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December 1, 2004

Posted 1:10 AM Eastern

NewsWithViews.com

The National Council of La Raza, meaning "the race" (NCLR) and the National Association of Hispanic Publications (NAHP) have announced their endorsement for White House Counsel Alberto Gonzales to succeed current Attorney General John Ashcroft who announced his departure earlier this month. This nomination may run into some stumbling blocks. Alberto Gonzales served on the Board of Directors of one of La Raza's affiliates, the Association for the Advancement of Mexican Americans (AAMA) in Houston.

Jesus Lopez, who immigrated legally to the United States, resents the agenda being pushed by groups like La Raza. He's also upset that a possible Attorney General like Gonzales would associate with what Lopez calls "racist organizations who want to take back the borders states through invasion, promote open borders, voting for illegal aliens, driver's licenses for illegal aliens and an official proclamation of sorts for their own culture." Lopez said he and his family had to wait their turn to legally enter the United States and they are proud to be Americans first and says organizations like La Raza don't want to promote harmony but are militant.

Last month, Michele Waslin, a policy analyst for the National Council of La Raza stated that giving licenses to undocumented immigrants doesn't weaken national security. "Giving people licenses means making our roads safer. . . We don't think issuing driver's licenses should be based on immigration status. People at (the Department of Motor Vehicles) are not immigration agents," said Waslin.

Opponents of Gonzales' find his affiliation with these groups troubling and encourage people to read the web sites of organizations like La Raza (search) and the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF) (search). They charge that these organizations are demanding national holidays based on Mexican cultural figures, public school instruction and all state and federal government services in Spanish as well as Spanish being recognized as at least "co-equal" with English - except in predominately Hispanic areas where they want Spanish to be the official language as well as "taking back the border states."

Mario Obledo, co-founder of (MALDEF), considered one of the premier Hispanic activist organizations, stated in June 1998, "California is going to become a Hispanic state and anyone who doesn't like it should go back to Europe. Eventually we will take over all the political institutions of California."

MALDEF enjoys contributions from very prestigious foundations, companies and universities, i.e. The Ford Foundation, Fannie Mae Foundation, San Antonio Spurs, The Rockefeller Foundation, State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company, Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc., Department of Water and Power, City of Los Angeles, Chicago Tribune Foundation, Chrysler Fund, Citibank, Walgreen's, Washington Mutual, Wells Fargo Bank, St. Mary's University, California State University Foundation.

While MALDEF hasn't come out and endorsed Gonzales, their press release said, "..we are encouraged by this development,' Immigration reform organizations are concerned that Gonzales' close relationship with organizations like La Raza will impact his ability to serve as Attorney General, the top law enforcement officer in the country.

Gonzales' position on affirmative action is also a bone of contention with conservatives: Gonzales fully supports allowing universities to consider an applicant's race in order to promote diversity on college campuses.

Pro-life organizations are already up in arms about President Bush's nomination of Gonzales. "As a Texas Supreme Court justice, Gonzales' rulings implied he does not view abortion as a heinous crime," said Judie Brown, president of the American Life League, in a written statement. Ms. Brown went on to say in her statement, "...choosing not to rule against abortion, in any situation, is the epitome of denying justice for an entire segment of the American population -- pre-born babies in the womb."

During his tenure on the Court, Gonzales ruled with the other justices that some teenage girls should be able to get an abortion without parental permission. His ruling in part said, "While the ramifications of such a law may be personally troubling to me as a parent, it is my obligation as a judge to impartially apply the laws of this state without imposing my moral view on the decisions of the legislature."

Orrin Hatch, [R-UT], who is the outgoing Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman called Gonzales a "great personal friend" and an "excellent choice" for attorney general.

In the recent presidential debates Bush said, "What he's asking me is, will I have a litmus test for my judges? And the answer is no, I will not have a litmus test. I will pick judges who will interpret the Constitution, but I'll have no litmus test." In an LA Times interview in 2001, Gonzales, when was asked if his personal view of abortion would have any affect on his selection process for judges, he replied, "There are no litmus tests for judicial candidates. ... "

President Bush has praised Gonzales as "a close friend," and said during the announcement ceremony, ""His sharp intellect and sound judgment have helped shape our policies in the war on terror."

Washington insiders and political pundits agree that the confirmation hearings could get quite contentious.

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Mario Obledo, co-founder of (MALDEF), considered one of the premier Hispanic activist organizations, stated in June 1998, "California is going to become a Hispanic state and anyone who doesn't like it should go back to Europe.