As posted yesterday, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has stated his support for the Minuteman project and his opposition to the KRCA billboards that portrayed Los Angeles as being located in Mexico.

There are at least three MSM reports on Arnold's statements and all include various quotes from his critics.

The AP (Schwarzenegger Praises Border Volunteers) quotes Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA). She criticizes Arnold's support for the MMP, but at least she suggests that we should add more Border Patrol agents.

The SacBee article (Governor causes immigration stir) is longer and has more quotes from Arnold. It also includes this quote from Assemblyman Hector De La Torre, D-South Gate:

"Scapegoating and immigrant-bashing are the last refuge of a wounded politician... [his remarks] show that he is trying to deflect attention away from his poor performance as governor - much like Pete Wilson did... We've just seen (Schwarzenegger's) 60 percent disapproval rating and so he's going after immigrants..."

Actually, that's quite a misleading statement if not an outright lie. I listened to the radio interview and the Governor made it clear that he was talking about illegal immigration and that he supported legal immigration and legal immigrants. The SacBee includes this:

Margita Thompson, Schwarzenegger's press secretary, said Schwarzenegger, an immigrant himself, was not bashing immigrants.

"The governor was talking about what happens when the government fails to do its job," she said.

"Just as in the recall election, when the government fails to do its job, the people will step in."

Unfortunately, the SacBee also includes the comments of Nativo Lopez, state president of the Mexican-American Political Association:

"Even the president has referred to these people as vigilantes, and the governor of our state turns around and applauds them... It's shameful that a person of his political stature would applaud out-and-out vigilantes."

Background information on Lopez is given below. The AP has an even more inflammatory statements from him:

"[Arnold's remarks were] nothing short of base racism... Those of immigrant stock should have no illusions about what his real sentiments and feelings are toward them..."

Since everyone on Earth is "of immigrant stock," in my opinion that's a code phrase for "radicalized Chicanos." To their credit, the AP follows that immediately with this:

"It's not racist to ask the federal government to enforce its laws," Schwarzenegger's press secretary said. "Everyone should be united in wanting to protect our national security."

The LAT article ("Gov. Praises 'Minuteman' Campaign") includes similar comments from Lopez.

Unfortunately, the AP, the LAT, and the SacBee don't provide any background information on Nativo Lopez. For that, you'll need to turn to the wide variety of information that's out there:

'Aztlaner' Nativo Lopez Threatens the City of Anaheim (includes audio of him referring to Aztlan)

"License to Kill", "English Gains" and "Alien Resurrection" have more about him being recalled from the largely-Hispanic school board in the largely-Hispanic city of Santa Ana. See also Ethnic Politics Gets Nasty, the news reports here, and here, and you can hear him speak here.

And, from the WSJ's "Cruz Control":

...[CA Lt. Gov. Cruz] Bustamante campaigned for [Nativo] Lopez even though the entire Santa Ana City Council, which has a Latino majority, supported his recall. Beatriz Salas, who immigrated from Mexico 20 years ago, says she was appalled when she and other parents attended a meeting with Mr. Lopez in 1999, where he admitted that his goal was to make Spanish the primary language in California...

Please contact those MSM sources and suggest that if they quote Nativo Lopez in the future they put his comments into the proper context:

feedback at ap.org
Readers.Rep at latimes.com
ombud at sacbee.com

UPDATE: "Mexico Irked at California Governor's Praise of 'Minuteman' Border Project":

[Mexico's Foreign Relations Department says:] "these types of unfortunate pronouncements are not the way to achieve a better understanding between our country and California."

...In a statement, the Foreign Relations Department said it was especially surprised by the governor's comments "now that the administration of President (George W.) Bush has clearly stated its opposition to the vigilante activities on the border."

"These manifestations prejudice historical economic, social and cultural ties between Mexico and California," the statement said. "Today, our country is the main market for products from that state. In 2004, California exported US$17.2 billion (euro13 billion) worth of merchandise to Mexico."