Home / Letters to Editor / Announcements / Columnists / Archive / About Us / Contact Us/VivaBeisbol

HispanicVista Columnists & Guest Columns

Week of December 7, 2005

 

HispanicVista Columnists & Guest Columns

Week of December 7, 2005

Are all Republicans idiots?

By Patrick Osio, Jr./HispanicVista.com

   December 7, 2005

Watching Rep. (R.CA) Randy Cunningham’s tearful $2.4-million obtained in bribes confession to steer lucrative defense contracts to his co-conspirators, brought to mind Mexican corruption topic conversations throughout the years with Mexico City businessmen most who had made varying degrees of fortunes contracting with Mexico’s federal...

By Raoul Lowery Contreras/HispanicVista.com

   December 7, 2005

 Jerry Kilgore is an idiot.  He is a Republican idiot.  He has led his Virginia Republicans into the political toilet, perhaps for a long time to come. 

Virginia Republicans carried the state handsomely for President Bush one year ago. Nonetheless, idiot Kilgore...

By Richard N. Baldwin T. /HispanicVista.com

   December 7, 2005

 

FROM MEXICO

     This is not about the movie Men in Black. The title comes from an old spiritual song called "Go tell in on the mountain". In the song is the phrase, "Who's that yonder dressed in black? Must be the hypocrites turnin' back". Well, we do have hypocrites in our part of the world. And they are turning back on issues concerning immigration - in both México and the United States.

By Steven J. Ybarra, JD/HispanicVista.com

   December 7, 2005

   Notas por La Casa Politica

 

I know it is Christmas time when I see the ads at Walgreen’s for the Chia Pet and the Clapper.  The insanity of what we call Christmas has begun.  It is supposed to be a time to remember how nice we should be to each other and instead it is usually sheer insanity.

By Robert Miranda

The price our Latino men and women are paying for freedom in Iraq is high. In fact, Latinos are leading all other ethnic minorities in the total number of dead, according to the latest data provided by the Department of Defense.

 Jeffrey Mittman
 Active Voice is working with the American Civil Liberties Union on informing the public and interested activists about an important new TV series – Freedom Files. From the ACLU and Robert Greenwald / Brave New Films -- the series is an engaging look at current civil liberties issues

How is immigration reform none of Mexico's business? 

By Kelley Arthur Garrett

Diehard optimists still hoping for a forward-looking binational migration accord based on mutual respect and regional cooperation got hit with a cruel dose of reality last week. As a flood of xenophobia-tinged border security and immigrant-crackdown bills work their way through both houses of the U.S. Congress, President Bush delivered a long-awaited major speech that left no doubt about how Mexico's neighbor and trading partner will deal with reform.

By Sarah Anderson

In the contentious negotiations leading up to the December 13-18 World Trade Organization (WTO) summit, the big drama has centered around agricultural trade and whether the richer countries will grant expanded market access to commodities from the Global South. However, there has also been a battle brewing between developing countries and the U.S. government over immigration.

Immigrants report easily finding work

By Rachel Uranga

Most Mexicans do not cross the border because they are destitute and penniless, but because they have family in the U.S. and want better-paying jobs, a study released Tuesday found.

The vast majority of undocumented migrants from Mexico were gainfully employed before they left for the United States, according to a Pew Hispanic Center report released today. The report suggests that failure to find work at home does not seem to be the primary reason that the estimated 6.3 million undocumented migrants from Mexico...

(Georgia State) Senators Rogers and Johnson-Actions speak louder than words

From GALEO

Last week, Senator Rogers claimed to have taken the issue of banning undocumented students access to higher education “off the table”, but his and Senator Eric Johnson's actions and words speak louder than their deeds.

An e-newsletter monitoring extremism and the anti-immigration movement
For the week of December 6, 2005

By Florangela Davila

Years ago when Cleo Molina was a single mom and a graduate student, she was with some fellow students fantasizing about the day when, with robust incomes, they could hire housecleaners.

Statement by Eliseo Medina

"While President Bush has acknowledged that our immigration system is badly broken and needs to be fixed, his short-sighted 'tough talk' on enforcement and unrealistic guest worker proposal fail to offer a...

Immigration Law Separates Families by Forbidding a Green Card Holder's Foreign Resident Spouse and Young Children from Visiting Them In the U.S.

A glance at trade figures for the world's oil exporters tells you that a massive redistribution of global income is underway — from the treasuries of oil-importing nations to those of the exporters.

By COHA Research Associate Leila Seradj

 “Hear me, citizens of Brazil, senators, and deputies…”
Thus commenced the televised coverage of the saga of the escandalo do mensalão in Brazil, a corruption extravaganza that, despite playing to an audience virtually immune to…

Will Democracy Survive?

By Magdi Khalil

For the last twenty-five years Dr. Saad Eddin Ibrahim, the Egyptian human rights activist, has committed himself to the issue of social and political reform.  His relentless efforts have, undeniably, made a strong impact on the Arab community.

 

Patrick Osio, Jr. has written a short but intensive E-book on the Mexican perspective on numerous issues between our two countries. The E-book is also an in depth primer on Mexican culture and protocol for better understanding that allows establishing personal and business relationships, and how to avoid the most common faux pas that can ruin relationships and business deals. Literally this book has been of immense help to thousands, you too can gain from Mr. Osio's lifetime experience.

About the author

Table of Contents

Excerpts from the manual

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

COMMENTARY

THE BEST FROM THE NET

December 9, 2005

Gilchrist has trouble understanding “you lost”

HispanicVista.com Editorial

We wonder what part of “you lost” Jim Gilchrist and his immigration restrictionist followers don’t understand. The result – 3 out of 4 voters rejected his bid for Congress. The last time we checked 3 out of 4 is 75% in this case - against. But to hear Gilchrist and his obviously small band of followers, one would think he won the greatest victory ever. And, sadly even some media writers go along with it reporting Gilchrist’s message “resonated” with voters! One out of four is resonate?

A culture of bribery in Congress

Editorial The Christian Science Monitor

Almost every US lawmaker takes big money aimed at helping private interests win favorable government action. If they stash the cash for themselves, it's illegal. If they use it to get reelected, keep their job, and help the private interests, it's generally legal.

Buying back government

Los Angeles Times Editorial

AS IF THE RESULTS OF LAST month's special election weren't convincing enough, there is new evidence that the public is fed up with Sacramento. The Public Policy Institute of California surveyed 2,002 voters in the 12 days after Nov. 8 and,...

Foolish Fences
By Douglas S. Massey
Washington Post
  It's no secret that the U.S. immigration system is badly broken. Indeed, it has been broken since 1986 and is getting worse. Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) has proposed building a fence along the entire border with Mexico. President Bush, speaking this week in Arizona, emphasized the need to choke off the flow of illegal immigrants, stating that "illegal immigration's a serious challenge, and our responsibility is clear. We are going to protect the border."

Politicians are the Real Problem with Illegal Immigration

By Bob Haran

MichNews.com

Let's face it, our elected officials don't have a clue about how to reduce illegal immigration. After President Bush proposed a guest worker program in January 2004, he repeatedly has said, illegal border crossing must stop. He now says he is looking for an overall strategy to curb illegal immigration.

Looking for Immigration Solutions

By Linda Chavez

President Bush is deeply committed to immigration reform, an issue on which he clearly hoped to establish a lasting legacy when he came into office five years ago. As the former governor of a border state, Bush had real-world experience dealing...

Immigration debate stalled

San Francisco Chronicle Editorial
 PRESIDENT BUSH'S calls in Arizona and Texas this week for tougher border controls and a crackdown on illegal immigration was imbued with a profound sense of lost opportunity.

All the news that's fit to ignore

By Kathleen Parker
TownHall.com

Murtha, Murtha, Murtha, Murtha, Murtha, Murtha, (Lieberman), Murtha, Murtha, Murtha.

That's about how news coverage has gone the past several weeks concerning Rep. John Murtha's call to withdraw from Iraq versus Sen. Joe Lieberman's call to stand fast.

Bush's Mexican Dream
His tough-sounding plan calls for trusting, not just busting, illegals. Will Congress-and undocumented workers-buy it?
By Nathan Thornburgh
Time Magazine
President Bush offered a lot of stick and not much carrot in Monday's speech on illegal immigration. The big stick involves spy planes and detention centers, more cops on the chaparral and an armada of ...

Mexico’s Race Problem and the real story behind Fox’s faux pas

By Claudio Lomnitz

Boston Review

In a speech to a binational agribusiness audience this past May, Mexican President Vicente Fox complained about growing American barriers to Mexican immigration.

Wasted Opportunity Is Fox Legacy

By Georgie Anne Geyer

He came in like a breath of fresh air only five years ago, blowing away all the fog of corruption and historic authoritarianism. Tall and handsome, he was the "Mr. Coca-Cola" of Mexico, a wealthy rancher and a modern candidate straight from heaven.

NEWS  

Of Interest Around the Net

ANNOUNCEMENTS

(One announcement)

LETTERS TO EDITOR

(Several letters)

USDA Releases Spanish-Language Food Pyramid

By JESSICA GRESKO, Associated Press Writer

MIAMI - Alarmed by the high rate of obesity among Hispanics, the U.S. Department of Agriculture released a Spanish translation Wednesday of the food pyramid, the government's handy guide to good nutrition.

Spanish at school translates to suspension

By T.R. Reid/Washington Post

Most of the time, 16-year-old Zach Rubio converses in clear, unaccented American teen-speak, a form of English in which the three most common words are "like," "whatever" and "totally." But Zach is also fluent in his... school.

Election as Immigration Bellwether

Gilchrist allies say his 25% showing makes it an issue in 2006. But GOP leader counters that voters didn't buy 'one-note' campaign.

By Mark Z. Barabak and Jean O. Pasco,

The newest member of Congress, Orange County's John Campbell, flew to Washington on Wednesday to claim his House seat as both sides in the debate over illegal immigration declared victory after a race closely watched as a possible preview of the 2006 elections.

Republican Tops Border Activist in O.C. Election

By Jean O. Pasco,

Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

A Republican state senator sailed to victory Tuesday in a special congressional election in coastal Orange County featuring a maverick, third-party candidate who sought to capitalize on growing fears of illegal immigration.

Picking a Battle Over Shortage of Farmworkers

As some winter crops may be left to rot, farm advocates lobby for immigration reform.

By Jerry Hirsch

The farmers who grow most of the nation's winter vegetable crop say they won't have enough workers — legal or otherwise — to harvest all the produce when the season hits high gear next month.

Be careful, you may get what you wished for. Farm crops face labor shortage endangering crops.
By Peter Prengaman,

With only 28 of the 70 workers he needs, foreman Francisco Barragan is worried that Deardorff-Jackson farm won't be able to harvest 800 acres of celery before it rots.

Wyoming upsurge in energy and construction brings illegal immigrants

The number of illegal immigrants is growing in Wyoming because of the upsurge in the state's energy and construction industries, according to labor and sociology experts.

Bush tries balancing act on illegal immigration

By Patricia Wilson  

President George W. Bush on Monday tried to balance differences in his own Republican Party over illegal immigration by rejecting amnesty and calling for a hardened Mexico border but also vowing the United States...

Tequila attracts academic study

An education program in Jalisco offers a course on the role of tequila in rural development and popular c u l t u re.

BY David Agren

During the week, Agustín Arce, 27, teaches administration to high school students in Tequila, Jalisco. On the weekends, he studies the fiery spirit that made his hometown famous.

Mexican Baker Finds Move to U.S. Requires New Recipes

By Joel Millman

Baking bread and making bread are not the same. That's the humbling lesson that Grupo Bimbo of Mexico, Latin America's biggest food conglomerate, has learned from its long struggle to extend its baking business north of the border.

As rumors divided blacks and Latinos, teens joined forces

By Sara Miller Llana

When a Hispanic man was stabbed and beaten to death in Staten Island's Port Richmond neighborhood, rumors circulated that an African-American did it. Five Hispanics, alleged gang members, were arrested within hours and later convicted, but reports of a hate crime persisted.

Not Guilty Verdicts in Florida Terror Trial Are Setback for U.S.

By Eric Lichtblau

In a major defeat for law enforcement officials, a jury in Florida failed to return guilty verdicts Tuesday on any of 51 criminal counts against a former Florida professor and three co-defendants accused of operating a North...

On the Border Maquiladoras

By Tyche Hendricks

Rising illegal immigration and patrols by civilian groups like the Minuteman Project ignited new debate over the United States-Mexico border this year. In an occasional series, The Chronicle examines how the two countries' cultures, economies and futures intersect on the world's longest border between a developed nation and a developing one.

Cross border health care, improves service and saves Arizona millions

By Tyche Hendricks

Immigration enforcement on the U.S.-Mexico border has sparked debate all year. Today, as part of an occasional series, The Chronicle shows how hospitals on both sides of the border meet the region's special medical needs.

House leaders to focus on narrow border security bill

By Emily Heil, Congress Daily

The House probably will ignore President Bush's call Monday (Nov. 28) for comprehensive immigration reform, with GOP leaders planning to bring up a narrower border-security bill before adjourning for the year.

City Council majority likes training local police officers, but residents object.
By Jeff Overley
 About 200 people turned out Tuesday night as the City Council discussed enacting a controversial program that would train Costa Mesa police...

Patrick Osio, Jr. has written a short but intensive E-book on the Mexican perspective on numerous issues between our two countries. The E-book is also an in depth primer on Mexican culture and protocol for better understanding that allows establishing personal and business relationships, and how to avoid the most common faux pas that can ruin relationships and business deals. Literally this book has been of immense help to thousands, you too can gain from Mr. Osio's lifetime experience.