FORMER Congressman Soliciting Donations

I love the first word of this article.

Former U.S. Rep. J.D. Hayworth is asking for donations to help pay his legal bills.

The Arizona Republican says the “hundreds of thousands of dollars” of bills stem from a preliminary federal inquiry. That inquiry concerned campaign contributions connected with disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff and didn’t result in charges against Hayworth.

linkage (emphasis mine)

In honor of Vigilante* Hayworth’s money woes, here’s a link to the contribution page for Congressman Harry Mitchell (AZ-05).

*Once a minuteman, always a minuteman

 

I Was ThisClose To Finding A Pony

I’ve been waiting for a news story to flash across my screen that doesn’t involve human beings of the brown persuasion getting rounded up like cattle at their places of employment.

“Finally!!!” I exclaimed a moment ago. I thought that I had, at long last, gotten lucky with a tag line that mentioned employees of an Italian restaurant. Alas…

The workers, who were escorted into a van after their arrest, are from Indonesia, Mexico and Guatemala, authorities said. The workers’ names and the charges they face have not been released.

ICE spokesman Richard Rocha said the individuals will go before an immigration judge who will consider deportation. He said their immigration status is not public record.

The daughter of one woman arrested said her mother had worked at the restaurant for eight years. Adriana Sanchez said her mother, 56-year-old Amalia de la Cruz, was from Mexico.

linkage

Sleep well, América. Your wine goblets are becoming safer from the brown menace, everyday.

 

Tomatoe, Tomahtoe, Tomater

No matter how you choose to say tomate, the fact is they are withering on the vines.

CLARKS SUMMIT, Pa. (AP) — Saying the nation’s immigration system is broken, Pennsylvania’s largest grower of fresh-to-market tomatoes announced Monday he will no longer produce the crop because he can’t find enough workers to harvest it.

Keith Eckel, 61, a fourth-generation farmer and the owner of Fred W. Eckel Sons Farms Inc., said he saw a dramatic decline last summer in the number of migrant workers who showed up to pick tomatoes at his 2,000-acre farm in northeastern Pennsylvania.

He said Congress’ failure to approve comprehensive immigration reform had hindered his ability to hire enough workers to get his crop to the market. Most of Eckel’s workers came from Mexico.

“There are a number of workers hesitant to travel, legal or illegal, because of the scrutiny they are now under,” said Eckel, whose tomatoes have been shipped to supermarkets and restaurants throughout the eastern United States. “So there are less workers crossing state lines.”

Eckel, who planted 2.2 million tomato plants last year, said he also will stop growing pumpkins and will plant half as much sweet corn as usual, resulting in a loss of nearly 175 jobs.

linkage

 

"Wetback" Making A Comeback

There are some words that have rightly been banished out of the lexicon of everyday conversation. They are loaded with hate, xenophobia and ignorance. Those who choose to use them are quite aware of their volatility, but have seen an opening lately to allow their bigoted views to be trotted out.

Charles Laws, a water company executive whom local officials are calling on to resign, on Friday defended his decision to characterize a proposed detention facility for illegal immigrants as a “holding pen for wetbacks.”

Laws said “wetback” is widely acknowledged to mean immigrants who swim the Rio Grande and enter the United States illegally, not American citizens. Laws said the term is not racial, an assertion that others dispute. He said he wishes he had not used the wordin an agenda item for the Creedmoor-Maha Water Supply Corp.’s board of directors but will not resign over it.

He said he thinks the politicians calling for his resignation are in effect defending criminals who should not be in the United States.

linkage

Mr. Laws, who is the Mayor Pro Tem of Mustang Ridge, TX, remains indignant and uses the old “I’m sorry if I offended anyone” excuse for a term that has a dark history in the U.S.

In 1954, even the federal government used the term. The Immigration and Naturalization Service launched Operation Wetback, which sought to remove vast numbers of undocumented immigrants and focused heavily on California and Texas, particularly the Rio Grande Valley.

Historians say thousands of legal immigrants and U.S. citizens of Mexican descent were rounded up in the mass deportations.

Immigration agents routinely approached working-class Mexican Americans and questioned them, said Jose Limón, director of the Center for Mexican American Studies at the University of Texas.

“A lot of people who remember that must surely take offense that they are characterized that way, as people who are here illegally,” Limón said.

“In saying ‘wetback,’ you’re saying Mexican of a lower and marginalized and illegal class. I think that’s why a lot of Mexican Americans would take offense. … Some of them were born here.”

Plascencia said that both inside and outside the immigration debate, that slur and other labels serve to objectify the subject as less than human.

“They all function the same way: All are intended to distance (the user) and at the same time assert superiority,” Plascencia said.

linkage

Yup.

 

Video: Through the Plexiglass

A humorous look at the absurdity of the current immigration system:

 

Adobada Hangover

Semana Santa came and went with a flash this year. The familia gathered for our annual Easter picnic all weekend at a rancho that sits nestled in the Superstition Mountains. Carne adobada, carne preparada, pollo, elk, deer, cebolletas and tripas de leche were scattered across the three placas for most of the day. I’m still feeling the effects of a food hangover.

Chatted with a tío who was going on about Obama and his “racist S.O.B. pastor” – that was fun. He (my uncle) hadn’t listened to Barack’s speech on race and knows nothing of his background and story. It was frustrating, trying to give a bigger-picture view to someone who is locked in to their caricatured version of a candidate…at least I didn’t hear the m-word come out of his mouth – that would have unleashed a bout of verbal violence. Although, I did hear the term “illegal” used as a noun in a later plática. There’s something to be said about consistent offensiveness, I suppose.

This was the first time that most of the conversations I had with friends and family was about politics. Perhaps it was due to my recent trip to Washington D.C. Lots of ‘why were you there’, ‘who did you meet’, ‘website? what website?’, etc. Obviously, I need to do a better job of self-promotion.

One of the problems I see, at least here in Arizona among a sampling of relatives, is the cultural amnesia that is prevalent. There is a need to educate ourselves on the history of our people. Beyond that, seize the orgullo that comes from knowing our roots and celebrate their legacies that we blaze each day in our own ways. I see far too many who have allowed a media and social narrative to dominate their thinking that demeans Mexican-American/Xicano identity as thuggery, laziness, and lacking in Good Ole American™ Assimilation. How anyone could allow a cultural oppressor to define their existence is dumbfounding to me.

I see figures like my padre who has never voted and refuses to vote anytime soon as an example of the other extreme. He is quite aware of the history of this region and my family’s chord within the greater melody, but sees the government as completely worthless in addressing the ills of our communities in a way that is meaningful or non-intrusive to a way of life that has been cycled for generations. “It’s politics – nuthin’ but a load of B.S.” – can’t say that I disagree a lot of the time, but unfortunately for every human rights-oriented voice that stays out of the civic engagement game, a notch is turned up on the megaphone to figures like Russell Pearce and Sheriff Joe.

Don’t know about you, but I can’t in good conscience let that happen.

 

Sheriff Joe Crucifies Human Rights on Good Friday

Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez attended a press conference today by Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio. In true McCarthy form, he threw out reporters from the Phoenix New Times, who have worked diligently to fight back against Sheriff Joe’s un-American tactics in the Valle del Sol. Unfortunately, they are among the few journalistic voices willing to take he and his posse to task for the terrorizing they’ve unleashed in Latino neighborhoods.

I am here as an editor, as a reporter, and as a citizen observer. But I don’t go inside the roped off area with most of the other reporters. They’re here from all the TV stations, from the newspapers. Sheriff Joe Arpaio farts in Phoenix, and many in the corporate media here come running to celebrate it against a backdrop of American flags and tough-guy scowling. There has never been a more lauded scoundrel than this, I think. Question is: Will they celebrate this day as well? After all, Arpaio is here today, on Good Friday, to tell the people of Maricopa County that he has begun another weekend of “patrols” in predominantly Latino neighborhoods. For Easter Weekend. The last time he did this, it was Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Nice timing, from a man who bragged on CNN that he found being compared to the KKK to be a compliment. Ah, Arizona.

more from Alisa

 

Text and Video of Richardson Endorsement

Video (hat tip to Pam’s House Blend)

Released text of remarks:

My friends,

Earlier this week, an extraordinary American gave a historic speech.

Senator Barack Obama addressed the issue of race with the eloquence and sincerity and decency and optimism we have come to expect of him.

He did not seek to evade tough issues or to soothe us with comforting half-truths.

Rather, he inspired us by reminding us of the awesome potential residing in our own responsibility.

Senator Obama could have given a safer speech.

He is, after all, well ahead in the delegate count for our party’s nomination.

He could have just waited for the controversy over the deplorable remarks of Reverend Wright to subside, as it surely would have.

Instead, Senator Obama showed us once again what kind of leader he is.

He spoke to us as adults.

He asked us to ponder the weight of our racially-divided past, to rise above it, and to seize the opportunity to carry forward the work of many patriots of all races, who struggled and died to bring us together.

Senator Obama reminded us that cynicism is not realism, and that hope is not folly.

He called upon us not just to dream about a less racially-divided America, but also to do the hard work needed to build such an America.

He asked every American to see the reality and the pain of other Americans, so that together we can rise above that which has divided us.

He appealed to the best in us.

As a Hispanic, I was particularly touched by his words.

I have been troubled by the demonization of immigrants–specifically Hispanics– by too many in this country.

Hate crimes against Hispanics are rising as a direct result and now, in tough economic times, people look for scapegoats and I fear that people will continue to exploit our racial differences—and place blame on others not like them.

We all know the real culprit — the disastrous economic policies of the Bush Administration!

Senator Obama has started a discussion in this country long overdue and rejects the politics of pitting race against race.

He understands clearly that only by bringing people together, only by bridging our differences can we all succeed together as Americans.

His words are those of a courageous, thoughtful and inspiring leader, who understands that a house divided against itself cannot stand.

And, after 8 years of George W. Bush, we will desperately need such a leader.

Our national security and our global standing have been gravely damaged by the divisive partisanship of recent years.

We need a President who can bring us together as a nation so that we can face urgent global challenges and repair the damage done in the last 7 years.

Barack Obama will make the historic and vital investments into renewable energy, to help create clean energy jobs and fight global warming.

Barack knows that the safety and future of every American child requires that we restore our shared sense of national purpose, so that we can then set about the hard work of rebuilding our alliances and rehabilitating our image in a dangerous world.

By uniting our nation, we can reverse America’s global decline.

We need a realistic, principled, and bipartisan foreign policy again.

We must restore our international reputation, our influence and our capacity to lead others.

America must become the beacon for the world again.

We need a foreign policy based upon American ideals, and not upon the mere ideology of a President.

A foreign policy of diplomacy and respect for international human rights.

We prospered and prevailed in the Cold War because both our friends and our enemies knew that containment of the Soviet Union and the promotion of democratic values was not a Democratic or a Republican policy – it was an American policy–the very essence of what America was.

Senator Obama understands the importance of realism, principle, and bipartisanship in foreign policy.

He opposed the Iraq war from the beginning because he knew that, despite what the Administration claimed, this war would not be easy.

He also opposed the war because he saw President Bush’s rush to employ military force, and to do so without the support of most of our allies, as dangerous and unwarranted.

And he saw the war also for what it so quickly became – a terrible source of partisan political division — and a catastrophic distraction from the war that had united us against the real threat posed by Al Qaeda.

Now, I trust him to do what is so long overdue—End the Iraq war and bring our troops home!!

I know Senator Obama well.

I first got to know him when I chaired the last Democratic National Convention, where he gave that wonderful keynote address.

And then, last year, as we campaigned against each other for the Presidency, I came to fully appreciate his steadfast patriotism and remarkable talents.

I also felt a kinship with him because we both had one foreign-born parent and we both lived abroad as children.

In part because of these experiences, Barack and I share a deep sense of our nation’s special responsibilities in the world.

Barack Obama, you are an extraordinary leader who has shown courage, sound judgment and wisdom throughout your career.

You understand the security challenges of the 21st century, and you will be an outstanding Commander in Chief.

Above all, you will be a President who brings this nation together and restores American global leadership.

You will make every American proud to be an American, and I am very proud indeed to endorse your candidacy.

Before concluding my remarks, I would like to say that we are blessed to have two great American leaders and great Democrats running for President.

My great affection and admiration for Hillary Clinton and President Bill Clinton will never waver.

It is time, however, for Democrats to stop fighting amongst ourselves and to prepare for the tough fight we will face against John McCain in the Fall.

The 1990’s were a decade of peace and prosperity because of the competent and enlightened leadership of the Clinton administration, but it is now time for a new generation of leadership to lead America forward.

Barack Obama will be a historic and a great President, who can bring us the change we so desperately need by bringing us together as a nation here at home and with our allies abroad.

I know that all Democrats will work tirelessly to get him elected.

It is my distinct honor and privilege to introduce to you the next President of the United States, my friend, Barack Obama.

 

MALDEF Launches New Immigration Website

The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) has launched a new website – Truth in Immigration. It is a welcomed addition to the efforts of human rights advocates that are fighting hard against the propaganda and demonization found extensively throughout the media.

Truth in Immigration’s mission is to rebut legal and factual inaccuracies about immigrants and/or Latinos.

Anti-immigrant and anti-Latino stereotypes currently abound in the public arena. Political pundits, candidates for elected office, media networks, anti-immigrant organizations, and hate groups consistently disseminate negative myths about immigrants that poison the atmosphere for immigrants and all Americans. Dehumanizing anti-immigrant stereotypes generate increased bigotry and violence that threatens the safety and well-being of everyone in the United States. Moreover, this hateful dialogue threatens to drown out reasonable and thoughtful perspectives on immigration reform and other key policy issues.

Therefore, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), has created Truth in Immigration (TII) to serve as a watchdog for communications about immigrants and to research, collect, and rebut legal and factual inaccuracies about immigrants that are disseminated and promoted in the media, the public messaging of anti-immigration organizations, and political campaigns.

Click the image to access Truth in Immigration

 

Richardson Endorses Obama

As we continue through the lull in primary chaos, this is great news for the Obama campaign.

SANTA FE, N.M. – New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, the nation’s only Hispanic governor, is endorsing Sen. Barack Obama for president, calling him a “once-in-a-lifetime leader” who can unite the nation and restore America’s international leadership.

Richardson, who dropped out of the Democratic race in January, is to appear with Obama on Friday at a campaign event in Portland, Ore., The Associated Press has learned.

The governor’s endorsement comes as Obama leads among delegates selected at primaries and caucuses but with national public opinion polling showing Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton pulling ahead of him amid controversy over statements by his former pastor.

linkage

I had a hunch that Gov. Richardson was contemplating an Obama endorsement. Conventional wisdom was that he would support Clinton since he had/has extensive ties with the DLC wing of the party and served in the cabinet of former President Clinton – but it made no sense for him to remain silent on an endorsement…unless he was considering a surprise.

Let me just say that it grates my nerves a bit when I hear that this will “help Obama shore up support in the Hispanic/Latino community”. Do you ever hear anyone say that about the white community when a white politician endorses a candidate? It belittles minority voters’ ability to think for themselves and choose candidates that speak a message and offer a platform that resonates.

Of course, this will probably make some of the teevee pundits’ heads asplode as they see their fictitious Black-Brown Ultimate Death Match in the Barrios-Ghettos continue to crumble under the reality that our communities have far more issues that serve as seeds of solidarity than division. Good.

Full text of the statement by Governor Richardson:

During the last year, I have shared with you my vision and hopes for this nation as we look to repair the damage of the last seven years. And you have shared your support, your ideas and your encouragement to my campaign. We have been through a lot together and that is why I wanted to tell you that, after careful and thoughtful deliberation, I have made a decision to endorse Barack Obama for President.

We are blessed to have two great American leaders and great Democrats running for President. My affection and admiration for Hillary Clinton and President Bill Clinton will never waver. It is time, however, for Democrats to stop fighting amongst ourselves and to prepare for the tough fight we will face against John McCain in the fall. The 1990’s were a decade of peace and prosperity because of the competent and enlightened leadership of the Clinton administration, but it is now time for a new generation of leadership to lead America forward. Barack Obama will be a historic and a great President, who can bring us the change we so desperately need by bringing us together as a nation here at home and with our allies abroad.

Earlier this week, Senator Barack Obama gave an historic speech. that addressed the issue of race with the eloquence, sincerity, and optimism we have come to expect of him. He inspired us by reminding us of the awesome potential residing in our own responsibility. He asked us to rise above our racially divided past, and to seize the opportunity to carry forward the work of many patriots of all races, who struggled and died to bring us together.

As a Hispanic, I was particularly touched by his words. I have been troubled by the demonization of immigrants–specifically Hispanics– by too many in this country. Hate crimes against Hispanics are rising as a direct result and now, in tough economic times, people look for scapegoats and I fear that people will continue to exploit our racial differences–and place blame on others not like them . We all know the real culprit — the disastrous economic policies of the Bush Administration!

Senator Obama has started a discussion in this country long overdue and rejects the politics of pitting race against race. He understands clearly that only by bringing people together, only by bridging our differences can we all succeed together as Americans.

His words are those of a courageous, thoughtful and inspiring leader, who understands that a house divided against itself cannot stand. And, after nearly eight years of George W. Bush, we desperately need such a leader.

To reverse the disastrous policies of the last seven years, rebuild our economy, address the housing and mortgage crisis, bring our troops home from Iraq and restore America’s international standing, we need a President who can bring us together as a nation so we can confront our urgent challenges at home and abroad.

During the past year, I got to know Senator Obama as we campaigned against each other for the Presidency, and I felt a kinship with him because we both grew up between words, in a sense, living both abroad and here in America. In part because of these experiences, Barack and I share a deep sense of our nation’s special responsibilities in the world.

So, once again, thank you for all you have done for me and my campaign. I wanted to make sure you understood my reasons for my endorsement of Senator Obama. I know that you, no matter what your choice, will do so with the best interests of this nation, in your heart.

Sincerely,

Bill Richardson

linkage – emphasis mine

The speech that continues to resonate: