Dear Editor,
The Mexican and Mexican-American charro community firmly
repudiates the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors decision to
continue raping and condemning our family-oriented, centuries old
equestrian tradition of the Charrer
Ãa.
Anti-Mexican-American vote on charros by county supervisors
Dear Editor,
The Mexican and Mexican-American charro community firmly repudiates the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors decision to continue raping and condemning our family-oriented, centuries old equestrian tradition of the CharrerÃa.
Despite our persistent efforts to provide the public servants with relevant information pertaining to existing animal welfare laws, copies of our own competition regulations, and the charro’s code of ethics, they accepted on Tuesday, Sept. 9, a six-month “study” that calls for the “development of an ordinance” that bans in unincorporated areas of the county the most Mexican suerte del charro or charro event of all: colas, tailing the bull or steer wrestling.
It is clear that the supervisors’ arbitrary and prejudiced anti-Mexican attack has not changed since Feb. 12, 2008, when they adopted a plan that called for a “study to reiterate” state law prohibiting cruelty to animals. Disturbingly, though, it only targeted the charro events. From its original intent – banning rodeos and circuses in unincorporated areas – the initiative was narrowed down before the audience to basically just finding Mexican charreadas questionable.
Every charro, adelita, horsewoman, and charreada aficionado thought it was a very unfair, unfounded and discriminatory attitude, particularly because even animal rights activists, like Mr. Eric Mills, from Action for Animals, based in Oakland, made it clear that “calf roping is harder on the animals than either manganas (catching wild mares by the front legs) or colas.”
“In the past 30 years I’ve spent many hours at all three of these questionable ‘entertainments,'” he said publicly. “Charreadas certainly have their problems (e.g., steer tailing and horse tripping). But I’ve seen far worse abuses in both circuses and rodeos. These two inherently cruel industries should not get a pass from the Board. It’s highly unfair to criticize only the Mexican rodeos.”
Now, after their sixth-month study, which for some reason did not include the presence of any of the supervisors or assigned investigators at a live charreada so he/she could corroborate, first-hand, what we’re all about, the main “recommendation” is banning colas, steer tailing or steer wrestling.
Did they honestly investigate or analyzed that there is a striking difference between a federated charro who must abide by the U.S. Mexican Federation of CharrerÃa Rulebook and an Argentinian gaucho, a Colombian llanero, a Peruvian chalán or morochuco Ayacuchano, a Chiliean huaso, a Bolivian boiadeiro, a Brazilian campaneiro, pantaneiro or vaqueiro, or a Hawaiian paniolo, who may be out there, somewhere, practicing a clandestine activity?
We sincerely doubt it, since it’s certainly not specified in their “study” or set of key “recommendations.” For us, this is extremely serious, because it certainly tell us how little or nothing the supervisors know about our Mexican-American cultural heritage, which century after century has had the same mission: taking proper care of animals and promoting family unity and camaraderie. Another major fact they are overlooking is that, thanks to the charro, vaquero, ranchero and cowboy, neither the cattle or equine population are on the verge of extinction. And it is thanks to horses and bovines that the cowboy, ranchero, vaquero and charro exist.
The Mexican and Mexican American Charro community, then, firmly repudiates the supervisors disposition to continue raping and condemning our family-oriented, centuries old equestrian tradition of the charrerÃa.
Guillermo Gracia Duarte, associate editor CharroUSA.com.
Columnist needs to put the U.S. Constitution in proper context
Dear Editor,
The article by Martin Cheek about Constitution Day (Sept. 12) was well written and interesting. However, he incorrectly mentions in his second paragraph that “The United State Constitution … giving us the freedom and the rights …”
The Declaration of Independence is correctly identified by Mr. Cheek as America’s primary founding document. The second paragraph declares in part that “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are … endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights, … that to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men …”
Our Constitution does not give us any rights. Neither did the men who wrote it. Had they given us those rights, they, or their successors could also take them away. Our Constitution was written to set up a new form of government, one with three branches, in order to dilute the power of those who would be its operators. It was designed purposely to enumerate and limit the powers of government. (Just count the number of times the word “no” appears in the document).
Outside of the normal functions of government, which were carefully listed, the main duty of the government was to protect our rights. As an afterthought, the writers of the Constitution added 10 amendments to lay out specifically what they thought the most important rights were. And in the Ninth Amendment, they wrote, to paraphrase, “Just because we didn’t write down any other rights doesn’t mean we the people don’t have them; and whatever they may turn out to be, don’t try to take them away from us.”
Jack B. Kazanjian, Gilroy
The one and only thing that was overlooked and completely ignored was the ANIMAL CRUELTY! The overwhelming majority of Hispanic descent condemn this type of cruelty to animals and furthermore find rodeos and charreadas offensive and demeaning to all Hispanic communities.
Bull fights are also defended as cultural traditions but were banned from the United States because for their inherent brutality and cruelty. Likewise, cock fights also are defended as a Hispanic, cultural tradition but where also banned in the United States for the same reason. Dog fights are also defended as a Hispanic cultural tradition but have also been banned in the United States for its inherent brutality and cruelty. Rodeos and Mexican Charreadas are also defended as cultural traditions and most be outlawed and banned for their inherently cruelty to the animals in them.
Culture and tradition can not be used as a pretext to excuse animal cruelty. The brutality of these events are just too overwhelming and incredible.
When you listen to animal scientists and ranchers experts, they all conclude that rodeos and charreadas are cruel. Ranchers do not allow the use of any of their animals for rodeos or charreadas because it harms them. None of the activities of rodeos are a practice in ranching. It is all done for the sake of greed and entertainment. And what a sick form of entertainment it is. Forcing domesticated, docile animals to endure fear, pain, broken bones, massive bruisings and even death just so that people can have a laugh? It is sick and revolting to allow this to continue.