Coronado is known for being one of the most ideal communities in the nation, let alone San Diego. It’s my wife’s and my favorite place to get away and relax. Beautiful homes. Green lawns. Clean streets and a world renowned beach. One would be hard pressed to believe that the values of Coronado’s school board would be anything other than bright and thoughtful as well.
Then this. Last Saturday night, Luke Serna, a half-Mexican alum of Coronado High and University of California Santa Barbara, brought tortillas to Coronado’s championship basketball game. Following the tradition of UCSB sporting events where tortillas are thrown into the air in celebration:
Serna, who is active in the Democratic Party and an officer for SEIU 1000 Union, wrote in a letter, “There was not a shred of ill-intent or racial animus in carrying out this celebratory action. “Those who have enflamed this issue into a racially charged issue should be utterly ASHAMED of themselves.”
Never mind the facts.
The Coronado school board, in a 5-0 vote, has now fired the white basketball coach, who at no time encouraged, touched or threw any celebratory tortillas.
What?
Do the player’s parents support this action?
What’s strange is Serna’s own Democratic peers are the ones attempting to turn the incident (in which no rights were infringed) into a divisive and racist one. “This intentional act was designed to be racist and should not now, nor ever, be tolerated,” Sen. Ben Hueso, D-Chula Vista, wrote in a letter to the sports federation’s executive director and the leaders of its San Diego chapter. “Failure to impose swift and appropriate justice will become a tacit endorsement of the act itself by the CIF and violate CIF’s own principles of ethical character-building for student athletes.”
To what ethic or judicial standard is Senator Hueso referring? How is justice served by swiftly firing an individual for the misunderstood behavior of another? What law system places a politician’s opinion above the parents of the students?
Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez tweeted, “Parents in SD County know that racist taunts against latino athletes are too common place. It’s time to stop it.”
Does Gonzalez have a tweet for the Orange Glen student who called the Coronado player a “N@%#!$”?
Coronado Board Trustee Esther Valdes-Clayton said, “The racial tones, the classism, that was displayed as well as the colorist that was displayed is evident to every Latino…”
Esther Valdes-Clayton… Attorney? Republican? Christian?
Ms. Valdes-Clayton, are you familiar with Serna’s intention? What precept of your theology or principle of limited government allows you to reframe the intention of Mr. Serna, let alone frame Coach JD Laaperi? Where in your law books do we find the right not to be offended? Where is it codified? What principle are you conserving in your governance? This should have been a 4-1 vote at minimum, with you upholding parental rights and being an obstacle against the left’s rush to judgment. You repeated and are fomenting the left’s racism chorus.
Coach Laaperi tweeted, “I do not condone this behavior…”
Yet, Ms. Valdes-Clayton and the school board bowed to the “ethics” of those who hold less of an admiration for principle than feelings.
The school board and Valdes-Clayton have become a conduit for injustice, division and lack of ethics by submitting to the divisive political tactics of Hueso and Gonzalez. The school board’s rush to judgement reveals an immaturity and a leaning toward the philosophy of Hobbes and away from Locke and our framers.
What kind of world will this be if Coronado students grow up making hasty and unprincipled decisions affecting their peers as Valdes-Clayton and the Coronado Unified School Board have done?
If Americans and those in Coronado desire to enjoy peace and prosperity they must conserve the great ideas constituted in our founding documents. They most oppose the left’s attempt to use race to divide us. They must uphold principles that precede government-parental rights. They must uphold the First Amendment and freedom of speech. There is no right not to be offended. Free speech helps us identify those whose ideas may undermine that which created the most prosperous civilization in 5,000 years of human history.
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Eric Andersen is a former member of the San Diego County Republican Central Committee, former Chair of the 71st Caucus (County GOP Executive Committee), Co-Founder of the San Diego County Republican Liberty Caucus and im2moro.com. He is a former Rock church Citizen of the Year.
Comments 9
Well put sir!
Coronado Unified Trustees, my sources tell me that the coach was NOT terminated for the tortilla incident, but rather for separate CIF violations. As a former high school coach I am well aware of the CIF prescriptions. One of you, probably the Chairman of the Board, just needs to stand up and answer this post. Be honest and open. Don’t continue to let the public connect the wrong dots. You owe it to the students, the coaches, the parents and the public. Trust me, if you acted appropriately, and I believe you did, then this will all settle down quite quickly. A bunker mentality never works. It’s the mark of true conservatism to be open with the people.
What Ethic was Applied?
1) Reconciliation/Forgiveness in Christ in Apology to offended Party
2) Equal Protection Clause of Constitution
3) Brown v Board of Ed.
4) Alvarez v Board Ed Lemon Grove
5) CIF Ethics
6) CA Ed. Code et al..
7) SPELL my name right: Esther VALDÉS CLAYTON, Esq.
Author
Thank you Esther for your reply.
Let’s begin with No. 1. – The Christian Ethic of Forgiveness.
Setting aside the 5th and 8th Commandments that would preclude the taking of property to establish a secular top down monopoly on education. A godless system more Marxian than Christ. An immoral system that forces families not using the product to pay for it. (Imagine if we had to pay and eat at the restaurant in our neighborhood?)
I still can’t determine why the Coach was fired for someone else’s tortilla throwing. This makes no sense. What was the law violation that required government involvement? Where is it codified? Which two parties were reconciled?
If the coach was reconciled and forgiveness took place why was he fired? The only example I’m aware of where innocence is sacrificed on behalf of the collective is the Aztec practice of abortion or in the Mosaic Covenant where an innocent lamb is slaughtered for the sin of an Israelite.
We can address No. 2, the 14th Amendment next.
Some say the coach was fired due to another violation at the time, not specifically because of the tortilla-throwing. As it’s a personnel issue and thus a closed session board meeting, we may never know.
Ms. Valdes Clayton, if he was in fact fired for another issue, you may at least owe it to the public (and, yes, him too) to state clearly it was not due to the main incident being reported, while retaining confidentiality.
Whereas the intention of throwing tortillas to celebrate a victory may not have been racist, once a tortilla gets thrown by a white player on the winning team AT a Latino player who lost, the incident takes on a whole new semblance. Perhaps this should have been expressed before tortillas were handed out. I’m sure everyone can see the insensitivity of throwing celebratory crutches at a game that included physically disabled players.
Gentlemen, I appreciate your questions regarding the coach. However, since it involves a HR issue, his confidentiality regarding his employment is paramount, and inviolable. Hence, I can’t proffer an explanation to you which will satisfy you.
I can respond that this decision was not mine alone, and 5-0, as stated in the media. It was not my decision or thoughts alone that led to an action. Likewise, you should also ask THE OTHER TRUSTEES as to “WHAT ETHICS WERE APPLIED?”
I have answered your question. I look forward to their response as you follow up with the remaining 4 trustees.
I, like the author, am well aware of the attempt to subvert our schools and institutions. Like you, I’m concerned that this incident will be used to foment division. I’ll continue as a lawyer, Conservative, and Christian to implement the ETHICS & THE LAW, in all my reasoning prior to making a decision. Thanks,
Esther
Author
You were called out by a conservative Christian Republican for presenting yourself as such.
Not aware of others on the Coronado School board doing so.
Words have meaning.
Conservative- what are you conserving? Status quo politics or the transcendent and absolute ethics of Scripture and limited government? Negative or positive law?
You were called out for carrying and promulgating the racist card as the reason a coach was fired.
The Bible is silent on color. We conserve that idea by treating all men equal (imago dei) under negative law.
Public schools deny the transcendent values presented in the 5th & 8th Commandments.
Limited Government Republicans use law in a negative nature not positive. The act of throwing a tortilla doesn’t encroach on any man’s rights that I am aware. You were asked to show where the right not to be offended was constituted. Still waiting.
If you’re not comfortable being called out I recommend you consider the other political party. I recommend toning down the Christian references as they appear more Berkeley than Philadelphia.
The question that is rhetorically asked with the team photo was “Is this the face of racism”? No, but that misses the point.
As a part-time social justice warrior, I’m deeply offended by the injustice displayed in the team photo.
WHERE ARE THE FEMALES??
Merit or talent should not be the primary criteria for the composition of a team. Indeed, it should not be considered at all.
We need Coronado to form multi-sexual teams. In addition to a token transsexual or two, at least half of the team should be composed of girls. Why should just the guys get to win the b-ball titles — desexigate the team!
Indeed, “we” need to disband ALL school male and female teams — from age six if not earlier. Henceforth, all sports should be UNISEX teams, with affirmative actions slots — to even the playing field.
If my fellow women social justice warriors were serious about their agenda, THIS would be the policy that they would adopt. And, after all, more women and men vote Democrat.
Come on, ladies, MAN UP!
Oops.