*One of the claims is that the Koch brothers are funding events – turkey giveaway’s, flu shots, English classes – in order to gather Latino voter data. VL
A liberal group on Friday charged the conservative Libre Initiative with promoting the interests of billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch “at the expense of Latinos and their families.”
The left-leaning Latino Victory Project, which describes itself as a nonpartisan political group that “builds power in the Latino community,” provided The Hill with a report to be released Friday slamming LIBRE.
“The Kochs’ transparent ploy to deceive Latinos with Libre is shameful,” said Eddie Vale, Vice President of American Bridge 21st Century. “They’re organizing Latinos against their own self-interests for the benefit of the billionaires’ agenda.”
The 45-page report, titled “¿Cómo se dice ‘Koch Front Group?’ Answer: LIBRE Initiative,” enumerates accusations against Libre on everything from social and economic issues to political affiliations.
Originally published in 1928, and written by journalist Daniel Venegas, Don Chipote is an unknown classic of American literature, dealing with the phenomenon that has made this nation great: immigration. It is the bittersweet tale of a greenhorn who abandons his plot of land (and a shack full of children) in Mexico to come to the United States and sweep the gold up from the streets. Together with his faithful companions, a tramp named Pluticarpio and a dog called Suffering Hunger, Don Chipote (whose name means “bump on the head”) stumbles from one misadventure to another.
Along the way, we learn what the Southwest was like during the 1920s: how Mexican laborers were treated like beasts of burden, and how they became targets for every shyster and lowlife looking to make a quick buck. The author, himself a former immigrant laborer, spins his tale using the Chicano vernacular of that time. Full of folklore and local color, this is a must-read for scholars, students and those interested in the historical and economic roots—as well as with the humor—of the Southwestern Hispanic community. Ethriam Cash Brammer, a young poet and scholar, provides a faithful English translation, while Dr. Nicolás Kanellos offers an accessible, well-documented introduction to this important novel he discovered in 1984.
By Rafael Bernal, The Hill
