Fitz on MAS

by David Safier

I sometimes wonder, does Truth sneak into Fitz's office and hand him unmarked envelopes, or does he go out, Diogenes-like, searching for an Honest Moment? I favor the Diogenes scenario, though I don't discount the power of "Where the hell did that come from?" inspiration.

Today's moment of truth: What did you know about TUSD's Mexican-American Studies program before 2006 when Delores Huerta said, during a school assembly, "Republicans hate Latinos"? If you're like me, you knew little or nothing, and didn't think about it much. "TUSD has a Mexican-American Studies program? Makes sense." It was only when Paton, then Horne, then Bill O'Reilly, then the entire right wing turned these three words into a hate-raising, fundraising, rightwing-electing machine that the whole anti-MAS controversy was ginned up. They played it for all it was worth,and more. Anyone who thinks this has been a thoughtful, legitimate discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of the MAS program needs to remember its origins.

But let me defer to Fitz, who said it better than I can in today's column in the Star.

Dolores Huerta will receive the President's Medal of Freedom award. The 82-year-old civil-rights advocate co-founded the United Farm Workers of America with Cesar Chavez and has devoted her life to social and economic justice.

Six years ago her visit to Tucson High School roused controversy when she said, "Republicans hate Latinos." As I remember it, Jonathan Paton said, "That's not true. I'm a Republican. I don't hate Latinos. I hate Latinas. Specifically, one named Dolores."

Fox News announced that Paton will receive the Freedom From Speech Award for "his amazing ability to milk this issue for all it was worth back in 2006 – all the way to windy public hearings, attempts to stifle free expression in schools and right-wing national media appearances. He used Dolores like a farmworker uses a short-handled hoe to break new ground in feigned indignation and he never broke a sweat."