I’m very saddened to read that blogger Jon Swift has passed away.
He ran a parody blog for several years and was very supportive of elevating voices that were often ignored by the so-called A List Blogs. He and skippy the bush kangaroo were instrumental in organizing the Blogroll Amnesty Day events.
Rest in Peace, Al. Gracias por su apoyo y amistad.
July 1st came and went and it wasn’t until a few minutes ago that I realized, “OH crap! The site’s anniversary!”
So I’m gonna take a cue from the GOP leadership of Arizona’s State Senate and pretend that it’s not really the 2nd of July if I ignore all the clocks and calendars.
Four years. Wow. I think about the ways blogging has changed and evolved in that time span and am excited for what is possible. I haven’t posted nearly as frequently here as I did in the past, but my blogging/activism hasn’t slowed down at all. In fact, it’s probably increased. Twitter has everything to do with it. Facebook, too.
This site was always about getting more eyes on a worldview that connected with the reality I experience as someone with morenito skin con una identidad sin fronteras. Immigration has obviously been a big part of the radicalizing I’ve undergone the past several years. With anti-migrant hate remaining out there in strong potency, and racist blowhards aplenty who conflate “latino” and “illegal” with descriptors like diseased/criminal/drugged-out/drug-pushing/etc etc etc, keeping on that beat remains very personal.
The nature of my blogging and activism has changed, but the spirit that sparked my entrance to the web pueblo remains the same:
I started this site to get my voice down on “paper”. I don’t really care if I get five or 500 hits in a day. I’m doing this because I care about my country. I yearn for the days when we can again proudly live up to this inscription that can be found on the Statue of Liberty:
“Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me.
I lift my lamp beside the golden door.”
In the near future, this place will have a new voice added to the mezcla. She’s Xicana, una feminista, una amiga mía and more importantly, completely unknown to all the blogging crowds and circles I’ve known over the past several years. Knowing her in real life is never boring so this should be quite the paranda. ¡Cuidado! haters. Lou will whup your ass.
Jon Swift has posted his Best of 2008 roundup (complete with lolcats)
It’s no surprise that there are quite a few posts about the election this year and perhaps when the history of this campaign is written, historians will look at these posts to get an idea of what people were thinking as it was taking place. They may conclude that the Chinese were right about living in interesting times. The bloggers represented below run the political gamut, from conservative to anti-America, but in addition to politics, they also write about movies, music, television, books, dance, education, fashion, travel, food, economics, health care, science, technology, religion and history and share personal stories, poetry and fiction. There is surely something here that will interest you and probably something to offend you, as well, but that at least might make you think. I’m afraid if I were to invite everyone in this roundup to sit together at a dinner party, I would have to hide the good china, and even then the evening might end with a visit from the police. And as we have seen when Obama has tried to reach across the aisle, it is a thankless task, so I am sure a few slings and arrows will be directed my way. But just in case you find your blood pressure rising as you read some of these entries, I have created an original series of soothing lolcats, which have been scientifically proven to induce a calming effect, to look at as you scroll down.
In honor of DuctapeFatwa
Proud parents Symphony and Larue welcome
It may not be the bubonic plague, but I feel like crap.
Here’s what’s shaking in the news:
Very, very busy this week with deadlines. Posting will be light. What’s going on in your part of the world?
LatinoPolítico.com 