fans in attendance. The U.S. plaversrnnaively assnmed that they were the homernteam. Their education commencedrnwhen the huge crowd began wavingrnMexican flags, then whistled, blew horns,rnand booed when the American nationalrnanthem was played but cheered wildlyrnduring the playing of the Mexican nationalrnanthem. Then things got worse:rnWhen a group of U.S. fans raised anrnAmerican flag, they were pelted withrnfruit, bottles of water, and beer cups filledrnwith urine. “Something’s wrong vhen Irncan’t raise an American flag in my ownrncountr’,” exclaimed Paul Stewart, duckingrnas a lemon whistled past his head.rnStewart, an artist for Disney and the fatherrnof three young children, was an obviousrntarget. Tall, blond, blue-eyed, andrnfreckled-faced, he might as well have hadrnan x-ring painted on his chest.rnThe American players received thernsame treatment. Some suffered injuries.rnU.S. player Kasey Keller remarked, “Irnwould have no problem with Mexican-rnAmericans who wanted to support thernU.S. team. After all, you live in America.rnWhy don’t you become American?” Soccerrnmom Pat Orland, who brought herrnson to the game, couldn’t believe whatrnshe saw, exclaiming, “It’s ver’ strange. Itrnfeels like I’m in a foreign eountr’.”rnIf anyone tries to argue that the incidentrnat the Coliseum was only an examplernof unruly soccer fans, I would respondrnthat the Hispanics in the crowdrnwere imiformly unruly in favor of thernMexican team. And I would remindrnthem that the Coliseum is smack-dab inrnthe center of Los Angeles, well within thernborders of the good old U.S.A. Moreover,rnmanifestations of Mexican nationalismrnare not confined to sports. Hispanicrnorganizations in California espousernMexican nationalism unapologetically.rnMEChA, a very popular organizationrnamong Hispanics on college campuses,rncalls for the creation of the nation of Aztlan,rnwhich would return the Soulhvsest tornMexico. Charies Truxillo, a professor ofrnChicano studies at the Universit)’ of Nev-rnMexico, calls the creation of Aztlan orrn”Repuhlica del Norte” an inevitability.rnHe says its capital would be Los Angeles.rnHe has further stated that the creation ofrnsuch a state should be brought about “byrnany means necessar)’.”rnActivist Joe Sanchez declared, “Wernmay not overcome but we will overwhelm.”rnRicky Sierra, at a rally held byrnthe One Stop Immigration organization,rnsaid, “We are here united and we’re recolonizingrnAmerica so the”re afraid ofrnus—they’re very afraid. It’s time to takernback what is ours.” At the same rally, thernleader of One Stop Immigration, JuanrnJose Cutierrez, was videotaped talking,rngesturing, and moing about while thernAmerican national anthem was played.rnHe then stood at attention, placed onernhand over his heart, and raised his otherrnhand in a clenched-fist salute when thernMexican national anthem was played.rnAt a demonstration in Westwood,rnChristopher Cebeda was videotapedrnleading several organizations in thernchant, “Mexicans, Yes! Immigrationrnagents, No!” He then declared, “We arernhere in Westwood to show white Anglo-rnSaxon-Protestant L.A. —the few of yournwho remain —that we’re the majorityrnand we claim this land as ours. It’s alwaysrnbeen ours and we’re still here—and nonernof this talk about deporting. If anybody isrngoing to be deported it’s going to be you.”rnHow do politicians in California reactrnto this? Republicans are struck dumb byrntheir fear of being branded racists andrntheir delusicJnal hopes of winning thernHispanic vote. Democrats actively supportrnillegal immigration, knowing thatrntheir electoral base is being expanded.rnHilda Solis, a California state senator,rntold the Southwest Voter RegistrationrnProject that Mexicans in California arernAmericans whether they are here legallyrnor not, thus implying that they should bernregistering and voting. Antonio Villaraigosa,rnthe speaker of the CaliforniarnAssembly, has called for the state to issuerndriver’s licenses to illegal aliens. StaternSenator Joe Baca has introduced a billrnthat would make Cinco de Mayo andrnMexican Independence Day official staternholidays. Assembhman Gil Cedillo hasrnintroduced a bill that would outiaw allrnsanctions or discrimination against illegalrnaliens. Lieutenant Covernor Cruz Bustamanternhas demanded full medical benefitsrnfor illegals. His boss, CovernorrnDavis, declared, “In the near future peoplernwill look at California and Mexico asrnone magnificent region.”rnOne magnificent region! Well, onernregion, anvvay.rnA nation has the right to defend its borders,rnand a people have the right to defendrntheir cidture and identity. Isn’t thisrnthe very essence of nationhood —ofrnsovereignty? Wlien I was growing up, Irnthought of America as something likernone’s mother—to be loved, respected,rnhonored, and protected. Now America isrnup for grabs—to be used, trampled, defiled,rninvaded.rnI think of the 28th Marines clawingrntheir wav up Mt. Suribachi in the face ofrnmurderous fire —and I think of all thernAmerican bos on all the hills and on allrnthe shores who fought and died to protectrnour homeland —and I pray, “Let notrntheir sacrifice be in vain.”rnRoger D. McGrath is the author ofrnGunfighters, Highwaymen, andrnVigilantes.rnLetter From ForternDei Marmirnby Andrei NavrozovrnCulture for the PeoplernThe photographs were commissioned b’rna music company for the cover of AndrearnBocelli’s next cult album. The last onernhad sold five million copies. We werernvisiting the popular tenor at his house inrnthe resort of Forte dei Marmi, and decidedrnto spend a few days at one of the town’srninnumerable beach hotels, all equallyrndeserted as the starting gun of the Romanrnholiday stampede had not yet been fired.rnAs he Nikoned away at his subject with arnlens the size of a hog’s head (“Cheekyrnees!” he almost demanded at one point,rnbefore remembering that the singer is indeedrnblind), my friend Gusov kept hissingrnto himself in Russian a 1960’s hooliganrnditt}’:rnCulture for the people,rnA store where you shop for free!rnI thought that in the circumstances this,rntoo, was a bit tacdess, but all the same wernhad a great big elitist cackle about it afterward.rnAnd then the long journey back tornVenice on a hot, ninggy summer day. Irnwas beginning to feel irritable. Timernseemed to stand still, like the hour andrnminute hands in magazine advertisementsrnfor wristwatches, which, PatekrnPhilippe or Wizard of Oz, are alwaysrnshowing either ten minutes after ten orrnten to two. The idea behind this universalrnconvention is that the moment isrn38/CHROlsilCLESrnrnrn