The early lack of attention to Mein Kampf was not surprising, but if more people had read it, Hitler might not have dealt the world as many surprises as he did. It's a lesson worth considering in light of a recently published book in America, The Latino Wave by Jorge Ramos. It's not that Mr. Ramos, an immigrant from Mexico, is a down-on-his-luck ex-corporal. Quite to the contrary, he is a very successful individual. He has been the anchorman for Noticiero Univision, the Spanish language TV network in the U.S., since 1986. The Wall Street Journal called him "Star newscaster of Hispanic TV" and "Hispanic TV's No. 1 correspondent and key to a huge voting bloc." The research firm Hispanic Trends called Ramos "one of the most influential Latinos" in the U.S." Also a newspaper columnist, he is the winner of seven Emmy awards for journalism.

Considering these achievements, Ramos' views and visions are well worth considering. And, as an added bonus, he presents his ideas in a mostly congenial and readable style. From cover to cover, one reads no ranting of an ex-corporal.

Beneath this veneer of pleasantness, however, The Latino Wave bears more than a passing resemblance to Mein Kampf. The theme throughout Ramos' book is Latino power, and he favors massive immigration from his native Mexico and other parts of Latin America to enhance that power. He is not concerned in the slightest that much of the influx is illegal. The only problem with illegal aliens, in Ramos' mind is that they are "undocumented," a problem taken care of by the second recommendation of his "Latino Agenda" (p. 219): "We must push for amnesty..." Ramos affirms (p. 213) that the Latino political power he advocates "will not forget" the politicians who opposed amnesty.

Does the Univision anchorman foresee assimilation by the masses of Latino immigrants? Here are his thoughts (Prologue xxi): "[Latinos], by virtue of their vast numbers ... will not completely and fully assimilate culturally. [They] are creating their own space in this country, and their particular cultural differences will continue to influence the rest of society ... [and] are forever changing the face of the United States. Latinos are shattering the proverbial concept of the melting pot."

He goes on (p. 90): "The [Latino] community has grown so much that it now seems impossible that it could ever assimilate into the Anglo-Saxon culture at large." He asks (p.187), "[Is this] an invasion? No, A cultural reconquest? It could be, at least in part ... Latinos are culturally influencing the United States in ways never seen before, and this leads us to conclude that we're becoming a Hispanic nation."

Is Ramos disturbed that Latinos are not being Americanized as past waves of immigrants were? Nothing in his book suggests so. Nevertheless, he is concerned that they move beyond identities of national origin, e.g. Mexican, Cuban, etc. and see themselves as Latinos or Hispanics. This allows for a "united front" (p. 97) to enhance "political power." Ramos boasts (P. 89) that the growth of the Spanish language media is proof that "Latinos are [not] assimilating completely into U.S. society." Another perspective is that these media, which so profitably sustain Mr. Ramos, are a cause, not a consequence, of nonassimilation.

The future of the United States, as this anchorman sees it, is to offer lebensraum for the migrating masses of Latin America. In the preface he looks forward to the year 2125 when, he says, "there will be more Hispanics than non-Hispanic whites in the United States." He concludes his book by stating "the future of the United States is a Hispanic one. The Latino wave is unstoppable." Americans who object he labels "xenophobes" and "racists" (p.60). Hitler, too, had unpleasant names for people who opposed lebensraum.

Ramos is no friend of America, and certainly no friend of loyal Latino citizens and Latinos who want to be Americans. If immigrants from south of the border do not assimilate, they will replicate the Third World societies they fled-societies with a few "haves" on top and many "have nots" on the bottom. This many not be a problem for the well-heeled Mr. Ramos, but it should be a problem for all genuine Americans.

Mass immigration will fulfill Ramos' vision. If that vision comes to pass, we cannot claim that we had no warning.