January 2008 Archives

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote here that

Latinos have a history of racial discrimination and prejudice dating hundreds of years.  Both against Latinos of African descent and against indigenous communities in Central and South America.

Today's case-in-point comes courtesy of the Dominican Republic, where blacks are being discriminated against.

La Embajada de Estados Unidos en el país instruyó a todo su personal para que se abstenga de visitar la discoteca “Tonic”, en esta capital, bajo el alegato de que el establecimiento incurre en “discriminación racial”.

La misión diplomática estadounidense dio a conocer la información en un comunicado de prensa en el que asegura que la discoteca “Tonic”, prohibió “la entrada a empleados afro-americanos que laboran en la Embajada” el día 12 de enero.

Which translates to

The U.S. Embasy in [the Dominican Republic] instructed all its personnel to abstain from attending the club "Tonic," in the capital due to allegations that it engages in "racial discrimination.

The U.S. diplomatic mission provided this information in a press release that alleges that "Tonic" denied "entry to African-American employees who work at the embassy on January 12.

The press release (Spanish only) can be found here.

Isolated incident, you say?  Apparently not.

Se trata de la segunda denuncia de este tipo realizada por la misión diplomática estadounidense en el país. La primera se produjo el año pasado, cuando el 22 de julio del año pasado la discoteca Loft, localizada en la avenida Tiradentes, de esta capital, prohibió la entrada de empleados afro-americanos de la Embajada de Estados Unidos.

Which translates to

This is the second complaint of its kind made by the U.S. diplomatic mission.  The first was made last year when, on July 22nd, the club Loft, [also in the capital], barred enty to African-American employees of the U.S. Embassy.

Of course, the only reason we know about this is because it involved U.S. embassy employees.  Who knows how often this really happens. 

And just like I discussed in the previous entry . . .

Relaciones Exteriores aseguró, a través de Rosario Graciano De los Santos, subsecretaria encargada de Asuntos Consulares y Migratorios, que “parece increíble” que en el país ocurran hechos discriminatorios, ya que “el 70 % de la población es mulata y el 20% negra”.

Sin embargo, no hubo ninguna sanción contra la discoteca por parte de las autoridades judiciales o del Ministerio Público.

Which translates to

[Dominican Republic's] Foreign Relations Ministry stated, through Rosario Graciano De los Santos, subsecretary in charge of Consular and Migratory matters, that "it was incredible" that in the Dominican Republic such discriminatory acts occur because "70% of the population is mulatto and 20% is black."

However, neither the judiciary nor the Public Ministry impose a fine on the club.

Same ol' thing: "nobody's white."  So racial issues get swept under the rug.

UPDATE: When it rains, it pours.  I just came across this.

En México, aceptó el gobernador de Yucatán, Patricio Patrón Laviada, se explota y se discrimina a los inmigrantes centroamericanos.

“Con qué cara le decimos a Arnold Schwarzenegger ‘oye, no hagas tal cosa’, si nosotros, apenas podemos, repetimos la misma historia.”
 

“Es inaceptable lo que a veces hacemos con los centroamericanos”, 
 
Hay algo, agregó, que “si bien no lo justifico, sí lo puedo explicar, que un güero de ojos azules ve a un moreno y dice: ‘éste es diferente’; pero entre nosotros no hay ni siquiera esa situación, somos el mismo pueblo, la misma raza, ‘¿cómo podemos hacer algo así’?”

In Mexico, accepted Yucatan's governor Patricio Patron Laviada, Central American immigrants are exploited and discriminated against.

"How can we tell governor Arnold Schwarzenegger 'hey, don't do that,' when, as soon as we can, we do the same thing.

It is unacceptable what we sometimes do to Central American immigrants.

But this last paragraph is the money line.

There's one thing, he added, that, even though I cannot justify, I can understand; when a [white,] blue-eyed person looks at a dark-skinned person and says "he's different."  But among us, we're the same nation and the same race.  How can we do something like this?

Or so says U.S. Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite (R-Dumbf**kistan)

Brown-Waite, R-Dumbf**kistan, was complaining about parts of an economic-stimulus package when she referred to residents of Puerto Rico and Guam as "foreign citizens."

". . . The bill sends hundreds of millions of dollars to people who do not pay federal income taxes, including residents of Puerto Rico and territories like Guam. I do not believe American taxpayer funds should be sent to foreign citizens who do not pay taxes. Americans want an economic stimulus for Dunnellon, Brooksville and Clermont, not for San Juan or Hagatna. As the legislation moves forward, it must be changed to ensure that only federal taxpaying American citizens receive rebate checks."

Emphasis added.  Needless to say, her "error" was quickly addressed.

"My recommendation to the distinguished Congress lady is to go through the story of the country she has sworn to protect," said Carlos Irizarry, a Kissimmee city commissioner who was born in Puerto Rico. "It's offensive, especially coming from a congresswoman who's supposed to know the history of this country."

Irizarry noted that Puerto Ricans defend the country in the armed forces just like mainland-born citizens.

So, the "distinguished Congress lady's" main concern is that the money goes to tax-paying citizens.  Preferably from her congressional district, I believe.  That would be fine if not for the fact that the U.S. Senate's version wants to give rebates to seniors who receive Social Security, which is exempt from taxation.  And other stuff for citizens who are not tax payers.

While the House version made rebates available only to those with an income of at least 3,000 dollars, the Senate version said that figure can include social security and veterans disability benefits, effectively increasing the reach of the benefits to more than 20 million more people, especially retirees..

The bill also extends by 13-26 weeks the period people who lost jobs can receive unemployment benefits. Those in high-unemployment states will get the longer extensions.

Of course, the "distinguished Congress lady" won't let the facts get in the way of some good-ol' xenophobic political rhetoric.

When asked about the release, spokesman Charlie Keller said it was "fine as is."

The line between "passionate" and "kooky" can be very thin at times.  Case in point, Marcia A. Pappas, President of NOW, New York State.  While I don't consider myself a member of the liberal fringe - Dennis Kucinich endorsement notwithstanding - I've always been very supportive of women issues.  I was raised by a single mother, after all.

However, Ms. Pappas seems to have had her Chris Crocker moment last January 11 - how this didn't really make waves I'll never know - when NOW NYS issued a press release titled "Psychological Gang Bang of Hillary is Proof We Need a Woman President"

Check the link.  It's not a typo.  And what does she compare Hillary's campaign problems to?

[T]here was that movie where Jodie Foster portrayed the true story of woman who was ganged raped in a bar while others looked on and encouraged the realization.  Still others pretended the rape didn't happen. In short, gang raping of women is commonplace in our culture both physically and metaphorically.

Emphasis added.  Now Clinton is not just being "gang banged" she's being "gang raped."  Well, since we know who the "rapee" is, we might as well ask who the alleged "rapers" are:

This past week, we witnessed just such a phenomenon involving men who are afraid of a powerful woman. Hillary Clinton, in her quest for her Presidential nomination, has in fact endured infantile taunting and wildly inappropriate commentary.  Indeed we have witnessed almost comical attacks by John Edwards who in turn sided with Barak [sic] Obama as both snickered at Clinton's "breakdown," which consisted of a very short dewy-eyed moment. Now John Kerry, who should certainly know better after his own "swiftboating," has joined the playground gang.

Emphasis added.  So the "gang rapers" are Edwards, Obama, and Kerry.  What did Edwards say?

Edwards, speaking at a press availability in Laconia, New Hampshire, offered little sympathy and pounced on the opportunity to bring into question Clinton's ability to endure the stresses of the presidency. Edwards responded, "I think what we need in a commander-in-chief is strength and resolve, and presidential campaigns are tough business, but being president of the United States is also tough business."

What did Obama say?

During a campaign stop at Jake's Coffee in New London, New Hampshire, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., was also asked to comment about Clinton's teary moment.

"I didn't see what happened," he said, but added, "I know this process is a grind. So that's not something I care to comment on."

I add that Jesse Jackson, Jr., Obama's campaign co-chair did call into question the "truthiness" of the tears and where were Hillary's tears for our dead in Iraq, the Katrina victims, etc.

What did Kerry say?  Beats me.  I couldn't find anything really offensive.  Other than, perhaps, this?

John Kerry, the Democratic candidate in the 2004 presidential election, made an extraordinary intervention on behalf of Barack Obama yesterday, accusing his opponents of stooping to "Swiftboat" smear tactics to destroy the senator's presidential ambitions.

Kerry, a senator from Massachusetts, endorsed Obama last month, despite his long friendship with Bill Clinton. It was an important endorsement, giving heart to other members of Congress who had been dithering about supporting Obama for fear of antagonizing the Clinton machine. But it is a big jump for Kerry to go from endorsement to criticism of the former president and his spouse, even if indirectly. He described as "disgusting lies" allegations on the internet about Obama's religion and record of public service.

And that's what Ms. Pappas calls "the gang-rape of Hillary Clinton."  It's particularly offensive to compare political attacks with a crime as scarring as gang-rape.  It's irresponsible and it is reprehensible.

But, what about Ted Kennedy?  Does he get away with endorsing Obama?  Think again.

Women have just experienced the ultimate betrayal. Senator Kennedy’s endorsement of Hillary Clinton’s opponent in the Democratic presidential primary campaign has really hit women hard.

We are repaid with his abandonment!  He’s picked the new guy over us.  He’s joined the list of progressive white men who can’t or won’t handle the prospect of a woman president who is Hillary Clinton (they will of course say they support a woman president, just not “this” one).  “They” are Howard Dean and Jim Dean (Yup! That’s Howard’s brother) who run DFA (that’s the group and list from the Dean campaign that we women helped start and grow).  "They" are Alternet, Progressive Democrats of America, democrats.com, Kucinich lovers and all the other groups that take women's money, say they’ll do feminist and women’s rights issues one of these days, and conveniently forget to mention women and children when they talk about poverty or human needs or America’s future.

Are we in agreement?  This whole thing just shattered my "Kooky-meter."

And BTW, I haven't heard Hillary say anything about it either way, which is disgusting.

Note: Cross-posted at Telling Stories.

Creating masterpieces with a blue ball point pen.

Radio interview w/ Roberto Lovato.

If there is one more term of the Bush/Clintons, I'll have a breakdown.

Obama 55%, Clinton 27%, Edwards 18%

The ex-Richardson camp...

Latina's Blog points out why you shouldn't vote for Hillary.  I love this statement: The working class will become a permanent peasant class.

More:  The Ghettoizing of Obama.

Life is full of ups and downs, and any one reading this blog regularly will attest that from time to time, LP just can't get around to blogging; this week is one of those weeks.  In the interim (I have a love/hate relation w/ this word), MSN has nominated The Three Caballeros as their top 10 winter movies (wouldn't it be great if life was one big cartoon?).

Link via Latin Baby.

"A child of Dr. King’s hope..."  This is a big stride in relations among black and brown.

Adage, has caught a grammatical mistake in the Obama campaign;  by leaving out an apostrophe they have change their slogan from "yes, we can" to "if we can."

I saw this aspiring Off-Broadway show last year; it had a lot of heart and was fun.  I hope it does well on Broadway.

Very Funny!

I hold the articles which speculate that Latinos identify and may vote for Clinton, rather than Obama with great demise.

Maria Elena Durazo, just endorsed Obama.

In Illinois.

Assemblyman Mo Denis.

In California.

Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-CA).

Latino Pundit.

This is another installment of the Latino Bloggers Series (formally known as "What Latino Bloggers Need To Do".

The Latino Blogosphere is now becoming more authoritative:  There are gossip sites, blog-journalists, witty-opinions, book reviews, independent voices, news sites, Venezuelan sites, activism, politics, marketers, authors. 

Note I said in the title that the Latino-blogosphere is maturing - not matured yet.  We can consider this the tip of the iceberg and the beginning of Latino Blogs maturing.  Just a few short years ago, Latino bloggers looked and felt like a faint aspiration of their author's intentions.  Those fledgling days are being outpaced by some of the strides made by Latino bloggers on a daily basis.  And now with election year upon us like salsa on a taco, we will see more establishments, organizations, reporters, shows, average Jose's look up Latino blogs than before.

You may know me as Latino Pundit, but my real name is Louis Pagan -- LP, for short by many.  I've been blogging for 4 years now and it's been great; it's expected to be even greater.  I've worked in IT as a network manager for almost 10 years; I like what I do.  A lot of people say they love what they do, but they don't really; if you love what you do you'll do it for free.  With that in mind I looked for things that I would do if money didn't matter.  Thankfully, I found writing.  I would write all day if I could, because I love it.

After all is said and done, and we look back on our lives I hope that each one of you can find at least one thing, be it a person, a passion, a cause that they have loved.  To give, is the greatest gift; to give love - even greater.  I've been lucky to find one thing that I love; and another as well.  The fine muchacha pictured on the right, is my fiancee!  I've been lucky enough to find, love, and who loves me back. 

This picture is the first picture I ever saw of her, and eventually the girl who I fell in love with - yes, we met online.  So, I asked; she said yes.

Mario, over at Nuestra Voice explains why the recent lack of Latino support for Obama speculation, based on race is not true.

The failure of the Obama campaign to garner Latino support is that his campaign was simply less accessible to Latinos than was the Clinton campaign during a critical early decision making period...

Richardson has even less Latino support than Obama in the poll Hutchinson quoted. In fact Richardson has received less financial support from Latinos than has Clinton. An indication that among even the Latino political elite who have shown tremendous ethnic political loyalty for at least two decades Richardson has been outdone by Clinton.

The post is a good read; if you haven't checked out Mario's radio show, you should.

Whatever happened to separation of Church and State Huck?

"I have opponents in this race who do not want to change the Constitution," Huckabee told a Michigan audience on Monday. "But I believe it's a lot easier to change the Constitution than it would be to change the word of the living god. And that's what we need to do -- to amend the Constitution so it's in God's standards rather than try to change God's standards so it lines up with some contemporary view."

A pixeled Che.



Image via Flickr.

Listening to the news and the so-called pundits lately is sad, amusing, and pathetic.  For the longest time they've been talking about Barack Obama's race.  Is he "black" enough?  Can he attract white voters?  And after the recent spat with the Clinton camp - where, IMHO, I believe it was incredibly stupid on both sides to get tangled on the race issue so carelessly - now everyone is talking about how Obama's reaction will play with white voters.

Since newspapers abhor a vacuum, now the issue du jour is whether Latinos will vote for Obama.

“Many Latinos are not ready for a person of color,” Natasha Carrillo, 20, of East Los Angeles, said. “I don’t think many Latinos will vote for Obama. There’s always been tension in the black and Latino communities. There’s still that strong ethnic division. I helped organize citizenship drives, and those who I’ve talked to support Clinton.”

And it's not just mainstream media.

I recently had a discussion with a good friend who heads a prominent Latino social service agency in Los Angeles about the White House prospects of Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama. He lowered his voice and shamefacedly said that many Latinos that he talked with scoffed or sneered at the idea of voting for Obama.

When I asked why, his answer was blunt. They just can’t see themselves voting for a black guy. The disdain, or less charitably bigotry, that he said many Latinos express toward Obama is anecdotal and can hardly be taken as the sentiment of most Latinos. But that some expressed that sentiment is not surprising.

Emphasis added.  There are many possible reasons why Latinos may feel "apprehensive" about voting for an African-American candidate.  However, lets focus on the one reason nobody is discussing in either article.

Atahualpa Yupanqui wrote a beautiful milonga entitled Los Hermanos or "The Brothers."  Although it may be deemed a protest song or a song about the common Argentinian, the lyrics are universal and apply to the situation at hand here.

Y así seguimos andando
curtidos de soledad;
y en nosotros nuestros muertos
pa' que nadie quede atrás

Which translates, roughly, to "And so we keep on walking/tanned in solitude/and in us our dead ones/so nobody's left behind."

Emphasis added.  And therein lies the main issue: Latinos have a history of racial discrimination and prejudice dating hundreds of years.  Both against Latinos of African descent and against indigenous communities in Central and South America.  That, compounded with a near universal denial of racism in Latin America, or denial of it as being a problem, and it is not surprising that as we carry nuestros muertos, their attitudes shine through.

The interesting and ironic thing is that, compared with Latin America, the U.S. has been extremely progressive in how it deals with racial discrimination.  For example, when they conducted the census in Puerto Rico, well over 75% of the people identified themselves in terms of color as "white."  We're not talking Argentina here, which is recognized as the most European of the Latin American nations.  We're talking about Puerto Rico, home of salsa music and reggaetón.

And, why do people call themselves "white" when most Puertoricans are mulatto?  Because nobody wants to be black.  But because there are so many people of color - either black or brown - Puertoricans came up with two interesting conventions: first was "el que no tiene dinga, tiene mandinga" or "he who does not have dinga (ancestors from the African dinga tribe), has mandigo (ancestors from the African mandigo tribe)."  Or, "everybody's black."  The second one was that if you have a single blood relative who was white - no matter how far removed - then you're white.  Those two conventions managed to remove race from the everyday debate in P.R.

What it hasn't removed is the fact that most of the statewide elected officers are white.  Puerto Rico has never had a dark-skinned governor.  Or resident commissioner.  And one of our all-time greatest musical export, Menudo, was always an all-white boy band.

And P.R. is hardly alone on this.  In the Dominican Republic, it was the political "kiss of death" for a Presidential candidate when rumors surfaced stating that he was either born in Haiti or he was of Hatian parents.

And so it goes in Latin America.  I can't think of a single country that is "free from sin" so to speak.

When it comes to race, we need to drop our dead ones and leave them behind.

The Guantanamo Bay Links:

"International conference opposes US Guantanamo policy"  9 out of 10

"US military chief favors closing Grantanamo"

80 protesters arrested wearing Orange jump suits and black hoods.

I've been recieving a lot of emails about this lately:

Three Puerto Ricans with alleged ties to the independence movement in Puerto Rico have been subpoenaed to appear in Brooklyn Federal Court Friday to answer to a grand jury.

Graphic designer Tania Frontera, social worker Christopher Torres and filmmaker Julio Antonio Pabon are due in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York Friday. There are also indications that the FBI is trying to locate and subpoena Hector Rivera, one of the founders of the Welfare Poets, a New York-based collective of activists and poets.

Expected to have caused organized protests in Puerto Rico Thursday night, the investigation of these individuals by the FBI and U.S. Department of Justice also sparked New York City Council members to gather on the steps of City Hall Thursday in opposition to the subpoenas.

Have you watched Grindhouse anthology by Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino? You should; they are awesome.  Before Planet Terror, there are some faux trailers for movies that will never hit the big screen (or at least never intended to); although Machete will.

Nobody looks better throwing knives than our hero Danny Trejo, who plays a Mexican assassin hired by the US.  The trailer looks hilarious; and I enjoy Rodriguez's work, so I'll be seeing this one.  There are immigrants, politicians, assassins, victims, Mexicans and Americans.  You will eiter love it, or hate it.

There's much speculation about how the Latino vote will turn out for Obama, or won't.  Thankfully, there are Latinos who are showing that politics are steering out of race based politics.


NOTE:  There may be a fact check here that outrageously gone astray.  It has been pointed out in the comments that Napolitano is Italian-American (thanks Adriana);  I could not find any information other than she was 'part' Italian.  Maybe link source has more info on this; maybe there was a mix up with Grace Napolitano, who is Latino.

I've decided to leave this up anyway.  I'm big enough to admit when I make a mistake, and not afraid to show it.  Another reason is that all in all, this is a plus for Barack Obama, who at the present moment has my vote.

The Urban Institute published a well-sourced list of "six myths and realities" regarding undocumented immigrants.  It speaks for itself.  However, the emphasis is provided:

Myth #1: Undocumented immigrants come to the United States to get welfare.

Undocumented men come to the United States almost exclusively to work. In 2003, over 90 percent of undocumented men worked—a rate higher than that for U.S. citizens or legal immigrants [ ]. Undocumented men are younger, less likely to be in school, and less likely to be retired than other men [ ]. Moreover, undocumented immigrants are ineligible for welfare, food stamps, Medicaid, and most other public benefits [ ].

Myth #2: Undocumented immigrants all crossed the Mexican border.

Between 60 and 75 percent of the more than 10 million undocumented immigrants entered illegally and without inspection—mostly across the Mexican border. The other 25 to 40 percent entered legally and subsequently overstayed visas or otherwise violated the terms of their admission [ ].

Myth #3: Undocumented immigrants are all single men.

Over 40 percent of undocumented adults are women, and the majority (54 percent) of undocumented men live in married couples or other families [ ]. Fewer than half of undocumented men are single and unattached.

Myth #4: Most children of the undocumented are unauthorized.

In fact, two-thirds of all children with undocumented parents (about 3 million) are U.S.-born citizens who live in mixed-status families.

Myth #5: A large share of schoolchildren are undocumented.

Nationally in 2000, only 1.5 percent of elementary schoolchildren (enrolled in kindergarten through 5th grade) and 3 percent of secondary children (grades 6-12) were undocumented. Slightly higher shares—5 percent in elementary and 4 percent in secondary schools—had undocumented parents.

Myth #6: Undocumented immigrants do not pay taxes.

Undocumented immigrants pay the same real estate taxes—whether they own homes or taxes are passed through to rents—and the same sales and other consumption taxes as everyone else. The majority of state and local costs of schooling and other services are funded by these taxes. Additionally, the U.S. Social Security Administration has estimated that three quarters of undocumented immigrants pay payroll taxes, and that they contribute $6-7 billion in Social Security funds that they will be unable to claim  [ ].

Just a little food for thought . . .

I didn't know this book was banned.  All the more reason to go read it now.

A very interesting read: "First of all, in Latin America we do not talk about acculturation levels – everybody is acculturated, relatively speaking. Instead we more often segment by socio-economic levels..."

I'm up to the second part of the book and I have to give props to Junot Diaz for writing a very engaging tale of a fat-nerdy Dominican kid growing up in New Jersey.  Constantly, we are told that Mr Diaz's voice is very unique, so I won't write the same (I think I just did). 

La Bloga, has a nice interview (you gotta love the La Bloga peeps).

From Amazon:  "This is the long-awaited first novel from one of the most original and memorable writers working today. Things have never been easy for Oscar, a sweet but disastrously overweight, lovesick Dominican ghetto nerd. From his home in New Jersey, where he lives with his old-world mother and rebellious sister, Oscar dreams of becoming the Dominican J. R. R. Tolkien and, most of all, of finding love. But he may never get what he wants, thanks to the Fuku - the curse that has haunted the Oscar's family for generations, dooming them to prison, torture, tragic accidents, and, above all, ill-starred love. Oscar, still waiting for his first kiss, is just its most recent victim. Diaz immerses us in the tumultuous life of Oscar and the history of the family at large, rendering with genuine warmth and dazzling energy, humor, and insight the Dominican-American experience, and, ultimately, the endless human capacity to persevere in the face of heartbreak and loss. A true literary triumph, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao confirms Junot Diaz as one of the best and most exciting voices of our time."

I was born, raised, and reared for the first 23 years of my life (more than half my life, though I'm not telling you how old I am) in Puerto Rico before moving to New York.  I've always noticed how, for Islanders like me, the concept of Island and Mainland Puerto Ricans to be a single community has been met with some degree of skepticism.  Not because of a belief that Islanders are better than Mainlanders or vice-versa, but because our experience is fundamentally different.

I was born as a member of the majority group on the Island.  My culture and heritage were right in line with what "mainstream" was considered to be.  That alone puts me in a very different mindset than being born here in the U.S., as a minority, where you may speak one language at home and another outside of your home, and where you're reminded, directly or indirectly, how different you are from the "mainstream."  It's no surprise, then, when Islanders and Mainlanders have a different perspective on some issues that affect them equally.

Case in point, from today's El Diario/La Prensa: El congresista José Serrano (D-NY) expresó ayer su preocupación por lo que esté pasando en el Buró Federal de Investigaciones luego que el director de esa agencia, Robert Mueller, dijera que “no sabía” sobre las citaciones a tres independentistas boricuas de Nueva York para una supuesta pesquisa sobre los Macheteros.  Which translates to "Congressman Jose Serrano expressed yesterday his concern regarding the FBI's conduct after Rober Mueller, FBI's Director, stated he "was unaware" of the summons issued to three New York pro-independence boricuas for an alleged investigation on the 'Macheteros.'"

This is not new stuff. As early as December 27 I commented here that I thougth it was odd that the island papers didn't comment much about it.  Even today, their news reporting is worth noting.

For example, El Nuevo Dia: El congresista demócrata, José Serrano, telefoneó al jefe del Negociado Federal de Investigaciones (FBI), Robert Mueller, para dejarle saber el malestar que ha dejado en la comunidad boricua neoyorquina la citación ante un gran jurado federal de tres jóvenes independentistas.  While the substance of it is not terribly different, what it says is that the FBI's actions have been offensive to New York's boricua community.

The other major newspaper, El Vocero, doesn't even carry this story - at least not online.

I'm inclined to believe that Islanders don't believe that this is of their concern.  Particularly when El Diario/La Prensa notes that there will be protests today and tomorrow in San Juan, Nueva York, Chicago, Cleveland, Filadelfia, Orlando, Los Ángeles and San Francisco, but El Nuevo Dia is unclear when it notes that "[d]iversos grupos han organizado protestas en San Juan y Nueva York en apoyo a los tres jóvenes citados." Which translates to "various groups have organized protests in San Juan and New York in support of the three summoned young men."  Note that there are no dates to those protests and it is even unclear whether these are upcoming or past events.

Perhaps, this will call into question the myth of the "Puerto Rican Nation."

Picasso.  Now you see him, now you don't in Brazil.  

Cross-posted at Telling Stories

While I should of been writing (or reading), I watched the Colbert Report last night (do they have scabs now as writers?).  He interviewed someone, who wrote something and it was quite revealing and quite the plain truth.  Although these are not direct quotes, you'll get the gist of it...

Republicans are out of touch with issues concerning the everyday American:  the middle class is still stuck in the middle, and the poor are still poor - nothing has changed in 6 years.

The Democrats are better at identifying and voicing what is wrong, but do not have realistic or effective plans to solve them.

Ain't that the truth.

First, I'd like to thank Mr. L.P himself for allowing me to collaborate with him on his website.  I may - or may not - cross-post to my home base at Telling Stories, but if I do, I'll let you know.

I read at another website - that I didn't bookmark and I cannot find for the life of me - an entry on how similar all the Democratic presidential candidates are when it really comes down to issues.  That got me thinking about what that could mean for one of Latino's top concerns, if not the top concern, immigration.  Are they real differences in what the five remaining Democrats?

The answer is, disappointingly, a resounding "not really."

Secure our borders? Four out of five say "Yes."

Clinton: "Hillary strongly believes we need to do more to know who is in our country by securing our borders. . . She supports deploying new technology that can help stop the flow of undocumented immigrants into the country."

Edwards: "The first step in overhauling the immigration system is to secure our borders and stop illegal trafficking. Edwards supports doubling the number of border patrol agents and investing in surveillance technology to police the borders."

Richardson:  "Secure the border by hiring and training enough patrol guards to cover the entire border.  We must more than double the number of guards, and provide them with the best surveillance technology available."

Obama: "Barack Obama wants to preserve the integrity of our borders. He supports additional personnel, infrastructure and technology on the border and at our ports of entry. Obama believes we need additional Customs and Border Protection agents equipped with better technology and real-time intelligence."

Kucinich: He's the only candidate who stands out  because he does not believe in securing our borders as an immigration goal. "I oppose giving the Department of Defense control over border security. In our
democracy, it is critical that we preserve the distinction between our armed forces and
domestic law enforcement. Also, I am concerned about the threat of vigilantes
intimidating or attacking individuals at the border. Border security is a job for state and
local authorities, not soldiers or vigilantes."

Crack down on employers who hire illegal immigrants?  Again, four out of five say "Yes."

Clinton: "Hillary strongly believes [in] ensuring that employers comply with the law against hiring and exploiting undocumented workers. She supports . . . an employer verification system that is universal, accurate, timely, and does not lead to discrimination and abuse by employers."

Edwards: "We also need to crack down on employers that hire undocumented immigrants. Edwards supports more vigorous workplace enforcement and increased fines for businesses that knowingly break the rules."

Richardson: "We must crack down on employers who knowingly hire undocumented immigrants and enforce the laws already on the books.  After establishing a national ID system, employers will have no excuses."

Obama: "To remove incentives to enter the country illegally, we need to crack down on employers that hire undocumented immigrants. Barack Obama has championed a proposal with Senators Charles Grassley (R-IA), Ted Kennedy (D-MA) and Max Baucus (D-MT) to create a new employment eligibility verification system so employers can verify that their employees are legally eligible to work in the U.S."

Kucinich: Again, a different take.  "Sanctions on employers of undocumented workers have failed. Our immigration laws have allowed employers to exploit immigrant workers and thus have denied labor rights to all who work. As the saying goes, an injury to one is an injury to all. I welcome the AFL-CIO's call to end employer penalties and I have joined with advocates for immigrants and people of color in urging that they be eliminated."

See a theme developing here?

Next up, how about a path to citizenship?  Here we have unanimity.

Clinton: "Hillary has consistently called for comprehensive immigration reform that respects our immigrant heritage and honors the rule of law. She believes comprehensive reform must have as [one] essential ingredient . . . a path to earned legal status for those who are here, working hard, paying taxes, respecting the law, and willing to meet a high bar."

Edwards: "Edwards believes people who are already here should have the opportunity to earn American citizenship by avoiding a criminal record, paying a fine in recognition that they came here illegally, and learning English – the surest path to success in this country."

Richardson: "Most of the illegal workers in the country are hard-working, law abiding people simply pursuing the American Dream. Those who pass a background check, learn English, pay back taxes and fines for being here illegally get the opportunity for legal status. Those that don't must leave."

Obama: "Barack Obama supports a system that allows undocumented immigrants who are in good standing to pay a fine, learn English, not violate the law, and go to the back of the line for the opportunity to become citizens."

Kucinich: "I am a strong supporter of the USA Family Act (HR 440). It offers immigrants a clear road map to legal status in the United States. Among other changes, it grants legal permanent residence to immigrants who have been living in the U.S. for five or more years. It offers conditional legal status and work authorization to all law-abiding immigrants living in the United States for less than five years. And it revokes current laws that bar certain people who live abroad from re-entering the U.S. for a period of three to 10 years."

I could go on, but you get my point.  With the exception of Dennis Kucinich, whose position in this issue is about as close to the other candidates as it ever gets, they are all saying  the same thing.  My mom, who was a music teacher for a while, would call it "a theme with variations" not much more substantive than "you say tomato, I say tomatoe."

Which brings me to the key issue here: what to make of this?  Well, either the candidates are, remarkably and surprisingly, all thinking about the same issue in pretty much the same way - kind of like the HD of politics - or, as I fear, we're not being told the differences that really matter.  Like, what are the priorities?  Enforcement first, then citizenship?  Employers first, then illegals?  The manufacturing sector first, then agriculture?  Enforcement in union shops first, then non-union shops?

The sad thing about this debate is that the candidates - except for Kucinich - are telling us what we want to hear.  They are silent about the difficult choices that inevitably follow such shallow talk.  That's no recipe for making informed decisions

I'm a big fan of social networking/web 2.0; it's the power of generosity and humaneness that exalts itself magnanimously within such arenas. 

I found this cool site:  BookCrossing.   The idea is to publicly distribute books and keep track of these books via their own ID number.  You place a book on a bench in the park, on the stairs of a building, a coffee shop in the mall, and jot it down on the site - the book is now ("out in the wild," as they call it).  Whoever picks it up can then sign into the website and state they have got it if they are so inclined.

I am releasing Margaret Mitchell's "Gone with the Wind," somewhere tomorrow (it's a book that's been lying around; I actually want to read it one day, but I don't think I'll get to it for some time).

"Matthews baselessly suggested Latino voters "want more of an open border"

Where will the Latino vote go this year?

Hahahaha.

I wonder if the man has any principles?  Talking much yang, about how citizens should speak English yet he advertises on a Spanish channel, with an ad in Spanish, to pander Spanish voters.

I cannot believe someone would find the below picture offensive - it is a natural function of a female body.



Andrés García-Peña

John McCain ads.

This I promise is the last 'year in review,' type post.