Less than two weeks after becoming the first sitting cabinet member in American history to be held in contempt of Congress, disgraced Attorney General Eric Holder spoke in front of the highly controversial National Council of La Raza — it means “The Race” in Spanish — and issued threats against ongoing state and local efforts to control illegal immigration or enforce voter-ID requirements. He also touted an administration effort to stop deportations while promising to keep working with President Obama to pass the “Dream Act” and secure amnesty for illegal immigrants.
Despite receiving millions of dollars from taxpayers, “La Raza” is a deeply divisive outfit known for race-mongering and advancing flawed collectivist notions of Latinos and Hispanics as a monolithic bloc rather than unique individuals — bizarrely emphasizing “race” and “ethnicity,” superficial and largely irrelevant characteristics, above other, more important traits. Still, Holder seemed infatuated, claiming that “our nation’s struggle to overcome injustice and eliminate disparities remains far from over” and that La Raza was on the front lines of the battle.
“I want to assure you, that in the fight to protect the civil rights of all, this organization will never have a more committed partner than the United States Department of Justice,” he claimed, without mentioning, of course, that he is currently abusing his likely short-lived authority as head of the Justice Department to shield himself from criminal prosecution in connection with the Obama administration’s deadly “Fast and Furious” gun-running program.
“And as my colleagues and I keep working to build on this progress — and strive to take all of our efforts to a new level — know that we’ll continue to rely on organizations like this one to help lead the way forward,” Holder told “The Race” activists assembled in Las Vegas for a yearly conference. “Sí se puede,” he concluded. It means “Yes We Can,” Obama’s controversial campaign slogan, in Spanish.
Throughout his speech on Saturday, Holder also boasted about his prosecutions over displays of ethnic or racial bias, as well as Justice Department efforts to bludgeon banks on their allegedly discriminatory lending terms. He also spoke proudly of a long prison sentence he secured for a racist who apparently sent threatening letters to Latino groups like “The Race,” yet made no mention of the New Black Panthers who were recently caught on a conference call preparing for “race war” and “bloodshed” against white Americans simply because of their race.
Immigration, of course, was one of the most frequent topics Holder discussed; it is one of the key issues that “The Race” focuses on in its activism. The officially contemptuous Attorney General bragged, for example, about the federal government’s success in striking down key parts of Arizona’s SB 1070 immigration law, which he said — without any obvious trace of irony — “would have effectively criminalized unlawful status.” But thanks to Holder’s use of taxpayer money in his unprecedented lawsuit against the state government, the courts confirmed “the federal government’s exclusive authority to regulate with regard to immigration issues,” he said.
The DOJ will continue to “monitor” Arizona, but for now, the administration can also go back to pushing for amnesty. “We can all be encouraged that President Obama and other members of his administration, including me, will keep working with congressional leaders from both parties to advance critical legislation like the Dream Act and comprehensive immigration reform,” Holder declared, using a term that is widely understood on both sides of the debate to mean amnesty for illegal immigrants.
Even if Congress refuses to comply, however, Obama and his Department of “Homeland Security” are already working on securing partial amnesty by executive decree, Holder boasted. “Soon, certain young people — who may have been brought to this country illegally by their parents, but who pose no risk to national security or public safety — may receive temporary relief from removal and the chance to apply for work authorization,” he explained, citing executive-branch maneuvers to sidestep lawmakers that critics have slammed as “autocratic” and in “contempt” of the Constitution.
The federal crusade against Maricopa County’s elected Sheriff Joe Arpaio featured prominently in Holder’s speech too, with the disgraced Attorney General suggesting that local law enforcement — which has traditionally been independent of federal power — will obey the administration, or pay the price. “These policies simply have no place in responsible law enforcement, and they must not and simply will not be tolerated as long as I am attorney general of the United States,” Holder declared to a round of applause, claiming that Sheriff Arpaio had somehow violated the “constitutional rights of Latinos in Maricopa County.”
Despite paying lip service to the rights of various groups, however, Holder has repeatedly shown his extreme animosity toward one of the most fundamental God-given rights enshrined in the American Constitution — the unalienable right to keep and bear arms. In fact, before assuming his role as Attorney General, Holder once proposed a taxpayer-funded propaganda campaign to “brainwash” — in his words — America’s youth on the subject of gun rights.
Speaking to the thousands of activists assembled for “The Race” conference, Holder also bragged about “reinvigorated partnerships with state, local, and international authorities — particularly Mexican leaders.” Of course, he did not cite any constitutional authority for the controversial partnerships, instead claiming only that they were aimed at reducing forced labor and other ills in America.
“I understand that despite the transformative progress that has been made, our nation’s struggle to eliminate injustice and overcome disparities continues,” Holder complained in one of his repeated statements alluding to alleged institutional racism still embedded in the fabric of America. “We have further to travel on the road to equality.”
According to news reports, the audience welcomed the race-mongering Attorney General with a standing ovation. Some members of the crowd reportedly shouted “I love you,” too. Critics of Holder, however, slammed his alleged pandering for Latino votes. Other activists blasted La Raza itself as “racist” and said political leaders should stop associating themselves with “hate” and “ethnic supremacy.”
“The unvarnished truth is that the group is a radical ethnic nationalist outfit that abuses your tax dollars and milks PC politics to undermine our sovereignty,” wrote conservative pundit Michelle Malkin in a piece outlining “The Race” group’s controversial political positions. “The fringe is the center. The center is the fringe. Viva La Raza.”
Despite its reputation as an intensely controversial organization, La Raza continues to reap millions in taxpayer funds while regularly hosting prominent speakers both in and out of government. On Tuesday, Vice President Joe Biden is set to give a speech at the annual four-day conference as well. And George W. Bush’s former Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez — now serving as a co-chair on Mitt Romney’s “Hispanic” steering committee — will also be participating in “The Race” gathering.
“We understand La Raza’s speaker lineup is too full to accommodate Secretary Gutierrez, but should they find time in their schedule, he will of course be on hand to address the crowd and explain why President Obama’s failed policies have kept Hispanic unemployment at 11 percent nationally,” Romney’s Nevada campaign spokesman Mason Harrison was quoted as saying.
While not much was said or reported about Holder’s current legal troubles in reports about his speech, the controversial Attorney General is currently under massive pressure to resign, be fired, or even be prosecuted — and the elephant in the room was looming large. Meanwhile, under his now-tainted leadership, the Justice Department continues to defy lawful subpoenas and obstruct congressional investigations into a gun-trafficking program that put weapons in the hands of Mexican drug cartels and killed hundreds of Mexicans, as well as a DEA scheme to launder narcotics profits first exposed last year.
Of course, bipartisan pressure to rein in DOJ abuses and lawlessness under Holder is still building. But among La Raza race activists, at least, the stink of the attorney general’s dubious legacy as the first ever sitting cabinet member to be held in contempt of Congress was barely noticeable.
Related articles:
House Votes to Hold Holder in Contempt
Holder Admits Lies in Fast and Furious, Refuses to Resign
Supreme Court Upholds One of Four Challenged Provisions of Ariz. Immigration Law
Border Group: Obama Amnesty “Contempt for Law”
Congress Probes DEA Drug Money Laundering Scheme
Obama Nominates La Raza Activist as Ambassador
HUD Grant Program Awards Millions of Dollars to Leftist Groups
Earlier photo: Attorney General Eric Holder speaks at the League of United Latin American Citizens National Convention, June 28, 2012, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.: AP Images
