VivirLatino

Living & Luchando la Vida Latin@

So Is the Time Now? Obama Immigration Meeting Today.

June 25th, 2009

Today is the day many have been waiting for: the sign that the Obama administration and members of Congress care about immigration reform.

So who is going to be at the White House meeting, that had already been postponed twice?

According to La Opinión:

Senadores:

Robert Menéndez (D)

Patrick Leahy (R)

Charles Schumer (D)

John McCain (R)

Mel Martínez (R)

John Cornyn (R)

Jeff Sessions (R)

Congresistas:

Lamar Smith (R)

Zoe Lofgren (D)

Xavier Becerra (D)

Howard Berman (D)

Lincoln Díaz-Balart (R)

Luis Gutiérrez (D)

Nydia Velázquez (D)

Adam Putnam (R)

Anthony Weiner (D)

But color me unimpressed and not very hopeful given some of the language that lawmakers and so-called progressive groups are using to discuss immigration reform, language that promotes the “good immigrant/bad immigrant” dichotomy.

Surreal Sports News: U.S. Soccer Crushes Spain, the World’s Greatest Team

June 24th, 2009

I’m not a huge sports fan, but I can get into futbol. One thing I always get from my soccer fan friends from Latin America and Spain is what a joke the U.S. team is. But what you expect from a country who thinks soccer is for sissies and only knows David Beckham for his modeling gigs. Sheesh.

So what was my surprise when I saw that the number one trending topic on Twitter was the word “Spain” and found that the world was tweeting this astonishing outcome in the FIFA Confederations Cup semifinals today: the U.S. mopped up the floor with Spain in a 2-0 win. For those of you who don’t know, Spain is the number one team in the world, and boasts some of the sport’s most talented athletes.

Spain went into this game with the confidence of the jock who always clobbers the wimpy kid and got clobbered themselves. But this isn’t just shocking to me; this is world soccer history: the U.S. today became the first team to beat Spain since 2006 and some experts are calling the victory the best performance since they defeated England 1-0 in the 1950 World Cup in Brazil.

Might this help get some momentum moving in making soccer a more popular sport in the U.S.? I doubt it. I mean, how many of you had ever heard of the Confederations Cup before this? How many even care to know what it is? Yeah, I thought so. But it would be nice though!

In the end, Spain loses more than just a game (and their chance at the finals for this tournament): they lose face. As you might expect, Spain is devastated and fans are blaming the loss on the cockiness and overconfidence of their (nearly) invincible team.

Via / Twitter

Immigration Vigils today in AZ

June 24th, 2009

What: Vigils in four Arizona towns to call on Arizona Senator John McCain and other participants of the White House Immigration Reform meeting to push for immigration reform this year.

When: Wednesday, June 24, 2009 from 6:00-7:30pm

Where:

Tucson -Senator McCain’s office at 407 W. Congress St.

Douglas -Corner of 5th St and Pan American Highway (Co-sponsored by Humanitarian Border Solutions, Episcopal Border Ministries and Frontera de Cristo)

Sierra Vista -St. Andrew Apostle Church, 800 Taylor Dr.

Nogales – La Casa del Viejo at 665 Morley Ave.

Who: Border Action Network and its Human Rights Committees throughout southern Arizona.

Why: On Thursday, June 25 at 2:00pm EST, key members of Congress will join the President at the White House for a meeting that is expected to create a roadmap for legislative action on comprehensive immigration reform in 2009. The evening before this important meeting, members of Border Action Network in Tucson, Douglas, Nogales and Sierra Vista, Arizona are gathering to hold a “Now is the Time” vigil for Arizona Senator McCain and other meeting participants.

Via / Latino Politico

NAM Wants Ethnic Media to Push Immigration Reform

June 24th, 2009

New America Media, who gave some of the pro-migrant blogging work I’m aligned with some props, is calling on “Ethnic Media” to run an editorial pushing immigration reform.

Some of us don’t need to be pushed, as it’s part of our everyday operating standards but what I found most interesting about the push is how it’s being labeled specifically as:

NOT a direct reflection of some advocates’ disatisfaction with President Barack Obama’s deliberate approach to immigration reform. [Emphasis mine]

Except for some of us it is. For example, yesterday President Obama has a press conference where he discussed Iran, health care reform, the economy, and even his smoking but couldn’t be bothered to even breath a word on immigration.

You can read NAM’s suggested text after the jump.

Paper Taco Trucks!!

June 24th, 2009

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Ah the Taco Truck. Staple of the Mala’hood and many hoods despite attempts to push them out.

I know that when I was a little Mala, I loved playing with paper dolls, pero the idea of having my kids play with paper taco trucks, like the ones I saw via Boing Boing this morning, made me way too excited.

Print your own taco trucks from here!

P.S. Yes, Mala is staying away from anything too heavy today because her older daughter, la MapucheRican graduates from elementary school today.

Racist Right Doesn’t Know How to Spell

June 23rd, 2009

…in English. From Think Progress, this is hilarious.

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These fools were at a “conferenece” (!) arguing for English Only, spelling the word “conference” como el culo and using Sonia Sotomayor as the central figure for their ignorant rhetoric:

PAT BUCHANAN: Judge Sotomayor is up there at school in New York, she gets a scholarship to Princeton, she’s graduated with all these big honors and awards they said she never won. What’s she doing there in the summer? They said her adviser told her to read children’s classics so she can learn English better. How do you graduate number one in Princeton if you’re in the summer and you’re reading Rumpelstiltskin and Snow White? [laughter] [...]

Yeah…”so she can learn English better”… What tense are we speaking in? Nice grammar on you, too, Pat!

That’s a segue into a delusional rant about how Obama is out to make everyone speak Spanish:

PETER BRIMELOW: I really do recommend the language issue because you know that polls better than immigration and affirmative action. Eighty-five percent of Americans say they would favor official language policy. The wonderful thing about this issue if you look at what’s going to actually happen here is you’re going to find that the Obama administration is going to gradually institute institutional bilingualism in the country. It’s going to be required to speak Spanish in key positions, the police force and so on. This is a direct attack on the American working class because they are not going to be bilingual.

Right. Because Obama himself speaks Spanish so well.

WHAT. THE. F***?!

This is what we call in Spanish patadas de ahogado. The Republicans are giving up the ghost.

Via / Think Progress and Hispanic Tips (Thanks Tomás)

Wisconsin Debates Drivers Licenses for the Undocumented

June 23rd, 2009

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When you think of progressive policies around the treatment of undocumented immigrants, you might think of cities like San Francisco. You wouldn’t necessarily think of America’s heartland, but that’s just where an important issue is being raised and rallied for. A plan included in the Wisconsin state budget this month which would allow for undocumented immigrants to be able to obtain drivers licenses (actually referred to as “drivers license certificates”) is currently being debated in the state legislature.

A coalition of dairy farmers, police and Latino advocates are making a final push to convince lawmakers to create a new driver’s card for illegal immigrants.

The advocates held a press conference Monday at the Capitol to push for the cards they saw lowers insurance rates and will improve the safety of Wisconsin roads.

They also say in difficult economic times, it would bring in over a million dollars to the state budget and help farmers get workers to the farms.

The Assembly passed the measure as part of a budget bill, but the Senate has rejected it.

The two sides will try to reconcile the bill this week.

Proponents say that the bill would make roads safer, as those without licenses are driving anyway, and a driving certificate will help ensure they adhere to traffic laws. On the other side, opponents counter that this will send a message to undocumented people that “it’s OK to break the law”.

Currently, only one state allows undocumented immigrants to obtain licenses: Utah.

Via / WSAW and Channel 3000

SPEAK! In Puerto Rico

June 23rd, 2009

I am so excited that this is happening. Gente in Puerto Rico should represent and support this amazing project that yes, I am a part of.

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National DREAM Act Graduation Day – June 23, 2009

June 23rd, 2009

timthumbphp Today hundreds of young people with promising futures will be in the U.S.’s capital to celebrate their achievements but also to demand that their immigration status not act as a roadblock for them to move forward. It’s the National DREAM Graduation ceremony, hosted by the United We Dream Coalition (UWD).

Each year, 65,000 immigrant students who graduate from U.S. high schools are barred from pursuing their dreams of higher education. Advocates will underscore the importance of advancing the “DREAM Act” and the “American Dream Act” to give these youth a chance to attend college and pursue their goals.

I’ve written about the DREAM Act many times, including some discussion of some of the problems with how the DREAM Act is framed in relation to comprehensive immigration reform.

I personally have dear friends and loved ones who are in the middle of this struggle and I think that moving forward on this is an important front in the wider struggle for human rights for all immigrants and their children.

The National Graduation goes down at noon today in DC but there are actions all over the country that people can plus into.

Villaraigosa Bows Out, Won’t Run for Governor of California

June 22nd, 2009

Along with celeb Mayor of San Francisco, Gavin Newsom, L.A.’s Latino mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (and co-star of telenovela-like love dramas) had his sights set on becoming the Governor of the great state of California, but today has announced that he’s bowing out:

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced on national television today he would not be running for California governor in 2010 after flirting with a bid for higher office for months.

Elected to a second, four-year term in March, the mayor told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer that he wanted to devote his full attention to Los Angeles, which is facing its worst fiscal crisis in decades.

Villaraigosa’s decision adds a dash of clarity to the race for the 2010 Democratic gubernatorial nomination which, at the moment, appears will be between state Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown and San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. Brown has yet to say if he will run, while Newsom already has announced his candidacy.

The L.A. Times attributes the bow-out to the Mayor’s low approval ratings – 55% on the job he’s currently doing as mayor in L.A. — and the fact that historically, Los Angeles mayors have had a very hard time at gaining support in their quest for Governor of California. Oh, and the $530 million deficit for the city in fiscal year 2009.

Meanwhile, Mr. Villaraigosa was just re-elected as Mayor of the great city of L.A., which apparently means he has a lot of trabajo to do.

Any L.A. reader want to let us know the real deal? Is L.A.’s crisis just an excuse? Did Villaraigosa ever even have a chance to be governor? What’s his report card for L.A. looking like? Let us know in the comments.

Via / Los Angeles Times and Politico