HispanicVista Columnists

The Hijacking of Ward Connerly, Rupert Murdoch and John Moores

By Raoul Lowery Contreras/HispanicVista.com

May 30, 2005

The word “hijacking” brings to mind Arab fanatics taking airliners and crashing them into the World Trade Center.

The word “hijacking” also brings to mind those among us who “hijack” well intentioned movements in the United States to further their own causes even as their own causes are evil and anti-American.

Take the case of Ward Connerly and his efforts to promote a “color blind society” through California ballot propositions. One can argue that Ward Connerly is a pawn of racist whites in their efforts to revive the America of the Fifties.  In the Fifties, most Blacks couldn’t vote, they couldn’t work except at menial jobs and they couldn’t get bank loans to buy homes in “Black” neighborhoods.

On the other hand, there are those, myself included who know Ward Connerly and know that he is sincere in his efforts and beliefs.  One has to wonder, however, if all his supporters are as sincere in their beliefs of a “color blind society.”

Connerly’s non-profit civil rights organization was sued when he refused to name contributors to his organization, then funneled those funds to support his latest effort to convince the people of California, Proposition 54 which the people resoundingly turned down.  It would have eliminated those little boxes on loan, college and employment applications that applicants must mark to indicate race or ethnicity. Connerly’s position was the state has no right to classify people by race.

This proposition can be argued on both sides and was; the people turned it down. End of story, right? No.

Now comes Connerly’s settlement of the lawsuit in which he agreed to pay almost $100,000 in fines and to release the names of his financial donors.  Two come to mind immediately: Press magnate, former Australian, Rupert Murdoch and half-a-billionaire San Diego Padre owner and University of California Regent, John Moores.

I don’t know Rupert Murdoch. We have no idea why Murdoch supports Connerly’s efforts.  Australians are not noteworthy for their support of “people of color.”

I do know John Moores.  I do not know why he contributed $400,000 to Connerly that was used in the Proposition 54 campaign. I haven’t asked him, nor will I.  However, he has publicly challenged the admission of “less-than-qualified” students to the University of California.  Thus, there appears to be a connection between his public position on college admissions and doing away with racial classification boxes on applications.

So, has Ward Connerly been hijacked by evil people?  I don’t think Murdoch or Moores are evil by any stretch. 

However, when other Connerly supporters rant in support of him and his causes and quote Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the text of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, a man and a law they vehemently opposed in the 60s, we must look to motives.  These people are generally racist fanatics and evil with long histories of opposing any racial equality.  Some still claim the Constitution’s 14th Amendment wasn’t even properly approved.  Thus, they argue, it shouldn’t be enforced.  These same people demand that Mexicans, men and women and child Mexicans, be machine-gunned at the border when they cross the border.  Others call Mexicans a “cancer” in the heart of America. 

Connerly, Murdoch and Moors should make it clear they have nothing to do with these people.

These same people try to call up deceased founder of the United Farm Workers Union Cesar Chavez. He called for strict enforcement of the border to keep Mexican nationals out of the American farm work force so his union could grow and control agriculture.  Chavez did very little for his Mexican American people; his efforts were restricted to building a union, not to bettering the lives of the 95% of Mexican Americans who are urban not rural agricultural people.

Nonetheless, certain among us point o Chavez like he is a saint, a saint who called for strict border enforcement and deportation of illegals.  The truth is Chavez’ goons criminally attacked and killed Mexican farm workers not because they were here illegally, but because they wouldn’t join his union.

The current strain of Mexican haters and illegal alien critics appear to worship Chavez and his border views as they double up in supporting Ward Connerly’s efforts towards a “color blind society.”  The truth is these people despise Chavez and civil rights and support Connerly for their own ends. 

These people advocate killing men, women and children for the “crime” of crossing the border—a misdemeanor. These people argue that the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments to the Constitution are illegal and should be rejected. These people are provably evil.  Ward Connerly, Rupert Murdoch and John Moores are provably not evil.  I just wish they would be more selective on the political issues they support to make sure they are not “hijacked” by evil people doing evil things in the political marketplace.

Contreras’s newest book—THE ILLEGAL ALIEN: A DAGGER INTO THE HEART OF AMERICA published by Floricanto Press is available and reviewed at www.amazon.com and www.barnesandnoble.com Contact at: sdraoul@att.net