The referenced to “conquerors” is unfortunate because as history has shown this meant the death and destruction of thousands of indigenous people and their cultures throughout the Americas. His remarks places my family, which is part indigenous (Chickasaw) and my two grandchildren with African/Maya roots, in the middle of his bigoted way of thinking. When it comes to voting, his destructive beliefs would place my grandchildren in a real racial and un-American dilemma. Fortunately they have been taught to think of people in general and Americans in particular, as human beings who are to be respected, equal under the law and sacred in the eyes of our creator.

It is obvious to me and others that C de Baca has no clue of our history as to the impact of the African influence in the Americas. We don't need the “old” way of thinking about people to muddle the electoral process. Unfortunately racism exists in all communities, including the Latino community, for as shown by Fernando C de Baca's opinion, we still have much work to do internally to move forward as a nation. As Latinos and Chicanos now is not the time to sit quietly and let others respond, NO, we must stand up and denounce this type of racist behavior.

His weak attempt to clarify his statement raises more questions than the clarification itself. He says “he is distraught” by the reaction to his statement. I think he should be ashamed of his statement.

It appears he is not the Fernando C de Baca that I knew a long time ago, then again, perhaps I didn't really know him at all.

Gus Chavez
San Diego, CA

The referenced to “conquerors” is unfortunate because as history has shown this meant the death and destruction of thousands of indigenous people and their cultures throughout the Americas. His remarks places my family, which is part indigenous (Chickasaw) and my two grandchildren with African/Maya roots, in the middle of his bigoted way of thinking. When it comes to voting, his destructive beliefs would place my grandchildren in a real racial and un-American dilemma. Fortunately they have been taught to think of people in general and Americans in particular, as human beings who are to be respected, equal under the law and sacred in the eyes of our creator.

It is obvious to me and others that C de Baca has no clue of our history as to the impact of the African influence in the Americas. We don't need the “old” way of thinking about people to muddle the electoral process. Unfortunately racism exists in all communities, including the Latino community, for as shown by Fernando C de Baca's opinion, we still have much work to do internally to move forward as a nation. As Latinos and Chicanos now is not the time to sit quietly and let others respond, NO, we must stand up and denounce this type of racist behavior.

His weak attempt to clarify his statement raises more questions than the clarification itself. He says “he is distraught” by the reaction to his statement. I think he should be ashamed of his statement.

It appears he is not the Fernando C de Baca that I knew a long time ago, then again, perhaps I didn't really know him at all.

Gus Chavez
San Diego, CA

The referenced to “conquerors” is unfortunate because as history has shown this meant the death and destruction of thousands of indigenous people and their cultures throughout the Americas. His remarks places my family, which is part indigenous (Chickasaw) and my two grandchildren with African/Maya roots, in the middle of his bigoted way of thinking. When it comes to voting, his destructive beliefs would place my grandchildren in a real racial and un-American dilemma. Fortunately they have been taught to think of people in general and Americans in particular, as human beings who are to be respected, equal under the law and sacred in the eyes of our creator.

It is obvious to me and others that C de Baca has no clue of our history as to the impact of the African influence in the Americas. We don't need the “old” way of thinking about people to muddle the electoral process. Unfortunately racism exists in all communities, including the Latino community, for as shown by Fernando C de Baca's opinion, we still have much work to do internally to move forward as a nation. As Latinos and Chicanos now is not the time to sit quietly and let others respond, NO, we must stand up and denounce this type of racist behavior.

His weak attempt to clarify his statement raises more questions than the clarification itself. He says “he is distraught” by the reaction to his statement. I think he should be ashamed of his statement.

It appears he is not the Fernando C de Baca that I knew a long time ago, then again, perhaps I didn't really know him at all.

Gus Chavez
San Diego, CA

No one minority group has been denied privileges under civil rights legislation, whether that group participated in the civil rights struggle or not. .

If I may offer a modest proposal, I call on all GOP candidates in New Mexico to suspend their campaigns, don their sheets and join with Mr. de Baca for a week of TV-and-radio-covered discussion and debate focusing on these comments.

How else can the rest of the world be sure that the New Mexico GOP has dealt with Mr. de Baca's case fully and fairly?