Mexican Students Raise Mexican Flag at Montebello H.S.

There is a series of pictures on the internet showing Mexican students hoisting a Mexican flag up a flag pole at the Montebello H.S. in California during a strudent protest against immigration reform. An e-mailed response...

Yup, the event took place and clearly angry protest, of any kind, can create "bad publicity" for ANY movement or public response, when supporters run amok, especially among student protesters at this anti-immigration reform rally, as per your e-mail.


Progressive and Conservative movements have to constantly defend the "bad conduct" of their supporters all the time...ask the Tea Party Movement; they would certainly understand bad behavior by some of their more "demonstrative" supporters and struggle, like all movements, to defend the actions of supporters who are not media-savvy. It's a constant pain for professional staff members of all movements. Remember John McCain's retort to a supporter who called Obama a Muslim during a town-hall meeting?

I would however like to share a view from Mexico, since I live in Mexico.

There are over a million ex-pats (mostly retired Americans) living in Mexico (Alaska...600,000 population) and I live in the largest ex-pat community. After a year, I am surprised at the number of Americans, after living here for 20 years, who have never tried to learn Spanish. And today being Cinco de Mayo, I am surprised at the number of Americans who hoist up the U.S. flag, especially on the 4th of July.

When it happens here, there is no commotion or remarks, in fact, our plaza, in town, has a Mexican, Canadian and U.S. flag waving.

In the end, the ugly "Nativist" movements in America (read anti-Catholic, Italian, Irish immigrant, etc.) have been part of our national DNA since the days of our Founding Fathers. These were not our proudest moments...

I often times ask my ex-pats friends here why we don't practice here in Mexico, what we insist upon immigrants in the U.S. You would think what's good for the goose is good for the gander.

Just a thought...Paz!