July 2008 Archives

I wonder if some people took this and believed that they could trick their bank accounts and credit lines into thinking they had more money than it did.

At least that's the way it looks from a political standpoint, particularly now that the Inspector General concluded that Monica Goodling and D. Kyle Sampson (a.k.a. "Blondie and Baldy")  have been found "to routinely break the law by conducting political litmus tests on candidates for jobs as immigration judges and line prosecutors."

Goodling passed over hundreds of qualified applicants and squashed the promotions of others after deeming candidates insufficiently loyal to the Republican party, said investigators, who interviewed 85 people and received information from 300 other job seekers at Justice. Sampson developed a system to screen immigration judge candidates based on improper political considerations and routinely took recommendations from the White House Office of Political Affairs and Presidential Personnel, the report said.

All this occurred under the "watchful eye" of  former U.S. Attorney General Alberto "I don't recall" Gonzalez, the first - and thanks to him, maybe the last - Latino named to this post.

That said, as a lawyer I am disappointed.  Attorneys are easy to find.  Open your local phone book or check out your local TV advertisement and it'll be easy to see.  Good attorneys, willing to serve the public good, those are really hard to find.  Now by the time you finish law school your student debt could easily be in triple digits, even if you've received some financial aid along the way.  For young attorneys, it is much more financially appealing to enter private practice than to take a public job.  Not to mention, there's always that stigma about "government workers" which, when it comes to attorneys, is often the exception and not the rule.

What this guy allowed to take place here is disgusting and it will set back the Attorney General's efforts in recruiting good candidates for years.

And it had to happen during a Latino's watch.  ¡Qué jodienda, compadre!

An AM New York articletitled "Changing of the Guard" hit the streets today launching from Jesse's recent remarks about Obama "talking down to black people," to a change in the consciousness of black leaders today and past.

I think Latino leaders too (God, I hope!!!), have this thought process present today, but do not have the national media presence such as Jesse or Obama.

Apparently we need to keep our fellow Latinos informed since we have the highest percentage of new cases of AIDS or HIV:

AIDS rates in the nation's Latino community are increasing and, with little notice, have reached what experts are calling a simmering public health crisis.

Though Hispanics make up about 14 percent of the U.S. population, they represented 22 percent of new HIV and AIDS diagnoses tallied by federal officials in 2006. According to a survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation, Hispanics in Washington, D.C., have the highest rate of new AIDS cases in the country.

So far, the toll of AIDS in the nation's largest and fastest growing minority population has mostly been overshadowed by the epidemic among African Americans and gay white men. Yet in major U.S. cities, as many as one in four gay Hispanic men has HIV, a rate on par with sub-Saharan Africa.

Emphasis added.  There's really no reason for this.  But this is what is allegedly going on:

Blacks still have the highest HIV rates in the country, but language difficulties, cultural barriers and, in many cases, issues of legal status make the threat in the Hispanic community unique. For those who arrived illegally, in particular, fear of arrest and deportation presents a daunting obstacle to seeking diagnosis and treatment.

Well, if it's a language barrier, lets make it clear right now:

Latino, protégete.  Usa condones de latex.  Si no lo haces, corres el riesgo de contraer AIDS SIDA.  Y el AIDS SIDA te matará a tí y a los que te lleves por el medio, sin pena ni gloria.  Protege tu vida y la de los tuyos.

Updated on 7/25/2008:
(Thanks Cai, although I think most everyone knows that AIDS is SIDA.  But just in case . . . )

Some good buddies of mine presented a clip called “Our Dos Centavos: Strategies for Latino Bloggers," from the Netroots Nation seminar.

While I haven't listened to the whole thing yet, my only suggestion is to put it on You Tube.

Enjoy.

Texas, and Activists, and Bloggers.  Oh my.

Right now, Ruben Navarrete's ability to give me heartburn is remarkable.  I just came across his July 7 commentary on CNN.com and he's got the wrong facts out again.

There are 46 million Latinos in the United States. And, contrary to what the nativist fringe thinks, that figure refers to U.S. citizens and legal residents. Illegal immigrants are, shall we say, off the books. At least 9 million Latinos are expected to cast ballots in the fall, but that number could go as high as 10 million. They could have a disproportionate influence on the election because they're swing voters concentrated in battleground states.

OK, there's nothing wrong with that.  I just needed to add that to put his stupid comment in perspective:

And because this year, neither Obama nor McCain has a lock on Hispanic voters, even if it appears otherwise at the moment. Polls show that among Hispanics, Obama is leading by a 2-to-1 ratio.

Two-to-one, Mr. Navarrete?  Think again.

Obama leads McCain, 47% to 40%, with 13% saying they prefer someone else or are not yet sure about their selection in the race – just a slight shift from June’s survey, when Obama led McCain 47% to 42%. . . Among Hispanics, Obama has significantly boosted his lead over McCain to 71% to 19%. In June, Obama led among Hispanics with 54% support, compared to 44% support for McCain.

Emphasis added.  And again.

Obama leads among liberals, and has a smaller lead among moderates. He leads among black voters by a very large margin, and has a sizable margin among Hispanics.

Emphasis added.  How big?  Try 62%-23%.  That's closer to three-to-one.

The facts are that Obama has steadily gained support from the Latino community after he was deemed the presumed nominee.  He will hit a wall at some point and his numbers will go back and forth some.  Obama can't keep getting better forever (hate to break this to the Obamaniacs, but, he's only human).  But right now he's doing better than two-to-one.

The facts also are that while McCain had a three-month head start since he became the Republicans' presumptive nominee, he has not managed to attract Latinos - Cubans aside - in any significant way.

But Mr. Navarrete won't let the facts get in the way of a good political story: "Latinos Torn Between Obama and McCain."  It would make for a heck of a story . . . if it were true.

Sick.

"Gonzalez was walking along Third Ave., between 53rd and 54th Sts. - an area known for prostitution - about 2:30 a.m. last Nov. 8. She said she was on her way to Lutheran Medical Center's emergency room.

She had suffered an asthma attack earlier in the day and her medication wasn't working, she said. Her husband suggested she head to the hospital, four blocks from their home on 53rd St., so she could return in time to get the kids ready for school, she said.

Gonzalez, wearing a long winter coat, was suddenly confronted by Spencer and another cop who jumped out of a marked SUV.

"He [Spencer] said, 'I saw you going up to the car,'" Gonzalez recalled. "His partner said, 'Let her go, I've never seen her here before,' but he [Spencer] wouldn't listen," she said.

"I told him, 'I'm somebody's mother. I'm somebody's daughter.' I was hysterical crying."

Spencer also busted a second woman on Third Ave. for prostitution and drove both suspects to the 72nd Precinct stationhouse, where another cop called an ambulance for the asthmatic Gonzalez."

Someone over at MichelleMalkin.com, is leaving California in the hopes for a more whiter pasture.  I am sure most of California won't miss you.

"Jesse Jackson's point is wrapped up in jealousy over the fact that Obama has done what Jesse could never do-- win the Democratic nomination for president. And because Obama has repeatedly rejected the victimization card that Jackson was so fond of playing for many years."

I agree.

Forget it children! With it's new party suits, steakhouse, and martini bar, the new super-expensive, five-star baseball stadium is geared to cater to the rich, and leave you watching from your neighborhood bar. Cheers!

Just Discovering The Hispanic Vote?  Does this reveal more truth about McCain than other candidates?


More on candidates vying for Latino vote.

In my book it's a little late, but better late than never.

Alberto, there is only ONE latino pundit.

According to a poll from Public Policy Polling, Obama leads McCain in Florida 46% to 44%.  Although it's within the margin of error of the survey (+/- 3.6%), it is telling that among Latinos, Obama leads McCain 51% to 37% (on page 7 of the results).  That trend is consistent with PPP's results for Virginia (47%-36% Hispanics & "others") as well.

I guess we can start putting this myth to rest now.

UPDATE - 7-2-2008: 

Hispanic registered voters' support for Barack Obama for president remained consistent and strong in June, with Obama leading John McCain by 59% to 29% among this group.

While Hispanics generally preferred Hillary Clinton to Obama for the Democratic presidential nomination, a solid majority of Hispanics have consistently backed Obama against McCain in general-election trial heats. Obama has led McCain by about a 2-to-1 margin since Gallup began tracking general-election voting preferences in early March.

Emphasis added.  This is just what I expected: when Latinos look at what McCain and Obama have to offer, Latinos would brake in large numbers in favor of Obama.

Now, the only thing we need is to remember to vote.