'Pinata One' & Human Rights

When one looks to the criteria for decision-making relative to the political arena, the two factors tend to gravitate toward the inherent reality for either policy or non-policy.   With this in mind, permit me tell of an historical story that has never made the history books and has never been detailed in the numerous political journals, as well as any perceived or realized outcomes relative to the nexus for the social, economic and the political that underpins Justice and Equality.  But as Chicanos, we know differently.

Former President Jimmy Carter is one of my political icons, and given that I am a self-ascribed "aggressive" moderate, my bias is stipulated.  And with this in mind, let me commence with the story.

When Jimmy Carter decided to run for the presidency in 1974, he attempted to recruit the then Arizona Governor, Raul Castro.  During the Kennedy and Johnson administrations, Governor Castro served as our nation's ambassador to both El Salvador and Bolivia.  Of course, there was considerable instability in Latin America and during his tour in Bolivia, he was there when Che Guevara was caught and killed.  Kennedy and Johnson both encouraged Castro to run for Arizona's governship.  He lost on his first attempt and won on his second try, and from which Jimmy Carter enters this political dynamic.

On his first attempt to recruit Governor Castro, Jimmy Carter was rebuffed on the premise of "Who the hell is Jimmy Carter?"   Needless to say, Jimmy Carter was highly ambitious and would not accept a "no" from Castro, so Castro eventually and easily capitulated.  So, throughout this campaign, Jimmy Carter, Coretta Scott King and Raul Castro traveled together incesssantly across America on Castro's airplane called the "Pinata One".

After Jimmy Carter was elected to the Oval Office, he told Governor Castro that he would be his primary foreign policy adviser on Latin America.  Moreover, Carter said he would appoint him to become America's Ambassador to the Republic of Mexico.  However, when the Governor of a Midwest State who was to be appointed to serve in Argentina and whose wife was in dire need of medical attention that could only be delivered here in the states, President Carter was informed and therein, asked Castro to fill-in as the Ambassador.  Castro did so, and while in Argentina, traveled via convoy while in Argentina.  And one must keep in mind that tyrants and dictators were the norm in Latin America.  Consequently, the advent of Carter's campaign for Human Rights began to see the light of day and Governor Castro was present at its inception as one of Carter's staunchest 'insiders'.

Today, when one looks to the Latin America Region and in particular, its history, one easily recognizes that this history has been artificially scrubbed clean from America's memory.  However, for those of us from the Sonoran Desert, we are cognizant that whomever the next recipient of the Oval Office shall be, we still want to know in advance who currently travels--both literally and figuratively, with each announced candidate.

Therefore, at the end of each political day, we can thank both Coretta Scott King and Governor Raul Castro for our continuing national agenda for Human Rights.  

And I don't think that President Jimmy Carter would disagree with me.