Big Brother likes my Blog! (Da govmint, that is.)

My Google Analytics people are busy tracking all sorts of information for me, including what government agencies are visiting my blog. Yep. The govmint people like the internet and they especially like reading blogs.

Seriously, I don't whether I should be flattered, scared or both, but below are some of the agencies that have poked around American Taíno. The descriptions are theirs.

Since it looks like the nice people at these agencies may be reading this and other posts, I want all my readers to know that I love America. We're the best! Oh, and I was only kidding about the Right wing being meanies.

And that stuff about 'Berto's Boyz catching terror dude #1 and messing with his wives? That was just a joke.

And when I said that that wall was dumb, dumb, dumb, what I was saying was that the Chinese don't have anything on us. Yep, that's right! Our wall is bigger and better, right? And it'll have lights and look-out towers and all of that cool stuff. Yeh, like Disney. Hey, maybe can put super-size billboards on the Wall and sell advertising? I think that the Latin American poor would love to see ads for all of the things that make America so special.


USAISC-CECOM
The US Army Communications-Electronics Command (CECOM) develops, acquires and sustains superior information technologies and integrated systems, enabling battlespace dominance for America's warfighters.

Department of Homeland Security
The Department of Homeland Security provides the unifying core for a vast national network of organizations and institutions in order mobilize and organize our nation to secure the homeland from terrorist attacks.

U.S. Department of Justice
The purpose of DOJ is to enforce the law and defend the interests of the United States according to the law; to ensure public safety against threats foreign and domestic; to provide federal leadership in preventing and controlling crime; to seek just punishment for those guilty of unlawful behavior; and to ensure fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans.

U.S. Senate Sergeant at Arms
The Sergeant at Arms of the U.S. Senate is the law enforcer for the United States Senate.
Together with the House Sergeant at Arms, he serves on the Capitol Police Board, responsible for security around the building. The Sergeant at Arms of the Senate can arrest the President of the United States upon violating Senate rules.

The Naval Academy
Founded in 1845, The Naval Academy prepares young men and women to become naval and marine officers.

Voice of America
The Voice of America is the U.S. government’s international broadcasting. VOA broadcasts more than 1,000 hours of programming from a U.S. government perspective every week to an estimated worldwide audience of more than 115 million people.

Alicia Colon: Schools Make the Difference

Alicia Colon may be the only columnist in New York City writing from a conservative perspective--and I read her. (Click here for her archives at the NYSun.)

I read her writings because I like people that think differently than the rest of the herd. And Colon is clearly not part of the heard in New York City. I also like that she writes from her experience as a Latina living in Staten Island, New York.

So here's her response to the "Badillo said Latino parents don't care about education" brouhaha engulfing my hot-blooded and too easily victimized cousins.

As a conservative with a Catholic school education, Colon is a strong supporter of private school choice, including for poor and minority children. She doesn't much care for what she sees as the over-politicization, wasteful and ineffective public school system. So she and Badillo find themselves on the same sides of the political aisle these days even though Badillo spent the bulk of his life as a liberal Democrat.

But what she says that's caught my attention, and in some ways undermines Badillo's criticism of Latino parents, is that both Colon and Badillo attended schools that worked. That is, the Badillo attended school in the 1940s when NYC public schools were producing some of the country's greatest thinkers, scientists and writers. For those that could attend school, the NYC system was top notch. Badillo didn't even have parents to push him to succeed in school. That push came from Badillo himself and his teachers. Badillo's was raised by an Aunt in the Bronx where she struggled like most other Puerto Ricans at the time just to survive.

Colon's parents were also not "active parents" either. They enrolled her in the local free Catholic school and hoped that the school would do what a school is supposed to do: educate.

In both cases there were no "involved" parents, but the Colon and Badillo prospered academically anyway. Why? Because they were lucky enough to have attended good schools. That is, the schools did their jobs to educate the children. And the parents did their jobs to stay out-of-the-way and work to provide their children with shelter, food and love.

Speed forward to today and we can see that poor Latino parents probably act very much like they did during Badillo and Colon's youth. They struggle to ensure that their families have the essentials and they worry. In regards to schools, they hope that the educators there are doing right y their children.

So it's one thing to encourage and even challenge poor parents (and that's what we're really talking about) to raise their expectations for their children and their children's schools, but it's another thing to say that Latino children fail academically because Latino parents don't care.

If most Latinos attended quality schools and they were still failing at high rates then Badillo might have a valid point about the parents. But if the schools are lousy (and I've visited many of the NYC schools attended by poor Latino children) and they're not functioning anywhere the levels of those Colon and Badillo were lucky enough to attend, then how is the resulting mass failure the fault of society's most disadvantaged parents?

To colon's credit, she doesn't claim that somehow she or her parents were in anyway superior or better than anyone else. She honestly admits that she excelled not because of "involved" parents but because the schools worked.

Colon’s solution, which is in keeping with her experience, is to stop forcing the children of struggling parents to crappy schools. She proposes giving parents tuition vouchers so they can enroll their children in better schools.

Politics aside, it seems to me that Colon’s assessment of the problem—the lack of quality free schools for poor children, and her proposed solution—tuition vouchers for the poor to pay for enrolling in better private schools, are both more elegant, honest and productive than blaming poor parents.

A question that comes to mind is if why is the Manhattan Institute celebrating a man who’s saying that the real problem is not the schools but the parents? Aren’t they the champions of school choice as a tool for liberating poor children from bad schools dishing out doomed lives?

Is Your Hometown Listed?

Below are the hometowns of vistors to either USTaino or American Taino. I need 489 more hometowns to get to my goal of 1,000. Once we reach 1,000 I'll unveil Global Taino. Please have you friends and family members visit this site so I can add their hometowns to my list.

1. Absecon, New Jersey
2. Acworth, Georgia
3. Addis, Louisiana
4. Adelaide, Australia
5. Albany, Illinois
6. Albany, New York
7. Aledo, Texas
8. Alexandria, Virginia
9. Alpine, New Jersey
10. Amityville, New York
11. Amstelveen, Netherlands
12. Amsterdam, Netherlands
13. Anaheim, California
14. Anchorage, Alaska
15. Andover, Massachusetts
16. Andover, New Jersey
17. Ankara, Turkey
18. Annapolis, Maryland
19. Appleton, Wisconsin
20. Araquari, Brazil
21. Arlington, Texas
22. Arlington, Virginia
23. Armadale North, Australia
24. Artesia, California
25. Ashburn, Virginia
26. Asheville, North Carolina
27. Ashtown, Ireland
28. Astoria, New York
29. Athens, Greece
30. Atlanta, Georgia
31. Auckland, New Zealand
32. Audobon, New Jersey
33. Austin, Texas
34. Azusa, California
35. Baambrugge, Netherlands
36. Baltimore, Maryland
37. Barrington, Vermont
38. Basel, Switzerland
39. Baton Rouge, Louisiana
40. Beijing, China
41. Bellflower, California
42. Bellingham, Washington
43. Bergenfield, New Jersey
44. Berlin, Germany
45. Bernalillo, New Mexico
46. Berthoud, Colorado
47. Bethesda, Maryland
48. Billings, Montana
49. Birmingham, Alabama
50. Bishop, California
51. Blacksburg, Virginia
52. Bloomingdale, Illinois
53. Bloomington, Indiana
54. Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania
55. Bluffton, Indiana
56. Boca Raton, Florida
57. Bogotá, Colombia
58. Boise, Idaho
59. Bossier City, Louisiana
60. Boston, Massachusetts
61. Bothell, Washington
62. Brantford, Ontario
63. Brighton, Colorado
64. Brighton, Michigan
65. Brisbane, Australia
66. Broken Arrow, Oklahoma
67. Bronx, New York
68. Brooklyn, New York
69. Brunswick, Maine
70. Brussels, Belgium
71. Buenos Aires, Argentina
72. Buffalo, New York
73. Burbank, California
74. Burlington, North Carolina
75. Cadiz, Kentucky
76. Calgary, Alberta
77. Cambridge, England
78. Cambridge, Massachusetts
79. Canonsburg, Pennsylvania
80. Canton, New York
81. Caracas, Venezuela
82. Casas De La Prosperidad, Spain
83. Casey, California
84. Catasauqua, Pennsylvania
85. Cathedral City, California
86. Cayey, Puerto Rico
87. Centereach, New York
88. Chaguanas, Trinidad
89. Champaign, Illinois
90. Chatsworth, California
91. Chattanooga, Tennessee
92. Cherry Hill, New Jersey
93. Cheshire, Connecticut
94. Chester, Virginia
95. Chesterfield, Massachusetts
96. Chicago, Illinois
97. Chihuahua, Mexico
98. Cincinnati, Ohio
99. Clayton, England
100. Clearwater, Florida
101. Cleveland, Ohio
102. Clichy, France
103. Clifton, New Jersey
104. Cluj-Napoca, Romania
105. Cohoes, New York
106. Coimbra, Portugal
107. Collingbourne Ducis, England
108. Colorado Springs, Colorado
109. Columbia, Maryland
110. Columbia, Missouri
111. Columbus, Ohio
112. Concordville, Pennsylvania
113. Copaigue, New York
114. Corona, New York
115. Corpus Christi, Texas
116. Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania
117. Crittenden, Kentucky
118. Culiacán, Mexico
119. Dallas, Texas
120. Dansville, New York
121. Davenport, Iowa
122. Daytona Beach, Florida
123. Deland, Florida
124. Delmar, New York
125. Delta, British Columbia
126. Denton, Texas
127. Denver, Colorado
128. Des Moines, Iowa
129. Desert Hot Springs, California
130. Destin, Florida
131. Diemen, Netherlands
132. Donna, Texas
133. Downey, California
134. Doylestown, Pennsylvania
135. Doyline, Louisiana
136. Dublin, Ireland
137. Duluth, Georgia
138. Dunfermline, Scotland
139. Durham, North Carolina
140. East Brunswick, New Jersey
141. East Elmhurst, New York
142. Edegem, Belgium
143. Edinburgh, Scotland
144. Edison, New Jersey
145. Edmonton, Alberta
146. Edwall, Washington
147. El Rito, New Mexico
148. Elgin, Illinois
149. Elizabethton, Tennessee
150. Elizabethtown, North Carolina
151. Elmhurst, New York
152. Elmira. New York
153. Elmont, New York
154. Elyria, Ohio
155. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey
156. Eugene, Oregon
157. Euless, Texas
158. Evans, Indiana
159. Evanston, Illinois
160. Exeter, New Hampshire
161. Fairfield, California
162. Falkirk, Scotland
163. Fallon, Nevada
164. Falls Church, Virginia
165. Federal, Argentina
166. Flushing, New York
167. Fort Collins, Colorado
168. Fort Walton Beach, Florida
169. Fort Wayne, Indiana
170. Franklin Park, Illinois
171. Fremont, California
172. Fresno, California
173. Gales Ferry, Connecticut
174. Galesville,Maryland
175. Gent, Belgium
176. Germantown, Tennessee
177. Gig Harbor, Washington
178. Gilbert, Arizona
179. Glendale, Arizona
180. Glendora, New Jersey
181. Glenview, Illinois
182. Gloucester, Virginia
183. Gorgonzola, Italy
184. Grand Rapids, Michigan
185. Graz, Austria
186. Greenville, Texas
187. Groningen, Netherlands
188. Guadalajara, Mexico
189. Hampton, Virginia
190. Harriman, New York
191. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
192. Harrisonburg, Virginia
193. Havana, Florida
194. Hayward, California
195. Helsinki, Finland
196. Henan, China
197. Hermosillo, Mexico
198. Herndon, Virginia
199. Hialeah, Florida
200. Højbjerg, Denmark
201. Hollistan, Massachusetts
202. Hollywood, Florida
203. Honolulu, Hawaii
204. Horsham, England
205. Houston, Texas
206. Huntsville, Alabama
207. Hurley, South Dakota
208. Hyattsville, Maryland
209. Ichikawa, Japan
210. Ickenham, England
211. Indianapolis, Indiana
212. Irvine, California
213. Irving, Texas
214. Istanbul, Turkey
215. Izmir, Turkey
216. Jackson Heights, New York
217. Jacksonville, Florida
218. Jenkintown, Pennsylvania
219. Jersey City, New Jersey
220. Jyväskylä, Finland
221. Kampong Lapis Jiden, Malaysia
222. Kampong Pinang Baik, Malaysia
223. Kansas City, Missouri
224. Katy, Texas
225. Kelowna, British Columbia
226. Kirkland, Washington
227. Kitimat, British Columbia
228. Knoxville, Tennessee
229. Kocaağaç, Turkey
230. Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
231. La Jose, Pennsylvania
232. La Orotava, Canary Islands
233. La Palma, Chile
234. La Place, Louisiana
235. Lafayette, Louisiana
236. Lafayette, New Jersey
237. Laguna Woods, California
238. Lake Forest, California
239. Lakemba, Australia
240. Las Vegas, Nevada
241. Laukkosi, Finland
242. Lawrence, Kansas
243. Lawrenceville, Georgia
244. Leavenworth, Kansas
245. Leidschendam, Netherlands
246. Les Hermentaires, France
247. Lethbridge, Alberta
248. Lewisburg, Ohio
249. Lewisville, Pennsylvania
250. Lexington, Kentucky
251. Lindale, Texas
252. Lisbon, Portugal
253. Little Rock, Arkansas
254. Lively, Ontario
255. Livingston, New Jersey
256. Livonia, Michigan
257. London, England
258. Longville, Texas
259. Los Angeles, California
260. Louisville, Kentucky
261. Lovettsville, Virginia
262. Lyndell, Pennsylvania
263. Magdeburg, Germany
264. Mahopac, New Jersey
265. Managua, Nicaragua
266. Mansfield, Massachusetts
267. Maple Shade, New Jersey
268. Maplewood, New Jersey
269. Maracaibo, Venezuela
270. Marietta, Georgia
271. Markham, Ontario
272. Marshall, Minnesota
273. Martinsville, New Jersey
274. Mason, Georgia
275. Mc Lean, Virginia
276. Medford, Massachusetts
277. Melbourne, Florida
278. Menlo Park, California
279. Mesa, Arizona
280. Miami, Florida
281. Middletown, New Jersey
282. Midvale, England
283. Mililani, Hawaii
284. Minneapolis, Minnesota
285. Mississauga, Ontario
286. Mobile, Alabama
287. Modesto, California
288. Monroe, New York
289. Montclair, New Jersey
290. Monte Alto, Brazil
291. Monterey Park, California
292. Montgomery, Alabama
293. Montréal, Quebec
294. Mount Pleasant, South Carolina
295. Mount Vernon, New York
296. Mountain View, California
297. Muskego, Wisconsin
298. Nanaimo, British Columbia
299. Napa, California
300. Nashville, Tennessee
301. Natick, Massachusetts
302. Neuwied, Germany
303. New Braunfels, Texas
304. New Orleans, Louisiana
305. New Windsor, New York
306. New York, New York
307. Newark, New Jersey
308. Newburgh, New York
309. Newton Stewart, Scotland
310. Newton, Massachusetts
311. Nishihara, Japan
312. Norcross, Georgia
313. Norristown, Pennsylvania
314. North Andover, Massachusetts
315. North Arlington, New Jersey
316. North Bend, Oregon
317. North Easton, Massachusetts
318. North Las Vegas, Nevada
319. Norwell, Massachusetts
320. Nottingham, England
321. Nutfield, England
322. Oakland Gardens, New York
323. Oakland, California
324. Ocala, Florida
325. Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina
326. Oceanside, New York
327. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
328. Olympia, Washington
329. Omiya, Japan
330. Orange Park, Florida
331. Orange, New Jersey
332. Oranjestad, Aruba
333. Orlando, Florida
334. Oslo, Norway
335. Ottawa, Ontario
336. Overton, Nevada
337. Palm Desert, California
338. Palo Alto, California
339. Paris, France
340. Park Ridge, New Jersey
341. Paterson, New Jersey
342. Pedra Azul, Brazil
343. Peoria, Arizona
344. Perth, Australia
345. Perumanallur, India
346. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
347. Phoenix, Arizona
348. Pierrefonds, Québec
349. Pinehurst, North Carolina
350. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
351. Pittsford, New York
352. Pittson, Pennsylvania
353. Pleasanton, California
354. Pleasantville, New Jersey
355. Plymouth, Wisconsin
356. Pocatello, Idaho
357. Pompano Beach, Florida
358. Popular Bluffs, Missouri
359. Port Murray, New Jersey
360. Portland, Maine
361. Portland, Oregon
362. Prague, Czech Republic
363. Prospect, Connecticut
364. Quakertown, Pennsylvania
365. Quatre Bornes, Mauritius
366. Quincy, Massachusetts
367. Rabat, Morocco
368. Raleigh, North Carolina
369. Reading, England
370. Redford, Michigan
371. Redmond, Washington
372. Regent, Australia
373. Regina, Saskatchewan
374. Rehoboth, Massachusetts
375. Renton, Washington
376. Reston, Virginia
377. Richmond, British Columbia
378. Richmond, Kentucky
379. Richmond, Virginia
380. Ridgewood, New York
381. Riga, Latvia
382. Ripon, California
383. Riverside, New Jersey
384. Rochester, New York
385. Rockaway, New York
386. Rockton, Illinois
387. Rockville, Maryland
388. Rocky Hill, Connecticut
389. Round Lake, New York
390. Rush, New York
391. Sacramento, California
392. Saint Albans, New York
393. Saint John, New Brunswick
394. Saint Louis, Missouri
395. Saint Paul, Minnesota
396. Saint Paul,Oregon
397. Saint-Eustache, Quebec
398. Saint-Joseph, Martinique
399. Salina, Kansas
400. Salisbury, Maryland
401. Salmon, Idaho
402. Salt Lake City, Utah
403. San Antonio, Texas
404. San Diego, California
405. San Gabriel, California
406. San Jose, California
407. San Juan, Puerto Rico
408. San Leandro, California
409. San Mateo, California
410. San Sebastián De La Gomera, Canary Islands
411. Sant Pere De Ribes, Spain
412. Santa Barbara, California
413. Santa Clara, California
414. Santiago, Chile
415. Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
416. Saratoga Springs, New York
417. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
418. Satellite Beach, Florida
419. Sayreville, New Jersey
420. Scottsdale, Arizona
421. Seattle, Washington
422. Selden, New York
423. Seminole, Florida
424. Septèmes-les-Vallons, France
425. Sergeant Bluff, Iowa
426. Shannon, Georgia
427. Sheboygan, Wisconsin
428. Shizuoka, Japan
429. Show Low, Arizona
430. Silver Spring, Maryland
431. Simcoe, Ontario
432. Singapore
433. Sioux City, Iowa
434. Smyrna, Georgia
435. Somerville, Massachusetts
436. South Hadley, Massachusetts
437. South Lake Tahoe, California
438. South Pasadena, California
439. Spencerport, New York
440. Spencerville, Ohio
441. Spring, Texas
442. Springfield, Illinois
443. Springfield, Virginia
444. Stanford, California
445. Staten Island, New York
446. Stellenbosch, South Africa
447. Sterling, Virginia
448. Steubenville, Ohio
449. Sun Valley, Nevada
450. Suwanee, Georgia
451. Syracuse, New York
452. Szeged, Hungary
453. Taipei, Taiwan
454. Taiyuan, China
455. Tallahassee, Florida
456. Tallinn, Estonia
457. Tanner, Alabama
458. Tempe, Arizona
459. The Colony, Texas
460. Thomaston, Georgia
461. Toronto, Ontario
462. Trichur, India
463. Trinity, North Carolina
464. Troy, New York
465. Trzin, Slovenia
466. Tucson, Arizona
467. Tulsa, Oklahoma
468. Tuskegee Institute
469. Union, New Jersey
470. Valencia, Venezuela
471. Valier, Illinois
472. Valley City, North Dakota
473. Valley Stream, New York
474. Vancouver, British Columbia
475. Verona, New York
476. Villahermosa, Mexico
477. Villanova, Pennsylvania
478. Vilnius, Lithuania
479. Virginia Beach, Virginia
480. Warwick, Rhode Island
481. Washington, District of Columbia
482. Wayne, New Jersey
483. Weatherly, Pennsylvania
484. Weesp, Netherlands
485. Welland, Ontario
486. West Henrietta, New York
487. West Orange, New Jersey
488. West Palm Beach, Florida
489. Westbury, New York
490. Westport, Connecticut
491. Wethersfield, Connecticut
492. Wheeler, Indiana
493. Whitehorse, Yukon
494. Whitestone, New York
495. Whittier, California
496. Wichita, Kansas
497. Williamston, Michigan
498. Willmannsdorf, Germany
499. Willowdale, Ontario
500. Winchester, Connecticut
501. Windlesham, England
502. Winfield, Illinois
503. Winooski, Vermont
504. Winston Salem, North Carolina
505. Winter Garden, Florida
506. Winthrop, Maine
507. Wolflake, Indiana
508. Xiaosima, China
509. Yarlington, Australia
510. Yonkers, New York
511. Yorktown Heights, New York

Racists Target Latinos

Saturday, December 09, 2006

The Anti-Defamation League carried a three-part series, Extremists Declare 'Open Season' on Immigrants: Hispanics Target of Incitement and Violence., on the rising levels of violence directed by racists against Latinos.

Originally published last spring, the series is even more relevant today as racists find growing support in the anti-Latino and anti-immigrant writings and rhetoric of prominent "journalists" and politicians, such as: CNN's Lou Dobbs, Manhattan Institute's Heather McDonald, Congressman Tom Tancredo and television commentator Patrick Buchanan.

Below is the overview followed by links to the series articles?

Overview

As the public debate over immigration reform has taken center-stage in American politics and public life, white supremacists, neo-Nazis and other racists have declared "open season" on immigrants and attempted to co-opt and exploit the controversy by focusing their efforts -- and their anger -- on the minority group at the center of the controversy: Hispanics.

As a result, to a level unprecedented in recent years, America's Latino immigrant population has become the primary focus of hateful and racist rhetoric and extreme violence -- aided, abetted and encouraged by America's white supremacist and racist haters.

Spurred in recent weeks by the debate on Capitol Hill and the groundswell of grassroots activism in support of America's immigrant community, extremists have become increasingly emboldened by, and fixated on, the controversy over immigration policy, encouraging their supporters to capitalize on the issue by encouraging anti-immigrant activism, and even violence against all Hispanics.

While white supremacists have for many years attempted to exploit rising anti-immigration sentiments in the U.S., the level and intensity of their attacks against Hispanics has reached dangerous new highs, with right-wing extremists joining anti-immigration groups, distributing anti-immigrant propaganda and holding frequent anti-immigration rallies and protests.

As a result, Hispanics, regardless of their citizenship or immigration status, increasingly are becoming the targets of hatred and violence from hardcore white supremacists.

Racists ranging from neo-Nazis to Klansmen to racist skinheads are among the most active anti-immigration activists in the country. Motivating their actions is the core conviction of modern white supremacist ideology: That the white race itself is threatened with extinction by a "rising tide of color" controlled and manipulated by Jews.

This following report examines the recent record of extreme rhetoric and violence from white supremacist groups and their followers that has played out against the backdrop of the immigration debate in America.

White Supremacists Ratchet Up Anti-Hispanic Action As U.S. Immigration Debate Rages

The Rhetoric: Declaring "Open Season" on Immigrants

The Violence: Growing Number of Assaults Anti-Immigration Activists and White Supremacists

Internet Video Games Target Hispanics

Posted by USTaino at 1:39 PM

Banamex & Citibank: Happy Together

Saturday, December 09, 2006

Given the anti-immigration/anti-Latino sentiment of the moment combined with the dire straits of Mexico's vast underclass, it's unsettling to see that for the upper stratas of American and Mexican Capital it's business as usual.

Evidence of it came in the mail today as an invitation for a VISA card.
Mind you, I get a lot of these annoying letters, perhaps a dozen a week. But today's letter caught my attention because it was from a bank with an unusual name: Banamex.

My immediate thought was why is a Mexican Bank soliciting me, a foreigner, as a customer? Shouldn't Mexican Banks instead be working on finding ways to provide access to low cost capital to the Mexican working classes and entrepreneurs?

I googled Banamex and learned that it's Mexico's largest online bank. However, the letter is actually from Banamex U.S.A. and that it's somehow related to Citibank. Citibank's name is in very small print and nowhere in the letter am I told anything about Banamex or its relationship to Citibank.

The letter is bilingual: English on one side, Spanish on the other. And it cheerfully promises that I can access funds 24 hours a day--and do so in my language.

So, U.S. and Mexican capital are literally wedded and producing offspring such as this Banamex, U.S.A.

Perhaps that's a good thing--we'll have to wait and see. But I can't help but be troubled by this invitation.

Here's why:

1) Just because a letter is written in Spanish won't get me to sign-up for high cost credit. I resent usury rates in any language.

2) I also wonder who's serving Mexico's hugely under capitalized workers and small businesses. Isn't part of Mexico's problem that it's nearly impossible for the broad working classes to access low cost capital for starting and growing micro and small businesses?

3) Finally, what do these sorts of transnational financial corporations mean for the working classes in the U.S. and Mexico? That is, will the further consolidation of these entities widen or restrict worker access to capital? Won't funneling high interest rate profits to the Citibank and its millionaire Mexican partners only aid the widening gap between rich and poor in the U.S. and Mexico?

Posted by USTaino at 2:51 PM

The Inauthenticity of Mitt Romney

December 11, 2006

Voters give great weight to a person's authenticity when deciding who to pick for president. Authenticity trumps just about everything else about a candidate, including details of policy positions and proposals.

To voters it's an issue about character.Inauthenticity is a loser in American politics. Consider the recent examples:John Kerry loses to George W. Bush when he appears to be on both sides of the Iraq War issue. Also, "swift-boating" succeeded because he said he was "pro-soldier" but also seemed to be their harshest critic.

Al Gore lost to GWB, in part, because he sought advice from Naomi Wolf on portraying an Alpha male.Voters went with Bill Clinton's genuine eagerness for the presidency over George H.W. Bush's plodding and unconvincing pleas.Earlier, a more focused HW made mincemeat of Michael Dukakis when it became clear that the Massachusetts liberal hoped to win by hiding and then ignoring his liberalism (and some would say his humanity when he went robotic in response to CNN's Bernie Sanders' question on rape).

And the public chose Ronald Reagan's resolute and commanding presence for Commander-in-Chief over the agonizing Jimmy Carter.All of this to say that Mitt Romney is thisclose to joining history's parade of inauthentic presidential wannbe losers.

A strong supporter of gay rights in 1994, Romney is now telling social conservatives in his quest to become their preferred candidate that he opposes the gay rights agenda.

Three thoughts:

1) Even if he somehow manages to win the GOP nomination against a weak or moderate field, general election voters will not embrace a politician with adaptive views on defining issues such as gay rights.

2) Republican governors of super blue states such as Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut, Illinois and others are either liberal or, at best, moderate. They are never true conservatives--even if they're painted as such by in-state opponents. It is plain silly, therefore, for the Romneys and Patakis of the world to pretend that they're otherwise.

3) Massachusetts has been fairly quiet on the immigration front. Boston, Worcester, Springfield, Fall River and other Massachusetts cities and towns have absorbed any number of immigrants over the decades. It's a state in which diversity is applauded.

But Romney last week, in an obvious play to social conservative outside of Massachusetts, decided that the best thing to do in his remaining three weeks as governor was to send troopers to arrest the state's small number of undocumented workers.Romney's ploy strikes me as pathetic, inauthentic and insulting to both liberals and conservatives alike. And it's another reason why Romney should be dumped.

Posted by USTaino at

Katrina Begets a Baby Boom by Immigrants

December 11, 2006

By EDUARDO PORTER

NEW ORLEANS — First came the storm. Then came the workers. Now comes the baby boom.In the latest twist to the demographic transformation of New Orleans since it was swamped by Hurricane Katrina last year, hundreds of babies are being born to Latino immigrant workers, both legal and illegal, who flocked to the city to toil on its reconstruction.

The throng of babies gurgling in the handful of operational maternity wards here has come as a big surprise — and a financial strain — to this historically black and white city, which before the hurricane had only a small Latino community and virtually no experience of illegal immigration.

“Of all the myriad things that have changed after Katrina, this wasn’t high on anybody’s priority list,” said Dr. Mark Peters, chief executive of East Jefferson General Hospital in Metairie.

(Click title for the rest of the story.)

Posted by USTaino at 3:53 PM

The Audacity of Obama

Monday, December 11, 2006

U.S.Senator Barack Obama visited critical primary state New Hampshire over t he weekend and electrified an audience of 2,000.One pundit called him "A rock star".

I called him The Dream.The Audacity of Hope, is upsetting the plans of more than a few presidential wannabes. As another observer noted, "Obama is sucking the air out of the candidacies of other more experienced politicians." (Click here for Barack Obama's fabulous Dreams of My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance on sale for just $8.67).

He may also be better attuned to the times. Consider this audacious message to the good people of the Granite State:"American slaves, immigrants, women and workers have been able to change the country, and the current generation needs to recover that spirit.

"The party of William Jefferson Clinton once fell in love with a man from Hope.

Are they now ready to fall for hope itself?

Are they ready for The Audacity of Barack Obama?

Posted by USTaino at 6:59 PM

Reyes Takes Intel Chair

Sunday, December 10

Silvestre Reyes of EL Paso, Texas is the next Chairman of the powerful House Permanent Committee on Intelligence.

Catapulted past Nancy Harman of California and Alcee Hastings of Florida, Congressman Reyes (aka Silver), becomes the 1st Latino to Chair of Intelligence, and the first to run a permanent or full committee of the House of Representative.

Congratulations, Silver!

Unfortunately, Silver has already stumbled. The Congressional Quarterly's National Security Editor Jeff Stein's quizzed him on Islam's major branches and their sponsored militias and Silver misanswered on some of the questions.Unsolicited advice to Silver: Dust yourself off and get down to business.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the leftwing of the Democratic Party are not trusted by the anti-Islamists and pro-war factions of Washington. As her choice for Intelligence you are now a prime target. Quickly beef up your office's policy and communications capacity, learn the critical distinctions between the Middle East's religious sects and militias. And do not assume that the "national security" and/or "middle east" press are friends.

Silver is a decorated Vietnam veteran and a former U.S. Border sector chief. He is credited with a successful deterrence strategy for preventing border crossings in his sector. Silver won his House seat in 1999 and quickly developed a reputation as the Democrat's border and immigration expert in the House.

Sorry Silver, but Pinto was my horse.

Posted by USTaino at 8:19 AM

La Bloga's Review of Rigoberta Menchú's The Girl from Chimel

Tuesday, December 12, 2006

I found this review of Rigoberta Menchu’s The Girl from Chimel on La Bloga, an award-winning blog by Gina MarySol Ruiz on Latino authors and Chicano literature.

I must confess my special fondness for Guatemala. Here's why:

1) I remember the lovely Guatemalan woman that befriended my mother. Of Mayan lineage, I loved the way she looked and the way she spoke. A superb seamstress, she was gentle, humble, and exceedingly polite and respectful.

2) My wife and I have sponsored a sweet young lady from Guatemala City since she was a toddler.

3) My wife and I once had an amazing African Queen-type experience down the Rio Dulce on an old and listing military boat.

4) I'll always remember Rigoberta's powerful plea in When The Mountains Tremble, a powerful account of the struggle of indigenous Guatemalans.

The Wild Horses of Vieques

Tuesday, December 12, 2006

I've seen plenty of horses in my many visits to Puerto Rico, but never wild ones.

Apparently, Vieques has horses roaming that easternmost isle of the Puerto Rican archipelago.

The horses are descended from those arriving by ships with 16th century conquistadors.

They are also the subject of photographer David Krueger's work.

Pretty cool.

Posted by USTaino at 4:21 PM

Sara Martinez Tucker: Under Secretary of Education

Tuesday, December 12, 2006

Today, U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings announced that the U.S. Senate has confirmed Sara Martinez Tucker as U.S. Under Secretary of Education.

"I am thrilled Sara is joining me to serve as under secretary," said Secretary Spellings. "She has dedicated her life to improving educational opportunities for students in America and her experience and knowledge will make her a terrific asset to the Department."

As under secretary, Tucker will assist the Secretary with her duties and will be responsible for helping to implement the work of Secretary Spellings' Commission on the Future of Higher Education. Tucker will also coordinate polices, programs and activities related to vocational and adult education, post secondary education, college aid and the President's financial reforms for the Pell Grant program.

Previously, Tucker served as President and CEO of the Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF), generating funds for $195 million in scholarships to more than 78,000 students and leading the launch of community outreach programs to raise college expectations in Latino families and communities.In 2005, Time magazine named Tucker one of the 25 most influential Hispanics in America. Prior to joining HSF in 1997, she spent 16 years at AT&T, becoming the first Latina to reach the company's executive level. Among her many assignments at AT&T, Tucker served as vice president for Consumer Operations, overseeing a $370 million operation with 6,500 employees serving AT&T's 80 million consumers.

A native of Laredo, Texas, Tucker received her Bachelor of Journalism and Master of Business Administration degrees from the University of Texas at Austin.

Photo credit: University of Texas at Austin.

Posted by USTaino

Undocumented Migrants are Criminals in Mexico

Tuesday, December 12, 2006

The following are excerpts from Mexican attorney Enrique Andrade González' article in the December 11, 2006 issue of Mexidata.com.

You will agree that it's quite revealing.8 Excerpts from Undocumented Migrants are Criminals in Mexico:

1) Mexico is a nation that generates emigrants, with one out of every seven workers leaving the country. Furthermore, it receives immigrants from abroad, mainly from Central and South America.

2) In Mexico however, according to the General Population Law, a migrant who does not have proper documents legalizing his or her presence in the country is considered a criminal.

3) Mexico’s migration policy responds more to repressive police questions, rather than to an understanding of the phenomenon and respect for the human rights of foreign migrants.

4) Even the United Nations, through its Committee on Migrant Workers that oversees rights of all migrant workers and their families, has stated that there are legal violations in the detentions, holding procedures, detention facility conditions, processing of migrants, and in the expulsion of foreigners.

5) With respect to young foreigners found living in Mexico, both women and men, detentions are lengthy and arduous.

6) According to an August 19, 2003 to March 11, 2004 study by the “Sin Fronteras” organization, out of 44 young detainees interviewed only 14 knew why, and until when, they were being held. The remaining 30, foreign women, had no information. Calling them victims of discrimination without access to proper defense, the organization concluded that migrants in Mexico continue to be the subjected to frequent violations of their human rights.

7) In 2003, a total of 187,537 people were taken into custody for illegally being in Mexico. Most of them were from Brazil, Costa Rica, Ecuador and China, and following arrest they were incarcerated in permanently overcrowded immigrant detention centers.

8) Although President Felipe Calderón said that gaining a migration agreement with the United States is not a priority — in order to distance himself from his predecessor, the setting of a public policy that specifically and integrally addresses all aspects of migration, including respect for the rights of migrant workers and the search for alternatives in understanding, must be a priority.

Posted by USTaino

Survey Paints Vivid Portrait of U.S. Latinos

Tuesday, December 12, 2006

By Jeffrey Thomas US INFO Staff Writer Washington -- American Latinos have a growing sense of pan-ethnic identity in addition to their sense of being Americans, overwhelmingly want to learn English but also want to pass Spanish to the next generation, and tend to assimilate rapidly into American culture. These are among the most significant findings of a new survey of Latino Americans that offers the broadest understanding to date of Latino political and social life in the United States.

Four years in the making, the Latino National Survey was conducted by bilingual interviewers between November 2005 and August 2006 in 15 states and the District of Columbia. The 165-item survey polled more than 8,600 Latinos in the U.S. general population -- not just citizens or voters. Key findings from the survey were presented December 7 at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington.

The Latino population is expected to grow from 13 percent of the U.S. population in 2000 to 23 percent by 2030, according to Michael Jones-Correa, a professor at Cornell University and a principal investigator in the survey. “Latinos,” however, is not the term this group would choose for themselves: When asked, Latinos preferred the term “Hispanic” to “Latino” by 35 percent to 13 percent, with the remaining respondents accepting either term.

The growing sense of pan-ethnic identity among Latinos is particularly pronounced among women, the survey found. Moreover, the sense of pan-ethnicity increases with education. Having a pan-ethnic sense of identity does not mean that today’s Latinos lack identities as Americans or have lost all sense of ties to their countries of origin. Almost two-thirds of Latinos feel strongly American, the survey found.

“Being Latino is an American identity,” explained John Garcia, one of the survey’s principal investigators. People have multiple identities, according to Garcia, a political science professor at University of Arizona. Identity “is not an either-or,” he says. A large majority of Puerto Rican Americans, for example, feel they are Americans, Puerto Ricans and Latinos all at the same time. Most Mexican Americans, the survey found, feel a similar sense of being Americans, Mexicans and Latinos simultaneously, which is remarkable given how many Mexican Americans were born in Mexico, Garcia said.

POLITICAL IMPLICATIONS

Garcia believes the growing pan-ethnic identification of Latinos “creates a significant opportunity for political mobilization.

”At present, Latinos as a whole identify by a 2-to-1 margin with the Democratic Party. But when one looks solely at Latinos who are naturalized citizens able to vote, as many Latinos identify with the Republican Party as with the Democratic Party, while one-quarter call themselves “independents.

”Asked what they consider the most important issue facing the country, Latinos, like other Americans, see Iraq as the Number 1 issue (30 percent). But, when asked what they consider the biggest issue facing Latinos, Iraq recedes as an issue and illegal immigration moves to the fore. Latinos overwhelmingly would like to see immediate legalization of those who are present in the United States illegally, and they overwhelmingly oppose denying illegal immigrants access to education.

This “new body of data can better inform the sometimes vitriolic discourse” that surrounds the subject of immigration, according to Luis Fraga, a Stanford University professor who was one of the principal investigators on the survey.Latinos see their fate as linked somewhat or significantly with that of African Americans, although about one-quarter of Latinos feel themselves strongly in competition with African Americans for jobs.When it comes to race, only a tiny percentage of Latinos regard themselves as black (0.8 percent) and less than one-quarter as white, while more than two-thirds view themselves as belonging to some other race. In fact, 51 percent of Latinos view Latino/Hispanic as a separate race.

Skin tone is somewhat related to racial identity, the survey found. Those who considered themselves lightest-skinned identified most strongly with being American, while those of darker skin tone identified less so.

Most Latinos are following assimilation patterns not much different from those of other earlier immigrant groups, the survey found. The first generation assimilates rapidly, with only 15 percent following politics in their country of origin. Contact with family and remittances to their country of origin decline over time, until, by the fourth generation, only 10 percent still have family ties and send remittances.Almost 92 percent of Latinos say it is very important to learn English, and almost another 7 percent say it is somewhat important.

Posted by USTaino

Immigrant Students Shunned by NY Charter Schools, Too

NYSUT's Broken Promises: How the Charter School Experiment is Falling Short claims that 86.4% of New York's charter schools underperform against district counterparts.

Needless to say, the Albany-based school choice lobby is crying foul. They are incensed at both the timing of the release as well as the methodology used in the union's reports.

The truth is that both school groups have mixed records: A handful of exceptional urban schools and a majority that are average to poor.

Regardless of the current scuffle between the two rivals, what is not in dispute is the huge under-representation of English Language Learners/immigrant students in charter schools. It's also documented that special education students are also under-enrolled. And Broken Promises alleges that charters even under enroll the very poor.

But the ELL situation in charters is the most alarming. Only 2% of charter students are ELLs, while the district ELL enrollment is 12% and growing. The data is from New York State Education Department's recent Annual Report on the Status of Charter Schools.

In a review of the statewide New York Charter School Association website, it appears that none of their many documents even acknowledges the problem. However, New York City's Center for Charter School Excellence not only acknowledges that there's a problem, but has vowed to help its schools make the necessary corrections. (See page 10 of the Center's 2005 Annual Report.)

So New York, Mecca for immigrants allows new themed high schools and charter schools across the state to shun ELL immigrants. And charters under-enroll the very poor and those with special needs.

Wasn't the reason for these schools to ensure that ALL students had access to quality schools?Also, could it be that the way New York implements these "promising" educational reforms are actually contributing to widening the gap between the 'haves' and the 'have-nots'?

Posted by USTaino at 12:46 AM

Immigrant Welcoming Centers in Illinois?

Wednesday, December 13, 2006

Here's a novel idea: Treat immigrants like welcomed guests. Believe it or not, it's what leaders in Illinois are proposing to do. I say, Bravo!

According to the story in today's Chicago Tribune, the proposed state-funded centers would be located in suburbs and Downstate towns with recent spikes in immigrants. The "welcoming centers" provide one-stop assistance for job training, health care and other services. There are also plans to provide funding for English classes for adults and dual-language programs that teach elementary school pupils, both immigrants and U.S.-born.

Additionally, a state panel wants to streamline the process through which foreign-born professionals can transfer degrees and other certification to the U.S., to help them land jobs that match their skill levels.

This is refreshing and forward-thinking on the part of Illinois. Cities like New York, Miami, Washington, DC and Chicago are so much richer because of the talents and hard work of immigrants. Why not extend that benefit to the whole state of Illinois?

I say it's a shrewd move.

Posted by USTaino at 9:00 PM

Taino Princess '06

Thursday, December 14, 2006

The 37th Annual Jayuya Indigenous Festival was held last month in the mountain town of Jayuya, an active center of Taino culture in Puerto Rico. The young Taina in the picture was crowned this year's Festival Queen.

By the way, it was in Jayuya in 1950 that Puerto Rican nationalists staged a revolt which has come to be known as EL Grito de Jayuya.

The Town of Jayuya is just a short distance from Utuado, another center of Taino culture and history. It is there where you'll find the fabulous Centro Ceremonial Indígena de Caguana.

To walk the grounds of this Taino spiritual center is to be transported to the world of our not too distant ancestors.
Sitting in the circle, I felt a reassurance that I was among my people.

Another superb Taino cultural and ceremonial center is the The Tibes Indigenous Ceremonial Center near Ponce. The grounds there also gave me a powerful sense of being home.

Posted by USTaino at 10:59 AM

Democrats May Yet Lose U.S. Senate

Thursday, December 14, 2006

Riding a tsunami of Iraq War fatigue and immigration anxiety, Democrats won control of both chambers of the U.S. Congress for the first time since the early 1990's. But now they're faced with the real prospect of losing control of the Senate even before the start of the session.

With a razor thin 51 to 49 majority they can not afford to lose any member, and they may have just lost South Dakota's Tim Johnson, who was felled by a stroke-like attack including bleeding of the brain. Rushed into emergency surgery, it is too early to tell the senator's prognosis.

If the senator does not recover, Mike Rounds, South Dakota's Republican governor, is authorized to select a replacement. It's expected that he would pick a Republican, resulting in a 50-50 tie. Ties in the U.S. Senate are broken by the President of the Senate, which is a role performed by the U.S. Vice President. So Dick Cheney and the Republicans would continue to control the U.S. Senate--at least until the end of George Bush's term at the end of 2007--even though voters preferred the Democrats.

If it happens, and it's starting to look like it might, it will be the 2nd time involving the administration that Democrats won the majority, but the GOP gets to rule.

Senator Chuck Schumer must be somewhere on his knees praying.

Posted by USTaino at 1:07 PM

Greed is Good! Again

Thursday, December 14, 2006

While most Americans face yet another holiday season with a certain amount of economic anxiety, champagne and caviar are flowing freely in the executive chambers of Wall Street.

It's boom times on the strip and people are partying like it's, well, 1929. Oh, oh!

Wall Street bankers are cashing in like never before as they find yet more ways to skim profits off of stock and other financial transactions.

It's truly been a banner year for The Street and its players. Consider just today's proclamation from the honchos at Goldman Sachs: They will award $16,000,000,000 in bonuses. That's enough 'mullah' to give every single resident of NYC a $2,000 check. It's expected that top executives could pocket upwards of $100,000,000 each.

Don't expect Juan, Maria or Jose to see any of that loot.

Question: I'm for honest capitalism, but aren't these people gouging the American investor, pension funds and ultimately the consumer? I mean, they're essentially middlemen taking increasingly hefty slices out of other people's assets. And they're allowed to do so because they give big money to politicians.

At a time of a growing gap between rich and poor, it is unseemly and bad public policy to allow a minute number of people to gorge off of fatter and fatter fees stripped largely from people's pension funds.

Posted by USTaino at 1:58 PM

Breaking Borders/Amerindians' Reclamation

Tuesday, December 19, 2006

By Jennifer

Before the US and Mexico created the borders between the two countries, Amerindians (North and South of the border) traveled back and forth whenever they wanted. Although the U.S. Native American population has gone almost extinct, the Indians South of the border meshed into what we now know as the Mexican people.

The U.S. thought it could put what was left of it's native population on reservations in areas that nobody wanted to live in (i.e. Wisconsin, etc.). Little did they know that God has a sense of humor, or that Karma bites, or that the laws of physics would prevail or whatever your spiritual belief; I believe that the original inhabitants of the Americas will make their presence known again.

Here's the fact; or at least the theory of the Amerindians in the Americas. Tainos, Caribes, North American, Mayan and Incas: they all have similar physical characteristics. It's said that at one time all the countries fit together like a puzzle and formed a single continent - that the reason Asian people have similar features with Native American Indians groups is that when the countries were all one - that the Asians just walked over.

Whether the Tainos themselves actually stepped foot on North America before Columbus, I don't know - but I do know that when the Europeans originally came to the new world, they were treated like gods by the Tainos, and history says the North American Indians treated them with respect as well (the 1st Thanksgiving; etc, etc), until the trust between the groups was threatened.

If the Tainos themselves were not specifically in North America before the Europeans, there were at least groups of indigeneous peoples that traveled freely between the islands and what is now North and South America.

The U.S. was formed and put up its borders, and said "we are now our own nation" but I believe that things will level off, and borders; just like rules, are sometimes made to be broken.
Posted by USTaino at 2:42 AM

Emiliano Mercado del Toro: Now Oldest Person

Tuesday, December 19, 2006

Emiliano Mercado del Toro, 115, is now the undisputed longest living elder in the world. And he's Taino!The previous record-holder, Elizabeth "Lizzie" Bolden, age 116, passed away last Wednesday in Memphis, Tennessee. Lizzie held the record for just 3 months after inheriting it from Maria Esther de Capoville of Ecuador, who died August 28, 2006, also at the age of 116.

Thank you, Lizzie and Esther for the lives long-lived and shared.

And Congratulations, Viejo! Dios te Bendiga!

Posted by USTaino

1.2MM Flee New York; Good News for America's Latino Half

Saturday, December 23, 2006

1,200,000 people moved out of New York, and an equal number of people moved into Florida, since 2000. So says the federal government's latest census estimates released this week.America's massive movement from the contracting Northeast and Midwest to the booming south and the Southwest continues unabated.

Emblematic of this historic shift is that New Jersey, a state that's been in the top 10 in terms of population since the 1920, has been bumped by North Carolina. And New York was saved from losing its 3rd place ranking to Florida due only to an influx of 820,000 foreign immigrants.

The states growing the fastest are the very states with large and growing Latino populations, such as Arizona, Florida, Nevada and Texas, or states with smaller but rapidly growing Latino populations, such as North Carolina, Georgia and Idaho.

The old America, dominated by the Northeast and Midwest and by the Industrial era values of standardization and forced assimilation, is fading.It's being replaced by a sunnier America; one that values innovation, choice and diversity.

These are very positive trends for the Latino communities in growth states as well as for the country as a whole.

The irony is that the silliness of Mitt Romney with his state troopers and the statist policies and New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Illinois and others are only adding to the demise of the region.

America’s future is being shaped by its Latino half.

Posted by USTaino at 9:30 PM

Go, Bobby, Go!

Sunday, December 24, 2006

Last time around, Kathleen Babineaux Blanco edged out Bobby Jindal for governor with a last minute race-tinged appeal to Louisiana's conservative white working class.

Having proven to be supremely incompetent, Blanco is considering foregoing a fruitless 2nd bid in next year's contest.Rhodes Scholar and Congressman, Bobby Jindal, 35, is the odds on favorite to become Louisiana's next governor. If victorious he would become America's first governor of Indian heritage.Needless to say, Blanco and the Democrat party bigwigs are trying yet again to block progressive change from occurring. They've latched onto Congressman Charlie Melancon of Baton Rouge as their best bet. A battle between Louisiana's past and its future will be played out over the course of next year's campaign between Jindal and Melancon.

It's no secret that Louisiana has suffered from a long history of corrupt and incompetent Democratic rule. From the colorful and corrupt Huey Long, to the corrupt Moon Landrieu, former mayor of New Orleans, and father of current U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu and Lt. Governor Mitch Landrieu, to Kathleen Blanco.A Jindal victory not only changes the ruling party in Baton Rouge for the first time ever, but more importantly, it will finally remove the Louisiana’s ethically challenged ruling families from power.

But most importantly, it signals the rise of Jindal and a new Louisiana as serious players in the new, sunnier, more diverse and smarter America.

Go, Bobby, Go!

Posted by USTaino at 9:38 AM

Obama Rises: Is A New America Close Behind?

Sunday, December 24, 2006

Today's Concord Monitor unveiled a poll showing that Senator Obama has leaped into a tie with Senator Clinton. He was 23 point behind just prior to his brief but rousing visit to New Hampshire 2 weeks ago. The poll also shows Obama besting John McCain and Rudy Giuliani in head-to-head match-ups.

This development has to be shocking news to the Clinton camp. Her camp has delayed announcing what most believe is her inevitable run for the presidency.

Senator Clinton's success is premised on the idea that she's invincible and the inevitable heir apparent. This strategy requires that she blow-away her competition--especially in the early and critical primaries. Most critical for Hillary is New Hampshire because it’s early and it's in her backyard. However, a victory or a close 2nd by a "novice" from the Midwest will send Hillary's candidacy into a tailspin and propel Senator Obama to the nomination.

Sage Chicago Sun-Times columnist Robert Novak yesterday wrote that indeed Senator Obama is set to run. Wife Michelle Obama's concerns for her husband's safety will not deter The Dream's presidential bid.Earlier, Novak reported that a John McLaughin poll showed slacking support for Senator Clinton and skyrocketing support for Senator Obama. Novak also wrote:

Obama advisers were surprised how much the prospect of his campaign has shaken front-running Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. For the first time, she has asserted that she would have voted against going to war in Iraq if she knew then what she knows now.

A brilliant symbol of the New America yet to come, Senator Obama's candidacy is rising on the hopes of decent Americans everywhere for a smarter, diverse, compassionate and prosperous America.

Go, Obama, Go!

Posted by USTaino at 11:22 AM

A Clash between the Old and New America

Monday, December 25, 2006

A clash between the old America and the new occurred this week when Congressman Virgil Goode, an undistinguished back-bencher from Virginia, made it clear that he doesn't much like Minneapolis, Minnesota's newly elected Congressman, Keith Ellison. Why? Because Congressman Ellison, a Minneapolis defense attorney, is a convert to Islam. Last month, Mr. Ellison became America's first Congressman of Islamic faith.

In a letter to a Virginian, Virgil of Virginia mentions the new congressman and warns that current immigration policy will lead to an outbreak of more elected Muslims in this country and unfettered use of the Koran.Virginia blogger Stephen Retherford describes Virgil in his post, Congressman Goode's "macaca moment" (Sisyphus, Dec. 19, 2006) as follows:

"Virgil Goode served almost a quarter of a century in the Virginia Senate and asa member of the majority party was considered one of the least effective Senators of either party. Goode was then elected to the United States Congressin 1996 as a Democrat and switched to the Republican Party in 2002. His decadelong career in the U.S. House of Representatives was notable only when in 2005 with his association with the defense contractor MZM that was linked to the bribery scandal of Congressman Randy “Duke” Cunningham. Congressman Goode’s otherwise unremarkable career has now reached a new low. His office mistakenly sent a letter to the wrong constituent who promptly turned it over to a Charlottesville newspaper."

Congressman Ellison represents Minnesota's Fifth Congressional District in eastern Minnesota. It covers eastern Hennepin County, including the entire city of Minneapolis, along with parts of Anoka and Ramsey counties. A diverse district by Minnesota standards, it's overwhelmingly white and nonMuslim. Hennepin County, home to Minneapolis, is 80% white. Needless to say, Ellison performed well with all demographic groups, including Jewish voters.

First George Allen and now Virgil Goode: Two Republican politicians defining themselves as bigots.

No wonder Virginia's Republican Party is in trouble.

Posted by USTaino at 11:27 PM

WSJ on Immigration Follies I

The Wall Street Journal in Not Very Swift (12.21.06), an editorial made these important observations regarding the folly of the current anti-Latino immigrant crusades:

1) Immigration restrictionists would have us believe that harassing businesses like Swift...helps make America safer. But the Swift raids haven't uncovered any al Qaeda cells, merely a bunch of hard-working people trying to feed their families.

2) The operation involved more than 1,000 federal agents in six states. And of Swift's 15,000 or so employees, a grand total of 144 have been charged to date with misidentifying themselves to get hired.

3) Put another way, 1,000 federal agents that could have been focused on potential terrorists or other dangerous threats were instead focused on a meatpacking company that hires thousands of willing unskilled workers and pays them more than twice the minimum wage with full health benefits after six months.

4) How's that for government efficiency?

Posted by USTaino at 7:13 PM

WSJ Immigration Follies II

Saturday, December 23, 2006

While part of the WSJ's Not Very Swift editorial, I think it deserves its own special space because of the sheer size of the hypocrisy involved.

1) Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney seeks and is granted permission to have 30 state police officers serve as enforcers of federal immigration laws. He does so because he's eyeing a possible Presidential run and wants to ingratiate him with social conservative voters by siccing troopers on indocumentados.

2) WSJ claims that this Romney is "smart" but that "his political opportunism is leading him in foolish directions."

3) The Boston Globe reports that the governor's own lawn service was being maintained by illegal immigrants.

4) The WSJ offer the governor this bit of advice: "Perhaps a newly empowered state trooper parked outside the governor's front gate could prevent this unspeakable travesty from ever happening again."

Posted by USTaino at 8:00 PM

Jersey Claims Success with Bilingual Program

Bilingual education has been controversial within the general population as well as the Latino community. After a couple of decades of less than stellar results, opponents have succeeded in limiting the use the program in a number of states, including California and Arizona. While others continued to offer bilingual education programs while evolving newer models for transitioning students from their native languages to English proficiency, including two-way or dual immersion models. New Jersey and New York are in that category.

The controversy surrounding bilingual education continues unabated, and its emerged as one of the favored targets for nativists and anti-Latino activists.

So it's a bit of a surpise to see that today's EdWeek includes N.J. Bucks Tide on Reading for English-Learners: State cites studies finding advantage for bilingual approach by Mary Ann Zehr, a story citing the "success" of bilingual education in New Jersey public schools.

While I find this article interesting and I'm eager to learn more, I'm still troubled by the state of the evidence even as presented in the article. The state of the evidence for or against has always been the issue because of the quality of the research itself. For example, the study cited by the State of New Jersey in the article as evidence of the program's efficacy is itself a problem because it did not pass a peer-review. Additionally, the claim by the state that the program is succeeding because 50% of 3rd graders tested proficient in English is not that impressive.

Perhaps there really is something to the program in New Jersey. If there is, I and others concerned about the state of Latino education want to know about it. My recommendation is to have the country's pre-emminant researchers conduct a definitive comparison study of the competing approaches: bilingual, ESL and English immersion. And then let's see the results.

One final point: While controversial in the U.S. bilingual education is actually the preferred approach in other countries. It is also common in the elite international schools in the World's leading cities and are favored by elite nationals and foreign dignitaries. These fairly bright parents see tremendous value in equipping their privileged offspring to be bilingual.

Is Your Hometown Listed?

Dear American Taíno reader:

Readers of this weblog live in hometowns across the U.S. and the world. Is your hometown on the list? Please add your hometown by visiting either American Taíno or U.S. Taíno. And remember to invite your friends from other towns as well. As soon as this list reaches 1,000 hometowns from across all of the continents, I'll then create Global Taíno.

Why? Mostly because it's a fun thing to do, and I want more people to read what I write. But it's also an experiment in the capacity of the net to connect people far and wide. How many connections can be made simply by asking people to list their hometowns? I'd like to know.

BTW: The goal for Global Taíno will be 5,000 hometowns. And for Universal Taíno? We'll have to wait.

I can't wait!

Thank you,

American Taíno

List as of January 9, 2007

Adelaide, Austrailia
Albany, New York
Alexandria, Virginia
Amityville, New York
Amstelveen, Netherlands
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Anchorage, Alaska
Andover, Massachusetts
Ankara, Turkey
Annapolis, Maryland
Appleton, Wisconsin
Araquari, Brazil
Arlington, Texas
Arlington, Virginia
Ashburn, Virginia
Asheville, North Carolina
Astoria, New York
Atlanta, Georgia
Audobon, New Jersey
Austin, Texas
Azusa, California
Baltimore, Maryland
Barrington, Vermont
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Beijing, China
Bethesda, Maryland
Birmingham, Alabama
Blacksburg, Virginia
Bloomingdale, Illinois
Bloomington, Indiana
Boca Raton, Florida
Bogotá, Colombia
Boise, Idaho
Boston, Massachusetts
Bothell, Washington
Bronx, New York
Brooklyn, New York
Brunswick, Maine
Brussels, Belgium
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Buffalo, New York
Burlington, North Carolina
Cambridge, England
Canton, New York
Casas De La Prosperidad, Spain
Casey, California
Chaguanas, Trinidad
Champaign, Illinois
Chatsworth, California
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Cherry Hill, New Jersey
Chicago, Illinois
Chihuahua, Mexico
Clichy, France
Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Collingbourne Ducis, England
Columbia, Missouri
Columbus, Ohio
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72% of NY Charter Schools Exclude ELL Students; 15% Show Minimal Commitment

December 18, 2006

When done the right way, charter schools help communities deliver improved academic results while expanding access to quality educational options for all students.

But what happens when exclusionary practices seep into the picture and authorizers look the other way?

In an unprecedented departure from a key public education principle (as well as federal law), many of New York's charter schools are failing to enroll ELL/immigrant children. Of the 61 charter schools with 2004/05 school report cards, 44, or 72% enrolled ZERO ELL students.

New York has 200,000 ELL students--70% of which are Latino.

ELL (English Language Learners) is a designation for public school students evaluated as needing of intensive English language instruction by virtual of their immigrant/migrant status and lack of basic English skills.
I've graded the schools on their demonstrated commitment to equal opportunity for ELL students. Schools with high rates of ELL student participation received As and Bs, while those with little to no ELL participation received Ds and Fs.
A (Schools open to ELLs and enrolling a larger share than the district.)
• Global Concepts 12.2% (Lackawanna 4.3%)
• Ark 12.7% (Troy 1.7%)
• Eugenio Maria de Hostos 11.4% (Rochester 7.5%)
B (Schools open to ELLs and enrolling students on par with the district.)
• Family Life 21% (Bronx 22%)
C (Schools demonstrating a commitment to ELLs but falling short on enrollment.)
• KIPP Academy 6.8% (Bronx 12.5%)
• Beginning With Children 6.5% (Brooklyn 9%)
• Bronx CS for the Arts 5.4% (Bronx 12%)
• Our World 5.0% (Queens 22%)
• Science & Tech 4.4% (Rochester 7.5%)
• Riverhead 3.3% (Riverhead 6.3%)
• New Covenant 1.4% (Albany 2.7%)
D (Schools demonstrating minimal commitment to ELLs.)
• Renaissance 3.2% (Queens 22%)
• Readnet 2.7% (Bronx 22%)
• Harriet Tubman 0.9% (Bronx 22%)
• Grand Concourse 0.6% (Bronx 22%)
• Pinnacle 0.4% (Buffalo 6.8%)
• Applied Tech 0.3% (Buffalo 6.8%)
F (Schools that exclude ELLs.)
• Brighter Choice/Boys 0% (Albany 2.7%)
• Brighter Choice/Girls 0% (Albany 2.7%)
• Bronx CS Better Learning 0% (Bronx 22%)
• Bronx CS For Children 0% (Bronx 12.5%)
• Bronx CS For Excellence 0% (Bronx 22%)
• Bronx Lighthouse 0% (Bronx 22%)
• Bronx Preparatory 0% (Bronx 22%)
• Brooklyn 0% (Brooklyn 9%)
• Brooklyn Excelsior 0% (Brooklyn 9%)
• Academy Of Science 0% (Buffalo 6.8%)
• Buffalo United 0% (Buffalo 6.8%)
• Carl C. Icahn 0% (Bronx 22%)
• CS Math & Science 0% (Syracuse 3.7%)
• Child Development Center 0% (East Hampton 11.9%)
• Community 0% (Buffalo 6.8%)
• Community Partnership 0% (Brooklyn 9%)
• Enterprise 0% (Buffalo 6.8%)
• Excellence CS Of Bedford Stuyvesant 0% (Brooklyn 9%)
• Explore 0% (Brooklyn 7%)
• Genesee 0% (Rochester 7.5%)
• Harbor 0% (Manhattan 12.5%)
• Harlem Children's Zone 0% (Manhattan 22%)
• Harlem Day 0% (Manhattan 12.5%)
• Harlem Village 0% (Manhattan 12.5%)
• International 0% (Schenectady 3.7%)
• John A. Reisenbach 0% (Manhattan 22%)
• Wildcat 0% (Manhattan 12.5%)
• King 0% (Buffalo 6.8%)
• KIPP Sankofa 0% (Buffalo 6.8%)
• KIPP STAR 0% (Manhattan 22%)
• Merrick 0% (Queens 11%)
• Opportunity 0% (Manhattan 22%)
• Peninsula 0% (Queens 11%)
• Rochester Leadership 0% (Rochester 7.5%)
• Roosevelt 0% (Roosevelt 11.7%)
• Sisulu-Walker 0% (Manhattan 22%)
• South Buffalo 0% (Buffalo 6.8%)
• Southside 0% (Syracuse 7.0%)
• Stepping Stone 0% (Buffalo 6.8%)
• Academy Of Science 0% (Syracuse 7.0%)
• Tapestry 0% (Buffalo 6.8%)
• New York Maritime 0% (Buffalo 6.8%)
• Westminster 0% (Buffalo 6.8%)
• Williamsburg 0% (Brooklyn 9%)

(Note: NYC charter schools compared to host Region.)

Posted by USTaino at 4:38 PM

Breaking Borders/Amerindians' Reclamation

Tuesday, December 19, 2006

By Jennifer

Before the US and Mexico created the borders between the two countries, Amerindians (North and South of the border) traveled back and forth whenever they wanted. Although the U.S. Native American population has gone almost extinct, the Indians South of the border meshed into what we now know as the Mexican people.

The U.S. thought it could put what was left of its native population on reservations in areas that nobody wanted to live in (i.e. Wisconsin, etc.). Little did they know that God has a sense of humor, or that Karma bites, or that the laws of physics would prevail or whatever your spiritual belief; I believe that the original inhabitants of the Americas will make their presence known again.

Here's the fact; or at least the theory of the Amerindians in the Americas. Tainos, Caribes, North American, Mayan and Incas: they all have similar physical characteristics. It's said that at one time all the countries fit together like a puzzle and formed a single continent - that the reason Asian people have similar features with Native American Indians groups is that when the countries were all one - which the Asians just walked over.

Whether the Tainos themselves actually stepped foot on North America before Columbus, I don't know - but I do know that when the Europeans originally came to the new world, they were treated like gods by the Tainos, and history says the North American Indians treated them with respect as well (the 1st Thanksgiving; etc, etc), until the trust between the groups was threatened.

If the Tainos themselves were not specifically in North America before the Europeans, there were at least groups of indigenous peoples that traveled freely between the islands and what is now North and South America.

The U.S. was formed and put up its borders, and said "we are now our own nation" but I believe that things will level off, and borders; just like rules, are sometimes made to be broken.

Posted by USTaino at 2:42 AM

Indocumentado: U.S. Medal of Honor Recipient

December 19, 2006

"Alfred was once asked why he volunteered to join and to go to Vietnam when he was not even a citizen. And he said, 'I was always an American in my heart.' Alfred Rascon, today we honor you as you have honored us by your choice to become an American and your courage in reflecting the best of America."

President Bill Clinton
Medal of Honor Ceremony
February 2000

From the Revolutionary War to the current conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, immigrants--documented as well as undocumented--have served valiantly as members of United States military forces.

Today, immigrants serve in all branches of the U.S. military and are a vital resource in the Global War on Terrorism. In recognition of their contribution, undocumented soldiers serving honorably in the military are granted significant advantages in the naturalization process. Undocumented soldiers killed in the line-of-duty have been given their citizenship posthumously.

Undocumented immigrants who have served in the U.S. military and by doing so earned their citizenship include Alfred Rascon, an indocumentado from Mexico who won the Medal of Honor during the Vietnam War and later became a U.S. citizen and eventually the Director of the Selective Service System.

Rascon was born in Chihuahua, Mexico, he immigrated with his family to Oxnard, California, where he attended school and grew up thinking he was an American. After graduating from high school in 1963, Rascon joined the Army.

For more on immigrants in the U.S. Military read:
Essential to the Fight: Immigrants in the Military, Five Years After 9/11 by Margaret D. Stock The American Immigration Law Foundation

Posted by USTaino at 11:27 AM

Emiliano Mercado del Toro: Now Oldest Person

Tuesday, December 19, 2006

Emiliano Mercado del Toro, 115, is now the undisputed longest living elder in the world. And he's Taino!

The previous record-holder, Elizabeth "Lizzie" Bolden, age 116, passed away last Wednesday in Memphis, Tennessee. Lizzie held the record for just 3 months after inheriting it from Maria Esther de Capoville of Ecuador, who died August 28, 2006, also at the age of 116.

Thank you Lizzie and Esther for lives long-lived.

And Congratulations, Viejo! Dios te Bendiga!

Posted by USTaino at 12:44 PM

Badillo Goes Cosby on Latinos

Tuesday, December 19, 2006

U.S. Taino Elder Herman Badillo has unleashed a scathing rebuke of the parenting practices of Latinos in his new book One Nation, One Standard.

The book will generate a great deal of discussion (and heated rhetoric) on both the left and the right. I suspect that that's just what Badillo intended.

I am for setting an enforceable standards in certain areas of American life, such as in criminal justice arena, voting, mortgage lending, auto licensing, etc. --which, by the way, we don't seem to have in practice. I'm also for high performance standards for public school principals, superintendents, teachers and board members--again, which we don't have. But I'm vehemently opposed to standardization. An industrial age relic, standardization is antithetical to the human spirit and progress. And it's an especially poor fit for a just, diverse and prosperous 21st Century America.

As Bill Cosby did 2 years ago when he scolded African-American parents for their perceived failings, Badillo does the same to Latinos. In both instances, these elders have taken the platforms provided by their career successes, Badillo as a politician and Cosby as an entertainer, to do the previously unthinkable: publicly criticize the counter-productive behaviors of their own people.

Unfortunately, the essence of his message, as happened with Cosby, may be lost as politicians rush to defense of the "victims".

As if on cue, Bronx Democratic Party boss José Rivera blasted Badillo's comments as a "total insult" to Latino parent-advocates who fought for decades to get the city to better educate their kids. "This is unfair. You cannot write a book blaming the victim," said Rivera.

Of particular concern to both Badillo and Cosby is what they view as a lack of commitment of Latinos and African Americans, respectively, to education. Both argue for a return to personal responsibility, education and self-help as the way to prosper in America. And they both are stern critics of the tendency by many to blame racism and others for their personal failures.

Whether one agrees with them or not, these concerned elders deserve respect.

Nevertheless, I believe there's a truth in what these two men are saying. Some folks may resent the messengers for their public outspokenness or because they're both successful, and in the minds of many, privileged, unlike those they criticize. And their criticism may feel especially harsh to the many disarmed by the daily brutality commercial culture trash, rotten schools and government policies that undermine families and parents.

But there is still an essential truth in what these elders say which must be heard and heeded. We parents, rich/poor, educated/uneducated, black/white/brown, baby-boomers/generation Xers etc., are not doing the job of parenting that our children, our communities, our nation and our god requires. Period!

However flawed the messengers, listen for the truth, and let's stop blaming and excuse-finding, and let's get on with the critical duty of responsible parenting.

And yes, we do need to do a much better job of valuing education. Our children deserve no less.

Posted by USTaino at 2:30 PM