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El Laberinto, 1971-1987

SOMEONE IS CALLING YOU A WETBACK, AGAIN
(But this time it's a presidential candidate)

In case you missed it, the following article was printed in the Oct. 13 issue of The Daily Iowan. We felt it was important that you be aware of Hollings' actions -- many people missed this news article and it's probably safe to say it didn't get much national news coverage.
Hollings has since closed his Iowa campaign and will not be a candidate on the Democratic ticket during the Iowa caucuses in February. Good, we say; we think he should close his national campaign. It is inconceivable that a presidential candidate exhibit this type of racial prejudice -- what other stereotypical notions is he carrying around that haven't surfaced publicly? 
This should serve as a warning to all of us. Hispanics are being courted by all the candidates in this campaign. Our numbers are the greatest in those states that have the most electoral votes -- California, Texas, Illinois, Ohio, New York, and Florida. They're going to say a lot of sweet things to us, but we must be diligent in asking the hard questions. Many of the candidates have Hispanic "aides" in an effort to show they are "responsive" to our needs, like Hollings' Mr. Fernandez. Appearances obviously aren't everything. Exercise your right to vote, but be an intelligent voter. And to Mr. Fernandez we say, "Lo siento."

DES MOINES (UPI) - Sen. Ernest Hollings made "an unfortunate slip" in calling an opponent's supports "wetbacks," a comment likened to the verbal faux pas of Interior Secretary James Watt, a Hollings aid said Wednesday.
"We are not denying the senator did say it," said Ken Purcel, of the South Carolina senator's Des Moines campaign office. "The senator has apologized. He did not mean it in a racial sense."
Purcel said Hollings was using the term in reference to supporters of California S. Alan Cranston, who reportedly bused the people in from his home state to help his standing in a straw poll taken at a Democratic dinner.
Hollings had a last-place showing in the poll at the Jefferson-Jackson Day dinner in Des Moines last Saturday. Of the 6,000 Democrats at the dinner, Hollings got 14 votes.
"You had people from Missouri. You had wetbacks from California that came in here for Cranston ... It wasn't Iowans. and it was all bought and paid for. It was a fraud. One great, grand fraud," Hollings was quoted saying in an interview with the Des Moines Register following the dinner.
Hollings' press aid Mike Fernandez, apologizing for the senator, said, "In no way was he intending his comments to be about Mexican-Americans or Hispanics in general."
Purcel explained Hollings meant "wetbacks" in the sense that the people were brought across state lines.
________________________

MARIA MARTINEZ'S LOVING LEGACY

There are dreamers/
who never live/
to see their dreams/
fall into play./

Then there are those/
who have no dreams/
and only live/
day to day.

[emblem to right]

Maria Cano Martinez did not happen to fall into either of these categories. And until her death on August 29, 1983, she lived every day to fulfill all her dreams. Her main goal was to see that people have had the chance to be treated fairly, regardless of sex, race, or creed. Almost every day at University Hospital, Maria would serve as a Spanish Interpreter for the Hispanic patients, who could not speak English, to make sure they were treated properly. But Maria's concern for human rights did not end with the work day. Maria belonged to a number of minority advocate organizations.
In memory of Maria, the University if Iowa Chicano/Latino Alumni, Students and Amigos Foundation (C.A.S.A.) has established a Scholarship Fund in her name for the promotion of Chicano/Latino cultural understanding through scholarly or extracurricular activities. Through her efforts as the Spanish interpreter for the hospital, she worked hard to insure the rights of the Spanish-speaking people in Iowa. Maria did not only interpret languages with words and symbols, she interpreted them with love. "Her whole life was an interpretation of love," said the priest who delivered the sermon at her funeral mass.
In addition to her devotion as an interpreter, Maria was also a member of many human rights organizations which included the Pan American Club, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Image (a national organization concerning employment of Hispanics) and the Cuban Refugee Committee. Maria was

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SOMEONE IS CALLING YOU A WETBACK, AGAIN (But this time it's a presidential candidate) In case you missed it, the following article was printed in the Oct. 13 issue of The Daily Iowan. We felt it was important that you be aware of Hollings' actions -- many people missed this news article and it's probably safe to say it didn't get much national news coverage. Hollings has since closed his Iowa campaign and will not be a candidate on the Democratic ticket during the Iowa caucuses in February. Good, we say; we think he should close his national campaign. It is inconceivable that a presidential candidate exhibit this type of racial prejudice -- what other stereotypical notions is he carrying around that haven't surfaced publicly? This should serve as a warning to all of us. Hispanics are being courted by all the candidates in this campaign. Our numbers are the greatest in those states that have the most electoral votes -- California, Texas, Illinois, Ohio, New York, and Florida. They're going to say a lot of sweet things to us, but we must be diligent in asking the hard questions. Many of the candidates have Hispanic "aides" in an effort to show they are "responsive" to our needs, like Hollings' Mr. Fernandez. Appearances obviously aren't everything. Exercise your right to vote, but be an intelligent voter. And to Mr. Fernandez we say, "Lo siento." DES MOINES (UPI) - Sen. Ernest Hollings made "an unfortunate slip" in calling an opponent's supports "wetbacks," a comment likened to the verbal faux pas of Interior Secretary James Watt, a Hollings aid said Wednesday. "We are not denying the senator did say it," said Ken Purcel, of the South Carolina senator's Des Moines campaign office. "The senator has apologized. He did not mean it in a racial sense." Purcel said Hollings was using the term in reference to supporters of California S. Alan Cranston, who reportedly bused the people in from his home state to help his standing in a straw poll taken at a Democratic dinner. Hollings had a last-place showing in the poll at the Jefferson-Jackson Day dinner in Des Moines last Saturday. Of the 6,000 Democrats at the dinner, Hollings got 14 votes. "You had people from Missouri. You had wetbacks from California that came in here for Cranston ... It wasn't Iowans. and it was all bought and paid for. It was a fraud. One great, grand fraud," Hollings was quoted saying in an interview with the Des Moines Register following the dinner. Hollings' press aid Mike Fernandez, apologizing for the senator, said, "In no way was he intending his comments to be about Mexican-Americans or Hispanics in general." Purcel explained Hollings meant "wetbacks" in the sense that the people were brought across state lines. ________________________ MARIA MARTINEZ'S LOVING LEGACY There are dreamers/ who never live/ to see their dreams/ fall into play./ Then there are those/ who have no dreams/ and only live/ day to day. [emblem to right] Maria Cano Martinez did not happen to fall into either of these categories. And until her death on August 29, 1983, she lived every day to fulfill all her dreams. Her main goal was to see that people have had the chance to be treated fairly, regardless of sex, race, or creed. Almost every day at University Hospital, Maria would serve as a Spanish Interpreter for the Hispanic patients, who could not speak English, to make sure they were treated properly. But Maria's concern for human rights did not end with the work day. Maria belonged to a number of minority advocate organizations. In memory of Maria, the University if Iowa Chicano/Latino Alumni, Students and Amigos Foundation (C.A.S.A.) has established a Scholarship Fund in her name for the promotion of Chicano/Latino cultural understanding through scholarly or extracurricular activities. Through her efforts as the Spanish interpreter for the hospital, she worked hard to insure the rights of the Spanish-speaking people in Iowa. Maria did not only interpret languages with words and symbols, she interpreted them with love. "Her whole life was an interpretation of love," said the priest who delivered the sermon at her funeral mass. In addition to her devotion as an interpreter, Maria was also a member of many human rights organizations which included the Pan American Club, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Image (a national organization concerning employment of Hispanics) and the Cuban Refugee Committee. Maria was