Incidentally, even though my remark about Che Guevara was flippant, what if our newly arrived Hispanics decided they wanted him honored?
What about our Vietnamese immigrants? What street should be named after what Prominent Vietnamese person to honor their culture?
Even the Russian immigrants, who do we rename a street after for them?
And, while we are at it, why can't a street be renamed after a Conservative Presdient in Portland? Aren't we entitled to some honors as well?
Lew: You have a great idea here. Let's rename I-84 from the Banfield Freeway to the Ho Chi Minh Trail after the North Vietnamese "hero", and the Sunset Highway (US26 through Beaverton) to Putin Parkway, and Marine Drive to Reagan Drive. Then to keep the black racists of Portland happy, we could change Grand Ave. to Jesse Jackson Ave. And to keep Taliban Tommy happy, we could change Sandy Blvd. to Anarchist Blvd.
What do you think??
Another thought: We could change the name of Interstate 5 to The Illegal Alien Road, so that Teddy the K wouldn't feel left out.
ok guys,
Will anyone tell me WHY naming a street after Chavez, is considered catering to illegal immigrants?
Is it because they (the illegal immigrant population) identifies with him (despite the fact he himself was not illegal, did not fight for rights of illegals, was anti illegal immigration and for stricter border control).
Do people identify with him out of ignorance?
Or is it me that is ignorant here.
Lew,
Just because Unions have gone corrupt (greed corrupts) doesn't make the concept bad; and doesn't mean that those who initially fought for them were not doing the right thing.
When it comes to naming streets I like numbers.
Numbers make sense.
Add a few letters for direction.
Then we can argue over the direction (i.e. does a street go North and South or South and North).
Coboble, look around you. Mexican flags are being flown over or instead of American flags. We are being asked to foot the bill for translating our election documents in languages for those here than refuse to learn our language. We have to pay for that. Why are we being expected to learn their language instead of them striving to learn ours?
And still, n one has explained to me how Puertotierra identifies with Cesar Chavez. Could it be that the illegal alien population does and Mayor Moonbeam is pandering to them?
Again, I'll ask, why only Hispanics? Why not rename everything in the city to reflect the diverse population Puertotierra has attained? Why not rename Puertotierra to Портленд? Or, danh từ?
What flag will the mayor finally decide to fly out side the Puertotierra municipalidad? Will that be next, coying Villagarosa of L.A. in saying he will govern by Mexico's laws?
And this is what your Mayor panders to?
Latino Congreso focuses on voting power
No, they don't want to vote for the betterment of America, but to grab power to Latino's.
Any guesses what comes next if they succeed?
I freaked when I read Esmeralda Bermudez's agit-prop:
Hunt for ID fraud hits Latinos
And wrote a letter to the editor... for all the good it will do.
The bullet points in this article are misrepresentative to the point of being propagandist.
Esmeralda Bermudez is calling all of us racists when it is Esmeralda Bermudez herself that is advocating for a race-based preferential excuse for "Latinos". They are not victims of racial-profiling as she implies but are simply the demographic that has to commit ID fraud.
The real "news" story is that a paltry 140 have been identified when there are estimated to be over 100,000 illegal aliens in Oregon. Recently the DMV was exposed as allowing an ex-employee to hand out 80,000 fraudulent Oregon drivers licenses. How many of those have been recovered? How many of those have been used to take benefits paid for by Oregon tax-payers? How many of those have voted?
I just moved from Salinas California.
Go to the Californian.com to see what has happened in a once wonderful city.
During the 70's I had encounters with Mr. Chavez and his group. Peaceful it wasn't. The farmworkers threw cans and bottles at cars passing by fields. The national guard was called in, locked arms and had rifles to protect local citizens.
The illegals and amnestized Mexicans don't really know the history of Chavez.
Salinas has libraries, schools, streets etc etc named Cesar Chavez.
San Fran renamed a major street (Army St.) Cesar Chavez after a major controversy.
Today's California has an article stating a local school district is going to Mexico to recruit 20 new teachers. Want your kids taught by Mexicans???
Hispanic street names do not belong in Oregon.
First it is changing the street names and next the city will slowly become Mexico like so many in Californa
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