Acuna

Commentary:
By Rodolfo F. Acuña

James Boswell in The Life of Samuel Johnson, LL.D. (1791) writes that Samuel Johnson made his famous adage that “patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel” on the evening of April 7, 1775. Without knowing the context of the statement we have repeated the saying millions of times.

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<p>Mexicans, more than most races, seem preoccupied with death. Since colonial times Mexican laborers have continuously been uprooted, travelling thousands of miles from the interior of Mexico forging an El Camino Real to to mining camps and plantations in northern Mexico. They arrived in places like Zacatecas where they fanned out, forging spider web corridors in form of roads.</p>
<p>These workers felt vulnerable. They missed home, and most knew that they would never see their homes or families again.</p>

(The answer is not found in translation)

Commentary:
By Rodolfo F. Acuña