TDL REPORTS: The War over "The War"
By: A.C #1
Now that the controversy surrounding Ken Burns's latest documentary has had some time to settle down PBS and Burns have begun to let some of the details from the re-edited version of "The War" come out. You may recall that Hispanic activist groups protested the lack of Hispanilatino representation in Burns's epic and exhaustive telling of the events encompassing WWII. These groups, or groupos, were led by the Congressional Hispanic Caucus which I had no idea existed. After complaining vociferously and getting nowhere the CHC changed tactics to good ole' extortion, threatening to cut into PBS's federal funding and whine to the Corporations that are sponsoring the series.
Anyone who has seen Ken Burns's previous work knows he is a radical right-wing fire- breather intent on demonizing all non-whites, so its good that the CHC, led by Congressman Joe Baca of California, forced his hand and made him include tales of the many great Hispanilatino heroes of WWII.
The first story to be included in Burns's re-edited work focuses on Don Pepe de la Gordo a Mexican-American Hispanilatino who led the famous June, 7th, 1941 Charge de los Mexicanos on Idaho beach in Normandy. His battle cry of "Si...kill de Notzi's" inspired his troops, or troopos, to seize the infamous Nazi "Unterwäschespeicher" or "beach volleyball courts." Don Pepe was a monumental figure credited with introducing the churro to western Europe.
The second inspiring story of Hispanilatino heroism in "The War" focuses on the legend of Esteban "Popo" Guadelupe the first General, or Generalisimo, of the Puerto Rican Air Force. Generalisimo "Popo" flew a B-17 bomber throughout the European theater and his accuracy was incomparable. It is said that he once dropped five tons of ordinance on his Dominican landlord from 35,000 feet, without a spotter!
If I went on to describe the many other Hispanilatino achievements extolled in "The War" I'm afraid I'd lessen the emotional experience of seeing them for yourself. It cannot be overstated how important men like Don Pepe, and "Popo" Guadelupe were to the War effort, and how evil White men, or gringos, are. It is odd, however, that the same activists who raised hell to get members of "La Raza" into the documentary often criticize America as a fascist and racist nation that "stole" land from the poor defenseless whoever. If America is a nation of fascists occupying ancestral Hispanic lands, why would any Latino want to be included in a doc about the greatest triumph in said nations history?
Now that the controversy surrounding Ken Burns's latest documentary has had some time to settle down PBS and Burns have begun to let some of the details from the re-edited version of "The War" come out. You may recall that Hispanic activist groups protested the lack of Hispanilatino representation in Burns's epic and exhaustive telling of the events encompassing WWII. These groups, or groupos, were led by the Congressional Hispanic Caucus which I had no idea existed. After complaining vociferously and getting nowhere the CHC changed tactics to good ole' extortion, threatening to cut into PBS's federal funding and whine to the Corporations that are sponsoring the series.
Anyone who has seen Ken Burns's previous work knows he is a radical right-wing fire- breather intent on demonizing all non-whites, so its good that the CHC, led by Congressman Joe Baca of California, forced his hand and made him include tales of the many great Hispanilatino heroes of WWII.
The first story to be included in Burns's re-edited work focuses on Don Pepe de la Gordo a Mexican-American Hispanilatino who led the famous June, 7th, 1941 Charge de los Mexicanos on Idaho beach in Normandy. His battle cry of "Si...kill de Notzi's" inspired his troops, or troopos, to seize the infamous Nazi "Unterwäschespeicher" or "beach volleyball courts." Don Pepe was a monumental figure credited with introducing the churro to western Europe.
The second inspiring story of Hispanilatino heroism in "The War" focuses on the legend of Esteban "Popo" Guadelupe the first General, or Generalisimo, of the Puerto Rican Air Force. Generalisimo "Popo" flew a B-17 bomber throughout the European theater and his accuracy was incomparable. It is said that he once dropped five tons of ordinance on his Dominican landlord from 35,000 feet, without a spotter!
If I went on to describe the many other Hispanilatino achievements extolled in "The War" I'm afraid I'd lessen the emotional experience of seeing them for yourself. It cannot be overstated how important men like Don Pepe, and "Popo" Guadelupe were to the War effort, and how evil White men, or gringos, are. It is odd, however, that the same activists who raised hell to get members of "La Raza" into the documentary often criticize America as a fascist and racist nation that "stole" land from the poor defenseless whoever. If America is a nation of fascists occupying ancestral Hispanic lands, why would any Latino want to be included in a doc about the greatest triumph in said nations history?
posted by The TDL News Team at 7:04 PM
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