Mexican-Americans In Iraq

In the summer of 2005 with thousands of Mexican Americans (as well as thousands of non-U.S. citizen Mexican nationals) fighting and dying in Iraq, the so-called Minutemen hunt Mexican workers along the border and harass them in locations as diverse as Southern California and eastern Tennessee. Hiding behind the issue of illegal immigration and tacitly supported by politicians like Arnold Schwartzenegger, the Minutemen join the long line of racist bullies who pockmark U.S. history. As Chicano Viet Nam vet Charley Trujillo puts it: "They call us Americans when they need us for a war. The rest of the time we're just dirty Mexicans." [CounterPunch]

This article reminds me of a documentary film I recently saw about a Mexican-American village once located in the heart of Los Angeles in a place called Chavez Ravine. The community was demolished against the wishes of the residents to make way for Dodger (baseball) Stadium. Some of the victims were Mexican-American soldiers who returned from overseas deployment at the end of the second World War only to find out that their homes were to be destroyed.

I also thought it was important to put into bold the text on the non-citizens that serve in the United States military. I'm sure most people aren't aware of this, but it's extremely important in any discussion about the people who are fighting and dying for the lies of the American government. I have a friend who was born in Latin-America and served in the US military. He didn't receive his citizenship until several years after his period of active duty was over. I just happened to be with him when he put in his final paperwork. I was shocked. In my ignorance I just assume that citizenship was automatic after a length of service. How wrong I was. This government seems to take far more than it gives.