OC Blog

Nativo Lopez Shrinking From The Light

Steve Lowery at OC Weekly did some follow-up on my story about Nativo Lopez's labors to entertwine MAPA with the bloody underground sport of cockfighting. Mr. Lowery reports that the attention attracted by my post and Gustavo's coverage have had an effect:

Though it’s difficult to question the logic of a person/weather system who believes that laws regarding a “sport” where small animals outfitted with tiny razors fight to the death amount to “atrocities,” the fact is that MAPA may have already retrenched from its earlier, Lopez-inspired position of support. Apparently Arellano and Jubal’s pieces made it around the Internet. Now the MAPA website, which once called SB156 “unnecessary” and “mean-spirited,” does not mention cockfighting at all.

Larry Lopez

A little more Larry loathing: Race Baiting 2.0 : Complete with embedded virus.

Bill Saracino On Nativo Lopez

Bill Saracino is an old GOP hand in Sacramento who has been writing and politicking for the good guys since the 1970s. He often writes for the venerable California Political Review, which prior to the rise of the blogosphere was one of the very few outlets for conservative opinion in the Golden State.

In any case, Bill recently wrote a column on one of my pet peeves, Orange County's race-baiting (and cockfight-promoting) Nativo Lopez. While I realize Nativo is currently in a reduced state politically, I also believe you don't wait until the cancer has metastasized before taking action. I think Bill shares that opinion.

Nativo's Santa Monica Soulmate

Larry Elder has a great column on his website. He discusses OC's own Nativo Lopez, but what really grabbed me was this quote from a Nativo-clone who's a member of the Santa Monica school board -- a guy named Oscar de la Torre:

A self-described activist, de la Torre runs the Pico Youth and Family Center. He also tells students—not in so many words—to think of themselves as victims. When an early effort for a new city youth-violence prevention program failed, de la Torre said, “Santa Monica is a liberal bastion, but it's all ‘save the whales,' and let the blacks and Latinos die.”

In Santa Monica, the school district suspends or expels minorities disproportionately. De la Torre considers the higher expulsion rates for blacks and Hispanics  evidence of racism. “If 30% of the population is Latino,” says de la Torre, “then they should make up only 30% of the drop outs or 30% of expulsions and suspensions. There should be proportional representation in the good and in the bad. So 30% of advanced placement students would be Latino. That's just being reasonable.” [emphasis added]

It is amazing to me that a grown man could actually believe that. And vividly illustrates the good sense of the good people of SanTana -- who threw Nativo out -- versus the idiocy of the wealthy liberals of Santa Monica, who continue to entrust their public education system to Nativo's ideological clone.

Nativo Lopez: On His Way To Being The Don King Of Cock Fighting?

When I first saw Gustavo's item on Nativo's secret love of cockfighting, I thought it was a casual comment by Senor Larry. Some Googling revealed that Nativo Lopez really, really, really loves cockfighting and his MAPA is working hand in glove with California Association for the Preservation of Gamefowl (APG).

At Cockfightsonline.com -- yes, there is such a site -- someone named "Tornado" described the action at the 2004 California APG annual convention last November:

We then welcomed Nativo Lopez, National President of MAPA(Mexican American Political Association) at which time he took over the floor and he too also discussed our current situation, and what it would take to join our efforts and grow our numbers and fight hand in hand against all of the attrocities commited against us. I thought it was very promising, and I encourage everyone that can to join their organization for the betterment of our sport, and legal representation, you don't have to be Mexican American to join. I'm sure we will be hearing more about this in the near future...

Since that time, Nativo Lopez has forged a close alliance with fighting cock breeders and aficionados.  In February 2005, he was rallying the forces of cock-fighting in Oklahoma:

Nativo Lopez, President of the Mexican American Political Association ,(MAPA) will be a featured speaker at our National Rally Wednesday February the 4th at 11 A.M. in the southlawn of the Oklahoma City Capitol. He represents a group of over 5 million latinos and is based in California. Mapa will soon start a chapter in Oklahoma, linking all the Latino voters across the United States into one.

On the Sabong website (a Filipino cock-fighting website that proudly announces the "2005 World Slasher Cup -- International 8-Cock Derby" is now available on DVD! I wonder if you get a free copy of "Faces of Death" with that?), I found the July 2005 APG newsletter which shows the how Nativo had by then virtually merged APG into MAPA:

Nativo Lopez: All REAL Mexicans Love Cock-Fighting

Gustavo Arellano's item about Nativo Lopez's exaltation of cock-fighting as an intrinsic element of Mexican culture has been getting around the blogosphere. Blogger Matt Szabo picked it up the other day:

NATIVO LOPEZ: Animal Cruelty = Mexican Culture

Under cover of mass hurricane coverage, Mexican American Political Association president Nativo Lopez has been all over the net this week. Conservatives and liberals alike, including Ward Connerly, Bill Whalen, Raoul Lowery Contreras and Martha Montelongo, have opened-fire on the Lopez for exploiting Latinos and using race-baiting tactics for personal financial profit.

But what I find even more interesting are the comments from the OC Weekly’s Gustavo Arellano, who this week blasts Lopez (referring to him as a pendejo) for associating Mexican-Americans with the cruel practice of cockfighting.

Here’s the deal: State Sen. Nell Soto, a Mexican-American, is pushing a bill through the legislature which would make cockfighting a felony in California, as it is in 28 other states. But when she did, Lopez sprang to action, registering MAPA’s opposition to the anti-cruelty legislation.

Nativo Lopez, president of the state Mexican-American Political Association, wrote to Soto that cockfighting is culturally ingrained in many Latinos, and that immigrants might not understand the severity of the crime in the United States.

Soto, who is of Mexican descent, responded that the group's stance perpetuates negative stereotypes and "is an insult to the law-abiding Mexican-Americans and Latinos who are repulsed by such barbaric - and illegal - activities."

"I've been a Mexican all my life," Soto told the Assembly Public Safety Committee last week. "If people try to tell you it is part of the Mexican culture, it is not."

So if Lopez speaks for Mexican-Americans, as he and the media claim, then Mexican-Americans must support animal cruelty. I don’t buy it. And neither did Cesar Chavez.

Soto’s legislation enjoyed broad bipartisan support, including support from nearly every member of the Latino Caucus, before it was placed on the inactive file.

But the question remains, does Nativo Lopez speak for Mexican-Americans, or not?

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PeTA) is marking its 25th anniversary Friday with a Hollywood gala at Paramount Studios. It would be nice to hear some of its Latino members speak out in favor of Soto’s bill and against exploiters like Lopez.

Cockfighting Crossroads [Sac Bee]

Moving Away From the Race-Baiters [World Net Daily]

Nativo American [Weekly Standard]

A Reverend We Can Do Without [CalNews.com]

Blinded by Demagogues [CalNews.com]

What does it say about MAPA that they elect a clown like Nativo to be their spokesman?

UPDATE: It's fascinating how the Nativo-loves-cockfighting story is getting around. BoiFromTroy blogged about it a couple of days ago, complete with some homoerotic sinnuendo that I'm brought a grimace to Nativo's cara. Nativo's stance has even earned him enmity from this gringa gabacha in North Carolina.

Ay! Mas Nativo!

Here's another commentator unloading on Nativo. So he wants $1 billion in damages from Ameriquest, huh? I've heard of starting the bargaining high, but that's a little ludicrous even for Nativo.

But if Ameriquest gives that shyster even one cent, I'll start boycotting them.

More Nativo Lopez In WorldNetDaily

You gotta love Nativo Lopez, Orange County's resident race-baiter, scofflaw and demagogue-for-all-seasons -- and one natty dresser. He makes himself such an easy target.

Not only is he skewered in the Weekly Standard by Hoover Institution research fellow Bill Whalen, but he's also taken to task by Ward Connerly in WorldNetDaily.

Larry Lopez

Larry plays the race card, the Nazi card, the Jew card and the whole enchilada in a Weekly Standard piece: Nativo American -- Meet Nativo Lopez, the Latino Al Sharpton. He's changing California politics--for the worse.

Hat tip to Gustavo for two other LarryLinks:

Socialist Worker (!): “No support from the party we built”.

And of course, OC Weekly: ¡Ask a Mexican!.