Alexandro Jose Gradilla, Cal State Fullerton Professor, Helps Smack Down Ruben Navarrette Over Olympic Mexi Flag Flap

By Gabriel San Roman Tue., Aug. 14 2012 at 3:30 PM

leomanzano.com

The 2012 Olympics in London have concluded with a snooze fest of a closing ceremony that could only have been salvaged by the talents of professional British flatulist Mr. Methane, but uproar continues over a silver medalist and his flags.

A week ago Leo Manzano crossed the finish line winning a silver medal in the Men's 1,500-meter final posting the fastest time ever for a runner from the U.S. and A.

The former undocumented immigrant who came from Mexico at the age of four took hold of the stars and stripes for his victory celebration in one hand and the Mexican flag in the other. The gesture left Know Nothings and brown clowns aghast alike.

The image gave CNN contributor Ruben Navarette, Jr. an upset stomach as he wrote in a recent, much read article, (get some sal de uvas!) but not before Cal State Fullerton Chicana & Chicano Studies Chair Alexandro Gradilla helped pen an open letter to the columnist calling him out!

Navarrette was besides himself on Facebook basking in the glory of how many comments were being racked up within the first few hours of his Friday write-up on the issue. The oversimplified tome somehow gave Oscar De La Hoya a pass for his "symbolic" 1992 two-flag salute after winning the gold medal for boxing in Barcelona while lambasting Manzano, who was actually born in Mexico, for doing the same. It was the kind of fluff that gets xenophobes all hot and bothered!

Chairman Gradilla and Washington State profe David J. Leonard lapped Navarrette running circles around him yesterday as guest contributors for the Racialicious blog. Their much-more substantive dissection looks at U.S. neoliberal policies in Mexico and outlines the hard struggles Manzano's family endured before his talent for running landed him upon the world stage.

The best take down that the CNN contributor is going to have trouble with, though, is when Gradilla and Leonard point out that U.S. citizens, ones who are even born here, don't just raise flags of other countries, but actively compete for them like when former LA Clipper Center Chris Kaman joined Dirk Nowitzki in suiting up for the German basketball team in the 2008 Beijing Games! Milorad Čavić, a swimmer from Anaheim, represented Serbia in 2012. Selective outrage, much?

Navarrette posted the Racialicious piece laughing it all off while lampooning its content later writing that the only lazy people were his critics. If that's the case, why be a huevón and not get to work contending with the open letter in a serious manner?

Until then, Navarrette will continue thinking his last place finish is really a victory lap complete with the adoring throwing confetti along the way!

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Tags:

2012 Olympics, Alexandro Gradilla, David J. Leonard, Leo Manzano, Racialicious, Ruben Navarette

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ageofknowledge

Excellent. Kudos to Gradilla for stating the obvious. Dual citizenship is a cover for the seditious and needs to be eliminated once and for all. I can imagine the damage such people can do to our country in politically important positions. Turning over military secrets, compromising national security, working for the interests of other countries, etc... Confused athletes that aren't sure which country they are representing in the Olympics is at the bottom of the list but telling nonetheless.

As a Cold War veteran, I've never seen such a stupid crop of American politicians (or citizens) in my lifetime to allow the raw exploitation and sell out of the U.S. for personal gain to foreign interests. No generation of Americans, except this present one, has ever engaged in such things to the degree we see today. I wouldn't have even though it possible in 1990 but have lived to see it nonetheless.

mcela

1 Like

Navarrette's column was asinine at best. His smug self-congratulatory behavior since the post is nauseating. I'd say it upsets my stomach, but I'm not a pudgy little mama's boy.

Mitchell_Young

2 Like

Dirk is German. Kaman chose his side. This is BS --- if the guy wanted to run for Mexico he should have done so. Instead, Americans paid for his schooling, etc, against their will, and he slaps us in the face.

I've got a great idea for Manzano -- go back to your country and help with their athletic performance. We really don't need you here.

gabrielsanroman topcommenter

@Mitchell_Young Yeah! What's Manzano good for? He only posted the fastest time in the event ever for the U.S. and won the silver for the first time in 44 years! Send him back!

Mitchie, I'm a baller. I know Dirk is German. But really, that's all you got to sayabout Kaman?

Mitchell_Young

@gabrielsanroman Quick, who was the silver medalist in the 1500 in 2004? 2008?

Nobody gives a shit, really.

RacistMoronSlayer

@Mitchell_Young I have a much better idea. Go drown yourself, you bigoted POS.

ageofknowledge

@RacistMoronSlayer

If you were just a moron slayer, then you'd have to commit suicide.

ageofknowledge

@Mitchell_Young

We should insist that if the immigrant who comes here does in good faith become an American and assimilates himself to us he shall be treated on an exact equality with every one else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed or birth-place or origin.

But this is predicated upon the man's becoming in very fact an American and nothing but an American. If he tries to keep segregated with men of his own origin and separated from the rest of America, then he isn't doing his part as an American.

There can be no divided allegiance here. . . We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language, for we intend to see that the crucible turns our people out as Americans, of American nationality, and not as dwellers in a polyglot boarding-house; and we have room for but one soul loyalty, and that is loyalty to the American people.

-Teddy Roosevelt.

GustavoArellano moderator editortopcommenter

4 Like

@Mitchell_Young US obviously does, since I don't see any gaba placing silver in middle distance, pendejo!

Mitchell_Young

@GustavoArellano Dude, Ryan Steven Lochte alone matched the medal count of every single 'Hispanic Surnamed' US Olympian. I'm not even talking Phelps

http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=ryan+lochte&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

http://isteve.blogspot.com/2012/08/spanish-surnamed-us-medal-winners-5-out.html

And yes, I know Lochte's mother is Cuban. That makes it all the sweeter.

Mitchell_Young

@GustavoArellano Actually Ryun got a silver too. And later became a Republican Congressman.

GustavoArellano moderator editortopcommenter

@Mitchell_Young Typical skinhead spin...I wasn't talking about all Olympic medals, but specifically Manzano's event (won long ago by Jim Ryun, the kind of gabacho you love to lionize but is long gone because of pendejos like you). But nice to know you'd let the U.S. burn into irrelevancy if it meant the preservation of Whites! Thank God your kind ain't reproducing worth shit...