Arnold Schwartzenneger with advise for Mexicans: Don't watch Spanish Television! quezada.net Racism taints Texas justice James Harrington, GUEST COLUMNIST Texans recently received yet another startling reminder of a lingering racism that still infects the judicial system of the Lone Star State. In June, our highest criminal law court, the Court of Criminal Appeals, made the astonishing announcement that a Smith county judge had the authority to jail a family man, Aristeo Lara Flores, rather than to grant him probation, because he spoke only Spanish. Then, late last month, Amarillo District Judge Samuel Kiser amazingly accused Martha Laureano of child abuse because she conversed with her 5-year-old daughter in only Spanish, "relegating her to the position of housemaid," causing her to be "ignorant." It's difficult to cast the judge's comments, during a hearing on a custody arrangement between the girl's mother and father, as anything short of racism. His words are too far outside the realm of reality and decency to reflect anything but crass stereotyping. How can it be child abuse for a mother to talk with her little daughter in the language with which she grew up? As in the Flores case, this judge interposed his personal bias to the detriment of a loving and nurturing family situation. Indeed, Laureano's performance with regard to her daughter's two older siblings is admirable. They do well in school and obviously benefit from a supportive mother. The girl's father ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXhNXGJQTDQ&hl=en
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