When I was co-choir director at All Saints Catholic Church in the 1970-80s, (a predominately Hispanic parish) I had several confrontations with our then pastor, Father Albert Lopez. Seems that Father Lopez wanted our choir to sing in Spanish at the 9:00 a.m. English Children’s Mass. I’d tell Father Lopez that there were already more Spanish masses at All Saints than in English, and I wasn’t going to comply with his request, which infuriated him. He’d then tell me, "James, I heard your choir sing beautiful love Spanish songs at wedding masses, so why can’t you sing hymns in Spanish?" "Father, those folks who hire me to sing at their weddings pay me good bucks to sing in Spanish. You sir, have never given, nor offered the choir one red cent. Which is fine with me, but I don’t feel obligated to follow your wishes," I’d respond.

After several intimidating confrontations with Father Lopez, I decided to take my choir grievances to the bishop’s chancellor office. At a meeting with several Catholic diocese leaders, I was informed that I was right to decline Father Lopez’s demands, and they would contact him to stop his not so priestly behavior. Needless to say, that made Father Lopez mad as a hornet.
After the bishop’s chancellor meeting, a gentleman who happened to be a principal at a prestigious private school in Fort Worth approached me. He said, "James I read your editorial in the Star-Telegram titled, On the Mastery of English, and I wholeheartedly support your opposition to bilingual education. I have a circle of sad to say, bigoted white friends, who are educators and their take on bilingual education is: Give Hispanics all the bilingual education they want. We will need a subservient and uneducated type of worker in the years to come. And, what a better way to mold that worker than through bilingual education."

Folks, today, and no thanks to bilingual education, Hispanics have the highest drop out rate in the nation. Hispanics have a dismal attendance in institutions of higher learning. And, after caving to the demands of Hispanic political activist groups to provide bilingual political ballots, Hispanics have a poor voting record at the polls.

Finally, while employed at General Dynamics as an Engineer Illustrator, I ate at the company cafeteria with the engineer staff. As I looked around me, I couldn’t help but notice several tables full of Asian engineers. I’d then ask myself, "When will I see a table full of Hispanic engineers?" The answer was obvious, "Never!" When I’d ask an Asian engineer how they managed to get a good education they’d answer, "Our parents told us to learn English well!"