Friday, June 4, 2010

LETTER: Rancher Questions Discrimnation

To the editor:
This letter concerns the article in the Mountain Mail on May 27, 2010.
I’ve lived and been a rancher in this county all my life. Many years ago in school and elsewhere the Hispanics were called Mexican and we were Anglos. After all these people were, as this country was, Mexico at one time. Some of them had some Spanish blood in them. All of a sudden they wanted to be called Mexican-American. Then it was Spanish-American, some Latino American, later Chicano and now Hispanic.
So now Charlie Wagner who is a SEC board member is being charged with discrimination by the Hispanic people.
Who is being discriminated against?
Check all the SEC workers and elected offices in Socorro County. If they are not 95 percent Hispanic names I’m mistaken.
There is nothing wrong with this, but I wonder which nationality is being discriminated against.
Charlie Wagner is just trying to carry out the wishes of the membership - and to stop all the freebies and payments that have been going on for years - to make our electric bills cheaper.
Donald Wolberg ran for the board with the same thoughts Charlie had. At least he told us that, but as soon as he got in, his stripes have changed and he seems to be working against the members.
I really don’t know for sure what the Mexican, Spanish, Latino, Mexican-American or Hispanic should be called.
Felix Martinez was an old time cowboy and a good one. We were drinking coffee one day and I asked him what in heck a Chicano was. His reply was, “I was born a Mexican am still a damn Mexican, and am proud of it. A Chicano was a low class Mexican.”
So you figure it out.
Before this letter I had more Hispanic friends and than Anglo. Maybe I still have.

Tom Kelly
Water Canyon

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