The Cyber Presidio

U.S. Soccer Culture Needs Help

2012-01-22T14:03:00.003-06:00

For the record I have never been more excited about U.S. soccer than the moment that Jurgen Klinsmann was named as the national team head coach. He is the ideal futbolista to lead the United States because as a former elite player who has lived in the United States for a long time, he has rare combination of 1st world experience with an inherent understanding of third world soccer conditions. By the way within the context of world soccer, the U.S. is a third world culture or in pc terms, it's part of the developing world.

Last nights game besides the last minute goal was horribly boring, yet typical of U.S. soccer matches.

The average U.S. soccer fan is like a nerd trying to sneak into the cool kids Friday night beer bash

Sam's Army are a bunch of knuckleheads who prove that a little knowledge is very dangerous

Why do they have to be an "army?" C'mon why are we stuck in this imperialistic mentality and yes, this is a big deal since soccer fans are inherently part of a global community, unlike most Americans who could not find the rest of the world on a map. And we are a very poor army after all.

These fan's don't know when to cheer, what passive offsides means, or even how to berate an official properly, ugh!
Last night I saw a bunch of dopes covered in the U.S. flag but were all wearing English soccer jerseys-nerd alert! And most were either Chelsea or Man U tops, c'mon people.

The average American soccer player whether a 12-year old club player or a member of the national team has terrible technique, i.e. their first touch. And they lack soccer critical thinking skills and imagination.
The tactics are horrible, but this is not Jurgen's fault, it's the fault of club soccer which still stresses standing in line for five minutes in order to touch the ball for a few seconds. Jurgen has to overcome this naive American football method of coaching soccer.

Too much parental involvement
To much practice time and not enough free play, i.e. pick up small sided soccer
Soccer should not be an expensive activity. And it's not in the rest of the world, but it is here in the United States.
Jurgen undersands this inherent obstacle:

And the U.S. frequently attacked with only three players and agin this is a product of all U.S. soccer that I see at all levels. American soccer lacks fluidity and the average player on the pitch loses interest during the match if he is not directly involved in the play at hand. Such a mentality prevents consistent off the ball runs and running into space. Instead typical of American soccer is to run up and down the field in straight lines.

So there you go, more pick up games and less adult supervision.

Mexicans and the Republican Party

2011-12-12T23:53:00.000-06:00

According to the Republicans latest flavor of the day, Newt: immigrant good, sort of. Newt doesn't want to deport all of them, he just not sure which ones to deport.

Furthermore as I have always stated here at the Presidio the facts are in our favor. Immigrant good for the United States.

More facts: The most scrupulous study I’ve seen of the economic impact of illegal immigration — by Gordon Hanson, an economist at the University of California, San Diego — weighed the costs to society (schools, health care, etc.) against the benefits (tax revenues, labor productivity, etc.) and concluded that the difference was “close enough to zero to be essentially a wash.” The idea that illegal immigrants are dragging down the economy is just wrong.

But listen to Mitt Romney whose grandfather illegally immigrated to Mexico, by the way.

He can't figure out what he wants, but then he falls back to, "we must secure the border first." His lack of immigration ideas begins at the 4:05 mark.

And finally some advise to the Republicans, especially those in Texas. Instead of trying to steal our vote why not try to win it?

The English Only Myth or Lie

2011-12-12T23:38:00.001-06:00

Should English be the official language?

It already is. According to the U.S. Census as of December 11, 2011 the US population stands at 312,757,722. No one knows the value of knowing how to speak English more than an immigrant. I would argue that many native born Americans do not appreciate the value of English nor are they interested in using it properly. See any teenager's texting history.

It is true that the U.S. ranks as the fifth largest Spanish speaking nation in the world after Mexico, Spain, Argentina, and Colombia. The total U.S. population that speaks a language other than English at home equals 55,444,485. However, this does not mean that this segment of our population only speaks a non English language.

For example the 5 years and over Spanish speaking population within the United States is about 34,547,077. Again according to the U.S. Census 25,000,000 of this population also speak English Well or Very Well. That means that this segment of the population is bilingual. Furthermore this also means that only 9,547,077 Spanish speakers in the United States speak English well or less. That's 9.5 million out of over 300,000,000 million people in the United States.

A better solution? A commitment towards public education which benefits the entire nation, rather than pushing xenophobic unfunded mandates.

What if the Jamestown colonists in 1607 only spoke English? That colony would have suffered the same fate as the colonists in Roanoke. They had to learn to communicate with the local indigenous populations, i.e. they became bilingual.

English has never been the only language spoken within the United States. Nonetheless, no one would argue that it is not the most important language in the United States, if not the world.

I think they were spies.

2011-09-26T11:48:00.002-06:00

Video: Shane Bauer, Josh Fattal speak out for first time

Yes, I agree they were arrested because they were Americans. But as Americans they do not have the right to go everywhere they want. I am not defending the Iraq government, but with the current state of the world, why would you go hiking here? I think they were spies. And for an American to bitch about lack of evidence and rights, in an era when Gitmo still exists is the height of hypocrisy.

There are Latinos in Detroit

2011-08-16T19:01:00.002-06:00

Alexi Lalas, a former mediocre defender, but nonetheless the pro-type of the current American defender is sick of Latino players. One of the most significant problems with the U.S. men's team and the women's team as well, is that its back-line players are all defensive specialists with little or no ball handling ability. They are a product of US club soccer whose focus is standing in line for five minutes before players have a chance to touch a ball briefly. Here are his comments:

But as a commentator Lalas is also a typical American ball player who like many of his generation have an underlying animosity towards Latino Americans who play fútbol. Ironically he was sitting next to then future head coach Jürgen Klinsmann when the following comments were made to Lalas's chagrin:

The cutting-taxes lie

2011-08-16T14:27:00.001-06:00

Stop Coddling the Super Rich. I agree Mr. Buffett.

... a net of nearly 40 million jobs were added between 1980 and 2000. You know what’s happened since then: lower tax rates and far lower job creation.

Reagan's Deficit Dreamscape. Thanks Bonzo. And Reagan raised the debt ceiling 18 times. Thus Reagan the Republican demigod, is also the god of Mt. Increased-National-Debt.

When Reagan became president -- and began to cut taxes -- the federal deficit was 2.5 percent of the national economy. When he left, eight years later, the deficit was 5 percent of the economy. Interest payments on the debt jumped to $169 billion in 1988 from $69 billion in 1981. At the time, those were astonishing numbers, and they have exploded since.

The state and federal Republican hypocritical leadership make all these claims for smaller government and less taxes. But they know full well, that the tax burden on the American taxpayer will remain the same or increase as their policies will only force local government to raise taxes and fees. In the last few months my city water rate increased, as did the local school district tax rate, and now my county property taxes increased 18%!

WTF?

Why the NRA still sucks.

2011-07-22T22:41:00.000-06:00

NRA chief lobbyist Chris Cox, never answers the questions being asked. He dodges the debate topic for the entire interview. The NRA just wants to sell guns; they don't care who buys them.

More Guns don't make Us safer!

2011-07-20T09:24:00.000-06:00

Arizona's gun-death rate among worst within the United States.

Guns in Arizona: sales at a record space.

The culture wars have come to dictate the direction that our society is headed. The real winners are the NRA who really serve gun-dealers as opposed to the average sheep, I mean gun owner. I still believe that the NRA should take the lead in the public gun safety discussion, but that is not their mission. Instead they have successfully increased gun sales despite the increase in gun violence.

But even then guns are a secondary issue as opposed to job creation, the national debt, and job creation. But here in Arizona, the state legislature made the Cold Revolver the official state hand gun. Cool, now about those jobs?

The Real Arizona

2011-06-14T15:57:00.002-06:00

6 out of 10 applicants for an Arizona driver's license fail. Does this tell us anything about our education system? I would say so. Our public schools do after all rank in the bottom five for educational achievement. And the legislature continues to attack and cripple the public education system. Criminal spending cuts aside, they are attacking public schools from all directions.

For example school tax credits for private schools exceed the amount I can donate to my child's public school. House Bill 2581 would increase by 50 percent the amount of money that taxpayers can donate to help pay tuition at private K-12 schools and subtract from their state income tax. That amount would increase from $500 to $750 for individuals and from $1,000 to $1,500 for couples. My wife and I can only donate $300.

And now parents at charter schools can opt out their children from material they deem offensive. For example, a neo-nazi mommy can prevent her child from learning about the Holocaust. Those folks who believe the South will rise again can now prevent their child from learning about slavery. What does each of these examples have in common? You lost, get over it.

Arizona's Leadership: Hypocrites Run Amok

2011-06-13T22:22:00.001-06:00

Arizona's Republican politicians have no problem asking for increased security along the border: more technology, more laws, more national guardsmen, more grants for local law enforcement. Such increased border security has not been proven to actually improve security, i.e. stop drugs from entering the United States and stopping the millions if not billions of dollars from funding the Mexican drug cartels. And let's not forget the American guns headed to Mexico.

There is never a reminder that this is wasted taxpayer money. Not one of them says, hey we are broke, we can't afford that. They don't mention that this is borrowed money from our children. But damn, if these arguments are made when they are asked to help the state's 15,000 unemployed. Jobless benefits extension fails; special session ends with no action.

WTF? But then again, the federal government has failed to revive the economy at the same time that we have invaded four Middle East nations. Hey politicians that bomb, that bullet, etc. costs money. Why can't we spend that money on Americans, instead of attacking and killing foreigners?

Mexicans Love Cente & Budweiser...But

2011-06-08T09:43:00.000-06:00

This is an interesting turn of events. My guess is that Vicente Fernandez is like any other very wealthy Mexican who sees himself above all of the fracas which is the daily life for Mexicans working within the United States. He is loved here, maybe more than in the Mexico. Budweiser is equally loved by my people. But, it's up to the protesters to prove they can still muster a large and influential movement that deserves recognition. Let's hope for the best.

More on Arizona and Immigration

2011-06-07T13:04:00.002-06:00

The Issue: gaining legal status and the Dream Act.
New ID Law in Arizona Stirs Worries Amongst Immigrants.
Limit on Illegal Immigrant Lawsuits Face Constitutionality Tests.
Russell Pearce group maybe violating Arizona election laws.
Maricopa County has 60 days to determine if at least 7,656 of 18,300 signatures belong to registered voters in Pearce's district. However, his supporters in Virginia and Colorado are seeking corporate funds to fight the recall. Interesting that his supporters within his district are NOT at the center of his defense.
Massachusetts opts out of Secure Communities.
Massachusetts, Illinois, and New York have informed President Obama that he better change his ways. All three state governors have opted out of the Secure Communities program, which is a fingerprint-sharing program that is central to the Obama administration’s immigration enforcement strategy. In many ways Obama is the wrong president to handle immigration issues and Latin America. He has chosen the wrong people for advise and seems to be running scared by trying to win over hardliners as opposed to appealing to his base which supports comprehensive immigration reform.

Didn't they teach Mexican History at Harvard? Where is John Womack when you need him.

Plenty of work in Georgia

2011-06-06T14:37:00.001-06:00

Farms losing work to immigrant crackdown. This is a video of an Atlanta news report describing the unemployment rate and the host of jobs available in Georgia's farm sector. Excuses for not taking those jobs, "over educated" and "too hard" were the most common from unemployed Americans. I have to admit, I don't know if I could do the job that I did as a teenager or the same work that my grandparents did into their 60's.

But then again, I do not support deporting all those people who will do the work. But I also do not believe that a unilateral amnesty will work, but instead simply put off solving the problem, and possibly make the situation worse. It has to be part of the solution, but we have to help the Mexican economy and empower Mexican society as well.

Another Failed War

2011-06-05T00:14:00.001-06:00

I didn't need a group of internationally renowned experts (including some who I personally admire such as Carlos Fuentes ) to tell me that the war on drugs is a failure. As I have told my students on more than one occasion, I am sure I could score coke or pot in less than 30 minutes from my classroom. The drugs are everywhere as this report demonstrates. The NPR article has a link to the report and lists the members of the panel.

"The global war on drugs has failed, with devastating consequences for individuals and societies around the world," a high-powered commission whose members include former U.S. Secretary of State George Shultz and former U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan warns today.

Of course the U.S. and Mexican governments reject the findings. Figures, since there is a lot of tax payer money involved in fighting failed wars, according to a BBC report.

But I don't necessarily support legalization campaigns either.

Mexico: Terrorists by any other name

2011-05-26T11:14:00.001-06:00

Leave it to a Republican Congressman to place drug traffickers in a position to be defended. U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, the chairman of the Homeland Security Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee has introduced a bill that would add Mexico's six dominant cartels to the State Department's foreign terrorist organizations list. The criminal organizations included in the bill are the Arellano Felix organization, Los Zetas, Beltran Leyva, Familia Michoacana, Sinaloa Cartel, and the Gulf Cartel/New Federation.

He is correct when stating:

"the [Mexican] cartels use violence to gain political and economic influence. They have taken control of much of northern Mexico and spillover crime has resulted in the abandonment of property and loss of security on the U.S. side of the border."

But are they terrorists, i.e. al-Qaeda? Are their objectives focused on the collapse of the United States economy? Or are they trying to make a buck, which is the whole point of our existence here in the good old USofA. But they are evil and extremely dangerous douche bags.

But the Dallas Morning News agrees with Congressman McCaul.

By labeling cartel members as the terrorists they are, American law enforcers gain significant extra powers, and penalties are boosted for anyone who directly aids and abets the criminals. Money launderers and gun smugglers, for example, could face life terms in prison and fines of up to $50,000 per violation.

But such ideas are more misplaced policy objectives that fail to take a comprehensive view of the "problem." Drug trafficking is a consequence of the real problem, which is American society's addiction problem. More jail time and harsher sentences only raise the cost to the American taxpayer.

And then there is the truism pointed out by Mexican Ambassador to the United States, Arturo Sarukhan, who shot back at the DMW,

If you label these organizations as terrorist, you will have to start calling drug consumers in the U.S. "financiers of terrorist organizations" and gun dealers "providers of material support to terrorists."

The ambassador is correct and consequently, I also support McCaul's bill. Once this bill becomes law, the United States should go after all financiers of terrorism regardless of the amount of money they provide for the cartels: from a nickel-bag to an eight-ball, to the big boy and girl dealers on the streets and in our schools.

And yes, the weapons traffickers should all be arrested, especially those along the U.S./Mexican border at gun shows and in the gun shops in California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas especially.

If he quacks like a racist, if he walks like a racist, well you know

2011-05-23T00:49:00.003-06:00

There's not much else to say, just watch.

Russell Pearce: Pioneer Against Illegal Immigration or Racist?: MyFoxPHOENIX.com

Here is the complete interview.

Good fences bad public policy

2011-05-22T12:40:00.001-06:00

Arizona schools forced to divert funding to repair buildings.

Across Arizona, scores of school districts are using money they had set aside for textbooks to fix air-conditioners and leaky roofs, laying off maintenance workers and having teachers sweep their own classrooms, putting off repairs and hoping nothing major breaks down.

As a kid, I remember that my elementary school had a storeroom with every kind of school supply you could imagine and I cannot remember my teachers sending a note home asking my parents for school supplies. Today, on the first day of school we receive a long list of supplies that my son has to bring by the end of the first week of classes. And that is only the beginning. Any school project requires more donations. This is essentially another tax that I have to pay to support my son's school.

Arizona suffers from the current economic crisis, which is made worse buy its own public policy and tat of the federal government. But Arizona's leadership is seeking to address the state's financial shortcomings. Yes our schools are need of repair, so we are going to ask the public to build a fence around the state.

And you can help by donating money at the Border Security Information Center. So not only does Governor Brewer expect me to pay double taxes for the state's public schools, she want me to help build a fence.

But as Robert Frost reminds us, "Something there is that doesn't love a wall."

What's Important to Arizonans?

2011-05-17T15:56:00.000-06:00

The supporters of SB1070 and Joe Arpaio are circling the wagons. Millions of dollars are being spent on defending the sheriffs office from lawsuits, while it has failed to protect Maricopa County from sexual predators as this news article proves.

Frequently I hear anti-immigrant protestors claim that all alien immigrants are criminals. "Would you let a criminal in your home?" is one of my favorites. Yes, I would if they left the house clean and landscaped my backyard.

Wag the Dog: Bad Movie-Good Politics

2011-05-14T11:51:00.000-06:00

I awoke this morning with my son watching a very bad movie starring Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg, the Other Guys. And as is typical I sat through it still half asleep when the closing credits caught my attention. The movie was about a Ponzi scheme gone horribly wrong. Well, the credits produced a series of easy to understand graphics describing what takes places during a Ponzi scheme and described in very accurate detail the conditions that led to the recent bank bailouts, i.e. TARP.

I highly recommend watching this video if you are perplexed by what TARP is and why the Republicans are attacking teachers, unions, pensioners, etc.

Why do public schools in Arizona suck?

2011-04-04T23:20:00.005-06:00

Arizona ranked 45 out of 51 states and the District of Columbia in educational achievement according to the American Legislative Exchange Council. Why do we suck, there are many reasons, and yes funding is one of them. Get over yourself Mr & Mrs Tea Party. We are coming close to Ron Paul's idea of doing a way with state funded public education here in Arizona. For examples of why we suck, Arizona received a D- for its ability to identify "High Quality Teachers" and a D+ for "Retaining Effective Teachers." You may access the report here.

To make matters worse in Arizona the U.S. Supreme Court threw our a complaint against 1997 law that allows Arizonans to get a dollar-for-dollar credit on what they owe the state in income taxes for money they donate to organizations that provide the scholarships for private and parochial schools. Last year there were over $43 million in donations. Supporters of this program argue it's a way to provide more opportunity for parents. Individuals have been able to divert up to $500 a year, or double that for couples. BUT.

Why can't I donate the same amount of money to my son's public school? My wife and I can only receive a $300 tax credit that is not adjusted for inflation as is the case for the private donations. My son's school district just announced a $4 million shortfall for next year's budget. The School District's governing board approved budget cuts Thursday night that will lead to layoffs and less time in art, music and library for elementary students.

Now let's be clear, the budget cuts will not impact my children because we are lucky enough to be able to afford additional learning programs out of our own pocket. But most Arizonans are not so fortunate.
The public school is under attack, which means our American way of life is under attack. And who is to blame? Hello calling all Republicans.

Scam consulting firms

2011-04-02T11:30:00.001-06:00

I have always wondered how administrators can validate hiring a educational consulting firm to manage some aspect of the public school process. Are all the teachers, counselors, administrators, educated experts on the management process over educational institutions?

In the Isaac School district in west Phoenix (a working class area) the following scam is taking place:

Carlos Bejarano, a local schools superintendent with more than 30 years in education, is nearing retirement, but his plans include neither long afternoons on the golf course nor extended road trips with the family. His retirement, in fact, will closely resemble the workaday life he has been living.

Mr. Bejarano is one of an increasing number of public employees here who are retiring one day and going right back to the same jobs the next, enabling them to supplement their income with retirement benefits without really retiring at all.

Wow, how do these people look at themselves in the mirror? Kids are going without books and these crooks are doubling their salaries.

Forget the Future!

2011-04-01T11:32:00.000-06:00

Why is it that no one is complaining about the cost of invading yet another nation in the Middle East? Why is it that no one asks how much it will cost to "secure" the border? Why do we have no qualms about military waste, and giving our government a pass when it comes to invading sovereign nations and attacking Mexicans?

As a proud graduate of Fresno City College (Go Rams), I have plenty to say in support of the community college system throughout the nation. I was also a community college instructor here in Arizona (Paradise Valley Community College). Community colleges work and are essential components to not only completing your first two tears of college, but for retraining our American workforce. But f _ _ _ it! To hell with the future. We are already ruining and giving up on public school education and the university system.

As Sweeping Layoffs Loom, Schools Gird for Turmoil.

So what's left-yes, you guessed correctly, the community colleges.

California community colleges to slash enrollment, classes.

C'mon American do not let our leaders continue to work their smoke and mirrors. Our great nation is not threatened by the Mexican alien. No sir, no Mam.

GOP drafts legislative assault on illegal immigration.

An public education is extremely cost effective and a terrible thing to waste.

Another Politician Drinks the Kool-Aid

2011-03-29T09:46:00.000-06:00

Congressman Jeff Flake (my Congressman by the way) wants to be Senator Flake of Arizona. And the first order of business is to learn and dance the Border-Security-Shuffle, which presidential candidate McCain invented. Flake, like McCain, used to be labeled as a moderate on most issues, but I don't know if that term exists anymore within either party. You are either scared of the immigration issue or you have embraced it.

This mantra is so powerful that it persists even as support for the most reactionary policies such as Arizona's SB1070 has waned at the state legislature level.

Although, there is no doubt that the border is a dangerous place; just ask the family of Carlos La Madrid. Yet another Mexican shot and killed by a border patrol agent. And yes the rock throwing defense has been introduced yet again since this is standard operating procedure following what has become an epidemic of institutionalized violence. If rocks are so dangerous, why not arm the border patrol with them and maybe even a sling-shot to act as a high powered rifle?

Dear Tea Party, how about some consistency?

2011-02-27T13:37:00.001-06:00

Tea Party activists rally at national party convention.

Dear Tea Party,

2,000 participants do not make a national party, at best it's a Doobie Brothers concert at the state fair. And where were all of your demands for "fiscal responsibility, constitutionally limited government, and free markets" prior to the election of our first Black president?

I, as a raging liberal, support your cause for fiscal responsibility. So let's focus on cutting foreign expenditures first, i.e. terminate the wars in the Middle East and substantially scale back subsidies for foreign nations? And if you are really concerned about our children, let's eliminate farm subsidies and scale back medicare and social security.

Can I have a Hallelujah for limited government! Again scale back the military and let's have an honest discussion about the borders with Canada and Mexico. All of this spending by DHS and the Merida Initiative are just new forms of government waste similar to the $300 hammer during the Cold War. Commit funds on a much smaller scale to preventive addiction programs. Cut the demand, which is the problem; the supply is a consequence of the demand. Also, such programs will create good paying jobs for Americans. Expanding public school programs and public program funding is a much more effective means of reducing crime and eliminating the demand for illegal drugs. This will reduce the artificial demand for more prisons and border security.

The free market. Everyone prefers high paying jobs and inexpensive products. Why not reward companies whose employees are 80% American citizens with maximum tax credits? Companies that do not have the overwhelming majority of their employees in the United States should pay a higher tax. And help other nations maintain a consistent and clear tax system with the foreign companies that operate there, i.e. Mexico.

El Aguila has spoken

Arizona the Anti-State

2011-02-25T22:51:00.004-06:00

The following is a list of anti-immigrant bills that the appropriations committee passed on Tuesday:

SB1611-- “Immigration Omnibus” or the “Throwing Arizona Under-the-Bus”bill –Sponsored by Senator Russell Pearce, this bill is a 30-page, measure requiring business owners, police officers, apartment renters, school employees, and others to verify citizenship, notify immigration and in some cases, failure to do so could result in loss of licenses, certification or imprisonment.

SB1308 and 1309 – “Eroding Children’s Futures and the Constitution” bills. Two bills introduced by Senator Ron Gould to create a new Arizona Citizenship that excludes children born to parents in the U.S. without immigration authorization. The bills are an attempt to ignite a national legal battle challenging the 14th amendment of the Constitution’s recognition of birthright citizenship.

SB1407 and 1141 – “Schools as Immigration Checkpoints” bills. Two bills introduced by Senator Steve Smith that would require K-12 schools to report on the immigration status of their students. Failure to comply would result in loss of funding.

SB1405 –“Turning Health Providers into Health Deniers” bill. This bill introduced by Senator Steve Smith would require hospital employees to verify the citizenship of people seeking emergency and non-emergency medical attention and to notify immigration agents if someone cannot prove they are authorized to be in the U.S.

Arizona's crooked leadership

2011-02-25T16:54:00.004-06:00

Arizona lawmakers seek to allow fundraising for border fence. You have to wonder who is pulling the strings of our Republican leadership. I don't even think they are bigots. I think all of the anti Mexican jargon from the governor's office and the head to the state legislature is a cover for some very powerful special interest groups who stand to make a lot of money on more prisons, border fences, and the continued failing economy. Big business continues to receive tax relief while the rest of us have to suffer.

Here is what a local elementary school has to resort to in order to find basic school supplies.

The Local Elementary school is in need of items to fill emergency lockdown kits for each classroom. As a newer school in the Local School District, they are at the point to begin addressing the need for the emergency kits. The school is reaching out to our community hoping that its residents might be able to donate some of the necessary items.

Items for the kits are as follows:

First aid kits, flash lights, D batteries, bottled water, granola bars, hand sanitizer, large plastic containers to hold supplies sanitation items (toilet paper, tarps or shower curtains). There are a total of 906 students and staff and 56 classrooms. If you have any questions, please notify _______ or xxx-xxx-xxxx. The Local Elementary feels very fortunate to be in a partnership with such a supportive and caring community and truly appreciates any help that can be given.

You Suck Governor!

Change is coming.

2011-02-18T08:53:00.002-06:00

Albert Einstein said, "The world is a dangerous place to live, not because of the people who are evil but because of the people who don't do anything about it."

Do your part Raza

2011-01-27T14:45:00.003-06:00

Ok, my people and the rest of you here we go, an opportunity. Immigrant database failed to detect suspect before rape of young girl.

Everyone's worst nightmare: illegal, gang member, don't know where he's at, rapist. More ammunition for anti immigrant America who want us all out of here. And in this case I don't blame them. WTF, how does this happen? I am sure Bin Laden could explain it to us.

But here is an opportunity for my fellow Mojados, compañeros, and supporters. This desgraciado is hiding amongst his own people and our community is helping hide him. Even if you aren't going to turn him in because you are afraid of getting involved, you are helping him and his ilk.

Latinos should unite and help hunt this dude down and turn him over to la poli. Here is our community's chance to prove we are American and we are helping make this a better and safer America. We need Espanglish Facebook and Twitter pages searching him out. C'mon raza...show our fellow Americans that we are law abiding and do not tolerate such horrible crimes even from our own.

Maybe Allen Iverson was right?

2011-01-05T14:05:00.001-06:00

As I have aged and grayed, ok and gained weight, I have come to realize just how conservative and frightful American society has always been. So it's no surprise that we start the new year focusing on immigrants rather than the economy.

Sometimes I feel like the media and congress think American society is no smarter than Allen Iverson. "We talking about immigrants, immigrants, not the economy, not the economy, how the hell can we find more jobs for our fellow Americans by talking about immigrants?

And by the way for all of you Tea Baggers, here is a news story for you.

‪The new class of Republican lawmakers who charged into office promising to shun the ways of Washington officially arrives on Capitol Hill on Wednesday. ‪But even as they publicly bash the capital's culture, many have quietly begun to embrace it.

Several freshmen have hired lobbyists — the ultimate Washington insiders — to lead their congressional staffs. In the weeks leading up to Wednesday's swearing-in, dozens of the newcomers joined other lawmakers in turning to lobbyists for campaign cash.‪ And on Wednesday, congressional offices will be packed with lawmakers' relatives, friends, constituents and lobbyists, all invited to celebrate the new Congress. ‪

Practice?

What is an American.

2010-12-30T14:27:00.000-06:00

Articles like this one scare me because they lend significant canon fodder to all the bigots in American society and those folks that believe there is a conspiracy to create a North American Union.

Primero Hay Que Aprender Español. Ranhou Zai Xue Zhongwen.

American society views the world in very limited and simplistic terms: a zero sum game that we cannot afford to lose, but yet our close minded anti intellectual schizophrenia is leading to our sure downfall.

Teaching in West Texas and now Arizona, I have many students who do not believe in evolution and generally oppose ideas that we not introduced in their home life. But no worries, as I frequently tell them, stay in your bubbles. You will make good landscapers and roofers for all the homes owned by the Chinese, Indians, and my kids. Yes, my kids who are being raised bilingual and will learn a third language before completing high school. My kids who are curious about the world and do not fear immigrants, but embrace multi culturalism.

More Jobs, Not More Science Fiction!

2010-12-27T14:24:00.001-06:00

Now that Republicans will assume control of our lower house of Congress, expect more fictional legislation about the need to create more jobs. Republicans are not serious about protecting the American workforce. If they were they would focus on limiting the number of jobs being outsourced, not trying to "secure our borders" to protect landscaping jobs for Americans. According to today's LA Times:

The number of illegal immigrants crossing into the U.S. is down by more than 50% from five years ago, to about 300,000 a year, according to a Pew Hispanic Center report released in September. That is less than the 400,000 people deported each year.

And did you know that Killing in LA drops to 1967 levels. Immigration is down and cities such as Los Angeles with large numbers of immigrants are safe.

C'mon unemployed Americans, if you lost your job to an undocumented worker, it's your fault. You should have studied more in high school and maybe even gone to college.

But according to Texas Republican, Lamar Smith:

"We could free up millions of jobs for Americans and legal immigrants if we enforced our immigration laws against illegal workers..."

Do you really want a roofing job in Arizona? C'mon Congressman Smith, help Americans secure good paying white collar jobs.

when you’re carrying an armload of hammers, every problem looks like a nail.

2010-12-26T14:25:00.001-06:00

What a great and to the point quote from Nicholas T. Kristof. The current wars and U.S. military policies are killing the United States. This is in addition to all of our American military personal who are paying the ultimate price along with their families.

But economically, what's the point? President Obama is as conservative as I feared. And yes I know if you are a Republican, he's a commie and a fascist. Republicans consistently complain about government waste, but only focus their attention on domestic programs. Republicans oppose health care reform, support cuts on education spending, and generally believe a balanced budget is a far superior objective than say having sufficient fireman and police officers.

But let's invade another country, build more prisons, and add more security to an already saturated Mexican/US border, well no problem. If you don't believe me than read the following statistics provided by Kristof.

The United States spends nearly as much on military power as every other country in the world combined, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. It says that we spend more than six times as much as the country with the next highest budget, China.
The United States maintains troops at more than 560 bases and other sites abroad, many of them a legacy of a world war that ended 65 years ago. Do we fear that if we pull our bases from Germany, Russia might invade?
The intelligence community is so vast that more people have “top secret” clearance than live in Washington, D.C.
The U.S. will spend more on the war in Afghanistan this year, adjusting for inflation, than we spent on the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Mexican-American War, the Civil War and the Spanish-American War combined.
For the cost of one American soldier in Afghanistan for one year, you could build about 20 schools.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics the unemployment rate for November 2010 was 9.8%.

Do the math.

What I don't Want from Republicans.

2010-11-26T11:50:00.004-06:00

Big Government! I have to agree with Roger Cohen:

I don’t doubt the patriotism of the Americans involved in keeping the country safe, nor do I discount the threat, but I am sure of this: The unfettered growth of the Department of Homeland Security and the T.S.A. represent a greater long-term threat to the prosperity, character and wellbeing of the United States than a few madmen in the valleys of Waziristan or the voids of Yemen.

So c'mon Republican America, be true to your hype. Less government! Let's all remember the Fourth Amendment and remember that we are a nation of laws:

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

And PS, thanks to Jason at Secret History: Reflections on Latin America for the following link: David Horsey Editorial Cartoon.

What I want from Republicans?

2010-11-20T13:04:00.001-06:00

More jobs!

And no, I do not mean more landscaping jobs or construction jobs. I want good paying white collar jobs for all of my fellow Americans!

So quit hiding behind all of the hard working undocumented immigrants and find more jobs.

Please enough with this bs dialogue about the 14th Amendment. Yes, Congress then knew what they were doing and yes it works fine. Yes, it was meant to include everyone and not just the children of slaves. And by the way thanks to Jim Crow they were only marginally better off than they were prior to 1868. Don't believe me, then ask Eric Foner.

Hey Republicans and President Obama, stop with the wars in the Middle East already. And stop with all of the military funding for Mexico. Billions of dollars a month wasted! Yes, wasted. These programs only benefit military contractors. The wars in the Middle East and the Merida Initiative are just welfare for big companies. Here is an idea, cut the demand. Social welfare programs aimed at preventing drug addiction within the United States would create jobs for Americans and lessen the level of violence created by drug trafficking.

Quit blaming everyone else for your mess. Yes, its your mess. Enron, out of control real estate markets, nuclear Ponzi schemes, and Wall Street making you its bitch, all your fault.

Now go find some jobs!

Can a brother get a copy of the want adds?

I Miss Texas

2010-11-16T16:26:00.000-06:00

Today, I paid $40 so a very pretty young lady who smelled very nice could cut my hair. I miss Saul who charged $8 and had great stories about the "good old days."

There is no one to hang out with here in the burbs of Phoenix. At ASU I have too many colleagues who live all over the valley. With traffic, it would be like trying to have a faculty lunch with folks driving in from Lubbock, San Angelo, and Abilene to one central location.

Ugh. Sure I have access to a great used bookstore, a locally owned record store, and all kinds of food. But I cannot find half way decent menudo.

It takes too much time and effort to hang out with friends. For the good old days on Monclair.

Corruption America

2010-10-27T13:58:00.003-06:00

To live in interesting times. The current era of politics is certainly not the worst this great Nation has experienced and more than likely in the future, we will look back and remember the good old days. But today's newspaper stories, nonetheless, provide interesting fodder for discussion.

The Guardian published its Corruption index 2010, which depicts corruption levels of various countries as ranked by Transparency International. The corresponding article indicates that the United States still ranks as one of the least corrupt nations within our global community. However, corruption is on the rise and it is not the least corrupt.

Today's New York Times and yesterday's Colbert Report stated that this election set all time records for expenditures on political campaigns. Democrats spent $188 million and Republicans $178. Wow, that much cabbage would have fed a lot of hungry people and maybe even paid for a significant amount of job training. Of course this is a direct consequence of January 2010 Supreme Court landmark 5-to-4 decision (Citizens United vs. Federal Election Commission) in which it struck down a major portion of a 2002 campaign-finance reform law, saying it violates the free-speech right of corporations to engage in public debate of political issues.

Locally, the Arizona Republic reported that in 1988 then State Senator Jan Brewer while driving on a freeway rear-ended a van and admitted to police officers that she had been drinking. And although taken to jail in handcuffs, charges were never filed.

And then there is Mexico, which continues to experience massive unchecked violence paid for by the United State's demand and expectation for drugs of all kinds.

But the sad part is that this is not even our big problem. According to my boy, Thomas L. Friedman:

A dysfunctional political system is one that knows the right answers but can’t even discuss them rationally, let alone act on them, and one that devotes vastly more attention to cable TV preachers than to recommendations by its best scientists and engineers.

Can a Brother get some help here?

A Fading Democrat

2010-10-24T00:26:00.000-06:00

If this article is even 50% true, it is a scary state of affairs.

“In the last 20 years, California made 850,000 arrests for possession of small amounts of marijuana, and half-a-million arrests in the last 10 years. The people arrested were disproportionately African-Americans and Latinos, overwhelmingly young people, especially men.”

According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, young white people consistently report higher marijuana use than blacks or Hispanics.

Another example of the failed war on drugs or is it doing exactly what our national leadership wants?

Pot

2010-10-16T13:33:00.000-06:00

Go ahead and legalize it. Our government cannot stop Americans from smoking it, can't stop Americans from growing it, and can't stop traffickers from smuggling it in.

I don't smoke it and I would kick my kids ass if I caught them smoking it. I would not allow friends to smoke it in my house. But, the current method of fighting it within the United States is an utter failure.

I do not buy the following arguments:

On the health side of the equation, scientific consensus is that while cannabis may pose some health risks, they are less serious than those posed by alcohol and tobacco.

This is a crap argument. There is no such thing as a little cancer. Tobacco and alcohol are also bad for you, that's it.

Government is always wrong on magical tax revenue increases and it will be here as well.

Why I support it:

Jails are expensive. Far too many people have been incarcerated for smoking pot.
Buy American not Mexican, Colombian, Jamaican, etc.

Coach Eric Taylor is a Racist

2010-10-08T19:07:00.003-06:00

In January 2007 my family and I traveled to Atlanta, GA for a history conference. I was thrilled about visiting Atlanta, because I had only been to the Deep South once before, but never to Georgia. I was especially eager to visit Ebenezer Baptist Church and the King Center, specifically the resting place of the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr and his wife, Coretta Scott King. While touring the King Center, I broke down in tears as I was overwhelmed by the significance of Dr. King and the history of this location. My son had never seen me cry before and my wife comforted him by explaining that I was not sad, but instead paying my respects.

This afternoon, I broke down crying while working out at the YMCA and listening to Opening Day: The Story of Jackie Robinson's First Season by Jonathan Eig. I started after listening to the story of Myron Uhlberg's deaf father who upon being informed by his son that some of the fans at a Brooklyn Dodgers' ball game where yelling out "coon", immediately stood up screaming in support of Robinson. Even though his words were a jumble and came out "augie" as opposed to Jackie, it did not matter to Myron, who as the son of deaf parents was no longer embarrassed but very, very proud.

The point is that I understand, but am nonetheless frustrated by the continued dominance of race and bigotry discussions as Black and White affairs. For Mexicans, we are at best marginalized from this discussion and at worst ignored.

Now all who know me know that I love football and television. And without a doubt, Friday Night Lights is an outstanding television show. My family and I are currently watching the reruns from season one on the ABC Family channel. And damn it, if the show did not bite me in the ass. The show is supposedly set in West Texas, but there are very few Mexican characters on the show. But in season-one episode 6, "El Accidente," we finally find out that there are indeed Mexicans in Dillon, well at least one.

One of the shows early villains, Voodoo, attacks Bobby Reyes by saying "take your wetback ass across the river." WTF! Long story short, "Reyes" as he is referred to throughout this episode ends up a liar, a bully, and an all around nutcase without any redeeming value. In another season-one episode, there is a reference to Reyes, as someone who is just bad news and out of control.

At the end of episode 6, Reyes is cast out of the Dillon football family because he lied to Coach Taylor. The entire show is predicated on Coach Taylor and his very sexy wife, Tami Taylor, saving all of the misbehaved kids in Dillon: well only the White and Black ones. And they all lie to the Taylors including their daughter, Julie. Yet, when the only Mexican kid in town makes his mistakes, well that is just too much. And let me remind you of some of the notorious deeds of the White and Black kids: murder, steroids, perpetual drunkenness, sleeping with the Coach's daughter, and well you get the picture.

So Coach Taylor take his stand at the Rio Grande and Reyes alone is the one that can't be saved.

The Future of Elections

2010-09-27T09:09:00.004-06:00

Republicans will raise millions and millions of dollars and then use those funds to covertly implement their contract on America. Cash-flush groups work outside of the GOP to back conservatives. That was the objective of the Republican controlled Supreme Court when it ruled in favor of big corporations.

Many of the new groups were formed after the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision last year, which made it easier for corporations and unions to spend directly on political causes. New groups formed on the left and right, but the dramatic growth has been on the right.

But, Latinos still do not trust Republicans.

Latino voters in California still reluctant to embrace GOP candidates, poll shows. Hey Meg Whitman, instead of spending millions of dollars on your campaign read a California history book. We remember Pete Wilson. You can yell until you are blue in the face that you oppose SB1070, but we will always remember Proposition 187.

Deporting American Babies

2010-09-21T08:56:00.000-06:00

I want to believe that the world is less racist today than in the past. I want to believe that the current administration will implement immigration reform. But then again, now they are deporting American babies without their mothers.

Ms. Castro added that the Supreme Court “should do something about the Border Patrol,” and perhaps the court will. The patrol did, after all, send an American infant to Ciudad Juárez with a man mixed up in a murder to save a couple of hundred dollars.

Family Fight, Border Patrol Raid, Baby Deported.

Beating A Dead Horse

2010-09-20T13:00:00.001-06:00

No Mr. Ambassador, it's not the same. Thomas E. McNamara, former ambassador to Colombia from 1989 to 1991 and State Department official in the Clinton and both Bush administrations, has chimed in about the similarity between Mexico and Colombia.

Here is a thought, let's quit arguing semantics and address the problem! By the way he is wrong just like Secretary of State Clinton is wrong.

And this is important because their inability to understand Mexico prevents them from taking useful steps towards solving this problem.

The U.S. properly supports our neighbors by giving them political, military and law enforcement assistance, as our drug consumption is one cause of the insurgencies — as is drug production south of our border. We cannot just move out of our neighborhood, so we have an interest in cleaning it up. These insurgencies corrupt us, just as they corrupt others.

Dumb and dumber continue to focus on Mexico and ignore the much larger U.S. domestic component: money and guns are coming from the United States. Where are the large scale policies that reduce consumption and discover all of the money laundering operations here in the United States Did you not see the Untouchables?

C'mon, can someone send a brother a Nextflix account?

Politics and Public Schools

2010-09-11T19:07:00.000-06:00

Last year my son's school district did not allow students to watch the President's speech on education. What a bunch of crap! And now they are at it again. We all know why the current President is so controversial. Let's just say it.

Because he's Black!
Because folks believe he's Muslim (not that it would matter if he was)
Because the Republican party can't decide whether he's a fascist, a communist, a socialist, or whatever else they can make up
There's more, but I don't have much time

This is the letter I sent to my son's principal.
---
Hello,
I think it is terrible that my son and his classmates are unable to view the President of the United States' speech on education. Here is an opportunity for them to take pride in our nation, our nation's commitment to public education, and our President.

When I was a public school, the chance to see the President speak was a great honor and not caught up in the politics. I just do not believe that this is a technology issue since live streaming has become so common place in our society. I imagine that many students at this school can watch the live stream of the President's speech on their cell phones.

My wife and I may keep our son at home so that he may watch our President's speech.

I understand that this is a district decision and I hope you will forward my note to whomever made this very bad decision.

Thank you for your time,
Jaime

--

Here is the note that they sent out to parents:

President Obama’s Speech to Public School Students 9/14/10

Last September, President Obama delivered an address to students in schools across the nation stressing the importance of a good education, challenging them to work hard, set educational goals, and stay in school. He will be speaking to students again this school year in a speech broadcast on Tuesday, September 14^th.

In order to manage our technology across all classrooms, and to deal with a multitude of scheduling issues, students in our K-8 schools will not watch the speech live on Tuesday, but will be shown the speech on a delayed basis later in the week or the following week. Teachers will notify parents in writing as to when the speech will be shown in their classrooms.

Students will have the opportunity to view the speech live on September 14^th if they are in a class at that time where the speech would be an appropriate part of the curriculum. If their schedule does not allow the live viewing of the speech, it will be made available on a delayed basis.

A link to the President’s speech to schoolchildren will be posted on the school website as soon as it is made available. Parents are encouraged to view the speech and participate in a discussion with their children about the importance of staying in school and getting a good education.

As with other instructional decisions, parents will have the opportunity to opt their child out of viewing the speech by contacting their classroom teacher.

What is Mexico?

2010-09-11T17:27:00.000-06:00

I know big question. But it is not Colombia. But it does have problems.

But, what do Obama and Clinton know about Mexico? Not much, but that is no different from most presidents with a few surprising exceptions.

So what will the current administration do with Obama's recent comments that:

"Mexico is a great democracy, vibrant, with a growing economy," Obama told the newspaper. "And as a result, what is happening there can't be compared with what happened in Colombia 20 years ago."

Nice spin control, but how about some specifics?

some federal officials were now describing the drug activity there as a "commercial insurgency," and arguing for a strategy similar to those used to counter an insurgency.

WTF is a "commercial insurgency?" Well its sounds as if Obama agrees with Clinton. Duh!

Can someone send a brother a copy of A Labyrinth of Solitude or a copy of The Buried Mirror?

Parenting

2010-09-08T14:59:00.000-06:00

My wife and I are good parents. Why? Because our kids are not fat, they play outside, they enjoy reading, and they have many friends, to list just a few modes of measurement.

And why is this true, mostly because we punish our kids old school. No I don't beat them and have only spanked each one twice. But we have rules and they follow the rules. There is no negotiation and there is little double talk.

But everyday in public I see adults who should not be parents or will soon learn that their parenting methodology is wrong.

Keeping Track of Kids: Schools in Contra Costa College are considering tagging their kids with computer chips in order to keep track of them. This is the same mentality as all those parents who have leashes tied to their kids when they are out in public. What does El Aguila say?

Hey dummy why don't you play with your kids or even teach them not to run out in the street? Be a Parent not a warden!

And now some dipstick has invented "E-grounding! WTF! Here is how you deal with troubled E-Kids. No phone, no computer, no FB Page, etc.

Yesterday, the boy and I played pick up soccer and discussed A Wrinkle In Time.

Nuff Said!

Bedbugs

2010-09-08T14:41:00.000-06:00

I am fascinated by this bedbug epidemic. I don't know why, but it is really scary. Here are two websites to check up on where they are and have been:
http://bedbugreports.com/
http://bedbugregistry.com/

For more information see this story in the New York Times.

Obama and Napolitano are Clueless

2010-09-04T13:05:00.000-06:00

Arizona Colleges Accused of Discrimination:

The Feds are really their worst enemy when it comes to issues of the border and immigration. Oh for the days of W. Yes I said it. And why not?

The current President of the United States and the current head of Homeland Security are spineless and closet war hawks. Don't get me going on the Middle East.

The Maricopa Community College system is one of the few institutions that continues to fulfill its educational mission on behalf of the state of Arizona, despite a bumbling, alarmist governor and a crazed state population that blames hardworking immigrants for all their problems. Yes, it was all those undocumented workers who were responsible for the Enron fiasco and creating derivatives. Damn, I digressed again.

Instead of leading a national debate on immigration reform which is what is needed from our national leadership, especially the President, we have this current flexing of very weak muscles that is nothing more than good old fashioned bullying.

Hello!

The US Economy

2010-08-29T14:39:00.000-06:00

Why are we still experiencing a recession? Whose fault is it? Well as of today it's the fault of President Obama for not ending the wars in the Middle East and yes that includes Iraq.

But then most Americans are always happy to spend money abroad fighting a war. But God forbid we spend any on Americans here in the United States.

A U.S. Legacy of Waste in Iraq.

Such an episode is neither new nor the last time, we will waste billions of dollars on failed projects abroad while more and more Americans lose their jobs and homes.

The Sarah Palin Effect

2010-08-26T09:09:00.000-06:00

Yesterdays NPR Talk of the Nation was very enlightening. Tea Party folks are always complaining that they love the Constitution and our nation of laws, except for the parts that they don't like.

Morons!

Listen to the dumbshit at the 25 minute mark below. He praises our Constitution except for the parts that are flawed, the parts he disagrees with:

The New America or the Same Old B.S.?

2010-08-15T12:54:00.000-06:00

Last night I was pulled over for the second time within the last three weeks by a Gilbert police officer. I used to joke that as a forty-something in a Prius, I would not have to worry about SB1070. But no más. In town, I drive like a little old lady going to church on Sunday morning, yet again I have a cop asking me why he pulled me over.

Why bother repealing the 14th Amendment or adding more laws. Cops can do whatever they want, when they want.

Hispanic media turns on President Obama

2010-08-11T09:25:00.000-06:00

Hispanic media turns on President Obama:

President Barack Obama has lost the most trusted man in the Hispanic media.
Univision’s Jorge Ramos, an anchor on the nation’s largest Spanish-language television network, says Obama broke his promise to produce an immigration reform bill within a year of taking office. And Latinos are tired of the speeches, disillusioned by the lack of White House leadership and distrustful of the president, Ramos told POLITICO.

But what choice do we have? One party seems to want us all out, and the other party is too afraid to take a stand on the issue. So much for democracy.

The Bigger Picture

2010-08-10T15:07:00.000-06:00

Arizona-Mexico Trade:

Wendy Vittori, President of the Arizona-Sonora Manufacturing Initiative, and Luis Ramirez, President of Ramirez Advisors Inter-National, discuss trade with Mexico and what it means to Arizona’s economy.

Like it or not, our future, especially our economic future is tied to Mexico, and maybe always has since 1789 or 1821.

---

Ted Olson Interview With Fox News Sunday's Chris Wallace:

As an anchor baby, I have special angst about this whole 14th amendment bullshit. But I have a lot less angst after listening to Ted Olson, who is one impressive lawyer.

More Wasted Money on Education

2010-08-10T09:00:00.000-06:00

Inexperienced Companies Chase U.S. School Funds:

With the Obama administration pouring billions into its nationwide campaign to overhaul failing schools, dozens of companies with little or no experience are portraying themselves as school-turnaround experts as they compete for the money.

The problem is clear and the solution is simple, but no one cares. These companies are like military contractors, just give them the money without any real financial oversight.

The average college student:

does not enjoy reading
does not know how to use the library
after 2-3 three years of college may have never physically entered the library
works a part time or full time job
has a cell phone and car, but no money for textbooks
is not curious
does not watch enough television

I could go on, but you get the point. We are screwed and all of this money will just make matters worse.

Have your civil rights been violated?

2010-07-27T13:56:00.002-06:00

Anyone in the Phoenix metropolitan area who believes their civil rights have been violated contact the FBI at 602-279-5511.

The FBI will investigate the allegations and then the U.S. Attorney's Office can file federal charges against any individual or law-enforcement agency that discriminates based on race, color, sex, disability, religion or national origin.

Arizona's U.S. Attorney part of fight vs. SB1070.

Why the War on Drugs will fail, has failed, will never succeed.

2010-07-20T10:42:00.000-06:00

Yesterday at 2:30pm I rode my back to the gym. It was about 108 degrees. I had been working in front of the computer all morning and needed some time away from my office. As I neared the gym I came upon five White neighborhood kids sitting under a tree who were smoking. They were typical kids in my neighborhood which is very bike friendly with many bike paths, large greenbelts, and very limited public parking.

The smell of pot was indisputable and from the gym I could see them passing around the dubbie (yeah I know I am old and don't know the current terminology). I informed one of the staff who immediately called the cops, who came and took away the ring leader after writing down all their names.

There are very people of color here in the East Valley. And this area is an upper middle class setting with lots of kids roaming around during the summer with very little to do in 108 degree weather. Summer programs are expensive. I know because we felt the pain of sending my son to soccer and science camp in addition to our usual travel. But not all middle class families have my schedule or the finances to keep their kids occupied.

And there is the rub. This is "why the War on Drugs will fail, has failed, will never succeed." Capitalism is a bitch.

Who is the Bigot?

2010-07-19T14:04:00.000-06:00

I am always curious about people who suffer from discrimination. Are they opposed to all kinds of bigotry, or only the kind that negatively affects them? This whole SB 1070 crisis is out of control, no doubt about it. For example read: Arizona: Arpaio's immigration war threatens Obama administration.

But, let's not forget the California Proposition 8 disaster. Mexican American and African American voters greatly contributed to the electoral basis that declared "only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California."

And now what seems like good news for pro immigrant groups, may further solidify legalized bigotry against our fellow Gay and Lesbian Americans. Obama Wins Unlikely Allies in Immigration.

Their presence was a testament, in part, to the work of politically active Hispanic evangelical pastors, who have forged friendships with non-Hispanic pastors in recent years while working in coalitions to oppose abortion and same-sex marriage. The Hispanics made a concerted effort to convince their brethren that immigration reform should be a moral and practical priority.

“Hispanics are religious, family-oriented, pro-life, entrepreneurial,” said the Rev. Richard D. Land, president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, the Southern Baptist Convention’s public policy arm. “They are hard-wired social conservatives, unless they’re driven away.

Well this Hispanic is pro choice and supports same-sex marriage. But he is out numbered in his own family since his sister and mother are pro life and homophobic.

So who is the bigot?

SB 1070

2010-07-17T13:37:00.000-06:00

Last night I was pulled over by a White city of Gilbert police officer for making a "suspicious" left turn. The White officer than ticketed me because according to him, I turned into the two-lane as opposed to turning into the one-lane. He asked if I was drinking and if I knew where I was going? But did not follow up on the drinking angle. Curious, then why pull me over and give me the ticket?

I asked him how many of those tickets does he give since everyone who drives makes the same maneuver. He became very combative after that. I asked if he was giving me the ticket because I was Mexican and reminded him that SB1070 does not become law until July 29. He then called me a racist.

He also called for backup and there were two officers standing over us while my wife and I sat in our Prius. He ran my plates and may have even checked my immigration status because we were there a long time.

SB 1070 is bullshit. Racial profiling I don't know, but a cop can pull over anyone at anytime and claim that there was suspicious behavior at play. That is why SB 1070 is bullshit.

"A suspicious left turn."

There will be more on this story.

University of Phoenix, again?

2010-07-13T18:15:00.000-06:00

For-profit colleges and the threat of a new bubble.

They promise a degree quick and easy. But in this case you do not get what you pay for, but tax payers will receive the bill for all of these institutions' failures.

For example:

For-profit colleges account for only 10% of students enrolled in higher education, but those students receive 23% of federal student loans and grants, and account for 44% of defaults.

The Americans know shite about fútbol

2010-07-09T12:02:00.007-06:00

There are two problems with the 2010 World Cup.

1. My bracket could not have been more pathetic. I had Argentina and Portugal in the Final. Yes I know, much too much faith on the two biggest Prima Donnas in the Fútbol world.

2. All of the ignorant U.S. commentators offering advise to FIFA about how to improve the World's Game.

Shut up, no you don't know. For the general ESPN commentators, such as the PTI guys, yes the NFL is an outstanding league (Go Cowboys); but it is not a multi national organization and it does not work in all of the world's languages. It is the only truly U.S. gabacho sport left in the world. There is no comparison.

More technology is not the answer. Yes, it was tried with limited success, but rework the idea and add additional referees at each goal. Pendejos, what you do not understand is that Fútbol is a very fluid athletic endeavor. The game cannot be halted for video replays.

This has been a very intriguing and exciting World Cup. The two teams that deserve to be in the finals are in the finals. Both are playing at a high level with few off field issues: injuries or suspended players are not germane to Sunday.

So what can the U.S. media offer, complaints. Shut Up Grahame Jones. Read his analysis of the World Cup final; it's hogwash. It's driven by a very American point of view and is a very cryptic an superficial analysis. In comparing the Dutch backline with their Spanish counterparts: the Netherlands' defense "can produce goals as well as prevent them (they have given up five)." What the hell does that mean? The four defenders are not the only defensive players; this is not an American football team. All 11 players on a side have defensive responsibilities that evolve with the match. Any five-year old Fútbol fan knows this. Moron!

Now I do agree that the diving is a huge problem. But is Kaká not the classiest and most level headed player ever? No gripping. He realized that as bad as the call was, there was nothing he could do about it, but walk off the pitch. First Rate Sportsmanship, at the same level as Armando Galarraga.

I think that the solution is to award red cards after the match and heavily fine the Team (Professional or National Association) for allowing its players to act in this very embarrassing manner.

That's my World Cup Update.
El Aguila

Todo es que des el primer mal paso y de ahi en adelante son puros tropezones

2010-07-06T18:40:00.000-06:00

Mexican Democracy, Even Under Seige:

The above article implies that with all of Mexico's drug related violence there is hope. Even under the extra ordinary duress of being Mexican in 2010; i.e. the unchecked violence from drug gangs, Mexicans are making progress in their new found democracy.

¡Mierda! As my Mom always states: El diablo no es diablo por diablo si no por viejo. The very real drug trafficking violence conceals all of Mexico's other problems. Drug violence is not responsible for poverty, extreme polarized wealth, and let's be clear-high level institutional corruption has existed long before the last 20 years in Mexico.

But before we throw stones down South, let's compare it with life in the United States. My fellow Americans, the Undocumented and their Ilk are not responsible for your problems.

The Undocumented did not claim that there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.
The Undocumented is not to blame for the greed induced real estate crash
The Undocumented did not invent Derivatives
The Undocumented did not cut corners in the Gulf
But the Undocumented does pay taxes

Class Dismissed.

The First Touch!

2010-07-06T13:17:00.002-06:00

American soccer commentators need to shut up! Do you hear me Alexi Lalas, David King, and the PTI guys? You just don't understand. More technology is not the answer. The American way of doing things is not better. Fútbol, i.e. soccer, is doing just fine. Better referring is always in demand, no doubt. But we don't need your ignorant and bandwagon advise, even if it comes only every four years. See the rest of us are still watching and will keep watching on July 12 forward.

American soccer fans and their crappy commentators should worry about what's wrong with US soccer. First there are those outrageous expectations. The US should be happy that the national team made the second round. That's it, it's a mediocre team. Size does not matter, talent does. Ghana was better period.

Maybe more importantly, although no one wants to address the cruel reality: everywhere else in the world, except the US, soccer is a very egalitarian participatory sport and inexpensive. But not here in the US where it costs much too much money to play and there is rarely enough space where kids can play on their own. And finally, there is too much adult involvement in kid's soccer.

Klinsmann's observations are spot on::

And now please spare me all of this insincere sympathy for Ghana. They were not the first nor will they be the last nation to suffer such a crushing defeat. They lost, all of you guilt ridden White Liberals get over it. Where is the sympathy for Mexico? It seems that the Liberals are taking the side of Africa at the expense of Latin America. A good friend of mine once said that if you miss a penalty kick than you never deserved the goal. There you go.

We can all still cry for Ghana.

Nonetheless, watching and listening to soccer is always better in Spanish, rather than English.

What is Right with Immigration

2010-07-05T11:27:00.000-06:00

The economy sucks. Yes, we can all agree on that. But why does it suck?

Republicans blame Obama. Interesting since he inherited this problem along with most others. However, he also has not really helped his cause by ignoring immigration. He has also contributed to the worsening economy in others ways, but we will discuss this later.

W. Bush, a Republican controlled Congress and a conservative leaning Supreme Court also deserve responsibility for the current mess that is the United States. C'mon companies are not individuals. But I digress.

Back to the economy:

Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan
Greed driven housing market collapse...blind deregulation not good
Greed driven Wall Street collapse...blind deregulation again, not good
Tea Baggers want smaller government, but also want Medicare and Social Security
Michael Steel is correct when he stated that we cannot win the war in Afghanistan, but now even the great Libertarian Ron Paul is attacking him

Hello America all of the above costs trillions of dollars!

And where does the Mexican immigrant fit into all of this, well he/she has become America's favorite scapegoat.

And all they do is work! Yesterday on the Fourth of July at Venice Beach I saw (and I was one of them) a bunch of Americans enjoying the beach. And who was working...a bunch of Mexicans selling everything you could want to enjoy your beach experience.

And they have been at work for over 100 years. Through the roaring 1920s, through WWII, through the Glorious 1950s, and up to July 5, 2010. They have always been here working. They are not the problem. You are.

You want to help America, demand an end to the fruitless wars and let's be honest with ourselves and cut Medicare and Social Security right now.

Medicine for Cell Phone Users

2010-06-30T11:16:00.004-06:00

The following should happen to all cell phone users at a ball game.

HAHAHA...LOL!

Bonus points because it happened to a Yankees' fan.

No one really cares about the flag

2010-06-29T22:04:00.001-06:00

Check out this really stupid newstory.

This cheap bastard went out and spent one dollar on a plastic flag that was made in China. And it has 11 extra stars. So what! He and the journalist's patriotic sensibilities are offended.

But why are they offended? Is it the fact that they are hurting our own crappy economy and helping the Chinese economy. Are they offended that the plastic is probably not recyclable. Are they offended that the flag was probably produced and shipped by exploited labor? Are they offended in the manner by which we whore out the symbol of the flag for a few dollars or in this case one dollar?

No. They don't know why they are offended.

Why the U.S. needs the Dream Act?

2010-06-26T13:31:00.000-06:00

Wake up and pass the Dream Immigration Reform Act.

All aspects of US society have benefited form the best and brightest from around the world coming to the United States and contributing. Simple. We should pass the Dream Act because it will be better for all of us within the United States. Eric Balderas is not going to steal your landscaping or construction job. He is majoring in molecular and cellular biology at Harvard. This kid is going to achieve great things for us here in the US. He is not even going to earn the best education in the world and then leave for Mexico. In my 13 years of college teaching I have had many students who came to the US as children and are now excelling in college. We need these kids to stay in the US and contribute. They will pay a higher rate of taxes and create jobs for other people in the US. They are loyal Americans who appreciate the benefits of the United States.

These kids are proven winners and America loves winners more than anything else.

The De-Evolution of the Beautiful Game

2010-06-26T11:59:00.001-06:00

In El fútbol a sol y sombra, one of my favorite authors, Eduardo Galeano, laments the negative impact that neo liberal economic policies and globalization have had on soccer. All of the negative aspects of more money and FIFA's centralization of power make the current state of soccer seem like it is experiencing the history of a Latin American nation in the late 19th century. FIFA and the club owners, especially those in Europe exploit the developing world for its best players and then force soccer fans to buy its cheap products and have monopolies over what is most wanted, televising of soccer matches. And who pays, those who can least afford to pay.

Take a look at the following Daily Show segment, which really exposes the exploitation and greed that is at the center of FIFA's power.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

World Cup 2010: Into Africa - Goal Diggers

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show Full Episodes

Political Humor

Tea Party

And example of FIFA's exploitation is its total disregard for Indigenous people and their cultures.

For African Soccer, Days of Juju men have mostly passed.

This marginalization of traditional healers demonstrates that always looking forward and modernization is often a negative outcome of ignorance and greed.

Plenty of Jobs for All

2010-06-25T09:53:00.000-06:00

As a former farmworker and the son of former migrant workers, this story is a particular source of pride and angst. As a kid picking grapes in the summer with my grandparents, we knew many of our colleagues were undocumented workers, but I don't remember any US citizens complaining that these workers were stealing American jobs.

Immigrant Farmworkers' Challenge: Take Our Jobs.

There was always plenty of work. And if you ever read anything from John Steinbeck, you know what a hard life this type of work produces. But times are tough and people are losing their homes, so lets see all these desperate Americans rush to the factories of the field

Maybe groups like FAIR can serve as an employment agency for their constituents?

Racism by any other name

2010-06-22T09:27:00.000-06:00

I don't know if free speech has ever existed in the United States. And the administration at UC Irvine has added another barrier against it. UC Irvine's Message: Criticize Israel, Get Suspended. I have always wondered if groups such as the Anti-Defamation League and the Zionist Organization of America are really against racism or just out to protect their own. It appears that UC Irvine is under the control of these organizations.

I have to agree with the following quote:

The students were fully within their rights to protest the presence of the spin doctor for Israel's January 2009 rampage in Gaza, what Amnesty International called "22 days of death and destruction," and what former South African judge Richard Goldstone concluded in a report for the United Nations was a war crime and possibly a crime against humanity. Even President Obama was briefly disrupted by anti-abortion activists during his May 2009 commencement address at Notre Dame University, yet no one was arrested or punished for associating with the offenders.

Either let the Muslims students free and allow them to continue their legitimate protests or forbid all such political groups from campus including Michael Oren and his government.

Bigots of All Sorts

2010-06-21T14:47:00.000-06:00

The Roots of '8: the Mormon Proposition." Unfortunately discrimination comes from all sides. I think everyone should see this movie.

Co-director Reed Cowan and other participants have a lot invested — financially and emotionally — in the documentary on the church's efforts to pass California's ban on same-sex marriage.

World Cup

2010-06-10T23:02:00.000-06:00

Mexico and South Africa move on to round two with Mexico winning the group.

The USA does not make it to the second round.

Argentina-Portugal Final with an Argentine World Cup Victory.

Moron...Seriously

2010-06-09T13:39:00.001-06:00

Dean Martin-no the other one-wants to be governor of Arizona. Why not, the current leadership isn't doing much better. Although Dean wants to "out border patrol" the current governor and become BFF with El Rinche Arpaio.

Dean Martin on Tuesday unveiled a multi-pronged border security plan that calls for the immediate deployment of 3,000 troops to the Arizona-Mexico border, and a new partnership with Sheriff Joe Arpaio to house illegal immigrants in "tent city" style jails.

Obviously there are many problems with such a plan, but let's focus on the politics of this insane proposal. It's a good plan since President Obama wants more troops at the border; Governor Brewer wants more troops at the border; Senator McCain wants more troops at the border, and El Rinche well, he just wants more.

Ok so you can't blame the Dean for wanting what everyone else wants. But wait there is more.

He proposes to pay for the $50 to $60 million per year cost by refinancing the state's debt and by utilizing existing prison space — rather than building new prisons.

WTF??????????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Did I mention that dufus-here is the state treasurer? He can come up with $50 to $60 million per year just by refinancing our debt? Why are you not doing this now as the state treasurer.

Hey jackass we are in a recession and the state is on the verge of bankruptcy, and it's your job to help us out of this mess. But no, you want to save all of the good ideas for your campaign.

Brilliant

Violence Along the Border

2010-06-08T22:44:00.001-06:00

No one knows who killed the rancher in South Texas. And despite all reports that clearly show that crime and violence on the US side of the border have been dropping considerably, extremists claim that we are at war with Mexico.

And as is always the case during economic recessions, immigration from Mexico has also drastically decreased.

Yet President Obama, Senator McCain, and Phoenix Channel 12 news insist that there is a war going on and we need to further militarize the border, i.e. more troops and more wall space. Oh I also forgot to mention that the uninformed, the shameless political two-steppers, and the liberal media are also demanding more troops on the border. Oh yes, also Republican candidates for the Arizona Governorship demand more guns along the border.

However when an unarmed Mexican boy gets killed by border patrol agent, well that is just too bad.

T.J. Bonner, president of the union representing Border Patrol agents, said rock throwing aimed at Border Patrol agents are common and capable of causing serious injury.

"It is a deadly force encounter, one that justifies the use of deadly force," Bonner said.

If a fucken rock deserves use of deadly force than we need to arm all our kids so that they can shoot one another during a rock fight. It's a rock!

And it's the union dude doing all the talking. Where are all of the Republican union busters when you need them?

McCain the Two Step Thespian

2010-05-15T12:37:00.000-06:00

Maverick my ass. He is more of a Scaredy Cat. And what is he afraid of? The big bad wolf of the Far Right, J.D. Hayworth.

New TV Add: Complete the Danged Fence.
Before I start, doesn't the Senator look constipated in this commercial? I'm just saying. Anyway, his new wannabe image as defender of our borders is very disturbing for many different reasons. He has done a complete reversal of his political mantra based on the current politics of the state.

Thus who is Senator John McCain? After all this time in public office, he has become a pariah.
Who is going to pay for all of this added border security? We are in a recession remember!
Why is he not offering any ideas on solving the recession?
Do we need more security? A couple of extra ordinary incidents and all of the Arizona Republican are running for the hills.
Immigration into the state is severely down!
Crime (property and violent) has been dropping for the last ten years.
The border is safe
No one knows who killed that rancher, no one!

Operation Streamline: Border enforcement that doesn't work.

Quiet border towns don't live up to their notoriety.

What's most disturbing is that we know all of the above to be true, yet, here we go down the wrong path purposely.

Can a brother get a map?

Brown is Illegal

2010-05-08T13:38:00.000-06:00

Unlawful Presence.

This "lawyer" is a jughead. Really. This is the dude that wrote SB 1070.

UGH!

Everyone of the "illegal characteristics" he cites are circumstantial at best. According to his 20 factors, I am illegal.

Bring on the handcuffs!

Who is Running this Country?

2010-05-07T11:02:00.000-06:00

The N.R.A.!
The Gun Lobby's Long Shadow.

These people are so crazy and unpatriotic, it's unbelievable...almost. The mighty dollar will only protect them for so long.

Congress, for example, is cowering before the gun lobby insistence that even terrorist suspects who are placed on the “no-fly list” must not be denied the right to buy and bear arms. Suspects on that list purchased more than 1,100 weapons in the last six years, but Congress has never summoned the gumption to stop this trade in the name of public safety and political sanity.

Wagging the Dog in Arizona

2010-05-06T16:43:00.001-06:00

The hubub in Arizona has reached epic proportions. And rightly so as those of us on the right side of history continue fighting against SB 1070. But all of the attention focused on SB 1070 has prevented Arizonans from taking a closer look at other examples of terrible public policy on the part of our state government.

Even with a sales-tax hike, Arizona taxes would stay among lowest.

Arizona's overall state and local tax burden ranked 41st in the nation in 2008, with 8.5 percent of per capita income going to taxes, according to the nonpartisan, Washington, D.C.-based Tax Foundation. The national average is 9.7 percent.

You get what you pay for Arizona.

Dozens of Arizona bills signed into law.

House Bill 2195: Requires the Arizona State Lottery Commission to create special instant-ticket games charities could use to raise money. Up to 15 percent of the revenue from the games could go to the state and 20 percent of the cost of each ticket sold would go to the charity.

That's only 35% of the revenue. Where happens to the rest of the revenue?

Senate Bill 1005: Gives tax exemption to trap and skeet shooting clubs that provide shooting training and hold competitions, as long as the property and buildings are used for educational purposes and not used or held for profit.

WTF? Why?

Jason you got me thinking: Except in Arizona

2010-04-27T13:37:00.000-06:00

I am going to credit Jason at Secret History as starting this:

How many movie quotes can we attach "Except in Arizona" too?

Except in Arizona.

I miss the Republicans

2010-04-26T19:56:00.002-06:00

What happened to the good old days when Republicans stood for smaller government?

Oh wait let me rephrase that. What happened to the good old days when Republicans hypocritically "claimed" to be the party of smaller government and fiscal responsibility? That's more like it. But then again they have always supported increased military spending and less civil liberties.

Please keep on reading.
--

Proposed anti-immigrant bills in the Arizona Legislature:
Arizona State Legislation: These bills are authored and supported from the same hateful group of people. These attacks are not only targeting undocumented people, but are a direct attack to our entire community, the quality of education, the quality of living, and the safety of our city.   

HB 2382: Department of Education shall compile data on undocumented students and withhold state funding for those un-documented students.

HB 2281: (bill attacking ethnic/raza studies) states that any course, class, instruction, or material may not be primarily designed for pupils of a particular ethnic group as determined by the State Board of Education & Superintendent of Instruction. State aid will be withheld from any school district or charter school that does not comply.

SB 1097: (bill attacking non-citizen students) states that the Department of Education will collect data on school districts’ populations of non-citizen students and their identities. Data will include research on impact of non-citizen students’ enrollment, and cost to taxpayers per non-citizen student. Based on these data reports the State Superintendent of Instruction can withhold state aid for those non-citizen students.

Too Good!

2010-04-26T11:05:00.000-06:00

Dear Fiona, thank you!

I pledge to follow the owner of this car until the end of time!

Thomas L. Friedman

2010-04-25T17:24:00.003-06:00

I generally agree with Friedman. I thought The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century is an outstanding read. It's not always right, but then a good book is not about being right, it's about forcing its readership to think, and Friedman certainly does.

However, he needs to read more news stories than just his column.

Harry Reid of Nevada, and the White House were planning to take up a highly controversial immigration measure before the energy bill...If this is what the Obama administration is doing — to score a few cheap political points with Hispanics — it is a travesty.

Hey Big Tom, we are getting killed out here in Arizona! Do you know what's going on here? I had to have a discussion with my son about how to respond if a cop asks him about his legal status.

How do you teach a kid to be a good citizen and respect the laws of our nation while simultaneously explaining what legalized racial profiling means for our family?

No doubt the energy bill is important. But immigration reform is not a cheap political stunt.

You don't believe me; read on Broheim:

Court fight looms on new immigration law.

C'mon Dude, help a brother out.

On the right side of History

2010-04-24T12:12:00.000-06:00

ASU President Michael Crow urged Governor Brewer to veto SB 1070.

Crow urges Brewer to veto immigration bill.

The McCain Two-Step

2010-04-20T14:37:00.003-06:00

Does the electorate learn more or less about it leaders during an election year? Do politicians have to tell the truth or even be consistent during an election year?

Answers: Little to nothing and no.

Kyl said he didn't know how much the plan would cost federal taxpayers. One provision alone - increased funding for Operation Stonegarden, which provides grants and reimbursements to local law enforcement for costs related to illegal immigration - would cost $40 million.

The two Republican senators also did not say exactly how their plan would be paid for, although McCain said he thought the money could come from shifting funds away from "unneeded and unnecessary" federal spending programs.

I wonder if the programs that they are referring to are those related to public education, the Republican's favorite place to make cuts. Certainly they can't mean the Wars in the Middle East. Nothing says pork barrel like defense contractors on the make.

And now McCain has really stepped in it:

The state should not have to bear the cost of fighting immigration-related crime, McCain said. "The state of Arizona is broke, and the security of our border is a federal responsibility," he said.

This is the same Senator McCain who supports:

One of the toughest proposed illegal-immigration measures in the country passed its final hurdle in the Arizona Legislature on Monday, moving on to face national media scrutiny, a growing firestorm of opposition and cautious consideration by the Governor's Office.

It's an election year. McCain is get tough 24-7. It's a federal responsibility so we need more national guards on the border. But then why support the local get tough immigration bill? Oh yeah, J.D. Hayworth.

Johnny Boy, don't forget your old friend Edward Kennedy. And of course do not bypass your ethics, or at least what is left of them.

The Life of Jaime

2010-04-18T18:18:00.001-06:00

One of my favorite Mexican restaurants is a local chain called Someburros. It's the West Texas equivalent of Rosas. I usually order the Poncho Villa, which according to the menu is red chili beef wrapped in a flour tortilla, covered with red sauce and melted cheese and topped with sour cream and guacamole, but without the sour cream, and an order of tortilla chips and a diet coke.

Today a friend and I decided to order take out and eat it at my place. My buddy, who has a common English name, used my name for the order. I jokingly asked why he used mine since the kid at the register would probably spell it and pronounce it incorrectly. The kid who was White spelled and pronounced it correctly when I prompted him. Impressive since when I order food I use the name "James" in order to facilitate the process and not get into a "can you repeat that" discussion. This is especially useful when ordering take-out over the phone. Thus I usually refer to James as my pizza-ordering name.

But when the food was ready, the pretty Mexican female Someburros employee called out "Jaime" (Jay-me). In Spanish I jokingly asked why a young Mexican would mispronounce my name? Without pausing she said that certain customers are upset and offended when their names are pronounced in Spanish. I replied "you mean the Gabachos?" She hesitantly nodded yes. I thought to myself, why is it easier to purposely mispronounce a Spanish name in order to honor the sensibilities of the White customers and not the Mexicans? Well, as I turned around I noticed that the only Mexicans in the entire building were some of the Someburros employees and me.

Oh well.

Hypocrisy or Ignorance?

2010-04-14T21:43:00.002-06:00

Arizona Passes Strict Illegal Immigration Act.
Arizona Ranchers urge crackdown ob border violence.

The Tea Party folks are complaining about failed government. Oklahoma to sponsor Tea Party militia. The examples they are fighting are comprehensive immigration reform and increased taxes. Damn our government for trying to provide health care for the uninsured. As a taxpayer this plan will lower my cost since my tax money pays for all those emergency room visits the legal or illegal uninsured make.

Here in Arizona the ignorant hypocrites blame everything on the "Illegals.

"Illegal immigration brings crime, kidnapping, drugs -- drains our government services," said Rep. John Kavanagh, a Republican. "Nobody can stand on the sidelines and not take part in this battle."

Are you kidding me? Congressman Kavanagh you are either ignorant or a hypocrite? Which one prevents you from making an honest effort to solve these problems? When will our leaders and American society take responsibility for our problems. Americans buy the illegal drugs that pay for all of the crime associated with drug trafficking.

What services are you complaining about. Do you mean the prison system, or how about the wasteful pork barrel spending for failed border security? Tea Party folks never complain about these wasteful programs.

U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, citing security risks, is seeking an earmark for a "more sophisticated" structure near the Nogales Port of Entry to replace the corrugated metal barrier that is regularly climbed over or cut through.--Pueblo Politics.

C'mon Giffords is pandering.

And let's not forget the Wars in the Middle East. Anyone that is concerned about wasteful spending and opposes tax increases, should oppose the war.

And those who don't are either hypocrites or ignorant!

Mexican Corn

2010-04-11T14:49:00.001-06:00

Greenpeace protests genetically modified corn in Mexico.

It seems this controversy is worsened by the fact that none of the interested parties are actually discussing any type of compromise or a long term plan that addresses all their concerns. After reading the article, I think the following three quotes are the most telling.

--"Farmers will be beholden to those companies when their fields are contaminated and no producer will be able to plant his seed, like they do now, because they will have to pay royalties to those corporations to plant again," protest leader Lara said.--

Big business may be the final winner since a copyright-type control over corn would lead to a dictatorship over the Mexican food supply. George Orwell would respond from the grave, "I told you so." Even during the 19th century Mexican campesinos could always fall back on a subsistence lifestyle for minimum protection from threats to their way of life. But this new post modern circumstance could contribute to a devastating attack on the rural population's regional autonomy or at least what's left of it.

--"Mexico wants to produce enough crops so they don't have to import foods," said Susan Kaufman Purcell, director of the Center for Hemispheric Policy at the University of Miami. "Greater yields will lead to not having to import as much food from the United States."--

This is a sound argument for the use of genetically modified corn. Mexico has been importing corn from the US since I think the 1970s. Despite my concerns related to the first quote, this is a problem now and will only grow worse. Mexican commercial agriculture has to become more nationalistic while simultaneously producing a profit. A difficult endeavor for the economic sector of any developing nation.

--The United States has pressured Mexico strongly to accept the modified crop, Bagley said. Mexico has acquiesced due to provisions in the North American Free Trade Agreement.--

This quote signals a bigger problem. The US has backed off many NAFTA provisions most notably not allowing Mexican trucks into the US. Yet, Mexican officials totally give in to American pressure. Here is an opportunity to renegotiate NAFTA for the betterment of the Mexican people. But Mexican leadership doesn't, and the obvious reason, corrupt officials.

The same problems contribute to the controversy over PEMEX. The Mexican oil industry needs to be partly privatized in order to obtain much needed capital and technology to make it more efficient, but the historical legacies of corruption prevent Mexican society from supporting such an endeavor.
So to better understand Maize-gate, follow the money.

Jaime

Sunday Morning

2010-04-11T12:01:00.003-06:00

Today's rants emerge from a slightly pissed off Mexican as he drinks his coffee at the Hacienda.

Sunday morning at the Hacienda begins with a cup of coffee and the kids and me watching the Sports Reporters on ESPN. This is my second favorite sports talk show after PTI. It's a show usually made up of heavy hitters of sports journalists: Mitch Albom-Detroit Free Press, Bob Ryan-Boston Globe, Mike Lupica-New York Daily News are the starting line up. These are serious old school journalists who cut their teeth prior to the current era of 24-hour sensationalism. Albom for example is the author of Tuesdays with Morrie, which is a must read is regularly taught in high schools and universities around the world. Albom started a private foundation with some of the proceeds, The Tuesdays With Mitch Foundation, to fund various charitable efforts, for example.

And then John Saunders is the host and a fitting replacement to Dick Schaap, who before his death was one of the Deans of sports journalism. Saunders is a class act that is simply an outstanding journalist and host. Furthermore, unlike say Michael Wilbon at PTI, he is able to confront issues of race and sports without marginalizing his professionalism or his ethnicity. He does not, for example, ever hypocritically "protect the shield," as Wilbon is prone to do with the Chicago Bulls and the NBA.

Back to point, this is a quality sports talk show that is able to keep sports within its proper place within American society. But now EPN feels that it needs to appeal to a younger audience and improve its appeal to its Latino audience. Damn you! Damn you tokenism! Damn you marketers!

Thanks to you, Israel Gutierrez has become a regular and ruined my Sunday mornings. This kid sucks. He is unoriginal, boring, wears way too much make-up (he is the youngest one on the set and yet he has tons more mascara than Bob Ryan), and he just plain sucks.

For example today's brilliant line: "The Masters was great yesterday because of those great shots." WTF. You suck! Please ESPN gods, keep the great White and Black Fathers and don't worry about your Latino viewers. We will watch because this is an excellent show with quality journalists. We don't care that there is not a boorish brown brother speaking mierda.

Sincerely,

A loyal viewer.

Just Once

2010-04-06T04:11:00.000-06:00

When a Lawyer is Wrong.

Just once I would like to see an article about an immigrant being deported that was not caught because he was driving drunk or in the case of Jose Padilla, trasnporting illegal drugs.

He was arrested in Kentucky after he was found with a large amount of marijuana in his tractor-trailer. He was charged with drug offenses that would make his deportation virtually mandatory.

I understand that the media is very selective and immigrants Per capita commit less crime than the average U.S. citizen. But c'mon! It's hard enough to defend the overwhelming majority of good hard working people who are just trying to feed their family. So if you are here illegally, stay clean!

Guns in Arizona

2010-03-25T16:35:00.000-06:00

Bills to OK carrying concealed guns without permits advance.

I am pro gun control. Legal does not mean safe. And all these knuckle heads think that all those Walker Texas Ranger shootouts really took place. But there is a solution. More Blacks and Mexicans need to become gun owners. The NRA and the all those crazies are pro gun for specific segments of society. They will change their tune once the rest of us arm ourselves.

Where's a Black Panther when you need one.

Look who owns Guns in Arizona by Race:

White
• Male: 118,795.
• Female: 34,244.

Asian
• Male: 2,049.
• Female: 546.

Black
• Male: 2,744.
• Female: 463.

American Indian
• Male: 1,107.
• Female: 333.

Source: Arizona Department of Public Safety

A Mexican's Life in the 21st Century

2010-03-23T14:24:00.001-06:00

Census 2010: The question over Question 9. I answered "Other" and wrote in Mestizo. I did the same for my children. That's who we are. But for my paisanos, the question is more confusing. "Some Hispanics puzzle over race question on census form."

Today I also called my local Toyota dealership and asked if there were any recalls for my 2005 Prius. And was told, no not yet. WTF! Have they not been reading the newspaper or watching CNN? I love my Prius, it has been a wonderful steed, but a Mexican like me is a little worried, but ni modo, I have to wait.

The life of a 21st century Mexican goes on.

Far Right is Not RACIST!

2010-03-16T10:52:00.002-06:00

The traditional old school racists have effectively ruined the word, Racist, for political debate. They did a damn good job and their strategy was so simple. They started calling anyone that disagreed with them a "racist." They essentially made it politically incorrect to use the term. Genius! It's totally back-ass effective. I for one admire their moxy, strategy, and ability to look you right in the face and lie. For example, President Obama at different times has been called a racist while members of Congress have come up with new ways to make "acceptable" jokes about his ethnicity. Here in Arizona, Conservatives have attacked the President of the United States to such a degree, that there is actually a debate going on as to whether or not he should speak at a local high school graduation. Hello, he's the President! I would have been proud to have President W. speak at my graduation, because Hello, he's the President of the United States!

But let's be fair, the far right is not only attacking Black Presidents. No, White Presidents are also on their hit list; and none other then one of the greatest of the Great White Fathers, Thomas Jefferson. The current Far Right Texas textbook scam is trying to eliminate Jefferson's place in US history. After all, who needs that little known document, The Declaration of Independence.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

There is nothing in the Declaration of Independence that states that history textbooks must be academically sound, or that they shouldn't reflect a very biased and conservative reactionary ideological agenda. Amen.

Our Fault

2010-03-07T13:42:00.001-06:00

Chicanos, Mexicans, Mexican Americans, Hispanics, Latinos, whatever. We are frequently complaining about the racism we experience and our daily marginalized place within US society. Our intellectual community suffers from the lack of a nationalized icon at the level of Martin Luther King or Susan B. Anthony. Let's be honest César Chávez is a regional figure at best. And very few of us were actually farmworkers - wait I was, but I am in the minority - we are an urban people and thus do not really comprehend the realities of rural working class life.

Here in Arizona we are always looking for new ways to complain about el chota de Maricopa County or Russell Pearce's agenda to rid Arizona of all things Mexican.

But rarely do I hear anyone of us asking why do we continue to allow ourselves to be so marginalized and susceptible to such attacks. When is el tonto gigante dormido going to wake up?

Do we not have ourselves to blame? Don't misunderstand me, please. I am not going Richard Rodriguez or Juan Williams on us! But I am asking why. Here in Phoenix, especially at Arizona State University we have a HUGE community of Raza intellectuals (all kinds of paisanos with Ph.Ds and shit) and a large Raza private sector. But yet we are still on our heels waiting for another attack. And when it comes, we complain about the racism, hold a rally, and chant "sí se puede" and "we didn't cross the borer, the border crossed us." Honestly, I have been attending these damn get-togethers since I was a junior at UC Davis. ¡No más!

The reason I am complaining (well at least today) is because of the article in today's Los Angeles Times about Jaime Escalante. We all saw the movie and many of you probably met him or attended one of his talks. But, WHY DID WE NOT CONTINUE WITH WHAT HE STARTED? Why is he and his work not the basis for a new era of Chicano, Mexican, Mexican American, Hispanic, Latino, whatever ACTIVISM? Here was the perfect opportunity. We could have laid a foundation of math and science for future generations of Raza. He could have been a national icon that we could all have rallied around. But even his own high school has forgotten him as we all have except for this article.

And when he passes away, we will all mourn his work and wish we had more teachers like him. And that's it. Another lost opportunity.

Our community is like the drowning man waiting for a sign from God to save him.

A man stood on top of his roof in the middle of one of the worst floods ever recorded. The water was rising around his feet so he looked up at the black sky and prayed. "Mighty God please save me!" An hour passed and the water was already over his feet when a man in a fishing boat came and called for him to get in. The man refused saying. "No, I am waiting for God to save me." The man in the boat waited as long as he could then left the man on his roof. Standing soaked on the roof as the waters rose he stared at the sky waiting for God to save him. Then a rescue boat pulled up beside his house and threw him a rope but again the man refused. "No, I am waiting for God to save me" Hours passed and the man had to cling to his chimney to avoid being washed away. He thought he was going to drown when he saw a bright light overhead he though God had come to save him this time. Then he heard a loudspeaker and realized it was a helicopter. It dropped a ladder but again the man refused. "No! God will save me!" the man clung to the chimney until the water was over his head and he drowned. A moment later he stood before God weeping. "Mighty God, I prayed and prayed why didn't you save me?" and God comforted the man saying softly. "I sent two boats and a helicopter to save you but you wouldn't get in."

Sí se puede, my ass.

A Shakespearean Tragedy

2010-03-07T13:01:00.000-06:00

As I read today's Los Angeles Times, I could only laugh in frustration and to some extent embarrassment. According to "Mexico farm subsidies are going astray," a farm subsidy program to help Mexican farmers compete with US farmers who receive large subsidies from the US government, "is providing large financial subsidies to the families of notorious drug traffickers and several senior government officials, including the agriculture minister." C'mon this has to be a joke! Even by Mexican standards of corruption this story is way over the top. Furthermore, "Ricardo Garcia Villalobos, head of a federal court that handles agrarian issues, said 30% of Mexican farmland is planted with such illegal crops as marijuana and poppies instead of, or sometimes alongside, traditional corn and beans."

On the US side we must stop buying illegal drugs. That is the only solution. On the Mexican side, well it's the same old story. The Mexicans must clean house, or at least minimize the graft to acceptable standards. And what is an acceptable standard, well Mexicans know it when they see it.

One additional piece of advise, don't let the PEMEX bureaucracy in on this scam because they are never one group to be out done.

So what happened?

2010-03-03T22:25:00.001-06:00

I am a child of Head Start. Thanks LBJ! I started kindergarten in 1974 and graduated from high school in 1986. I had excellent teachers, I received a well rounded education, and I am still curious about the world around me. I enjoy reading and learning new things.

So what happened? Why does our public school system have so many problems. Why do my students not enjoy reading? Why are they not curious?

An article and an editorial in today's New York Times add to my confusion and frustration.

Scholar's School Reform U-Turn Shakes Up Debate.

A Word From the Wise.

Where Is The Monroe Doctrine When You Need IT?

2010-03-02T22:00:00.000-06:00

Argentina asks US to help end Las Malvinas spat.

I do not see a favorable resolution for Argentina. Resorting to asking the help of the United States does nothing but make the Obama administration feel uncomfortable and demonstrate the hypocrisy of US/Latin American Relations.

Stay Classy Republican Party

2010-02-27T10:10:00.004-06:00

GOP Rep: Blacks Worse Off Now Than Under Slavery (VIDEO).

I don't know if these good old boys understand the power of technology. And I think he really believes that Blacks were better off as slaves.

GOP Rep. Trent Franks Calls Obama "An Enemy Of Humanity"

Trent Franks is a terrorist. He and Osama Bin Laden believe that the President of the United States is an enemy of humanity. Our president! What country do these douches live in? Are we not one country under God?

I wonder if Republicans such as Franks hate Obama so much because he is Black or because he is a Liberal? Or both...you think?

But let's be clear, calling our Leader an enemy of humanity equals terrorist. Am I wrong? I voted for him, does that mean I support terrorism.

Watch Out President Obama!

2010-02-24T14:03:00.003-06:00

This news story is too good to ignore.
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PHOENIX- Nearly half of the Arizona Legislature wants to force President Barack Obama to show his birth certificate to state officials if he runs for re-election.

A state House committee on Tuesday approved the measure sponsored by 40 of the state's 90 legislators. It would require presidential candidates who want to appear on the ballot in Arizona to submit documents proving they meet the requirements to be president. All 40 co-sponsors are Republicans, comprising 75 percent of the GOP caucus. Two of them have since resigned to run for Congress. The idea was proposed by Skull Valley Republican Rep. Judy Burges. She says if people have to prove their citizenship to apply for a job or get a passport, they should have to prove it to run for president.
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I am content to live in a state where this profound issue is our most significant problem.

Stupid is as Stupid Does

2010-02-05T09:12:00.004-06:00

I have always been of the belief that we should not pass laws regulating parental behavior. For example we do not need child seat belt laws. We should as a society determine who can and can't be a parent. I don't need a seat belt law to tell me that my kids need seat belts. I love my children and want to protect them so I make them wear seat belts and sit in the back of the car with one of them in the middle seat. I also drive more cautiously when they are in the car. I do this out of parental responsibility not a law.

The same is true with vaccines. My kids receive such shots because I am a rationale and caring parent. So when I read topics such as the following story about the anti-vaccination movement I shake my head and think of that movie, Idiocracy. Although, the opposite process would happen, all the idiots would die off from the common cold.

The Damage of the Anti-Vaccine Movement.

Although one of my reservations is that Jenny McCarthy is at the head of the movement. She used to be on the list. But no longer, I can't take stupid is as stupid does anymore.

Does it Matter?

2010-02-04T15:09:00.003-06:00

Does it matter the reasons? Does it matter why the United States military leadership wants to allow Gays and Lesbians to serve openly? Is it because recruiting numbers are down and we need more people in the military?

Despite what Senator McCain has recently stated, it seems that the time to rectify this problem and take another step toward more equality in our society has come.

But is the military leadership so progressive or are they running out of soldiers to send into battle? Does it matter why?

The Invasion of America

2010-01-22T09:41:00.005-06:00

Supreme Court OKs unlimited corporate spending on elections.

The 1st Amendment and corporate campaigning.

The dissenters included the three Democratic appointees: Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen G. Breyer and Sonia Sotomayor. They joined a 90-page dissenting opinion written by Justice John Paul Stevens, who was appointed by President Ford, a Republican. Stevens, who will turn 90 in April, spoke in a halting voice as he read part of his dissent in the courtroom Thursday.

He called the decision "a radical change in the law." He predicted that the ruling would "cripple the ability of ordinary citizens, Congress and the states to adopt even limited measures to protect against corporate domination of the electoral process."

And the kicker:

"Under today's decision, multinational corporations controlled by foreign governments" would have the same rights as Americans to spend money to tilt U.S. elections, Stevens said.

And let's not forget this gem:

The 2008 Republican platform declared that "[j]udicial activism is a grave threat to the rule of law because unaccountable federal judges are usurping democracy, ignoring the Constitution and its separation of powers, and imposing their personal opinions upon the public."

Conservatives embrace judicial activism in campaign finance ruling.

Activist Judges Run Amok

2010-01-22T08:16:00.004-06:00

Supreme Court OKs unlimited corporate spending on elections.

More hypocrisy from the Republicans. Where is all the Conservative belly aching about activist judges?

Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Senate Republican leader, said that the court had restored proper rights to corporations and unions. Previously, "the government was picking winners and losers," McConnell said.

Really Senator? Wow, because it was one of your own great demi-Gods who set these policies into motion and your last presidential candidate who strengthened it.

The restriction dates to 1907, when President Theodore Roosevelt persuaded Congress to forbid corporations, railroads and national banks from putting money into federal races. After World War II, Congress extended the ban to labor unions. More recently, the McCain-Feingold Act in 2002 added an extra limit on corporate and union-funded broadcast ads in the month before an election. Such ads were prohibited if they even mentioned a candidate running for office.

Let's hear it for corporations! Yes, of course they are citizens, I can't wait to discuss this with my fellow corporations at my next PTA meeting or at my local coffee shop where we citizens are always hanging out. "Hello Exxon see ya at the gym."