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Venezuelans Lose More Media Outlets as Chavez Takes Over Radio Stations

4:29 am By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Controversia|Latin America|Media|society|Venezuela · 3 Comments

3 Aug 2009

“Freedom of expression must be limited.”

That’s what Venezuela’s Attorney General Luisa Ortega said late last week when defending tough new legislation which would restrict what can be said on radio and television in Hugo Chavez’s Venezuela. No sooner had this statement been made did Venezuela announce the closing of some 34 radio stations:

More than a dozen of 34 radio stations ordered shut by the Venezuelan government went off the air on Saturday, part of President Hugo Chavez’s drive to extend his socialist revolution to the media.

The association of radio broadcasters said 13 stations had stopped transmitting, following an announcement Friday night by government broadcasting watchdog Conatel that 34 radio outlets would be closed because they failed to comply with regulations.

While I was shocked at the Chavez-ordered takeover of RCTV in 2007, I am not shocked by this massive squashing of freedom of speech and freedom of the press in these radio station closings. I’m just disgusted.

And so are lots of others. Protests have spontaneously broken out around Venezuela but I fear there is nothing to do now. How do you fight against this ideology?

We haven’t closed any radio stations, we’ve applied the law,” Chavez said on state television. “We’ve recovered a bunch of stations that were outside the law, that now belong to the people and not the bourgeoisie.”

Translation: “We’re closing down a bunch of stations that have criticized me because we can.”

A sad, sad time for Venezuela and I think it’s only going to get worse. One ray of light: activists are using Twitter to get the word out to the rest of the world on what’s going on in Venezuela. For updates, check out hashtag #FreeMediaVe on Twitter.com.

Via / Reuters

Obama Attempts to Allay Racial Debate Over Beers

31 Jul 2009

Responding to the steady drumbeat of criticism for calling the Cambridge Police Department “stupid” for arresting Professor Henry Louis Gates for “coming home while black”, President Obama and his PR team rigged an event designed to position him as a mediator for a debate on racial differences (read racial profiling). The intimate encounter was sort of a summit — over beers — yesterday afternoon in the White House’s Rose Garden. Check out the above video.

ABC News has a good rundown of the content of that encounter, but a standout for me is this poignant statement by Gates:

Sergeant Crowley and I, through an accident of time and place, have been cast together, inextricably, as characters – as metaphors, really – in a thousand narratives about race over which he and I have absolutely no control.“

It isn’t about Crowley and Gates. It’s about how American society continues to deny that racial profiling even exists.

But back to this specific incident, Crowley doesn’t seem to have seen how profoundly wrong his actions were, that is, if we are to be guided by his statements at the Beer Summit:

Crowley was asked if the controversy was a “teachable moment” for the sergeant, as President Obama said he’d hoped this would become?

He said it was.

And the lesson?

“The media can find you, no matter where you live,” he said.

Wow, glad you learned something there Sergeant Crowley!

Via / ABC News Political Punch Blog

Michael Jackson’s doctor investigated

9:12 pm By la Macha · Controversia|society · Comments Off

28 Jul 2009

I’m pretty conflicted on continuing to follow the Michael Jackson death story–I mean, the dude was incredibly influential in my life and in my community–so I think that there’s news interesting in finding out why he died so early and what is going to happen with his family/kids. But..at the same time…I don’t know. His death seems to have brought out the worst in everybody, including his own family. I swear if I hear one more “Kathryn Jackson approved interview” with a friend of the family declaring they have ‘proof’ that Jackson wasn’t gay–I’m going to scream (Some proof? Jackson apparently drew pictures of pretty women. And nobody ever saw him with a man. And…well. Um. Yeah.).

But either way–the latest news is that Jackson’s doctor may have caused his death by administering a lethal injection.

I have to say, I’ll feel pretty bad for the doctor if this turns out to be true and he really did cause Jackson’s death. Because from everything that I’ve read, Jackson had a long history of abuse of drugs (ranging form popping pills to being put under anesthesia so he could sleep) and treating his body poorly. And it’s my guess that his long history of drug abuse had as much of an influence in his death than the last injection.

But, we’ll see how it plays out.

Yucatan Will Penalize Gay Marriage, Abortion

22 Jul 2009

estasenyucatan Planning a vacation to the beautiful Yucatan Peninsula this summer? You might want to know a couple of things before you go: 1) it’s hotter than all hell in the summer and 2) Yucatan’s Congress just overwhelmingly approved a ban on gay marriage in the Mexican state. And while they were at it, they managed to ban gay adoption and ensure that abortion be illegal in almost all cases:

With the vote of 24 of the 25 local deputies, the Yucatan Congress raised heterosexual marriage and families to the constitutional level via the approval of amendments to the state’s Civil Code. With this, marriage between people of the is same sex will be penalized as will abortion “unless it is totally justified”.

14 legislators from the PRI, 9 from the PAN and the representative for the Todos Somos Yucatán coalition (comprised of the Convergencia party and local political groups) voted in favor of the grassroots initiative promoted by the Pro Yucatán Network, made up of conservative groups, to reject all efforts by people of the same sex to form a family and adopt children.

In other words, if you aren’t looking a whole lot like the couple in the photo above and you want to get married or just adopt a kid, you’d better not “estar en Yucatán”.

And about that abortion issue: what exactly is a “totally justified” abortion? According to Mexico’s Anodis.com, the only circumstances under which abortion will be “justifiable” in Yucatán are “poverty, having more than 4 children, a terminal illness or risk of death for the mother”. If you have an abortion and don’t fall into any of these categories, you are facing a year in prison.

Meanwhile, PAN politicians attempted to disguise the ban as something other than hateful and discriminatory by alleging that “there still aren’t adequate conditions within Yucatán society to allow for unions between people of the same sex.”

Via / Anodis and AmbienteG

Justice? Ohio Latino Teen Tied to Truck and Dragged in Hate Crime, Attacker Sentenced to 10 Days in Jail

4:11 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Controversia|Ohio|race|society|Violence · 1 Comment

22 Jul 2009

An Ohio Latino teen, Robert Cantú (seen in the video above) was allegedly the victim of an unspeakable hate crime: last year, he was reportedly tied by his neck with a noose and dragged by a pickup truck in his hometown of Mount Vernon.

According to Cantu the incident occurred on or about May 30, 2008. Cantu said he was with a friend when Klein and three others jumped him, and tied a rope with a noose around his neck. The other end of the rope was tied to a truck and Cantu said he was dragged for several feet. After stopping the truck, the attackers, allegedly including Klein, exited the truck and began to attack Cantu. According to Cantu, a passer-by, Ezzy Thompson, who was known to Cantu, intervened, chasing off the attackers and removing the noose from Cantu’s neck.

“[Thompson] was with his girlfriend,” said Cantu. “He saw me on the ground and ran over and pushed the guys off me. He got the noose off me. I’ve known Ezzy for about eight years. He was just in the area.”

Cantú’s mother said it took police 10 months to make an arrest, and that only happened after the Anti-Defamation League applied pressure to authorities.

But that’s not all. A second victimization of Robert has also just happened, as his harasser, also a teenager, has been sentenced to a mere 10 days in jail after a plea deal.

LULAC Ohio is hosting a “Vigil for Justice” this Friday in Mount Vernon. Details after the jump.

Chris Brown is “Sorry”

5:17 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Celebrities|Controversia|society|Violence|Women · 1 Comment

21 Jul 2009

Embattled R&B star and woman beater Chris Brown has something to say: he’s sorry.

Damn right he’s sorry. One sorry excuse for a human being. But that’s just my opinion.

What do you think? Are you convinced by Brown’s apology? Should the world just let him get on with his life as Rihanna has? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Via / YouTube

As Workplace Deaths Decline, More Latino Workers Die

5:27 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Controversia|Immigration|Labor|society|Texas · Comments Off

20 Jul 2009

danger_at_work Language barriers, non-affiliation with unions and the exploitation of undocumented immigrants appear to be the contributing causes for the rising number of Latinos who die while performing their jobs every year. Even more disturbing is the fact that the number is rising as stats for workers in general is falling. People’s Weekly World reports

The number of Latino workers who die on the job has risen 76 percent since 1992, even as the total number of workplace deaths has declined, federal statistics show.

In 1992 the number of reported Latino deaths on the job was 533. In a 2007 tally, the latest available from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 937 Latino workers died while working.

Overall fatalities throughout the U.S. fell from 6,217 to 5,657 within the same period.

Dangerous jobs are spelling death for Latino immigrants in Texas. PWW reports that workers there are dying falling off roofs and being crushed by heavy machinery, among other heinous accidents…which reminds me of this unspeakable incident.

As ICE raids continue across the country and more workers are forced into hiding (if you don’t exist, you have no advocate), expect more of these deaths, not less, and this won’t change until President Obama does something about this terrible situation.

Via / People’s Weekly World

More Defending the “Wise Latina” Comment

6:50 am By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Controversia|Politics|race · 1 Comment

16 Jul 2009

In the past two days of confirmation hearings, Sonia Sotomayor was made to “clarify” her now infamous “wise Latina” statement countless times. Yesterday afternoon she went up against Republican Senator from Texas John Cornyn in yet another attempt to quiet the accusations of racial bias (see video above). While she is totally not owning the statement, she wins the battle of rhetoric here and Cornyn is clearly grasping at straws. Score one for Sotomayor.

After the jump, video of Sotomayor defending the statement to Senator Patrick Leahy (D) of Vermont on Monday.

Ricky Ricardo Evoked at Sotomayor Hearing

6:48 am By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Controversia|Politics|race · 1 Comment

16 Jul 2009

From my sickbed yesterday I was able to catch some of the Sotomayor hearing (thanks, C-span!) and it didn’t disappoint. I mean it did disappoint if you were looking for a hearing that didn’t include unfounded accusations of “bias”, but in terms of WTF moments, it really performed. But one moment that has me baffled was this: a pop culture reference made by Senator Tom Coburn (R). Coburn quoted I Love Lucy character Ricky Ricardo while questioning Sotomayor. Have a look:

Was this racist? Did he evoke the quote because Sotomayor is Latina? Or is it just the Senator’s “silly” style? Without being too much of a conspiracy theorist, I’d err on the side of yes, this was yet another potshot at Sotomayor’s Latino heritage. Consider the source.

BTW, today’s hearings start at 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time, and you can catch them online at C-SPAN.

Via / HuffPost

Is Michael Jackson Being Overglorified?

10:53 am By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Celebrities|Controversia|society · 4 Comments

9 Jul 2009

Are we done with Michael Jackson yet? Not even close.

Like La Macha, I also teared up watching his memorial service. But our friend Bill O’Reilly says we’re blowing his legacy out of proportion and that America needs to stop idealizing the man. Check it out:

What else could he say? O’Reilly pooh poohs all gestures of admiration towards any person of color. While he does make a couple of good arguments, the overall rhetoric is meant to be hateful and that’s just what it is.

But I do agree with at least one Fox News commentator on this issue. Geraldo Rivera criticized celebrities who showed up to salute Jackson at his memorial service, but who were silent when Michael was being skewered with child molestation charges.

What do you think? Is the glorification of MJ going too far? And what about those silent celebrities?

Via / Examiner

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