Jose Garcia De Laua Quotes
We call it taco politics. They [U. S. Gobvernment officials] come to us, speaking Spanish, offering Hispanic rhetoric. But they're not really getting down to specifics of the problems we have.
Jose Garcia De Laua, President, LULAC, Quoted in USA Today, November 3, 1988
Sourced by: Eigen's Political and Historical Quotations
He was speaking metaphorically here. Literally dreaming in English is not his requirement. What is required is an outlook, perception, value system, and national identity that is American. Lack of English language proficiency makes that much harder to achieve.
This quotation became a very polarizing stimulus in the country with anti-immigration people using it in support of their program to restrict immigration and with liberals and Hispanic groups who saw the quotation as a discriminatory unfounded charge.
He was referring to the fact that the Spaniards had not only explored but settled much of America before the English settlers ever came. When Americans came to Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado and California, the Hispanics were already there and had been for some time. Spanish was the language of all these states before they were states and of many of the residents after they had become states. When the United States bought New Mexico and Arizona from Mexico, Spanish was the principle language in those territories. Those that would argue that immigrants should not bring new languages to America have little knowledge of history. Spanish was spoken in much of America long before anyone ever said a word in English.
Lame was not opposed to civil rights as some who read this quotation sometimes conclude. He did think that much of the lack of success of minorities in America could be ameliorated by many self-improvement and individual efforts. His reference to destroying America, was an interesting rhetorical technique of assuming that what you advocate is not implemented and showing that it leads to disaster. Phrased this way, it gets and focuses the attention of an audience.
