Not Everybody's On Board with the Boycott

John Fund reports in the Wall Street Journal on some prominent immigrant activists who are not entirely enthused with today's "Great American Boycott":

Nationally syndicated Spanish-language radio disk jockeys put aside their egos and joined forces to promote the giant March rallies against the House bill that would have declared anyone in this country illegally a felon. Now, however, several are downplaying or throwing cold water on the idea of a boycott to show the economic power of immigrants.

Renan Almendarez Coello, known as "El Cucuy" ("The Boogeyman"), is a nationally syndicated phenomenon carried on stations ranging from Los Angeles to Denver, Dallas and Chicago. He notes that in Los Angeles, six of the top 12 stations are Spanish-language, and many immigrants get their information from radio. They form a much deeper bond with their favorite radio hosts than English-language listeners do.

"El Cucuy" told his listeners last Friday that they should make up their own minds on whether or not to join the boycott, but he said he feared that "political opportunists" were using it for their own advantage. His show played the music to "The Star-Spangled Banner" three times on Friday, and declined to air the words of a new Spanish-language version. "We came to the United States to work," he says of his fellow immigrants. "If we're struggling for dignity, we have to struggle in a dignified way. That means go to work and go to school."

I have a feeling that voices of moderation will be hard to find today. They certainly won't make the news. Read the rest of Fund's report here.