Albert Banuelos, in Vietnam, the initial imputus behind the Logan Heights Veterans Memorial Monument.

It started with a couple of veteranos reminiscing, over a couple drinks at the Don Diego post five years ago, when the idea of honoring Logan Heights’ war veterans sprung to life. From this conversation the Logan Heights Veterans Memorial (LHVM) Committee was created and in partnership with the Chicano Park Steering Committee came together and broke ground for a future memorial to stand in the northeast side of Chicano Park. The memorial will honor all the veterans and soldiers of the Logan Heights area.

On November 11, 2008 with the first shovel of dirty it was announced that:

“This memorial … will stand as a testament to the courage, valor, and sacrifices made by all,” stated LHVM Committee spokesperson, John Crespin. “The monument will honor the veterans and soldiers of the very diverse community of Logan Heights and all of San Diego. It will be a place to pay homage, to reflect, and to remember. Our fallen heroes have certainly earned it and the community deserves it.”

That was four years ago. Turning the first shovel of dirty was only the beginning. The monument idea already had community and political support, next came the process of getting the permits, the Parks and Recs okay, and now they are on the verge of completion… all they need to do is to raise about $24,000. To date they have raised $8,000, and are well on their way to see their dream finally come true.

We started this project back in 2007. I along with John Banuelos were sitting in the VFW one day and we were saying ‘no one has ever recognized any of our veterans from Logan Heights’,” stated Frank Peralta, vice chairman of the project.

“John and I were talking (after a funeral they attended that day) talking about life being too short and too sweet, poor Dinde (Alonzo) is gone and then we started talking about his brother, who died during the Vietnam war, and that is where we came up the idea of a monument,” stated Peralta. “Albert Banuelos, John’s brother was the imputes for this idea, but we wanted to honor all the veterans and decided that Chicano Park would be the best place for that. Chicano Park is the heart of the community.”

John Banuelos’ brother Albert Banuelos was awarded the Silver Star (posthumously), December 1968 for his heroic actions in Vietnam when Albert advanced one hundred yards under heavy fire to save a wounded soldier lying in an open field. Banuelos was wounded but continued on until he reached his man. On the way back with his wounded man Banuelos was mortally wounded.

It was said that Banuelos’ heroic actions spurned on his fellow comrades as they assaulted the enemy and completely routed the insurgents.

Artist’s rendering of the monument which will be 5 feet wide, and 5 feet high. On the front there will be logos from the four major service branches as well as the Coast Guard, merchant marine, and National Guard. The monument will read “Honor Them By Remembering” and “Que Dios Bendiga Nuestros Veteranos.”

The monument planned for Logan Heights is for men and women of the community who, like Banuelos, made the sacrifice by leaving their home, family, and friends, risking their lives to serve and protect their country.

“Now we are at the final stages, the green light is there and we are ready to go, the only thing stopping us now is money,” stated Peralta.

The plan is to unveil the monument on Nov 11, 2012, four years to the day from when they turned the first shovel of dirt.

So how do they plan on raising the money?

“We are doing mailers, we are going to have a dance at the Eagles, we are going to have a golf tournament and we are going to write letters to some of the bigger businesses in Logan Heights, maybe they will contribute, because they are part of the community,” said Peralta.

On this Memorial Day weekend the community of Logan Heights is well on their way to honor all the veterans of Logan Heights with a monument that is long over due for those heroes of this neighborhood.

The memorial committee will be hosting a dance Saturday, June 23, at the Fraternal Order of Eagles, 3848 Centre Street, San Diego. Donation is $20 per person or a table for $200 (10 persons). Tickets at the door will be $25.00

For tickets to the dance or to donate to the Logan Heights memorial contact Frank Peralta at (619) 988-1853 or email fperal46@aol.com. You can also visit their web site for more information and photos of local veterans at: www.lhveteransmemorial.com/index.html

MERIDA, Mex. – The sudden death of Carlos Fuentes, Mexican novelist, social critic and man of letters, last week at the age of 83, has cast a shadow over the nation just weeks before voters here will go to the polls to elect new leaders, including the president, in national elections.

Newspapers around the world, from the New York Times to Spain’s El País, to France’s Le Monde and Australia’s Sydney Morning Herald, have published obituaries and tributes detailing the body of Fuentes’ work as a writer and an intellectual, yet few have adequately conveyed the degree to which his work impacted the country politically.

Often overlooked is the fact that Carlos Fuentes played a key role in Mexico’s transition from a one-party state to a democratic one. Perhaps more than any other single Mexican, Fuentes worked to lay the intellectual foundation for Mexico becoming a functioning democracy.

Fuentes was a catalyst in the 1960s, along with Gabriel García Márquez, Julio Cortazar and Mario Vargas Llosa, of the literary movement known as “El Boom,” which brought Latin American literature to the international forefront. He was also one of Mexico’s great public intellectuals, delighting in political engagement and dialogue that helped the nation re-imagine what it could ultimately become.

After the success of his 1959 novel, “The Good Conscience” – it tells the story of a bourgeois young man who rationalizes the hypocrisy necessary to live a life of privilege in a flawed society — Fuentes began to publicly question Mexico’s economic development model. Adopted after World War II with the blessing of the United States, the model promised political stability via a one-party system flexible enough to accommodate the competing demands of Mexican society.

That doctrine essentially cemented political power for the PRI (Institutional Revolutionary Party), and established an economic system that opened the door for the eventual economic domination of Mexico by U.S. corporations.

Such a model may have seemed appropriate enough for a nation that was, in the mid-twentieth century, mainly agrarian with a population lacking the educational wherewithal to aspire to much more, and with a middle class still in the early stages of development.

It was in this context that Octavio Paz, in 1950, wrote his essay on the nature of the Mexican character, “The Labyrinth of Solitude.” Paz soon emerged as the leading public intellectual in favor of a one-party political system characterized by a closed economy. The Mexican government subsequently lavished Paz with money to support his intellectual aspirations, funding colloquiums, academic magazines, art exhibitions and any other means necessary to authenticate the government’s Orwellian approach to social, economic and political engineering.

For a quarter century, the development model worked. But what was appropriate in an agrarian economy eventually came to be outdated, as Mexico industrialized and the country’s urban population swelled.

The friendship and collaboration between Octavio Paz and Carlos Fuentes flourished in the 1960s and 70s. Both men enjoyed the blessing of the Mexican state, Paz being appointed Mexico’s ambassador to India, and Fuentes as ambassador to France. A common debate heard among Mexicans in those years was which author would be awarded the Nobel Prize in literature first. (Paz won the Nobel Prize in 1990 for his “impassioned writing with wide horizons, characterized by sensuous intelligence and humanistic integrity.”)

Although he’d recognized the problems inherent in Mexico’s system years earlier, it wasn’t until the 1980s that Fuentes, who had taught abroad at various universities in the United States and Europe, fully came to acknowledge the limitations of Mexico’s economic model and one-party system.

What were the aspirations of Mexico’s middle class? Had the limits of an import-substitution economic model been reached? How long could the PRI – which governed longer than the Communist Party in the Soviet Union – continue to dominate the nation’s political life?

Fuentes began to embrace and even champion the notion that the PRI should lose a few elections every now and then. With age, he became more liberal and left-leaning in his politics, and spoke in support of political movements that, in his own mind, were willing to experiment with innovative development models. Paz, on the other hand, did not.

When Fuentes publicly defended the Sandinista Revolution in Nicaragua, it created a rift between him and Paz. The latter, considered the leading intellectual voice of the Mexican State, could not endorse a revolution that could very well challenge Mexico’s own political system. From there, the personal relationship between the two went downhill, even resulting in public spats and squabbles.

In 1988, Vuelta, a literary magazine edited by Paz, criticized Fuentes. That Fuentes’ novel, “The Old Gringo,” published three years before, had become a bestseller in the United States was both an irritation to Paz and a source of jealousy. Some Mexicans turned away from Fuentes, with some even challenging his “Mexicanness,” by virtue of his having been born in Panama. (His father was a Mexican diplomat assigned to Panama at the time.) Others suggested he should move to Los Angeles to be closer to Jane Fonda (who starred, along with Gregory Peck, in the film adaptation of “The Old Gringo.”)

It was a dark period in his career. “Christopher Unborn,” published in 1987, is arguably the worst of his novels. Fuentes acknowledged as much when I pointed this out to him, describing that novel as a crime against forestry. “Fortunately it did not sell well,” he said, “so not that many trees were cut in vain.”

Fuentes remained adamant in pressing for an “opening” of the Mexican economic system. Meanwhile, his criticisms of the Mexican model were being laid bare by another intellectual, Mario Vargas Llosa, who during a live broadcast interview conducted by Octavio Paz in 1990 called Mexico “a perfect dictatorship.” The studio fell silent, Octavio Paz stammered and the station abruptly cut to commercials.

Vargas Llosa later said that what he meant was that Mexico’s dictatorship of the PRI, by the PRI and for the PRI was perfect, insofar as the Mexicans were too stupid to realize they were living under a dictatorship.

Paz never recovered, and his Nobel Prize in Literature was seen as more mocking than honorable. He would die in 1998. Neither Fuentes nor Paz ever reconciled or apologized to one another.

In the intervening time, the Mexican nation was changing. The economy demanded greater integration with the world economy, and this culminated in 1994 with the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

Throughout the 1990s, Fuentes championed the ideals of democracy, transparency in government and a more equitable distribution of the nation’s resources. Mexico’s democratic institutions strengthened, and Fuentes found an ally in President Ernesto Zedillo, counseling the president to not “fear” the democratic choices of the Mexican people. The triumph of his vision was evident in July 2000 when Zedillo addressed the nation to announce that the winner of the presidential election and the next president of Mexico would be Vicente Fox, from the opposition National Action Party (PAN).

Democracy had triumphed, and so had Fuentes’ intellectual vision for Mexico.

In the same manner that Paz was the intellectual who provided gravitas to the one-party system that dominated the second half of the twentieth century in Mexico, Fuentes was the intellectual midwife to Mexican democracy.

Fuentes had emerged, after Paz’s death and in the later stages of his life, as Mexico’s elder statesman of letters. Yet he spent his final years in a state of melancholy over the untimely death of his only son in 1999. How does one transcend the ghost of a 26-year old who died before his prime? In his last essay, published by the newspaper Reforma just one day before his death, he laments that the presidential candidates in July’s elections have no answer for the challenges facing Mexico.

Even as Mexico mourns Carlos Fuentes, it is left to commence the search for an intellectual voice that can match his own, something this post-globalization, middle-class nation that so desperately wants peace, needs now more than ever.

Here comes another corporate highjacked holiday, Memorial Day.

Of all the national highjacked celebrations, this is perhaps the most difficult to swallow commercially. Originally, the country paused to pay respect to its armed forces fallen. But leave it to corporate greed to pull off another marketing trick.

Three years ago, Americas beer industry spent $171 million on Spanish language advertising. As you can probably guess, a lot of it went for the annual Cinco de Mayo barrio bombardment of beer commercials.

“Marketing,” said Leah Goldman, of Business Insider, “Is what turned a minor holiday into America’s favorite Mexican drinking day.”

Let’s be sure and thank the alcoholic beverage folks for reeducating our Latino youth in their own history. Now brace yourselves for the onslaught of Memorial Day sales.

Highjacking noble commemorations for commercial greed has to rank up there with American companies seeking to build big box stores at the foot of Mexican pyramids. It’s not surprising that children have no inkling of the real meaning of holidays like Memorial or Presidents Day.

“Once, I took my kids to a national cemetery on Memorial Day,” said retired U.S. Army Sgt. Major Richard Martinez of Sacramento. “I told them to take a good look at all of the white headstones then look for Spanish names on them.”
Martinez said it was a lesson never to be forgotten by his children.

“I’m hoping some of my kids will take their own kids to the cemetery this year.” said Martinez.

National holidays as they used to be celebrated, for their historical significance, have attained a new meaning, scholars say, one with a more cynically American value – commercialism.

Rather than focusing on the traditional, school or family-oriented celebrations, most holidays have become marketing tools for the corporations. Beer companies and tortilla chip manufacturers, for example, have highjacked cultural traditions in the name of profit.

It seems no holiday is safe from commercialization now. Forget spiritual or national pride intentions, everything is driven by consumerism.

Time was when a Fourth of July commanded civic pride and family gatherings with both veterans and school children addressing groups gathered in city parks awaiting the annual fireworks show. Or maybe you recall a Memorial Day parade with armed forces oldsters riding on red, white and blue floats.

“Oh, we still have a few of those kinds of celebrations,” said Martinez. “Except today’s events are small in comparison and not well attended. It seems the adults are too busy to take their kids to events that honor our country and the people who have defended it.”

If these parents expect the schools to pick up the slack and do a bang-up job teaching the children enough history, they’re in for a severe disappointment. Studies show that history is often labeled as the most boring subject in school by youngsters.

“Boring because the poor teachers have had the same kind of history courses that have been around since the turn of the century!” said Martinez. “Today’s history lessons should be diverse and much more fascinating than the ones I had, back in the 50s.”

When asked to speak to both high school and college groups, Martinez surprises the students (and most faculty members present) when he talks about unsung historical figures seldom mentioned in today’s books.

“You should see their faces when I bring up Hispanic names of men and women who participated in either the American Revolutionary War or the U.S. Civil War,” said Martinez. “Very few of the students have actually done any research on their own and discovered the interesting facts behind these and other wars where people of color became heroines and heroes worthy of being celebrated today.”

Enjoy the holiday and try to keep in mind the sacrifices made by he generations of Americans before you.

In the United States, evangelical leaders have been at the forefront of pushing prayer in public schools. But in Mexico, they are in the vanguard in opposing it. While the so-called narco war and economic distress are generally regarded as the top two issues in this year’s electoral races, fundamental issues of church, the state and religion are also swirling around the political scene. A flash point is the Mexican Congress’ recent approval of changes to Article 24 of the Mexican Constitution.

Seemingly innocuous, the reform guarantees the right to practice religion in “public as well as private” places. Supported by President Felipe Calderon, the reform was passed last December by Mexico’s Chamber of Deputies just as the country was shutting down for the long winter holiday break. In March, as Mexico was gearing up for another extended holiday season, the Senate followed suit.

According to La Jornada daily, National Action Party (PAN) Senator Sergio Perez Mota justified the reform as a necessary one to prevent Mexico from sinking into a “lay state” that curtails “essential freedoms.”

Although the reform also contains language that defends the secular character of the Mexican State, opponents contend it could open the door to religious instruction in public schools.

On a recent day in Ciudad Juarez, members of the Lay Mexico Civic Forum gathered on the downtown plaza to pass out leaflets and collect signatures on letters calling on the Chihuahua State Legislature to reject the constitutional reform.

“If a person wants to teach his or her child a Christian education, then let him or her go to a Christian church,” said Lay Mexico Civic Forum member Sal Coronado. Introducing religion into the public schools, Coronado insisted, could lead to discrimination, religious bullying and academic complications.

“What are they going to teach?” Coronado asked. “The Catholic, the Mormon or the Christian (Protestant) religion?”

Holding aloof banners, Coronado and fellow activists greeted a steady stream of people stopping by their table to ask questions and sign the letters to Chihuahua lawmakers.

Backed by Protestant churches, the Lay Mexico Civic Forum has shown an impressive capacity to mobilize supporters, turning out thousands of people in street demonstrations across the country in recent months. For the congressional reform to become part of the Mexican Constitution, a majority of Mexican states still have to approve it. In May, the state legislatures of Baja California and Michoacan joined the state of Morelos in shooting down the reform.

Critics charged that the Congressional action was undertaken without adequate public discussion, and unneeded in a country that already guarantees religious freedom. Victor Silva, president of the Michoacan State Legislature and a representative of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), said public forums and consultations should have preceded the federal legislative action.

“For this reason we are not going along with it,” Silva was quoted in La Jornada.

Earlier writing on Catholic. net, Guillermo Gazanni Es-pinoza contended that Article 24 reform opponents from center-left political parties were mistaken in declaring that the change was done to benefit the Catholic hierarchy or lay the groundwork for the Pope’s Mexico visit last March.

According to the Council of Catholic Analysts of Mexico, the reform, as proposed in the Chamber of Deputies by the PRI’s Jose Ricardo Rodriguez Pescador late last year, was merely meant to bring the language of the Mexican Constitution in line with Article 12 of the American Convention of Human Rights, a section of the hemispheric agreement upholding religious liberty.

Particular details of language and political intent aside, the Article 24 controversy cuts much deeper than the polemic over constitutional reform. The issue spotlights shifting political tendencies, deep changes in Mexican society and culture, rekindled church-state flirtations and the hard imperatives of the 2012 elections.

At stake is the lay character of the Mexican state, which arose from historic 19th century showdowns between liberals and conservatives that curbed the power of the Roman Catholic Church, regarded by liberal forces as an institution tied in with the system of domination and exploitation dating to the Spanish colonial period.

Mexican clergy have long been banned from political involvement, but rapprochements between successive presidential administrations from both the PRI and PAN parties and the Vatican have revived controversies over the Catholic Church’s role in politics in recent years.

The Pope’s March visit to Guanajuato, an event attended by all the presidential candidates, only further solidified this trend in the view of many analysts.

Likewise fanning church-state controversies are conflicts over gay marriage, sex and abortion. The legalization of early term abortions and gay marriages in Mexico City during the past few years under center-left PRD administrations produced a political backlash in other Mexican states- still referred to as “La Provincia” by some capital city residents.

In historically conservative states like Aguas-calientes, women have even faced criminal prosecutions for having abortions.

In this broader context, the Article 24 fight erupted on the political landscape. “The parties want votes, and there are issues they won’t touch because they might lose votes, including issues of abortion, school prayer and drug legalization,” said Armide Valverde, principal of Ciudad Juarez’s Alta Vista High School. A career public educator, Valverde endorsed secularism as one of the pillars of the Mexican education system. “There’s no reason for (religion) to be part of education,” Valverde said. “That’s why the Church exists.”

Whether the candidates like it or not, hot-button social issues are popping up on the campaign trail this year. Speaking at Mexico City’s private La Salle University last week, conservative PAN presidential candidate Josefina Vazquez Mota fielded touchy questions from students about gay marriage, abortion and drug legalization. The questioners hailed from an age demographic that could be the decisive vote in the 2012 elections.

Mexico’s only female presidential candidate in a contest with three men, Vazquez Mota appeared to have attempted to stake out a middle ground response by not directly answering the specific question about gay marriage, saying instead that she was “absolutely respectful” of individual sexual orientations, according to report of the encounter in Proceso’s Apro news service.

On the abortion question, the former Calderon administration official defined her position as “pro-life,” but quickly added that she was against criminalizing women who got abortions. As for marijuana and other illegal drugs, Vazquez Mota affirmed that she was open to a debate but worried about going down the road to legalization before strengthening government, law enforcement and justice institutions.

Finally, Protestant/Catholic divergences are evident on matters like Article 24. While Mexico is still a majority Catholic country, more and more Mexicans, like other Latin Americans, are joining different Protestant sects. The Seventh Day Adventists, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Methodists and followers of the Jalisco mega-church Luz del Mundo, among others, have a firm and growing base across the country. For many Protestants, the Article 24 reform threatens a return to Catholic domination and discrimination against their own faith.

At the Lay Mexico Civic Forum event in Ciudad Juarez, a shoeshine man sat in front of the activists’ table. Taking time to chat with a reporter, the man declined to give his name, not because he was “afraid,” he insisted, but because divulging his identity would be a vain act that takes away attention from God. Summing up the posture of many Article 24 opponents, the man pulled out an old phrase from his linguistic hat: “Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s.”

Frontera NorteSur: on-line, U.S.-Mexico border news Center for Latin American and Border Studies New Mexico State University Las Cruces, New Mexico

Estos gringos no entienden. Pior, les da terror aceptar lo que han estado promoviendo durante años (para algunos, especialmente para los millonetas): la globalización.

Algunos dicen que la globalización, proceso de intercambio entre todos los países del mundo que a la larga termina por borrar las fronteras en muchos sentidos, nació con Cristóbal Colón, allá en 1492 cuando se perdió en el Atlántico y se topó con nuestro continente. Otros dicen que nació cuando se cayó la Unión Soviética y otros que cuando el hombre llegó a la Luna, o cuando un mes y medio después nació el Internet.

“Haiga sido como haiga sido”, nuestro planeta hoy está marcado por la globalización, la integración de las economías locales en una gran economía mundial, donde la lana se mueve de un lado a otro prácticamente sin restricciones y las vacas también, aunque no por voluntad propia. Es la era de las “transnacionales” y las “multinacionales”, palabras sofisticadas que sirven para ocultar la aborrecida palabra original, monopolios, como Wal-Mart, digamos, que se tragan a los pequeños productores y vendedores, dando al traste con las economías locales y las de los que menos tienen y no pueden combatir contra las empresas globales.

A los trabajadores pobres, por supuesto, no les está permitido moverse junto con la lana (lana de dinero, no de borregos) y las vacas. Para ellos hay muros fronterizos, leyes tipo Arizona y Alabama, y políticos como Barack Obama que deciden que hay que rebotarlos al lugar de donde hayan salido. Para ellos, el mundo no es “global”, sino más bien un globo desinflado.

Para los ricos si es permitido moverse y “globalizarse”. Con lana baila el perro, dicen, y lo mismo las aduanas y los sistemas migratorios, y muchos países decidieron que sus ciudadanos podían también ser ciudadanos de otros países y al revés volteado, y con la globalización nació la ciudadanía múltiple.

Así se movieron los papás de un tal Marcus Bachman, de Suiza a Minnesota, donde compraron una granja y acá nació su chamaco. Y no quien los pelara, excepto que el chamaco se casó con una gringa, y hace unos meses le pasó su nacionalidad suiza automáticamente.

“El Suizo es él, no yo…”

Como hijo de padres suizos, Bachman tenía derecho a la ciudadanía de aquél país, además de ser estadounidense por nacimiento. Siendo así, se decidió a solicitarla y se la dieron de boleto, incluyendo a sus hijos, nacidos también en Estados Unidos, y a su esposa, gringa también por los cuatro costados.

Nomás que su esposa es Michelle Bachman, congresista de Minnesota y relevando a Sarah Pallin, pre-candidata presidencial del Partido Republicano hasta hace un par de meses, cuando perdió horrorosamente en Iowa y se retiró de la carrera electoral.

Y como una cosa es ser o creerse dueños del mundo, y otra es no ser gringo cien por ciento, Michelle Bachman acaba de renunciar a su ciudadanía suiza. “Tomé esta acción porque quiero que esté perfectamente claro que nací en Estados Unidos y soy una orgullosa ciudadana de Estados Unidos. Estoy y siempre he estado comprometida cien por ciento con la Constitución de Estados Unidos de América. Como hija de un veterano de la fuerza Aérea, hijastra de un veterano del Ejército y hermana de un veterano de la Marina, estoy orgullosa de mi fidelidad a la nación más grandiosa que el mundo ha conocido”.

Ya ahí podríamos compadecerla. Con esa familia, con razón no entiende mucho de globalización, a menos que sea en la forma de invasiones y guerras “preventivas” para quitar gobiernos que a los gringos no les gustan y poner regímenes títeres por el mundo. Que no sepa de historia no se disculpa. Los imperios persas, griegos y de los hunos fueron muchísimo más grandiosos que Estados Unidos hoy, dominando todo lo que en aquellos tiempos eran el “globo” conocido. En fin.

El caso es que Bachman está peleando contra algo natural en el mundo que está impulsando. En 2008 todos los candidatos presidenciales gringos podían tener una segunda nacionalidad, excepto Hillary Clinton. McCain nació en Panamá, y el padre de Mitt Romney era mexicano. Y Obama, por supuesto, tiene derecho a la nacionalidad de su padre, oriundo de Kenia.

Y en estas elecciones será igual. Un Keniano-Americano contra un México-Americano. Si Bachman hubiera ganado, pues sería un Keniano-Americano contra una Suiza-Americana.

Es inevitable. En cada elección habrá más y más candidatos Algo-Americanos que ganarán. Los próximos gobiernos del país “más grandioso del mundo” serán cada vez más “globales”, y cada vez serán menos los “100 por ciento estadounidenses”.

Contacto Jorge Mújica Murias y mexicodelnorte@yahoo.com.mx

What: A Memorial Day Program to remember and honor all military members who have served or are currently serving our Nation.

Who: Keynote Speaker: Lieutenant General Thomas Wauldhauser

When: May 28, 2012, at 10:00 am

Where: Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery Rostrum, Cabrillo Memorial Drive, San Diego, CA 92106

Background: Memorial Day is a federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May. Formerly known as Decoration Day, it commemorates U.S. soldiers who died while in the military service. First enacted to honor Union and Confederate soldiers following the American Civil War, it was extended after World War I to honor Americans who have died in all wars.

The preferred name for the holiday gradually changed from “Decoration Day” to “Memorial Day,” which was first used in 1882. It did not become more common until after World War II, and was not declared the official name by Federal law until 1967. On June 28, 1968, the Congress passed the Uniform Holidays Bill, which moved three holidays from their traditional dates to a specified Monday in order to create a convenient three-day weekend. The holidays included Washington’s Birthday, Veterans Day and Memorial Day. The change moved Memorial Day from its traditional May 30 date to the last Monday in May. The change moved Memorial Day from its traditional May 30 date to the last Monday in May. The law took effect at the federal level in 1971.

Many Americans observe Memorial Day by visiting cemeteries and memorials. A national moment of remembrance takes place a 3 pm local time. Another tradition is to fly the flag of the United States at half-staff from dawn until noon local time.

Greenwood Memorial Park to Hold Memorial Day Service

Greenwood Memorial Park will hold a Memorial Day service at 1:30 p.m. Monday, May 28 in the Garden Chapel, 4300 Imperial Avenue in San Diego, in partnership with the American Legion San Diego Post 6 and Unit 6. The event is free and open to the public. Call 619-264-3131 for more information.

The service will bring together community leaders, veterans, patriots and citizens to honor those who have given the ultimate sacrifice for their country. The service will feature guest speaker David Ramirez, Executive Assistant Chief of Police for the San Diego Police Department, speaking on “Honoring Those Police Personnel Who Gave Their Lives in U.S. Military Duty During the Global War on Terrorism.”

“The annual Memorial Day observance is our way of saying ‘thank you’ to the men and women who have served and who have sacrificed,” said JeriAnn Lewis, manager of Greenwood Memorial Park, an honored Dignity Memorial® provider. “We hope the families who join us for the service gain a deeper appreciation for the importance of honoring our military, whether that is those currently enlisted or veterans who served in the past.”

The Dignity Memorial network of providers has several initiatives to honor and support our nation’s veterans and active military. The initiatives and programs include the Veterans Planning Guide, the Dignity Memorial Vietnam Wall, the Dignity Memorial Homeless Veterans Burial Program, educational veterans seminars and special pricing for members of veterans service organizations.

Glen Abbey Memorial Park to Honor Our Veterans

WHAT: Glen Abbey Memorial Park will hold a Memorial Day service in partnership with Chula Vista Fleet Reserve Association Branch 61. Call 619-498-4600 for more information. The event will bring community leaders and veterans organizations together to honor those who have given the ultimate sacrifice for their country. The service will feature performances of the national anthem, “America the Beautiful” and “Taps” as well as a rifle salute, a dove release, performances by the AIM San Diego West Mime Company and a fly-over aerial tribute by San Diego Salute. South Bay Cruisers will have classic cars on display. Refreshments will be served following the service.

WHO: The Memorial Day event is free and open to the public.

WHERE: Glen Abbey Memorial Park 3838 Bonita Road, Bonita

WHEN: Monday, May 28 11 a.m.

6th Annual Memorial Day Celebration

Presented by: La Vista Memorial Park

Monday, May 28TH, 2012 Where: 3191 Orange Street, National City, CA 91950

La Vista Memorial Park is celebrating the Sixth Annual Memorial Day Event, an event dedicated to honor those who have served and those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice to make this the greatest country on Earth.

The Memorial Day Celebration 2012 will have the honor to dedicate the day’s event to members of the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association Carnation Chapter 3.

Invocation by: Mate Stuart Hedley, a Pearl Harbor Survivor. Complete with a Two-Bell Ceremony, several Pear Harbor Survivors in attendance.

La Vista Memorial Park offers visitors a fun and family-friendly environment at no admission cost. Given the success of our previous five years, Memorial Day Celebration promises to be bigger and better that ever.

Here is a glimpse of what to expect:

• Guest Speakers
• 82nd Airborne Division Association San Diego Chapter
• Daughters of the Union Veterans of The Civil War
• Pony rides and Mini-Zoo
• Free food and beverages
• Innovative and unique local entertainment

For more information please visit: www.LaVistaMemorial Park.com

El Presidente Obama ya ha hecho varios cambios drásticos en la política de Estados Unidos. Muchos de esos cambios son favorables para los inmigrantes. Recientemente reporté que el Presidente Obama ha cambiado los procedimientos de deportación de inmigración creados por la administración Bush que no permitían apelaciones si los abogados de los inmigrantes no brindaron representación competente. Hoy, gracias al Presidente Obama, los inmigrantes en proceso de deportación pueden apelar y buscar cancelar las órdenes de deportación si sus abogados no brindaron representación competente y efectiva.

La semana pasada, la administración Obama anunció otro cambio más en la política de inmigración que dispone importantes nuevos beneficios para viudas, viudos y huérfanos de ciudadanos de EE.UU que fallecen. Antes de este cambio, si el o la inmigrante no había estado casado con el ciudadano de EE.UU. por al menos dos años, las visas y tarjetas de residente (green cards) no estaban disponibles a menos que el ciudadano hubiera registrado peticiones antes de su muerte. Bajo la nueva política Obama, las viudas y viudos inmigrantes y los menores huérfanos pueden registrar peticiones sí el ciudadano fallecido no lo había hecho, aún si el matrimonio no cumplió dos años.

Demandas Federales que han sido registradas en varios estados desafían la interpretación de la ley hecha por la administración Bush. También desafían la política de negarle a viudas, viudos y huérfanos los beneficios de las visas y tarjetas de residente si las peticiones no fueron registradas antes de la muerte del ciudadano. Varias Cortes de Circuito de Apelaciones han decidido que la interpretación de la ley por la Administración Bush no fue correcta. Estas cortes han determinado que la palabra “cónyuge” en la ley incluye a los cónyuges sobrevivientes como se hace en el uso común.

Estas cortes reconocieron que las viudas, viudos y huérfanos no tuvieron culpa del mal proceder y que generalmente la falta de no completar el proceso de inmigración fue debido a las demoras excesivas e innecesarias de los funcionarios de inmigración.

La nueva política Obama brindará asistencia temporal inmediata a viuda, viudos y huérfanos hasta que el Congreso de EE.UU. pueda aprobar una nueva ley que sea consistente con estas políticas.

Afortunadamente para los inmigrantes, dos de estas leyes ya han sido presentadas al Congreso.

Los Senadores Demócratas Menendez de New Jersey, Gillbrand de New York, y Leahy de Vermont han presentado la S. 1427. Y el Congresista Demócrata Jim McGovern de Massachusetts ha presentado la H. R. 1870.

La administración Obama no ejecutará las órdenes de deportación que fueron emitidas bajo la administración Bush en estos casos. No iniciará procedimientos de deportación bajo estas circunstancias y le permitirá a los inmigrantes que soliciten autorización para trabajar mientras se están procesando sus peticiones. La administración Obama también ha indicado que las viudas, viudos y huérfanos cuyas peticiones fueron negadas porque el ciudadano falleció antes del segundo año de matrimonio pueden reaplicar si el ciudadano registró una petición antes de su muerte. Mientras cada uno de estos recientes cambios en las políticas de inmigración beneficia a una clase especifica de inmigrantes, el Presidente Obama frecuentemente ha dicho que está a favor de una amplia reforma de las leyes de inmigración de este país que beneficiará a millones de inmigrantes indocumentados que viven aquí. ¡NO SE DEJE!

El Lic. Araujo es experto comentarista sobre asuntos legales. Puede comunicarse con el Lic. Araujo al 1-800-248-4100 Web Site: http://www.jessaraujo.com

Historically, the race for the County Board of Supervisor campaigns draws very little attention. It is rare when an incumbent loses a race. And rarely do we get worked up over these races with the exception of when Bill Horn is up for election. When Bill Horn runs, you can count on us to support just about anyone who campaigns against him. However, Horn continues to win, despite his many shortcomings.

This year’s Supervisor race is dramatically different than past years. Supervisor Pam Slater-Price chose not to run for re-election, opening up District 3 for a fresh face on the board. The County Board of Supervisors is a decidedly Republican bastion that has thwarted any Democratic or minority attempt at election. This Board needs balance. We believe that Solana Beach Deputy Mayor Dave Roberts, a Democrat with bipartisan support and strong environmental credentials, along with support from the LGBT community, brings all of the things to the table that the County Board of Supervisors’ needs – diversity.

In Supervisorial District 2, the contest is between the incumbent Dianne Jacob and perennial candidate Rudy Reyes. We still remember the case of a young woman’s claim of rape in El Cajon. Even back then, Supervisor Jacob (1998) was way too quick to place the blame on immigrants and led the charge to scour the back hills for illegals. The results were vigilantes shooting innocent immigrants who were camping in the back country. It turns out the victim did not want the real culprit identified so she blamed a Hispanic. We cannot endorse Jacob nor can we endorse her opponent Reyes. No endorsement for District 2.

The race for Supervisor District 1 where Greg Cox, a Republican, is up for re-election is an interesting situation. Cox has always been responsive to the community and he has surrounded himself with an equally responsive staff that has always been there to help. Cox has done right by the community but what tips the scale in his favor was his successful effort to change the way the district maps will be drawn up in the future.

One of our biggest issues with the County Board of Supervisors has been that redistricting has been left to the discretion to the Board. This has resulted in safe cozy districts that enhanced incumbents’ chances for re-election (see Bill Horn). Cox led the effort to take this process out of the hands of the Board and put in the hands of the community. For this action alone Cox has earned our support. Cox could have stayed with the status quo, but he heard the community and he did the right thing.

His opponent for this seat is Brant Will. Brant Will is an unknown running for office in a decidedly Hispanic district, South San Diego. You would think that it would have been incumbent upon him to reach out to the Hispanic community by talking with the oldest Hispanic paper in this district, La Prensa. The first and last time we heard from Will was after we published our initial voter guide, last week, where we recommended Cox for District 2. He sounded a little peeved that we hadn’t reached out to him. We figure if you want something, like our support, the candidate should reach out to us.

We have no idea what Will was thinking, it may be that as a Democrat he, like many other Democrats, took the Hispanic community for granted. Or it could indicate that Will does not have a clear grasp of the Hispanic community? We don’t know, all we know is that to win an election in the South Bay you need the Hispanic vote, something that escaped Will.

We Endorse for County Supervisor: Greg Cox and Dave Roberts

Está comprobado que el uso del cinturón de seguridad es una de las formas más efectivas de salvar vidas, pero una de cada cinco personas deciden no usarlo cuando conducen o viajan en un vehículo motorizado en Estados Unidos.
La iniciativa Abrochado o Multado de la Administración Nacional de Seguridad del Tráfico en las Carreteras — NHTSA— del Departamento de Transportación hace una colaboración con la policía en cada estado en los EEUU para hacer una campaña de forzar que todos los ocupantes de vehículos usen en todo momento un cinturón de seguridad.

Tomar precauciones y usar los mecanismos de seguridad al manejar de día o de noche hace posible que conductores y pasajeros estén seguros en las carreteras del país. Un cinturón de seguridad puede marcar la diferencia entre la vida y la muerte… y una multa.

De acuerdo con el NHTSA que este año impulsa su cam-paña Abrochado o Multado del 21 de mayo al 3 de junio, los cinturones de seguridad salvaron 13,250 vidas en el 2008. Si todos los pasajeros de 5 años o mayores hubieran usado el cinturón de seguridad, se habrían podido salvar 17,402 vidas ese mismo año, es decir 4,152 vidas más.

La misma fuente indica que en 2010, el índice de uso del cinturón de seguridad fue de 85 por ciento comparado con 58 por ciento en 1994 y que cuando se utilizan los cinturones de seguridad, se dis-minuyen las probabilidades de una lesión mortal en un 45 por ciento en el caso de los pasajeros que viajan en el asiento delantero.

Y es que vale la pena recordar que un conductor o pasajero arrojado o desplazado de su vehículo con violencia puede sufrir lesiones graves o morir instantáneamente.

La decisión es nuestra. Solo nosotros podemos elegir si nos inclinaremos por la arrogancia de pasar por encima de las precauciones establecidas y negarnos a usar el cinturón, o por entender que este puede, sencillamente, salvarnos la vida.

Es bueno recaudar que las autoridades están al acecho de los infractores y que no abrocharse el cinturón de seguridad es una infracción de tránsito.

Todos salimos perdiendo si no nos abrochamos el cinturón. El uso del cinturón de seguridad disminuye en un 50 por ciento las probabilidades de morir o salir gravemente lesionado a causa de un choque. Igualmente, el uso de un asiento de seguridad apropiado para la edad y el peso de los niños que viajan como pasajeros disminuye en un 71 por ciento las probabilidades de que este muera a causa de un choque.

De acuerdo con información recopilada por NHTSA entre 1975 y 2008 unos 8,959 niños menores de 5 años se salvaron gracias al uso de mecanismos como asientos o cinturones de seguridad.

¿Qué impide que nos comprometamos a usar el cinturón de seguridad cuando viajamos?

¿Qué podemos perder asegurándonos de que nuestros pasajeros se abrochen el cinturón?

No siempre estará en nuestras manos impedir un accidente, pero si está en nuestras manos hacer lo que sea necesario para protegernos a nosotros mismos y a nuestros seres queridos.

Recuerde, ¡abrochado o multado! Usted decide.

Por: Paco Zavala

“Madama Butterfly” una escena de la ópera con B.F. Pinkerton y Cio-cio-san (Butterfly).

El escenario de la Sala de Espectáculos del Centro Cultural Tijuana se iluminó con la puesta en escena de la reconocida y popular ópera de Giacomo Puccini “Madama Butterfly”, montaje que se realizó los pasados días viernes 18 y domingo 20 de mayo, con un reparto compuesto por artistas líricos de la región.

Con un aforo casi completo en la gran sala se escenificó esta obra, en la cual se narra la historia de una niña japonesa, engañada por un marino norteamericano y posteriormente despojada del fruto de sus amores, motivo por el cual ella toma la determinación de aplicarse el “harakiri”. El público asistente premió con un largo y cálido aplauso a cada una de las intervenciones de los artistas, cada uno de ellos en el desempeño de sus respectivos roles, todos muy brillantes y acertados, demostrando su profesionalismo.

Este montaje se realizó con artistas líricos de la región, así pudimos admirar el desempeño de la soprano María Lozano, en el rol de Cio-cio-san (Butterfly), la mezzo-soprano Ana Laura Rojas, en el rol de Susuki, el barítono Emmanuel Franco, en el papel del cónsul americano Sharpless y el tenor Andrés Carrillo, en el rol de B.F. Pinkerton; también intervinieron la soprano Judy Chirino, la niña Isabela Cortina, los tenores Jonathan Cebreros y Max Melchor, además de la intervención de los bajos Walter du Melle y Leonardo Reyes; complementó este montaje la participación del Coro de la Opera de Tijuana, dirigido por la Maestra Rubi Ramírez, todo el elenco bajo la dirección artística del tenor y Maestro José Medina, con el acompañamiento musical de la Orquesta de Baja California dirigida por la batuta de Teresa Rodríguez.

El montaje sin duda alguna lució una escenografía muy espléndida con el diseño de una aldea japonesa realizada por el escenógrafo Claudio Hanczyz, la iluminación a cargo de Iván Dorado y el vestuario lo aportó el Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes (INBA).

Incluimos notas complementarias, tales como la inau-guración del Café Literario de la Casa de la Cultura Playas, evento que se realizó el pasado jueves 17 de mayo, la nutrida asistencia disfrutó del espacio totalmente reconstruido. El evento se realizó con la presencia de la Lic. Elsa Arnaiz, Directora de IMAC, la Coordinadora de la institución Maestra Martina Montenegro y la promotora cultural Vicky Magaña, quien estará a cargo del espacio.

La joven Playas de Rosarito, hace una cordial invitación a toda la comunidad fronteriza a asistir a su versión “Rosarito Art Fest”, evento que se verificará los próximos días sábado 26 y domingo 27; en este evento habrá una gran promoción de la gastronomía y de bebidas de la región. Por el escenario desfilarán decenas de artistas y grupos musicales; la fiesta empieza a las 11:00 am. y termina a las 10:00 en cada uno de los días establecidos, la cita es al sur de Playas de Rosarito por el Blvd. Benito Juárez.

If you have any photos, videos, memorabilia or reflections on Chunky and his band, please do not hesitate to call or email us. We value all these items and appreciate your assistance.

Paul Espinosa
(619) 890-9811
espipaul@gmail.com

Mark Day
(760) 224-3872
mday700@yahoo.com

If it is May it is Prom Month! We are proud to publish this photo of Bonita Vista High School students as they prepare to join the rest of the graduating class of 2012 at the Catamaran Hotel in Pacific Beach. From left to right: Kritter Borbouis, Taylor Pocklington, Reyna, Drank de Santis, Lizeth Vallejo, Eddie Munoz, Jasmine Vargas, Nico Valdivia, Jorge Diaz, Annalysa Vasquez, Daniella Sosa, Nick Chromiak, Kassandra Mora, Martin Palma, Elena Gonzales, Hector Mares, Sharon, Sean Rose, Andrea Velarde, and finally Dennis Sanchez. If you would like to publish a photo of your graduating student, or prom photo, please email the photo with a short note to: laprensaSD@gmail.com

Ambar Avila is a junior at High Tech High, in San Diego

As Americans, we should embrace the increasing diversity of our country.

The Census Bureau recently reported that minority births made up a majority of births in the United States in the year ending July 2011.The report noted that 50.5 percent of the births were Asian, Latino, African-American or mixed race. This percentage has been on the rise for years as the nation’s white population ages and the minority population gets younger and younger.

Right now there are more than 300 million people in United States, and 114 million of us are minority or persons of color. Of the individual states, Hawaii, California, New Mexico and Texas already have majority-minority populations. The District of Columbia is majority-minority as well.

The majority-minority birth numbers should come as no surprise. Demographers have been predicting for years now that by 2040, people of color would comprise a majority in the United States. Some studies place it a little later at 2050, but still, the “browning of America,” as many call it, is coming.

Amid all of this change, there is unfounded fear and outright hatred.

According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, hate groups are on the rise. The number, in total, is currently more than 1,000, and many of them are organized around resistance to these demographic changes.

In addition, anti-immigration laws have been passed in many states across the nation. Alabama, Arizona, Mississippi and South Carolina have all passed laws that are anti-immigrant in nature.

This is no way to respond to the changing face of America. Except descendants of Native Americans and slaves, everyone’s relatives came here as immigrants. We should resist the temptation to pass laws that will restrict new Americans as the country once did in the early 20th century when Jews, Poles, Greeks and Italians arrived in large numbers.

Instead, we should pass comprehensive immigration reform to offer a path to citizenship to all those who have been leading productive lives here for many years.

We should also address the problem of economic equality along racial lines. Failure to address this issue as the nation grows more diverse could prove to be catastrophic. Not only will it breed division and contempt, but a majority will also be unable to live a constructive existence.

In 2010, median black and Latino families earned a paltry 57 cents for each dollar earned by median white families, according to a study by United for a Fair Economy. White families, on average, also possess far more wealth than black and Latino families.

We can’t have a smoothly functioning society with such economic disparities. We need to equalize educational opportunities and open the doors for all.

The United States is what the Rev. Jesse Jackson once described: “a quilt of many patches, many pieces, many colors, many sizes, all woven and held together by a common thread.”

We should strengthen that thread and admire the power of our many colors woven together.

Brian Gilmore is a poet and public interest lawyer. He can be reached at pmproj@progressive.org.

President Obama is indeed a profile in courage. He has made history yet again with his announcement that he supports full marriage equality for gay and lesbian Americans. Bravo, Mr. President.

Now comes all the warnings and predictions of what this will mean for the election in November. One of those dire warnings is that this will hurt him with his supporters among Latino communities. This will not be the case and here’s why:

For so long, Republicans have loved to push the meme, famously touted by Ronald Reagan, that Latinos are, by their nature, more conservative on religious and social issues and therefore will be open to the Republican point of view.

While it is true that Latinos are more conservative on these issues — Republicans love to use gay marriage and abortion as the key examples — they historically do not base their vote on these issues. That is why no GOP presidential candidate in history has ever been able to attract a majority of Latino voters.

Most Latinos believe these issues are deeply personal and should not be decided by politicians. They may be conservative in their beliefs on these subjects, but economic issues trump social ones.

In addition, many Latinos have themselves experienced discrimination and marginalization and as such, according to a study done by Bendixen and Amandi, a public opinion research firm that specializes in issues affecting Latinos, most Latinos “deeply believe in the American principles of equality, fairness, and do not support discrimination against gays and lesbians.”

In fact, the poll, done for the LGBT think-tank Movement Advancement Project (MAP) and The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), showed that majorities of Latinos broadly support equality for gays and lesbians:
• 80% believe that gay people often face discrimination.

• 83% support housing and employment non-discrimination protections for gay people.

• 74% support either marriage or marriage-like legal recognition for gay and lesbian couples.

• 73% say that gay people should be allowed to serve openly in the military.

• 75% support school policies to prevent harassment and bullying of students who are gay or perceived to be gay.

• 55% (and 68% of Latino Catholics) say that being gay is morally acceptable.

These findings, of course, won’t stop Republicans from trying to drive a wedge between Latinos and Obama.
However, given the open-mindedness of most Latinos, and their penchant for fairness, given what many have already gone through historically as well as recently in this country, this is not an issue that the GOP will be able to use. If they try, it may backfire, though I confess it will be difficult to inflict any more damage than has already been done to Republicans by Mitt Romney’s full embrace of right wing, anti-illegal immigrant stances.

In two new polls, Romney trails Obama — in one by 50 points, the other by 68 points — among Latino voters.

Republicans will nonetheless try to use the churches, the clergy, and every other religious avenue they think will be available to them to paint the president’s support for gay marriage as going against Latinos’ traditional, religious and cultural beliefs.

This view also is flawed. In Bendixen & Amandi’s poll, 69% of Latino Christians said that their religion is “accepting of all people, including gay people. In addition, 79% of Latino Catholics said a person could express support for gay equality and still be a good Catholic.” That poll also found that Latino Catholics were among the stronger supporters of equality, mirroring results from recent polls for U.S. Catholics by ABC News/Washington Post and Gallup, among others.

Republicans are right on one thing. Family is first and foremost for Latinos. But for Latinos, familia is all extended family and what is anathema to most Latinos is the thought that they would turn their backs on any family member for any reason, including being gay.

In fact, Ingrid Duran and Catherine Pino, co-founders of D&P Creative Strategies and arguably two of the most prominent LGBT Latina activists in the country, are spearheading a ground-breaking campaign entitled Familia es Familia (Family is Family) that will launch at the NCLR (National Council of La Raza) conference in July along with 19 of the most prominent national Latino organizations.

“Latino LGBT families deserve to have committed, loving relationships like their parents, grandparents and other loving family members have enjoyed. Our families are no different and Latinos inherently understand, accept and embrace that notion,” say Duran and Pino.

This election, however, will still be decided on economic issues. Kitchen-table, bread-and-butter issues will be first and foremost with Latino voters, as with all Americans. As Latino unemployment continues to go down, as Latinos realize that the Affordable Care Act gives 9 million Latinos health care coverage they didn’t have before, as Latino students are able to go to college and pay back their loans thanks to President Obama’s policies, and as Latino abuelitos and abuelitas are able to pay for their prescription drugs, Latino families will know who is fighting for them and theirs.

The president’s decision to support equal and full rights for gay Americans only adds to that equation.

It was a bold and courageous move based on being true to one’s personal and Christian beliefs. A move Mitt Romney could learn from.

Maria Cardona is a Democratic strategist and a principal at the Dewey Square Group, where she founded Latinovations. She is also a former senior adviser to Hillary Clinton, and former communications director to the Democratic National Committee.

As Latino voters, we’re going to have a great influence on the outcome of this mayor’s race. The 10News/SurveyUSA poll released today estimated 23 percent of the voters in June – nearly 1 in 4 – will be Latino. With some hard work, we will have an even greater role to play. But what I find troubling is that our community isn’t just playing a big part of this mayor’s race – it’s also a significant portion of the vote Carl DeMaio is relying on to win the election. We have a responsibility to stop that!

Since we began researching this race over 16 months ago (and about a dozen or so polls I’ve seen since then), Carl DeMaio has led among Latino voters. In today’s 10News/SurveyUSA poll, we see that a full 36 percent of the Latinos voting in June say they are voting for Carl DeMaio. But, we also know from polling, that as soon as our Latino families learn about DeMaio’s policies on issues like living wage, healthcare, immigration and unions, they are quick to abandon his candidacy.

We need to make sure our Latino family members, neighbors, and co-workers learn the truth about Carl DeMaio and his anti-Latino, anti-immigrant, anti-worker agenda. No matter which of the other candidates you are supporting in this race, one thing is clear – DeMaio’s history against the living wage, against prevailing wage, against healthcare and for SB1070 is not what our City needs!

We specifically need to remind our voters that DeMaio actually tried to qualify an initiative that would have prevented any law that required employers to pay more than a minimum wage. Latinos make up almost 60% of San Diego workers who make within a dollar of the minimum wage currently.

So, will you join our coalition of Latino leaders, activists and just regular voters who say No! to “El Minimo”, Carl DeMaio?

Si Se Puede!

Lorena Gonzalez
Secretary-Treasurer/CEO, San Diego Labor Council
Plus 65 signatures

Dumanis conviction rate bogus?

Bonnie Dumanis, the D.A., is boasting at 94% conviction rate in all her mayoral ads…..then the ads flash the Union/Tribune headlines: South Bay School Distirct Corruption case. This implies they have been convicted. No one has been conviucted. I thought only a judge or jury were they only ones that could convict people! The judge should throw this case out of court.

Let us not for get that the wanna be mayor failed to filed criminial charges in the case of Diana Gonzalez (RIP). She was beaten and raped by her estranged husband and arrested. Because no charges were filed, this monster was set FREE and eventually murdered this young inspring woman. He ran loose for over a year before Mexcian authourties busted him in T.J. If Diana’s parents had any politicial clout, you can bet this killer would have been locked up!

As for our elected school board member in the famous “Play to Pay” scandal. During the war in Irag, billions of our TAXpayers money was awarded to govenment CONTRACTORS. These billions ($) were ermarked for roads, bridges, schools, hospitals, prisons, etc…only to be left unfinished and abandon. Don’t tell me these contractors didn’t wine and dine the Washington polticos and even President Bush. These were “sweetheart” contracts. This has been the American way off doing business since day one! Doesn’t someone get a TAX write off here?

I hope the progressive voters of the South Bay flex their voter power and stop Bonnie from being our next mayor. I know I will. I know my family, friends and neighbors will too!

Ralph Sanchez
San Diego

That seems to be the topic on everyone’s mind as millions of American students head toward graduation this month. And by everyone, I don’t mean my classmates, the ones who have scrimped, saved, borrowed and begged to pay for their degrees. I mean the professors, parents and education reporters who just can’t stop talking about how bleak the job market is for new graduates.

According to a recent Associated Press analysis of government data, 53.6 of bachelor’s degree-holders under the age of 25 are unemployed or underemployed. News flash: the job market is tough for everyone. It has been since before we entered college.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate in 2000 was at a 30-year low at 4 percent. We are now hovering around 8 percent, and that’s pretty positive. Still, in 2000, 41 percent of bachelor’s degree-holders under the age of 25 were unemployed or underemployed.

It’s not just college students being hit hard by the economy, or even being hit much harder, but it seems we are just a focus group that has been spotlighted. Maybe because we know this, and because we know that it’s going to be difficult, none of my classmates are asking each other where they’re going to be working after graduation, but rather we are asking each other what we’re going to be doing.

For some, it’s time to decompress, travel and start exploring the world. After navigating the labyrinth of paperwork and red tape of completing an ever-more-challenging requirement list, it’s time to take some time.

For others, yes, it’s time to work. And this may be at our retail, waitressing or freelance jobs. But if it pays the bills, then it’s ok for the time being.

No college degree can ever guarantee a job. And even if it does, it can never guarantee a job you’ll love. In a good job market or a bad job market, an education has more worth than the monetary value that a Gallup poll places on it, and the more I think about it, the more I begin to resent this monetization of the college experience.

Thirteen years after graduating high school, I’m about to finally obtain my bachelor’s degree. Perhaps because I took time off, went out there in the “real world” and found positions that were well-paying and didn’t require a college degree, it doesn’t feel like I’ve wasted my time or my money to get this degree. Those jobs might have paid the bills, but they didn’t make me happy.

As cliché as it may sound, the degree is about learning, about gaining knowledge and skills that will serve me well in any job that I do end up obtaining. Critical thinking, multitasking and the expansion of my worldview cannot be measured in a starting salary.

Yes, I might have to wait tables a little longer than I’d like, but if there’s anything that the last decade has taught me, it is that my degree holds more value than the dollar amount someone is willing to pay me just to see it on a resume.

It has also taught me that for those willing, able and determined, there is a place in the workforce. It may not be in their field of study, but it may be something that they love even more.

Those graduates who will get jobs are either in one of the few fields that have lots of openings, or the ones who are willing to try, try, and try again no matter how many rejections – or worse yet, unreturned phone calls – they must face.

They will take unpaid or low-paid internships (now that’s a whole other conversation) and hope to work their way up. They will sling burgers or fold cardigans until whatever debt they’ve accumulated is paid off, hopefully taking on projects that interest them on the side until they can secure a full-time position.

Despite all the reports of doom and gloom, don’t worry about us. We’re going to be just fine.

Kelly Goff is graduating from San Francisco State University with a degree in journalism.

Desde que Bain Capital salió a la luz pública, esta compañía de negocios financieros de Mitt Romney pudo ser la barita mágica que le hubiese permitido llegar a la Casa Blanca con bombos y platillos o pudo convertirse en una tormentosa pesadilla para su campaña política.

Bain Capital está más próximo al segundo que al primero.

Cuando Romney llegó a la tierra, lo hizo con una estrella en su frente. Su padre, George W. Romney, que llegó a los Estados Unidos desde México, luchó, como todos los inmigrantes, por una estabilidad económica. Después de muchos años de batalla, los éxitos de su vida económica se complementaron con la política. Fue gobernador del estado de Michigan.

En este sentido, a su hijo Mitt Romney no le faltó nada. Tuvo la mejor educación en escuelas y colegios privados. Pisó universidades de renombre. Fue admitido a la Universidad de Stanford, aunque solo estudió un año debido a que prefirió viajar a Francia en un proyecto con su iglesia mormona.

Al volver a Estados Unidos ingresó a la Universidad de Brigham Young, donde obtuvo el título de licenciatura en inglés. Luego estudió derecho y administración de empresas en la Universidad de Harvard.

Romney no tuvo ningún problema de insertarse en el mercado de trabajo después de su egreso de la universidad. Lo anterior gracias a méritos propios y sobre todo a la gran ventaja que implica egresar de universidades elitistas y pertenecer a un estrato económico de privilegio.

Durante el periodo de apogeo económico, particularmente en la década de los ochenta y noventa, cuando el mercado bursátil se agigantó como nunca, Mitt Romney se dedicó a los negocios financieros. No le interesó tanto la creación de trabajos a través de empresas industriales convencionales.

Fue uno de los cofundadores de Bain Capital en 1984. Al frente de esta empresa se dedicó a comprar pequeñas y medianas empresas. Luego invirtió algunos dólares para proveerlos de mayor vistosidad en el mercado, para finalmente venderlos al mejor postor.

Un gran porcentaje de las ganancias en acciones fueron a parar a los bolsillos de Romney. Otra minúscula parte, o tal vez nada, fue a dar a los empleados de las empresas.

Al final, las empresas, debilitadas por la depredación de los inversionistas, sucumbieron. El resultado fue el cierre del negocio. Y con ellos también se fueron los trabajadores. La mayoría engrosaron las listas de desempleados.

Por todo lo que se ha dicho y está por decirse, las elecciones presidenciales de noviembre van a decidirse en base al historial económico de los dos candidatos. El presidente Obama detuvo un trágico debacle económico a través de políticas de corte semi-estatista, pero la crisis todavía subsiste y viene afectando los bolsillos de muchas familias norteamericanas.

Romney, por su parte, quiere utilizar su experiencia económica en el sector privado. Empero, Bain Capital, empresa financiera que él mismo creó, es paradójicamente generador de grandes dudas sobre laureles de gran empresario.

Humberto Caspa, Ph.D., es profesor e investigador de Ecomonics On The Move. E-mail: hcletters@yahoo.com

By Gustavo Arellano

MUY CALIENTE SUMMER EDITION

Dear Mexican: I was wondering why Mexicans in Chicago are meaner than Mexicans in California? I love my Mexican brothers and sisters in California (I’m from Cali) but they are the biggest pendejos in Chicago! Does cold weather make Mexicans pissed-off? And why do Mexican women like to ram white girls with their shopping carts?

Pinche Caliente Gabacha

Dear Fucking Hot-Ass Gabacha: Mexicans in Chicago, mean? In my many visits to the Windy Ciudad (which has had the second-largest population of Mexicans of any city in the United States since at least the 1970s) I’ve found them to be a wonderful, hospitable raza, with their only real vice being they’re far too nice to that authenticista pendejo, Rick Bayless. As for the cart ramming: be glad it’s not your car.

I’m a 25-year-old Asian girl that started seeing a 29-year-old Mexican guy about five months ago. This is my first relationship with a Mexican. I was told that Mexican men are possessive, overbearing, and cheat on their women by my white girlfriends. Since I have met him, he has slowly become more possessive of me and demands more and more of my time. My Mexican boyfriend also buys me a lot of expensive things to make me happy when I am mad at him. My usual white boyfriends rarely did this. I actually met my Mexican boyfriend while he was dating his “ex-girlfriend” of two years. He cheated on her once before, and broke up with her to be with me. (His ex is Mexican, too). However, when he introduces me to his friends, he never introduces me as his girlfriend. What gives? Is he already cheating on me? Should I end the relationship now before it gets too loco?

La China Caliente

Dear Hot Chinita: My dating-an-Asian story: cute Vietnamese chick. My parents loved her; her parents hated me because I was Mexican. She left me for another Mexican after rejecting her offer of an open relationship. But that sordid experience doesn’t make me write off chinitas for good, so just because your gabacha pals had bad experiences with Mexis doesn’t mean you should dismiss all hombres. As I’ve written in this columna before, the stereotype of Mexican men as lotharios is true only to a certain point and diminishes with assimilation. Besides, your situation seems fine. Can’t remark on him not introducing you as your girlfriend—but you just whined that he’s becoming too possessive of you, so maybe he doesn’t want to push it. Buying expensive things for you obviously works, as you’re still with him. Seems to me you’re just spoiled—but I’m not going to attribute it to you being chinita, because stereotypes are silly; I’m going to attribute it to your apapachada ass.

I feel crushed by a comment that was made to me as a form of compliment by a tejana caliente that I was recently dating. I met this hot blonde at an AA meeting to which I had been sentenced to attend after a DUI arrest. Recently, we were chingando duro estilo perrito, when she turned around in passion and told me in her Texas twang “You shoooore do have a biiiig dick—for a Mexican.” Well, at first I felt like a real Mexican stud, but when I thought about what she said, I lost my erection and have not been able to get it back. I felt insulted and confused by her racist comment. I now have to resort to Viagra whenever I have sex with my gabacha. Should I let this bother me and how can I confront her politely about her racist remark?

El Burrito Ablandado

Dear Softened Burrito: Want to teach her a lesson? Get her pregnant.

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