Eating their own

I am sure many of you oldsters remember Cesar Chavez, the Navy vet who shook up the agricultural world and helped found the United Farm Workers union. Some of you might remember that Obama even named a Navy ship after him (launched about 14 years ago – anyone here actually serve on her?)

But there is trouble in Paradise…after being an untouchable hero of the left wing for the last half a century, turns out Chavez had feet of clay. And the usual political problem of keeping it in his pants.

…the New York Times reported on Wednesday that the Latino labor leader and civil rights icon, who died in 1993, has been accused of sexual abuse by women, some of them in their early teens at the time. The accusers include activist Dolores Huerta, who cofounded the United Farm Workers union with him.

Two women told the Times that Chavez sexually abused them over a five-year period in the 1970s, beginning when they were 12 and 13.

Huerta, 95, said that she had two nonconsensual “sexual encounters” with him in the 1960s, including one where she was “manipulated and pressured” and another where she was “forced against my will.” Both ended in pregnancies, which she said she concealed by wearing baggy clothes and ponchos.

Huerta is still alive, immensely credible, and a venerable saint of the left in California. She says it, it isn’t he-said/she-said. It’s gospel.  Gonna be some embarrassment:

Several states — including California, Colorado, Minnesota, Texas, Utah and Washington — recognize March 31, Chavez’s birthday, as an annual holiday. Dozens of schools, streets and municipal buildings across the United States, including many in the Southwest, bear his name.

In Arizona, where Chavez was born, Gov. Katie Hobbs announced Wednesday that the state will not recognize Cesar Chavez Day this year, saying she was “deeply concerned by the troubling allegations.” (Cesar Chavez Day isn’t a formal state holiday in Arizona, but it is considered one in several cities there.)

Texas Governor Abbott weighed in:

“Reports of the horrific and widely acknowledged sexual assault allegations against Cesar Chavez rightfully dismantle the myth of this progressive hero and undermine the narrative that elevated Chavez as a figure worthy of official state celebration,” Abbott said in a statement.

And of course there is California:

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday he was still “processing” the news and would not commit to making any changes to the state holiday but was “open” to the idea.

In 2000, California became the first state to designate Chavez’s birthday as a paid holiday for state employees.Yahoo News

Bill Clinton gave Chavez a Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor, in 1994.

There are all kinds of streets, parks, and monuments to Chavez… expect many of them to get name changes.

Then there is the Navy ship – I hear it is bad luck to change a ship’s name. But the USS Rapist doesn’t sound good either.  Any ideas there?

Category: "The Floggings Will Continue Until Morale Improves", Navy, Politics