What a crazy, crazy world we live in: $55 for a bottle of water...and you thought gas was more expensive! 

(Watch the video.)

That is Spanish for "folly" or "nonsense," which is precisely what the pro-Commonwealth party in Puerto Rico is trying to put forward as its political platform.

I will start with the usual disclaimer I make every time I discuss this issue at Telling Stories: when it comes to Puerto Rico, I am and have always been pro-Statehood.  I don't see Puerto Rico's status as a "cultural dilemma" or a matter of national identity.  When it comes to Puerto Rico's status, Puertoricans are being asked to make a political decision.  If P.R. votes for statehood, I'm fairly certain that the next day Puerto Rico won't have a majority white, blond, blue-eyed population, people won't jump out of bed speaking English, El Yunque won't be a snow-covered peak, and Puerto Rico won't be any more or less racist than it is now.

I also believe that if at any time I believed P.R. couldn't or shouldn't become a State, the only true alternative left is to become an independent nation where Puertoricans have full control of their affairs.  Again, not a matter of culture or nationalism, just a matter of political self-determination.

What I hate is the current colonial status.

And what I really hate is the idea the pro-Commonwealth party is now putting forth that there is room for "improvement" in this relationship.  Even the headlines don't make sense:

Soberanía bajo control federal

Which translates to "sovereignty under federal control."  If it doesn't make sense to you, welcome to the club.  That's nothing more than wanting to have the cake and eat it too.  And what's more, there's no room under the U.S. Constitution for such a creature:

Some in Puerto Rico have proposed a “New Commonwealth” status, under which Puerto Rico would become an autonomous, non-territorial, non-State entity in permanent union with the United States under a covenant that could not be altered without the “mutual consent” of Puerto Rico and the federal Government. In October 2000, a few months before President Clinton established the Task Force, the House Committee on Resources held a hearing on a bill (H.R. 4751) incorporating a version of the “New Commonwealth” proposal. William Treanor, who held the same position in the Office of Legal Counsel that I now hold, testified that this proposal was not constitutional. . .

The effect of this legal conclusion is that the “New Commonwealth” option, as the Task Force understood it, is not consistent with the Constitution. Any promises that the United States might make regarding Puerto Rico’s status as a commonwealth would not be binding. Puerto Rico would remain subject to Congress’s authority under the Territory Clause of the Constitution “to dispose of and make all needful Rules and Regulations respecting the Territory . . . belonging to the United States.” Puerto Rico receives a number of benefits from this status, such as favorable tax treatment. And Puerto Rico may remain in its current Commonwealth, or territorial, status indefinitely, but always subject to Congress’s ultimate authority to alter the terms of that status, as the Constitution provides that Congress may do with any U.S. territory.

What's even more interesting is that the pro-Commonwealth supporters don't even realize - or don't want to realize, since colonialism hurts - is that, from the beginning, the relationship between the U.S. and Puerto Rico is not a relationship between equals.  Here's what the governor proposes:

Lo que plantea el desarrollo del ELA, fundamentado en la soberanía del pueblo de Puerto Rico, es que nos sentemos de tú a tú . . . y que en ese diálogo franco, con ciudadanía americana, se tomen los acuerdos que se tenga que tomar de hasta dónde es que llega la jurisdicción . . . Que esté claro que el poder último de gobernarnos y tomar nuestras decisiones está en las manos de los puertorriqueños.

Which translates to,

What the development of the Commonwealth grounded in the sovereignty of the people of Puerto Rico proposes is that we [the U.S. and P.R.] sit down and negotiate as equals . . . and that as part of that earnest dialogue, with American citizenship, whatever agreements that must be made are made to determine how far the [federal] jurisdiction reaches . . . Let it be clear that the ultimate power of self-government lies with the Puertorican people.

So, what the pro-Commonwealth crew wants is for the federal government to (a) give up its control over P.R., (b) to reach an agreement where U.S. citizenship is non-negotiable, (c) to enter into an agreement about how far the feds can go to apply federal law, and (d) with the government of Puerto Rico having the ultimate say on whether those laws apply to it and its citizens or not.

You tell me: disparates, yes or no?

Love this....


Hat tip to Majikthise.

Go there for the interview.

Ever since the birth of my daughter, I've been thinking a lot about money...you know, those S's with the double line through it ($$$).  It's been gnawing at me and gnawing at me, just like that little mouse probably has been doing around the apartment that I haven't caught yet! 

Let me tell you, the human mind amazes me, it puts pieces of the 'puzzle' together in ways you just can't understand:  I was watching the old boob tube today after a nice dinner, and for some reason I stopped at channel 66, The US Senate.  Bush and Fox were clipped talking about how great NAFTA has been for trade between the two three countries (US, Mexico and Canada).

Okay, piece one.

I am subscribed to a financial email newsletter, and today I happened to read it instead of deleting it.  What caught my eye was this"  "The New American Currency."  Fired up Google and this is what I get:

CNBC Interview with Stephen Previs about the Amero.

This video highlights a very serious concern which none of our media is looking into. The Amero is being looked at as the defacto currency of the North American Community (or Union).

Steve Previs: One thing the people who are dollar-based need to focus on is the Amero. That’s the one thing nobody’s talking about that’s going to have a big impact on everybody’s life in Canada, the US and Mexico. If you google it you can find out all about it. The Amero is the proposed new currency for the north American community which is being developed right now between Canada the US and Mexico to make a borderless community much like the EU and the dollar, Canadian dollar, us dollar and the Mexican peso being replaced by the Amero.

Interviewer: You really think that will get any leeway?

Steve Previs: You may want to visit a couple of web sites to see how far along it is. The Canadians are pretty upset about it whereas the Americans apart from the Texans are the only people who know anything about it the rest of the public is really with their heads in the sand on this one. Click here for more.

Source.

And your really, REALLY need to read this.  Canadians are upset; WAKE UP AMERICANS, the dollar is going down the tubes!

This is the reason I don't give too much energy into racism, immigration, and the border - they are all side notes and distractions to this bigger back room deal.

Donate $5.50 and have a tree planted in Indonesia, and watch it grow on Google Earth: www.mybabytree.org

Buy a Tree for the Rainforest - Get a KML

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) offers you the opportunity to buy a tree which will be planted in a rainforest in Sebangau National Forest in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia. In return, they not only plant the tree, but give you a Google Earth KML file in return with the location coordinates of your tree. Theoretically, as Google continues to update with higher resolution satellite and aerial imagery, you should be able to watch the growth of your tree (and the others who donate trees) over the coming years. To get started, you simply go to the web site mybabytree.org. They have a very cute animation that will guide you through the process, and you can use Paypal to make your donation. You can see the location and list of trees purchased so far here . Borneo is another location, like the Amazon, where rain forests are disappearing due to logging at a frightening pace.

When I was young I used to go to my Uncle's house in Far Rockaway, Queens for weeks at a time.  He had an indirect positive influence on me - his books!  They were everywhere: on the floors, on shelves, book cases, in boxes, in closets.  My fondest memory is of these two towering book shelves on each side of the living room entrance he had filled with books.  I would stare at them sometimes in awe thinking that there were secrets in them.

In a time when the environment is a hot topic books these days may be getting a bad wrap.  We know they are the product of processed timber and thus must take some toll on our forests, but if you think about all sides of the environment you would line your walls with them!

MySpace is a winner in any demographic, which I guess leaves some wondering why it would go after a specific demographic and cater to it thus so...in this case Spanish speaking Latinos.  I think I could understand the surface argument of what the writer is saying:  why not have a universal MySpace.  But...in what Language?   Assuming that the same strokes are for all folks is ignorant and plain wrong, in other words you are living in a dream world.  Reality is there are many Latinos in the US who prefer to speak Spanish (not to say anything of those in the islands, South and Central America).

So why not a Myspace Latino, and a MySpace Korean...why not a MySpace in every language?  A true social network appreciates our differences and seeks to unite them, not wipe them out.

Sidenote:  Isn't it strange that computer applications such as MySpace is now part of our Culture? 

Life goes fast when having fun; forgot to post that my baby girl arrived a couple weeks ago at 6lbs 14.4oz...beautiful little thing.  My days/nights are filled with pacifiers, diapers and half empty feeding bottles...no sleep, no sleep, no sleep.  But every time I look at her I joyously laugh at that little miracle.

NY will suck the money-blood right out of you;; the whole fun of ordering online is not paying taxes because we are buying out of state:

"NY Governor David Paterson is expected to sign a bill requiring online retailers to collect sales taxes on purchases shipped to the state, even if they have no operations or employees working there. The so-called 'Amazon tax', which applies to Internet retailers who derive sales through affiliate programs, would end what for many New Yorkers had been tax-free shopping and generate an estimated $50M in revenue this fiscal year. Experts predict that other states could follow suit with similar provisions."

I wonder if this is a way around it: get an out of state mailbox at one of those private vendors (NJ?), and deliver the items there, and either pick them up or have the place forward them to you.  Or just move out of this crappy state, like I am thinking of doing.

Hmmm, wonder why?

Link

Like the old Prego commercial: “It’s in there.”

He tested the DNA of his relatives, along with some of the parishioners at Albuquerque’s St. Edwin’s Church, where he works. As word got out, others in the community began contacting him. So Sanchez expanded the effort to include Hispanics throughout the state.

Of the 78 people tested, 30 are positive for the marker of the Cohanim, whose genetic line remains strong because they rarely married non-Jews throughout a history spanning up to 4,000 years.

I don't know what is wrong with some Latinos - I embrace my mix, how 'bout you?   I'm not asking anyone to don a kippah, but just acknowledge that if it wasn't for those genes some of you wouldn't be here today.

??? (Blacks Against Immigrants? Don’t Believe the Conservative Hype)

One thing that I don't promote is racism in any shape or form.  I believe that we should embrace and accept our differences and then go home; harboring ill will towards others is just not healthy, balanced or acceptable in the great scheme of things.

I write the above for anyone who may misinterpret, misunderstand, or misuse some of my posts on this area; for any one who may see the next link as a contradiction; for anyone who may not value a paradox.

Stuff White People Like:  a satire, or soft racism? I don't know; but it is sure damn good.

UPDATE:  I just had the thought that it would be great if they would put up some sister sites:  Stuff Hispanic People Like, Stuff Black People Like.  There would then be some sure controversy, as I can think up quite a few stereotypical things to  list.  Ha!

Today's NY Times has a very interesting and thought-provoking editorial on immigrants and immigration.  Some segments are reproduced below but the whole editorial - and the Social Security report it refers to - are worth looking at:

Immigration is good for the financial health of Social Security because more workers mean more tax revenue. Illegal immigration, it turns out, is even better than legal immigration. In the fine print of the 2008 annual report on Social Security, released last week, the program’s trustees noted that growing numbers of “other than legal” workers are expected to bolster the program over the coming decades.

One reason is that many undocumented workers pay taxes during their work lives but don’t collect benefits later. Another is that undocumented workers are entering the United States at ever younger ages and are expected to have more children while they’re here than if they arrived at later ages. The result is a substantial increase in the number of working-age people paying taxes, but a relatively smaller increase in the number of retirees who receive benefits — a double boon to Social Security’s bottom line.

We’re not talking chump change. According to the report, the taxes paid by other-than-legal immigrants will close 15 percent of the system’s projected long-term deficit. That’s equivalent to raising the payroll tax by 0.3 percentage points, starting today.

That is not to suggest that illegal immigration is a legitimate fix to Social Security’s problems. It is another reminder, however, of the nation’s complex relationship with undocumented workers. Would the people who want to deport all undocumented workers be willing to make up the difference and pay the taxes that the undocumented are currently paying?

Emphasis added.  The report can be accessed here.

On the one hand, unless you're a recalcitrant anti-immigration (or anti-illegal-immigration) advocate, this shouldn't surprise you since it's common sense.  The whole point of the no-match letters that are now being used in some towns, counties, cities, or states to establish whether a person is an illegal immigrant is to inform the person that because there is no match, he or she would not be entitled to benefits - or would receive reduced benefits -if he or she did not correct the error.

On the other hand, you really have to wonder about an editorial that pretty much sings the virtues of a system based on the permanent disenfranchisement of an entire group of workers.  "They" are such a good thing for "us."  While the article raises the issue of whether Americans would be willing to pay higher taxes to make up the difference in revenues, it doesn't discuss the implications of providing a path to citizenship for these workers.  What would the picture look like if these workers could receive Social Security benefits when the time comes?

So, for the NY Times, it seems it's OK to exploit "them" as long as it benefits "us."