FrontPage Stories

In Immigration Fight, Catholic Church Finds Its Moral Voice — An Interview With Richard Rodriguez

By Sandip Roy
New America Media

Editor’s Note: As protests against an iron-fisted immigration law spread across the country — Los Angeles, Milwaukee, Phoenix, Tucson, Atlanta — it seemed like America was waking up to the profound truth that the census had already noted: the new America was already here. Sandip Roy asks essayist and commentator Richard Rodriguez to step back from the number-crunching of polls and rhetorical jabs of politics to examine the larger philosophical questions behind the immigration debate. Roy is host of “UpFront,” New America Media’s radio program on KALW-91.7 in San Francisco. Rodriguez is author of, most recently, “Brown: The Last Discover of America” (Viking, 2002).

Q: There were 500,000 people in Los Angeles, 30,000 in Phoenix. What did you make of it?

A: It seemed as if the Trojan horse had already entered the city and the gates are closed behind it. This argument about illegal immigration seems to be 20 to 30 years too late. Clearly what we were seeing in these great demonstrations was a number of people who are illegally here. But I would guess we were seeing larger numbers of people who are the children or relatives of people who are illegally here.

The illegal is no longer in this tentative position of merely being sent back home. In many ways, the illegal now has a home here in the United States and is connected to a network of family lives. I think it was to honor their parents that many of those young people left school early in Dallas and Los Angeles and elsewhere. It was to say to the United States that their parents have a value, at a time when the United States is saying most loudly that the illegal immigrant is only taking, only using America and giving nothing back.

Q: But many of them marched with the Mexican flag — did that reinforce the fear that they are really inside Troy now, not just at the gates?

A: The interesting thing about Mexicans and Americans is that they are exactly alike in their difference. Americans are Protestant people. We are very literal. We see people carrying a foreign flag and are upset at what looks to us like an unpatriotic gesture. Mexicans are people of metaphor and symbols. When they carry a Mexican flag, it’s a testimony to memory that they are carrying.

But notice what they were doing. They were carrying a Mexican flag in a protest about their insistence on belonging to America. They are, many of them, people who have come under great risk, some risking death to come to the United States. They are not people who want to go back to Mexico. They are not people who are even saying Mexico is the greatest country. But they have in some sense brought Mexico with them.

The irony in this debate is, because Americans are so provincial, we don’t even notice what illegal immigration has done to Mexico. Illegal immigration is really evidence of the death of Mexico. I saw a Pew poll recently that said some 46-47 percent of Mexicans would prefer to live in the United States. When you see a number like that, that half the country would like to live somewhere else, you begin to realize what the dream of a job in El Norte has done is essentially exhaust Mexico of its energy to entertain and to enliven its own children.

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March for Dignity!
By Pablo Jaime Sainz
Immigrants across the nation want justice.

¡Marcha por la dignidad!
Por Pablo Jaime Sainz
Los inmigrantes por todo el país quieren justicia.

Owning a Piece of the Block
By Katia Lopez-Hodoyan
In plane view, Bevelynn Bravo doesn’t seem like a typical stock investor. She is a 32 -year old Hispanic woman, widower and mother of four. She pays monthly rent and admits that money is tight around the house. She lives in a modest neighborhood and she never went to college. Nonetheless, she along with hundreds of District 4 residents is taking a plunge into the local stock market. Their goal is to own a piece of the block from their neighborhood and after much planning, the proposal is coming to life.

Stories

New York marches for immigrant’s rights
Photos and text by Luis Alonso Pérez
On a hazy Saturday morning thousands of bright colored flags from all over the world waved along American flags held proudly by New York immigrants crossing the Brooklyn Bridge protesting the Sesenbrenner-King bill currently under debate in congress.

México del Norte
Por Jorge Mújica Murias
La letra Chiquita
Como en los buenos contratos comerciales, siempre hay que leer la letra chiquita de las leyes. En este caso que nos interesa de sobremanera a los migrantes mexicanos y de otros países en Estados Unidos, hay que ver por dónde va la discusión de la famosa reforma migratoria. Y como en los buenos análisis, hay que ver lo bueno y lo malo de lo que hasta la fecha existe.

Few Latino Males Pursue a College Education
By José A. Álvarez
Since he was a child, Andres Malfavon knew he was going to go to college. His parents had instilled in him and his older brother the importance of getting a college education. He could not let them down.

LA COLUMNA VERTEBRAL
Por Ricardo J. Galarza
Entender a los peruanos
Mario Vargas Llosa sigue sin entender a los peruanos. Ahora los acusa de “ceguera política”, porque el candidato nacionalista Ollanta Humala, un teniente coronel retirado afín a las ideas de Hugo Chávez, ha pasado a encabezar las encuestas de cara a las elecciones presidenciales del 9 de abril en Perú.

¿Fue psicológicamente sano o peligroso que nuestros hijos hayan marchado en protesta de la Ley 4437?
Por: Doctora Luz
Qué difícil es cuando estamos divididos entre la seguridad y el miedo por la injusticia. Cuando crecen en el individuo estas sensaciones que atemorizan —no sólo a él, sino a la sociedad— surgen diversas maneras de protesta para expresar el desacuerdo o desaprobación hacia algún asunto en particular. Una de éstas puede ser mediante la manifestación masiva que se lleva a cabo en las calles —generalmente—. Pero lo que sucede cuando surgen estas declaraciones de inconformidad o de reprobación se origina algo inquietante: el hecho de que nuestros hijos –motivados en algunas ocasiones por nosotros mismos o por el contexto en el que se encuentren—, se hallan en medio del tumulto, participando activamente en las revueltas colectivas. Nos dejan con la boca abierta que ellos solos se organizaron por medio del internet!

Perspective
Sun Rise Power – Link?
By Jim Bell
Anyone paying attention to SDG&E’s proposal to build a 120-mile electricity transmission line through San Diego County to Arizona has already heard most of arguments against it. It’s an eyesore, a fire danger, an impediment to fire fighting, dangerous to low flying military aircraft on established training flight paths. It will lower the value of people’s property anywhere this “transmission super highway” runs. It will also traumatize a strip of natural habitat at least a half-mile wide and 120 miles long with out regard to topography, wildlife impacts, damage to unique habitats, erosion and water shed health in general.

Being prepared means being safe
San Ysidro task force will prepare residents in case of a disaster
By Pablo Jaime Sainz
When Sean Duggan completed his Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training at the San Diego Fire Department he was shown a map of San Diego County. He had to pick an area where he would like to volunteer and train others in disaster preparedness. The map was full of pins, each pin representing a CERT-trained volunteer in the communities.

Estar preparado es estar a salvo
Un grupo de San Ysidro preparará a los residentes en caso de un desastre
Por Pablo Jaime Sainz
Cuando Sean Duggan completó su entrenamiento de Equipo Comunitario de Respuesta a Emergencias (CERT) en el Departamento de Bomberos de San Diego le mostraron un mapa del condado de San Diego. Tenía que escoger un área donde le gustaría ser voluntario y entrenar a otros en preparación en caso de desastre. El mapa estaba lleno de alfileres, cada alfiler representando a un voluntario entrenado en técnicas CERT en las comunidades.

Editorials

Editorial:
Iraq Media Pays a Visit to La Prensa San Diego
By Daniel L. Muñoz, Publisher
The call came unexpectedly to the offices of La Prensa San Diego from the International Visitor Leadership Program “Would we meet with Media representatives from Iraq ,” asked a Representative the Department of State? Five visitors would be arriving in Washington D.C where they would be met by personnel from the Department of State. Their next stop would be in the offices of La Prensa San Diego! The three week sponsored project was designed to acquaint the visitors with the various aspects of journalism as currently practiced in the United States. La Prensa San Diego would explore with the visitors the various roles that the ethnic media played now and historically in America.

Commentary:
New Chula Vista Councilmember Outlines Priorities
By Patty Chavez, Councilmember, City of Chula Vista
For 33 years my parents rented a little 500 square foot house on a main boulevard in Los Angeles. From our front window we saw our share of accidents and fatalities. There was crime, graffiti and litter. On weekdays, we hauled and swept up debris left on the sidewalk and cared for the ‘city’ grass. At night, we locked our doors and shut the shades tight. We spent a lot of our time indoors, being a family and chatting around the dinner table.

National City Spotlight:
A Putt Down the Slippery Slope for Juan Vargas
By Ted Godshalk
So Juan Vargas plays golf at Pebble Beach. National City’s golfers pay $10.00 to play the very tight fairways of the National City Golf Course. At Pebble Beach, if you can get a tee time it will cost you $450.00. The view up the quiet canyon from the third green, on a frosty morning in National City, is a small piece of beauty. The view of the Pacific Ocean at Pebble is truly striking. While I have never played there, I have driven the winding 17 Mile Road that cuts through the course. The famous Cypress tree, the deer and the sea lions, and the rocky shore are all amazing players on a scene that is much more than golf.

Comentario:
El poder de las masas
Por Humberto Caspa, Ph.D
En un sistema político democrático, la sociedad civil es la que tiene la decisión final del destino del gobierno. Esta hipótesis ya la había formulado el reconocido filósofo Nicolás Maquiavelo durante la Edad Media en su obra seminal El Príncipe.

The Public Forum . . . El Foro Publico
Rise Up and Use Your Vote
Bush and the Republicans do not care about immigrants. I’m a hispanic immigrant who has served our country in the United States Marine Corps. Hispanics everywhere should rise up in peaceful protest and never vote for another Republican. Republicans and bush have betrayed latinos everywhere.

TEZOZOMOC SPEAKS:
With all the protesting going on, have you noticed, left out of the loop, El Centro Cultural de la Raza! Once the focal point for community activism, it has been reduced to being a disconnected observer. Pos como dicen, once you reach middle age you no longer matter!

Etc. Etc. Etc.
Entertainment, Reviews, Sporting news, and other tid bits

First Person
The last Pendleton shirt
By Al Carlos Hernandez
As a point of reference, a Pendleton, is a very warm flannel buttoned down collar shirt that comes in many colors, usually plaid. The shirt is the mainstay of a uniform worn by old style Pachucos, Vato Locos, and a few retro Cholo/Homeboys. Street tradition dictates that the shirt, irrespective of weather, is always ironed, creased and worn buttoned to the top no matter what.

The Rebirth of Cool: Groundbreaking Jazz is back in the San Diego club scene!
By Luis Alonso Pérez
It’s a lazy Monday night and the streets around North Park look deserted. Maybe everyone is home watching television or taking an early plunge into bed.

Macuilxochitl's Kiva:
El Tri true legends (not just in their own minds, either!)
By Francisco H. Ciriza
Mexico City’s El Tri and its leader, Alex Lora, are the epitome of living legends. Lora is himself, a virtual encyclopedia of rock en Español history. His musical career began in the late sixties, with his first group, Three Souls in My Mind, played rock and roll and sang all of its songs in English. However, by the time the group was to record its third album, Lora decided to start singing in Spanish.

Renovan al Comité Ejecutivo Nacional de la Asociación Nacional de Actores en México
“Renombradas Actríces: María Sorté, Lilia Aragón, Blanca Sánchez, Lucy Tovar, Carmelita González, Andrea Coto, en este Comité Nacional”
Por: Paco Zavala
La Asocición Nacional de Actores, de acuerdo con su demanda estatutaria cada cuatro años debe cambiar al comité nacional que dirige los destinos de la organización artística sindical más importante de México. Para este año le corresponde efectuar dicho cambio. Para realizar este evento en el que participan todos los actores mexicanos con credencial de socio activo y con todos sus derechos sindicales en regla, se convoca a la participación de los mismos.

Mexicans and Filipinos share common history in California
Discussion at UCSD will highlight the historical coalitions of the two groups during the farmworker movement.
By Pablo Jaime Sainz
Andy Imutan. Larry Itliong. Philip Vera-Cruz.

VAMOS AL CINE:
Antonio marca el paso
Banderas personifica a Pierre Dulane en Take the Lead
Por Jose Daniel Bort
Es una máquina de expresar ideas, y lo más importante es que las expresa con tanta energía y habilidad que es capaz de mantener un salón lleno de periodistas al borde de sus sillas embobados escuchándolo. Pero para Antonio Banderas, el mejor público son unos cuantos estudiantes de High School.

Sanchez Shooting for CIF Titles
By John Philip Wyllie
Chris Sanchez already holds a handful of Bonita Vista High School swimming records. He is arguably the finest swimmer to ever emerge from the South Bay institution in its 37 years of existence. Not content to rest on his laurels, Sanchez is shooting for something really special in this, his senior season: a CIF title. And his chances of gaining one are very good.

Three-time World Cup Veteran Tony Meola to Earn 100th Cap in Match
U.S. Men’s National Team Manager Bruce Arena has selected 18 players to face Jamaica on April 11 Cary, N.C., in the final match prior to naming his 23-man roster for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Three-time World Cup veteran Tony Meola will earn his 100th cap for the United States at sold-out SAS Soccer Park in a match broadcast live on ESPN2 at 7 p.m. ET (tape-delay on Telemundo). Fans can also follow live on ussoc cer.com’s MatchTracker.

Bullfight World
By Lyn Sherwood
Is This The Future of Mexican Bullfighting?
Spanish Novillero Paco Riquelme, the Only One Worth Watching
It is said that to see what bullfighting will be, tomorrow, one should examine the up- and-coming novilleros of today. But, if that which I saw, April 2, in Nuevo Laredo, was an indication of the future of La Fiesta Brava Mexicana, then this aficionado declines to participate, thank you.

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