Targets
Pat Buchanan
La Raza Campaigns to
Push Critics Off the Air
he
leader of one of the country's most powerful corporate-funded
Hispanic advocacy groups called for suppression of debate
on immigration and denounced criticism of Hispanics as "unacceptable
in a democratic society."
In a letter designed to mobilize supporters nationwide to
pressure television networks, the president and CEO of the
openly racist National Council of La Raza demanded that
immigration restrictionists such as author and columnist
Patrrick Buchanan be barred from television programs. Signed
by La Raza President Janet Murguia, the letter urged supporters
to send petitions to television network executives telling
them to stop "politicizing the immigration debate at
the expense of the Latino community."
Buchanan is the author of recent books that strongly criticize
America's open immigration policies, and has called for
a moratorium on immigration. Two of the books, State
of Emergency and Death of the West were national
best-sellers.
Murguia says that Buchanan's appearance on CNN to plug his
books is one example that illustrates "how the immigration
debate has led to inhumane and degrading treatment of immigrants,
including millions of Hispanic Americans," and urges
readers to help stop what she calls "the current Hispanic
hate atmosphere in the country."
The letter raises disturbing questions about the role of
giant U.S. corporations in a major assault on America's
tradition of free speech and open debate. La Raza's activities
are openly underwritten by some of America's largest and
most well-known corporations. La Raza says those corporate
donors are "partners" in its strategy. According
to La Raza's web site, many corporations have pledged what
La Raza calls "multiyear, multimillion-dollar commitments"
on behalf of the group's "long-term strategic efforts."
La Raza calls those donors its "institutional corporate
partners," and they include such wealthy companies
as The Allstate Corporation, Wal Mart Stores, Inc., Bank
of America, The Coca Cola Company, Ford Motor Company, General
Motors Corporation, State Farm Insurance Companies, UPS,
and others.
Other corporations, described by La Raza as "corporate
programmatic supporters" are also called "partners"
in activities that include "civil rights and advocacy."
Those corporations include Toyota Motor Corporation, Wells
Fargo & Company, Eli Lilly and Company, Pfizer Global
Pharmaceuticals, The Home Depot, Inc., Exxon Mobil Corporation,
Verizon Communications, American Express, GEICO, State Farm
Insurance, Microsoft Corporation, and many others.
Besides bankrolling La Raza's campaign to cleanse broadcast
outlets of opposing viewpoints, La Raza's corporate partners
are also comfortable with the rest of the group's radical
agenda. That includes amnesty for all illegal aliens, affirmative
action for Hispanic workers, foreign language ballots to
make it easier for foreigners to vote, and reduced tuition
rates for illegal aliens who want to attend college.
