Replies

Jeb Bush’s claim - based on marriage

Elizabeth Warren’s claim - based on family lore that somebody in her lineage was an Indian

Jeb Bush’s claim is based on being married to a Mexican, a person who is clearly entitled to claim to be Hispanic. Also, Jeb is the father of their children, who are also clearly entitled to claim to be Hispanic. I don’t know how many generations this Hispanic thing continues. A century ago when the country was hot and bothered about non-WASP Europeans coming here, identifying people as Italian-Americans or Polish-Americans or whatever generally ended with the children of immigrants.

The proper analogy is not to Elizabeth Warren, who had no claim to being a Native American, but would be to Sarah Palin, if she were to claim to be a Native Alaskan. Sarah is married to a Native Alaskan, and mother to their children. This is another case where Sarah is proven to be correct in not confusing relations by marriage with her own identity. Funny how, time and again, the common sense of the people of this country wins out over the supposedly greater intelligence of the elites.

A similar issue might be raised with regard to Mitt Romney. Mitt’s father, George Romney, was born in Mexico. George’s father (Mitt’s grandfather) and his wives relocated to that country as they were polygamists, and he would been forced to divorce all but one after the federal government imposed itself on Utah. But, the Romney clan did not assimilate into the Mexican culture, nor seek Mexican citizenship. Rather, they lived in a Mormon enclave, and retained U.S. citizenship. As the son of U.S. citizens, George Romney was a natural-born U.S. citizen himself, and there was no real question as to his qualification for U.S. President back in 1968 when he sought the Republican nomination. Today, the cousins of Mitt Romney in Mexico are Mexicans. But, George Romney and by extension Mitt Romney were not. Mitt was correct to never assert that he was Hispanic.

Getting back to squaw Warren, if family lore is sufficient to establish an identity, then practically every white whose family goes back to before the U.S. Civil War could claim to be an Indian. Especially, white Southerners. Many white people believe they are “part Cherokee” or whatever. Possibly it is true. Perhaps the keenest example is President Calvin Coolidge who claimed to be one-eighth Cherokee.

I’m o.k. with people entertaining themselves with whatever they want to believe. They could believe in reincarnation for all I care. But, why that should mean anything in terms of college admission, employment, or any of our civil rights, I cannot understand. It was a long time ago that the Supreme Court said that blacks were the victims of “insidious discrimination,” and so justified a degree of affirmative action. But, that was a long time ago. Today, they are simply the worst victims of the U.S. welfare state. And why certain immigrants and their progeny - those who are Hispanic - are given preferences to native born Americans just galls me to no end. It is just so unfair.