Don Young

WASHINGTON - One of the House of Representatives' longest-serving Republicans now says he meant “no disrespect” when he used the term “wetbacks” to describe migrant workers his family once employed. His comment, which drew a strong rebuke from the House speaker, flies in the face of his party's effort to improve outreach to minority groups. In an interview with a local radio station Thursday, Alaska Rep. Don Young was discussing how advances in technology have reduced the need for some types of employment and referred to farming his family once did in California.

After Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) used "wetbacks" in an interview last week to describe the migrant workers who were once employed on his family's farm in California - and quickly apologized for uttering the slur - - The Times published an article Wednesday rehashing the history of the term and weighing the varying degrees of offense it causes. Although the slur is widely regarded as verboten, according to the story, some aren't offended when other Latinos use the Spanish word for "wetback.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a Republican elected official who casually uses the racist term “wetbacks” during a radio interview is a dunderhead of the first magnitude. “My father had a ranch; we used to have 50-60 wetbacks to pick tomatoes,” Alaska Republican Rep. Don Young , 79, told radio station KRBD in Ketchikan on Thursday. “It takes two people to pick the same tomatoes now. It's all done by machine.” Republicans , whose self-inflicted injuries in the 2012 election cycle included calls for self-deportation , screeds against the Dream Act and a suggestion for alligator-filled moats at the U.S.-Mexico border, scrambled into damage control mode.

Re "Republican apologizes for slur against Latinos," March 30 As an American with a Hispanic last name, reading the story of the Alaskan member of Congress using the term "wetback" brought back childhood memories. I grew up in San Antonio, a predominantly Hispanic city, on the mostly white north side of town. Any time I heard "wetback," it made me uncomfortable because of the view underlying it: I and the people like me were less than everyone else. Passing off using the term as just the common vernacular of a bygone era doesn't fool anyone.

Rep. Don Young hails from an Alaska village with no paved roads or stop lights. But if you want to solve your traffic problems, he's the man to see. As chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Young is one of the handful of lawmakers who make the legislative machinery turn. He has established himself as the godfather of highway projects, the one who grants projects to his friends and stiffs his enemies.

WASHINGTON - One of the longest-serving House Republicans apologized Friday for using the term "wetbacks" to describe the migrant workers his family once employed in California, calling it "insensitive" and saying, "There was no malice in my heart or intent to offend; it was a poor choice of words. " The comment by Rep. Don Young of Alaska, which drew a rebuke from the House speaker and others, flies in the face of his party's efforts to improve its appeal to minority groups, particularly Latinos.

In documents filed this week in Alaska's long-running political corruption investigation, the government's lead witness said he had given thousands of dollars in gifts to "United States Representative A" -- who could only be Republican Rep. Don Young. Bill Allen, a former oil services company executive, said he paid $10,000 to $15,000 a year from 1993 to 2006 out of VECO Corp.'s funds for the representative's annual fundraiser in Alaska. The lawmaker, who has not been charged with any wrongdoing, did not list any such payments on financial disclosure forms.

After Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) used "wetbacks" in an interview last week to describe the migrant workers who were once employed on his family's farm in California - and quickly apologized for uttering the slur - - The Times published an article Wednesday rehashing the history of the term and weighing the varying degrees of offense it causes. Although the slur is widely regarded as verboten, according to the story, some aren't offended when other Latinos use the Spanish word for "wetback.

Re "Republican apologizes for slur against Latinos," March 30 As an American with a Hispanic last name, reading the story of the Alaskan member of Congress using the term "wetback" brought back childhood memories. I grew up in San Antonio, a predominantly Hispanic city, on the mostly white north side of town. Any time I heard "wetback," it made me uncomfortable because of the view underlying it: I and the people like me were less than everyone else. Passing off using the term as just the common vernacular of a bygone era doesn't fool anyone.

Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) has announced his bid for reelection to the state's lone U.S. House seat. Young, from the interior Alaska village of Ft. Yukon, will be seeking his 12th term in Congress.

When Boyle Heights shop owner Arturo Macias hears fellow Latinos use the Spanish word for "wetback," he doesn't necessarily take offense. Macias, who crossed illegally into the U.S. through Tijuana two decades ago, has heard the term " mojado " for much of his life and sees it less as an insult than a description of a common immigrant experience. "As a country of immigrants," he says in Spanish, "in one way or another, we're all mojados . " Macias is very offended, however, when he hears a non-Latino say "wetback.

If you're in the public eye, what can you say, and when can you say it? We've had two examples this week of the minefield that is language in 21st century America. First, from the world of politics, there's Rep. Don Young of Alaska, who's found himself in hot water over his use of the term "wetbacks. " As my colleague Michael A. Memoli reported : In an interview with a local radio station Thursday, Alaska Rep. Don Young was discussing how advances in technology have reduced the need for some types of employment and referred to farming his family once did in California.

WASHINGTON - One of the longest-serving House Republicans apologized Friday for using the term "wetbacks" to describe the migrant workers his family once employed in California, calling it "insensitive" and saying, "There was no malice in my heart or intent to offend; it was a poor choice of words. " The comment by Rep. Don Young of Alaska, which drew a rebuke from the House speaker and others, flies in the face of his party's efforts to improve its appeal to minority groups, particularly Latinos.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a Republican elected official who casually uses the racist term “wetbacks” during a radio interview is a dunderhead of the first magnitude. “My father had a ranch; we used to have 50-60 wetbacks to pick tomatoes,” Alaska Republican Rep. Don Young , 79, told radio station KRBD in Ketchikan on Thursday. “It takes two people to pick the same tomatoes now. It's all done by machine.” Republicans , whose self-inflicted injuries in the 2012 election cycle included calls for self-deportation , screeds against the Dream Act and a suggestion for alligator-filled moats at the U.S.-Mexico border, scrambled into damage control mode.

WASHINGTON - One of the House of Representatives' longest-serving Republicans now says he meant “no disrespect” when he used the term “wetbacks” to describe migrant workers his family once employed. His comment, which drew a strong rebuke from the House speaker, flies in the face of his party's effort to improve outreach to minority groups. In an interview with a local radio station Thursday, Alaska Rep. Don Young was discussing how advances in technology have reduced the need for some types of employment and referred to farming his family once did in California.

  WASHINGTON -- Here's something you don't see every day: A veteran House Republican reaching across the aisle to endorse a Democratic colleague's campaign forU.S. Senate. But it happened Tuesday when Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) appeared in a new Web ad called “Opposites Attract” for three-term Rep. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), who is running in her party's primary for the open Senate seat. The two even ham it up for the cameras, with Young trying to get in a critique of Nancy Pelosi, the minority leader and Democrat from San Francisco, before Hirono gently nudges him off it. “While Mazie and I don't see eye to eye on everything, we've done something too many people in Washington refuse to cross the aisle and do: We've worked together,” said Young, a 20-term congressman known for his sometimes crusty approach.

Rep. Don Young is facing a criminal investigation, a federal law enforcement official said in Juneau, making Young the second member of the state's three-person congressional delegation under scrutiny. Separately, Sen. Ted Stevens has said he has been told by authorities to preserve records of a house remodeling project involving VECO Corp., an Anchorage-based oilfield service company.

If you're in the public eye, what can you say, and when can you say it? We've had two examples this week of the minefield that is language in 21st century America. First, from the world of politics, there's Rep. Don Young of Alaska, who's found himself in hot water over his use of the term "wetbacks. " As my colleague Michael A. Memoli reported : In an interview with a local radio station Thursday, Alaska Rep. Don Young was discussing how advances in technology have reduced the need for some types of employment and referred to farming his family once did in California.

After a string of her candidates fell short in recent election primaries, Sarah Palin takes a trackside seat in her own state Tuesday as her choice for Alaska's U.S. Senate post takes on the incumbent. Palin's pick, attorney and political unknown Joe Miller, seems to have gained little traction against Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski, according to political experts in the state. If Miller loses, it would be the latest setback for Palin's effort this year to propel candidates nationwide through her endorsements.

In documents filed this week in Alaska's long-running political corruption investigation, the government's lead witness said he had given thousands of dollars in gifts to "United States Representative A" -- who could only be Republican Rep. Don Young. Bill Allen, a former oil services company executive, said he paid $10,000 to $15,000 a year from 1993 to 2006 out of VECO Corp.'s funds for the representative's annual fundraiser in Alaska. The lawmaker, who has not been charged with any wrongdoing, did not list any such payments on financial disclosure forms.