Category Archives: Bigots and Liars

Never Again…

Posted on February 19, 2012 | Leave a comment

Democrats love to talk about all the good FDR did, but on this day, we must remember the bad he and the US Government also did.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 20 – By executive order today President Roosevelt gave the Army authority to establish military zones anywhere in the United States from which any person, citizen or alien, may be evacuated and excluded.

The order is expected to go into effect in California and the Pacific Coast states as rapidly as conditions permit. No other geographical sections of the country are at present included.

Those chiefly affected are American citizens of Japanese parentage. Approximately 60,000 of those reside in California and an additional 14,000 are scattered through Oregon and Washington.

Unfortunately, remnants of these kinds of actions still exist, such as anti-immigrant policies like 287(g) and Secure Communities. Both of these “modern” policies are as flawed as FDRs Executive Order in that many innocent people have ended up, as President Obama’s Hispanic mouthpiece once stated, “collateral damage.” Not to mention that these policies are just wrong.

Of course, our Sheriff doesn’t want to let go of the same failed program either. Continuing these programs, thus funneling tax money into the private prison industry and replicating programs, is irresponsible and a waste. Scoring political points on the backs of entire communities is not an option if one wants to be victorious in 2012.

Remnants of FDRs atrocity remain in my hometown of Crystal City, TX. And the Japanese community dedicated a marker years ago on the site where a Japanese concentration camp once stood.

“This marker is situated on an original foundation of a two-family cottage as a reminder that the injustices and humiliations suffered here as a result of hysteria, racism, and discrimination never happen again.”

“Never again.”  It rings out loudly, unfortunately, there is a lot of work to be done.

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Posted in Bigots and Liars, Chicano Politics, DREAM Act, Houston Dems '12, Houston Politica, Immigration

The 2012 Chimichanga Debate

Posted on February 15, 2012 | Leave a comment

In case you haven’t heard, an Obama aide offered a line borrowed from a Washington Post article by Dana Milbank, and now Republicans are trying to pile on Obama for it.

“Line of the day from WAPO’s Dana Milbank: “The chimichanga? It may be the only thing Republicans have left to offer Latinos.”

Milbank ended his Wednesday column that analyzed the Republican Party’s treatment of the Latino voting bloc with the line. He borrowed the reference from Sen. John McCain, who he quoted earlier in the story.

Frankly, I don’t think it’s insensitive. I think they give Republicans too much credit for offering something to a group of people in need of jobs and better opportunities. In other words, the sentiment is accepted, but let’s get real. Any offer of anything to Latinos by Republicans is laughable.

Insulting is Republicans trying to play nice after leaders in states like Arizona, Texas, New Mexico, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, etc., have offered up punitive policies that can only be deemed racist and anti-Latino.

On to real issues.

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Posted in Bigots and Liars, Chicano Politics, Houston Dems '12, Houston Politica, LatinoVote '12, President 2012, TDP Convention 2012, Texas Dems 2012

Re-Committing To Voter Registration

Posted on February 13, 2012 | Leave a comment

There’s no doubt that 2012 is weighing heavily on our minds. With Republican-led voter suppression efforts becoming law around the country, the intent of these efforts is obvious. It’s what we don’t see that we should be worried about, according to my good friend Stan Merriman, who had this op-ed in the Chron.

The Harris County tax assessor-collector has re-created the equivalent of a regressive poll tax by maximizing the time and travel costs of voting. He forces most voters in Harris County to reapply over and over. He then decides whether to allow a citizen to remain on the registration rolls by a secretive purging operation that, even after the lawsuits by the Democratic Party mentioned in the Jan. 30 article, remains largely obscured from public scrutiny. No increase in the voter rolls for this dynamic and growing community is the result.

The Tax Office suspends or cancels voter registrations based on something like a credit check. The office calls it a live check; it sends personal identification information into a so-called “fusion center” and, from there, to where nobody will say. In any case, the unreliable information returned from various sources is used to disqualify or misdirect voters. This is not subject to audit and barely subject to appeal. You the voter just show up at the polls to discover when it is too late to do anything about it that you are not qualified to vote. Just making a simple change of address is difficult and risks cancellation. Voter registration in Harris County is really a lifetime reregistration process costing millions their right to vote and the county millions of dollars.

Many believe new voter identification rules will suppress turnout, but whatever effect they may have is dwarfed by the huge voter suppression caused by our registration process.

There are solutions.

He goes on to give some simple, common sense solutions, so read the rest of the article.

Meanwhile, a voter group has filed a lawsuit against the state of Texas for some of these practices.

The latest lawsuit filed in the Southern District of Texas courts names Texas Secretary of StateHope Andrade and takes aim at the state’s new mandatory training for all volunteer registrars – in which almost anyone who handles a voter’s application as part of a registration drive has to complete training before he or she can be “deputized” to operate in any Texas county. A spokesman for Andrade refused comment.

Population growth in Texas exceeds most other states, while many voter registration rolls throughout the state remain stagnant. As of January, 12.9 million Texans had registered to vote -up just 2 percent from January 2008.

There’s no doubt that this is all part of a pattern to suppress voting opportunities for Texans across the political spectrum. Through some spies, I’m hearing of other things that may be launched soon to cut folks off the rolls. I’m sure we’ll be hearing more about this in the near to not-so-distant future.

More than ever, voter registration will play a major role in the 2012 elections. It’s time to recommit to ensuring Texans remain on the rolls.

It’s time to “true the democracy,” don’t you think?

Stay connected!

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Posted in Bigots and Liars, Chicano Politics, Count Me!, DC Ojo, Harris County, Houston Politica, LatinoVote '12, Redistricting '11, U.S. Ethnic Relations

Houston Group Will Venture in Knowledge Trafficking

Posted on January 26, 2012 | Comments Off

One of my favorite literary nonprofit groups, Nuestra Palabra:  Latino Writers Having Their Say is getting into the trafficking biz:  Knowledge trafficking, that is.

Many of you have heard that along with banning Latinos, generally, Arizona is doing away with ethnic studies programs, thus, banning Latino-created literary works, including works by highly renowned authors like Sandra Cisneros and Guggenheim Fellow Dagoberto Gilb.

Nuestra Palabra is organizing The Librotraficantes Banned Book Caravan to Arizona. March 12 – 17.

The caravan will be filled with authors and activists who will be taking banned books back into Arizona, to give away. The bus will be filled with authors who were banned, new authors, as well as other advocates concerned with preserving First Amendment rights of Equal Protection and Freedom of Speech.

The Caravan will be making stops in Texas, New Mexico, and, of course, Arizona. More stops will be listed as they are finalized. More will be added as funding permits.

It’s time for Texas to support this effort. You may make your contribution at Librotraficante.

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Posted in Bigots and Liars, DC Ojo, La Familia, U.S. Ethnic Relations, Violence Against Latinos

CNNs Republatino Debate – A Comedy of Duh!

Posted on January 26, 2012 | 3 Comments

Note:  I’ve been advised that “republatino” and “republatina” have now been trademarked . So, I guess I’ll have to call them “Re-Pendejos”? It was trademarked in 2011, supposedly, but I’ve been using it since 2005.

And the Texas Democratic Party has their pre-debate response to the whole hypocrisy, which I will add below. Bottom line:  ”Mewt” is not interested in serving any group of people. In fact, they are interested in corporate interests.

Even their Latino-esque-slash-immigration pronouncements will be about how best to exploit cheap labor under the guise of being “Latino-friendly,” as their republatino self-loathers club (including Marco Rubio) have attempted to spin this Florida episode.

Here’s what will happen tonight:  They’ll attempt being friendly with DREAMs of IED Fodder Act; they will say that Latinos are conservatives just like them; they will push the corporate charter school/school choice line; and I’m sure we’ll hear something about boot straps somewhere along the way. They will avoid words and phrases like equality, family unity, education funding, etc. Of course, I’m sure there will be attempts at lecturing Latinos, too.

I agree with the TDP that once they are done with the Latino niceties in Florida, it’s back to their normal–especially those other southern states.

Here’s the TDPs take:

Austin—Tonight the Republican presidential contenders will be taking part in a CNN/Hispanic Leadership Network debate. TDP spokeswoman Rebecca Acuña released the following statement:

“This momentary desire to appeal to Latinos will pass the second the polls close in Florida and the vehemently anti-Latino policies and attitudes that have dominated this presidential primary will return. The President has pushed for comprehensive immigration reform and passage of the DREAM Act while Republicans continue to view Latinos as little more than a political piñata.

As the GOP contenders tout their ‘moral values’ they won’t mention they are the party that punishes immigrant children because their parents dreamt of a better life for them.

Mitt Romney will probably not brag about the endorsement he received from Kris Kobach, the architect of the draconian Arizona and Alabama immigration laws. He won’t mention that as Governor, he vetoed the Massachusetts DREAM Act, and will likely try to gloss over the fact that he’s promised to veto the federal DREAM Act. He’ll have to defend his claim that ‘self-deportation’ is an immigration policy, which drew laughs at the last Florida debate.

Newt Gingrich is unlikely to repeat his comments that Spanish is the ‘language of the ghetto’ and will try to not dwell on the fact that he only supports the military provision in the DREAM Act.

It’s insulting that Newt Gingrich thinks it’s ok for immigrant students to risk their lives for this country, but not ok for them to practice their professions. Republicans are on the wrong side of every issue that’s important to Latinos. Before they got to Florida they were practically beating us off with a stick.”

According to a recent Latino Decisions poll, registered Hispanic voters in Florida support President Obama 67 to 25 over Mitt Romney and 70 to 22 over Newt Gingrich.

I like our chances with either of these, but if the self-loathers want Newt because he’s so “Latino-friendly,” bring it on!

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Posted in Bigots and Liars, Chicano Politics, DREAM Act, Houston Dems '12, Houston Politica, Immigration, LatinoVote '12, President 2012, TDP Convention 2012, Texas Dems 2012

Joe Arpaio is Bad? Tell Us Something We Didn’t Know…

Posted on December 15, 2011 | Comments Off

The Department of Justice released a long-awaited report on the investigation of serial civil rights violator and anti-Latino crusader Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County. The PDF is here.

Of course, Arpaio recently became the anti-Latino guru of our own Gov. Rick Perry, and even had a steady stream of Republican presidential candidates competing for his anointing.

In a nut (so to speak) shell:

The department found reasonable cause to believe that a pattern or practice of unconstitutional conduct and/or violations of federal law occurred in several areas, including:

  • Discriminatory policing practices including unlawful stops, detentions and arrests of Latinos;
  • Unlawful retaliation against individuals exercising their First Amendment right to criticize MCSO’s policies or practices, including but not limited to practices relating to its discriminatory treatment of Latinos; and
  • Discriminatory jail practices against Latino inmates with limited English proficiency by punishing them and denying them critical services.

The Justice Department found a number of long-standing and entrenched systemic deficiencies that caused or contributed to these patterns of unlawful conduct, including:

  • A failure to implement policies guiding deputies on lawful policing practices;
  • Allowing specialized units to engage in unconstitutional practices;
  • Inadequate training;
  • Inadequate supervision;
  • An ineffective disciplinary, oversight and accountability system; and
  • A lack of sufficient external oversight and accountability.

In addition to these formal pattern or practice findings, the investigation uncovered additional areas of serious concern, including:

  • Use of excessive force;
  • Police practices that have the effect of significantly compromising MCSO’s ability to adequately protect Latino residents; and
  • Failure to adequately investigate allegations of sexual assaults.

While no formal findings of pattern or practice violations have been made in connection with these issues, the investigation remains ongoing.

Will Rick and the rest come out in defense of Arpaio? Will they say big gum’mint should stay out of our county jails–even if they’ve been migra-ized?

Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad the Obama Administration finally outed Arpaio’s targeted behavior. Above all, this whole episode points back to a failed and flawed immigration system, as well as a very failed and flawed deportation program by the Obama administration. Leadership is needed to make effective comprehensive immigration reform come about; otherwise, I’m sure we’ll be finding more Arpaios, and fighting against uneven enforcement programs.

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Posted in Bigots and Liars, DREAM Act, Immigration, LatinoVote '12, TDP Convention 2012, Texas Dems 2012

Perry’s 12 Month Promise

Posted on November 23, 2011 | Comments Off

Yes, you heard right.

Rick Perry says he will “secure the border” within 12 months of taking office. Of course, he’s still in a fight for the middle of the pack, but promises like this one can come back and bite you where the sun don’t shine.

I point to then-candidate Barack Obama’s promise to sign into law comprehensive immigration reform during his first term. Making such a bold promise when Republicans were going to be 100% against it, and even some gutless Dems (called Blue Dogs), has now haunted him when it comes to the Latino vote. Sure, a majority still supports him, and the more the GOPers debate the more they gravitate toward re-electing the President, but the big question is:  Will there be enough turn-out to make it matter on E-Day? Well, Perry and the GOPers probably helped last night.

If Perry even comes out of the Primary, much less gets elected after what is sure to become even crazier anti-Latino, anti-immigrant rhetoric, can he achieve what he calls a secure border?

With Republicans failing on the economy, defending corporations and the wealthiest people, the landscape in Washington, DC just might change this cycle.

Meanwhile, the most humanitarian response (for lack of a better description)  to the latest round of immigration questions came from The Newt last night.

Gingrich, suddenly the front runner in a national polls of GOP voters, said he would not “expel” illegal immigrants or divide immigrant families by sending home undocumented immigrant parents who arrived illegally.

Instead, Newt prefers to keep the cheap labor pool, exploit it some more, and then replace it with new workers every now and then. In other words, the same old thing we have now, except with some sort of legal status that doesn’t allow workers any rights. While this might get him some Bob Perry-type of money, his sudden surge to 1st place is sure to take a hit.

Bachmann and Romney, though, have all but avoided an all-out call for deputizing citizens for “migra” duty, if not some sort of deportation program.

Democrats may be weak on the pro-migrant side, and even punitive and terribly flawed with their enforcement programs, but the Republicans are sending a clear message:  ”We’ll exploit you, mistreat you, and ultimately, get rid of you.”

It would be easy to throw my hands up in the air, but I’m not a one-issue voter; if anything, given each Party’s platform, the Democratic platform still comes closest to what I believe, and I will venture to say what a majority of Latinos believe.  And in the case of immigration, I’ll err on the side which is not pushing the hateful rhetoric.

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Posted in Bigots and Liars, Chicano Politics, DREAM Act, Houston Dems '12, Houston Politica, Immigration, LatinoVote '12, TDP Convention 2012

DOJ Refuses to Grant Pre-Clearance to TX Photo ID

Posted on November 17, 2011 | 1 Comment

According to a report from Talking Points Memo, the Department of Justice has decided that it cannot grant preclearance to the Texas Voter ID Law because the State of Texas has failed to provide enough information.

Texas provided “incomplete” information that does not enable federal officials to determine whether their proposed voter ID law would be discriminatory, the Justice Department said in a letter Wednesday.

Essentially, the letter from DOJ Civil Rights Division Voting Section Chief T. Christian Herren Jr. restarts the clock on when the Department has to make a decision about whether the law signed by Gov. Rick Perry complies with the Voting Rights Act. They have 60 days from when Texas sends them complete information.

Herren writes that Texas did not provide any of the required data on race. Texas said that the voter registration process does not require an applicant to state his or her race, but they are trying to compile the information from Department of Public Safety information as quickly as possible.

Secretary of State Hope Andrade could have used various ways to measure the number of Hispanics who would be affected by the Voter ID Law; instead, they chose the Rick Perry tactic of delay-delay-delay (along with hoping that no one is looking while they violate the VRA). Well, they’ve earned this delay. Unfortunately, it is the people of Texas who are footing the bill for all of these political games.

More to come, I’m sure.

Update:  Rebecca Acuña from the Texas Democratic Party released this quote:

“The Republican Party has fabricated this voter impersonation myth to implement policies meant to disenfranchise specific voters.

The Republican voter suppression legislation was unquestionably created to keep certain people from voting. In fact, the limited data that the state has furnished shows that Hispanic voters would be disproportionately disenfranchised. It’s clear that the DOJ’s patience is running out.”

Kudos to the folks at Texas Democratic Party for fighting the good fight on this one.

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Posted in Bigots and Liars, Chicano Politics, Houston Dems '12, Houston Politica, LatinoVote '12, Republinutiness, TDP Convention 2012, Texas Dems 2012, U.S. Ethnic Relations

How About We Call them Humans?

Posted on November 15, 2011 | Comments Off

The Texas Tribune, bless their hearts, provided us a debate today on whether a group of human beings who are simply looking for economic opportunity should be called “unauthorized” or “illegal.”

Right-wing Rep. Jose Aliseda of Beeville, seems to be trying his best to separate himself from Latinos, though he does take the “legal” route.

Referring to persons, things and matters in their proper legal terms and common definitions is very important for a lawyer and should be important for a layperson and society as a whole. This is supposed to be a nation of laws, after all.

In that case, I’ll refer to him in a more human terms:  insensitive, selfish, egotistical, and self-loathing.

On the “unauthorized” side is Dan Kowalski, who gives a better argument in terms most lawyers, unlike Aliseda, would understand.

To the question, what part of “illegal” don’t you understand? I answer: every bit of it, including the distinction between jaywalking and murder, between littering and grand theft; in short, between malum prohibitum and malum in se — that is, the things we’ve decided to regulate versus the things we all agree are evil.

Of course, there are also the things that people like Aliseda turn away from, like the blatant disregard of the Voting Rights Act as if the undocumented are going around committing voter fraud. Aliseda and his sort will create “voter fraud” and violate the very laws that protect voters. But no, let’s blame an easier, defenseless target.

Although I can see where Kowalski is headed with his argument for “unauthorized,” in that it is a status that can be changed, it seems society generally fails to point to the positive aspects of the immigrant community; especially in the overall debate. Instead we get into debates like these, and Republican La-TEA-Nos like Aliseda can promote hate-filled legislation and force positive legislation to die in the name of politics–a vote.

I appreciate Kowalski’s end that we should be pushing for comprehensive immigration reform. But whether it is right-wing hate-speech or the indifference of a Democratic administration that chooses to waste political capital on other things, CIR is not happening, thus giving the Trib the ability to debate words, rather than help push the effort for CIR.

I wonder what Aliseda would call my 4th generation American mom, or my 2nd-generation American dad who would gather old clothes for, and provide food and drink to, “los mojaditos” who would be trekking along train tracks close to our house. I know I’d call them humanitarians.

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Posted in Bigots and Liars, Chicano Politics, DREAM Act, Houston Dems '12, Houston Politica, HoustonVotes '11, Immigration, LatinoVote '11, LatinoVote '12, U.S. Ethnic Relations, Violence Against Latinos

LGBT and Community Protests Rodriguez at HISD

Posted on November 10, 2011 | 1 Comment

A small, but vocal group of community members held a protest outside of the HISD headquarters calling out HISD Board member Manuel Rodriguez for an anti-LGBT campaign flyer attacking his opponent, Ramiro Fonseca.

Rodriguez got just enough votes to seem like the winner on Tuesday night, and Fonseca is awaiting the canvassing of the votes before making any decisions on which direction to take.

Organized by activist Mike Pomeroy, representatives of the GLBT Caucus, Stonewall Dems, Young Democrats, HISD students, and vocal members from the Latino community came together to voice their displeasure regarding Rodriguez’s desperate tactic.

Rodriguez released what he called an apology, but for those in the protest, it was too little too late. Citing  that the flyers were being delivered house-to-house, as well as at polling locations on election day, some felt the apology was empty.

The Chron had more from inside the meeting:

Inside the board meeting, Rodriguez did not address the campaign ad controversy during the open comment period for trustees. But his colleagues, trustees Anna Eastman and Juliet Stipeche did, without mentioning Rodriguez or the ad.

Stipeche read a list of names of children who committed suicide after being bullied.

“Living by the golden rule, we do not bully and we do not judge others for who they are,” Stipeche said, drawing a standing ovation from some in the audience.

And then this.

UPDATE (7:45 p.m.): After hearing from several impassioned speakers who called Rodriguez’s campaign ad unethical, the HISD trustees voted unanimously to work on revising their own ethics policy to forbid discrimination based on sexuality.

Trustee Anna Eastman proposed the revision. Rodriguez voted in favor of the change but did not make any comments.

Trustee Carol Mims Galloway joined her colleagues, Eastman and Stipeche, in condemning Rodriguez’s ad. Galloway said she was apologizing on Rodriguez’s behalf. She said she believed he supported the district’s anti-discrimination policy. “But I guess when it comes to politics, people forget,” Galloway added.

Rodriguez sure earned himself all of this. Galloway is correct, though. Politicians are usually immune after using hateful language, whether it is toward the LGBT community, the Latino or immigrant community, etc. It seems the politicians easily separate things because it’s just politics, as the Republican presidential debates have exhibited. This needs to change.

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Posted in Bigots and Liars, K-12 Education, Unidos Con GLBT