Skin Tone Dispute Erupts In Congressional Race

Hispanic organizer castigates los dos amigos conservative in letter to the editor

Sooner or later, it was bound to happen. Racial resentment reared its ugly head in the District 17 race for U.S. Representative.

A veteran political operative named Aguilar printed a letter to the editor in the Spanish weekly, “El Tiempo,” accusing a fellow Hispanic-surnamed individual of thinking he's better than his darker-complexioned brethren of Aztec descent because he is what is known in the barrio as a huero – a light-skinned Hispanic man of European descent.

Bill Flores calculates that he is a ninth-generation Texican. According to his family tree, the progeny of Mr. Flowers, un vaquero del llano estacado, got a toe-hold long before the Scots-Irish component of the Tennessee and North Carolina mountain tribes filed in for the land grab of 1836 following the ignominious siege at the shrine of the Alamo and the slaughter at the Mission of Goliad.

Mr. Flores is light-skinned, ergo, reasons his antagonist, he must be of Spanish descent and be possessed of an attitude of superiority based on that fact alone.

He was no easier on Abel Reyna, Republican contender for Criminal District Attorney who is campaigning to unseat long-term prosecutor John W. Segrest. He misspelled his name, "Able," and tarred him with the same brush, making a remark about playing golf and other GOP trademarks.

And if that wasn't enough, he roped in the Tea Party, characterizing it as racist and resembling the Ku Klux Klan. I got news for Sr. Aguilar. The KKK is solidly southern Democrat, an old timey organization known for lynching Republicans, no matter their ethnic origin. Look it up. Start with General Nathan Bedford Forrest. They gon' tell you down in Dixie, amigo.

The rest of the diatribe resembles the brand of fear and loathing you can hear on any stoop from the Bronx to the capital of fruits and nuts, Los Angeles nigh Tinseltown, California.

You will find the letter reproduced in the Hispanic political club website, GOP Is For Me.com, or in the current edition of “El Tiempo,” published at Waco.

It's all about how Mr. Flores is against veterans benefits and health care programs for the poor, his being hard on people who are out of work, etc. Reading through the letter a second time, the glaring fact that jumps out at you is this. This man is scared to death he's going to lose something if Bill Flores is elected over the incumbent, Representative Chet Edwards. Shoot, y'all, they're both Aggies. What does that tell you?

Be all that as it may, it's a sad event to behold when the politics of racial disharmony rears its ugly head among the members of any community, no matter their ethnicity, be it flavored with chili and tamales or corn beef and cabbage, soul food or pheasant under glass.

The truth is this amongst Texicans – our pappies all got here as quickly as they could. Most of them came running. They knew what they were after and it's here - with plenty to go around for those who will get down in the dirt and scuffle for it. Our bunch started off with a bang. They stole it fair and square!

It doesn't matter how your people got here because once you're here, participating in that age-old quid pro quo, the status quo of the mess we done got ourselves into now, it's all about if - and nothing in between. We are all side by each in this durned old struggle of scratch, bite and fight for what resources are available.

Gig'em!