Obraj cansja
Poenau
I am passing on a letter from Tio Jorge, my uncle who lives in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He is a deeply spiritual, kind and humble man. He has a water pump business and is also a poet. He came to visit the U.S. once about a year ago and was so appreciative of our country, including his trip to DC. Here is a picture I took with him at his poetry reading at the Broad Ripple Arts Center in Indy.
I thought others might appreciate the perspective of someone from South America on President Obama and the role of the U.S. citizens in supporting him.
His letter reminded me of the discussion I had last night with the grass roots group I am working with in Indianapolis. We talked about the courage and perseverance that we need to maintain to transform our country and the profound process of growth we are each going through individually. Thank you to my mother for translating his letter as her Spanish is better than mine!
When President Obama signed The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act bill on January 29th, it was an unmistakable Love Letter to American Women - a love letter that ensures women across the country will receive equal pay for equal work. By signing that bill, he is helping to fulfill what millions of women have fought for. Women like Ida B. Wells-Barnett, Mary Church Terrell, Francis Ellen Watkins Harper, and Anna Julia Cooper.When Jeannette Rankin was elected to Congress in 1916 (four years before women had the right to vote), she had Equal Pay for Equal Work for women in mind. When Nannie H. Burroughs and Mary McLeod Bethune started The National Association of Wage Earners in the 1920s, they not only worked to improve living conditions for women, but also envisioned Equal Pay for Equal Pay for Women. When Fannie Lou Hamer fought 15 years for civil rights in The South (despite threats by the Klu Klux Klan and beatings by police), I’m sure she envisioned how her efforts would bring about, among other things, Equal Pay for Equal Work. These were brave, pioneering women.Yet despite their awe-inspiring work, and the work of countless others, gender inequities have never been corrected. According to a study by The Center for American Progress, women may lose $434,000 in income, on average, due to the career wage gap. As it is stands right now, women in general earn 77 to every dollar a man makes for full time year round work. For a black woman it is 67 cents; for a Latina woman it is 58 cents. And as a policy specialist, President Obama is aware of these disturbing figures.By championing the right of working women to receive fair pay, the paychecks of millions and millions of women (particularly in low wage, non-unionized jobs) can now see a boost. But, with President Obama's love letter comes a strong challenge too. Before the signing the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, President Obama said: "So in signing this bill today, I intend to send a clear message: That making our economy work means making sure it works for everyone. That there are no second-class citizens in our workplaces, and that it's not just unfair and illegal—but bad for business— to pay someone less because of their gender, age, race, ethnicity, religion or disability."New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson understands President Obama's challenge. He recently signed an executive order requiring his state to study and report its own pay practices when it comes to gender and race, and it will require the same from private sector companies that want state contracts. Gov. Richardson's motivation is to overcome pay inequity in his state, and he created a task force to implement the necessary changes. Yes, this is awesome! Companies that want state contracts in New Mexico will have to show taxpayers (who are footing the bill) that their businesses pay its workers fairly. And don't you believe that by doing pay equity analyses, these companies will cut down on discrimination lawsuits because their statistics will be available to employees who will see they're not being shorted? I do.More work has to be done though. In fact, I would like to see President Obama sign a similar executive order for companies that want federal contracts, and I e-mailed him at WHITEHOUSE.GOV to let him know. E-mail him yourself and let him know your ideas.President Obama signed not only a love letter, but a declaration of justice and a commitment to fairness for the nameless, faceless, voiceless women who help hold up our economy but are not rewarded for it. So let us rejoice that we have a president who understands the economic realities of American working women, and who understands what needs to be done to boldly address the less than flattering aspects of those realities.Ladies, President Obama just signed you a love letter.
2morrowknight is an internet strategist and community organizer who blogs at 2morrowknight.blogspot.com, and is author of a forthcoming children's book. You can follow him at Twitter.com/2morrowknight and friend him at Myspace.com/2morrowknight.
O presidente dos Estados Unidos, Barack Obama, assinou ontem, uma série de decretos regulando o comportamento ético de sua administração e fomentando a transparência de seu governo. “A transparência e o estado de direito serão a base de minha presidência”, disse Obama em uma cerimônia, na qual prometeu “uma nova era de abertura” em seu país. Entre as medidas assinadas por Obama no primeiro dia de trabalho está uma ordem para congelar o salário dos funcionários da Casa Branca que ganham mais de US$ 100 mil - aproximadamente 100 -, em um momento em que o país passa por uma difícil crise econômica. “As famílias estão apertando o cinto e Washington deve fazer o mesmo”, afirmou o novo líder, que tomou posse nesta terça-feira. Além disso, Obama anunciou uma medida para estimular a transparência do governo, que exigirá que todos os organismos governamentais analisem os pedidos de informação que receberem sob a Lei de Liberdade de Informação. “A Lei de Liberdade de Informação é a ferramenta mais poderosa que temos para fazer com que o nosso seja um governo honesto e transparente”, afirmou o presidente. Os funcionários “não só terão que obedecer à sua letra, mas também a seu espírito”, insistiu. O líder também condenou as práticas “de segredo excessivo” da administração anterior, que, disse, “se havia um argumento plausível para não fornecer informação, não era divulgado”. O presidente assinou ainda uma ordem executiva que estabelece rígidos limites aos lobistas, que representam os interesses de grupos de pressão ou de empresas perante as entidades políticas. Os lobistas não poderão ocupar cargos do governo relacionados com áreas que eles tenham representado nos últimos dois anos. Após ocupar um posto na administração, não poderão pertencer a um grupo de pressão até que Obama tenha deixado a presidência, nem poderão tentar exercer influência sobre seus ex-colegas. Os lobistas em exercício não poderão, por sua vez, dar presentes aos funcionários públicos. O serviço público “é um privilégio” e não deve “servir para ajudar aos amigos, aos interesses das empresas ou para promover um programa ideológico”, afirmou, em outra aparente crítica ao governo de George W. Bush.
http://kemptecnologia.blogspot.com/
The Pickens Plan: For those who would like to become an active participant in a solution for our nations energy needs I urge you to join with T.Boone Pickens in his quest for a cleaner planet through alternative energy.
Also see Green Wave Energy: Green Wave was founded by Mark Holmes and was formulated for viable alternative energy solutions. Green Wave Energy is promoting state-of-the-art energy-saving products and services throughout the country.
Green Wave Energy understands alternative energy technology will become “main stream” when
Call 949.645.1701 for information on how Green Wave Energy can help you save the planet.
Alternative EnergySource: David Apperson
url: http://veterans.barackobama.com/page/community/tag/alternative-energy
The continuous expansion of HOPE THROUGH GENERATION O rest on the continuous support of active participants. Obama 'Generation O' members include –
GENERATION OBAMANATION SEARCH QUERIES Altavista | Google | Lycos | MSN | Yahoo
It is a one step process.
It has to be symbolic of everything Senator Obama has talked about from the beginning to the end of this fascinating campaign.
Starting immediately, we need to have the maps across America that shows blue states, changed to Red, White & blue.
Senator Obama has said, we are NOT red America, we are NOT Blue America, we are the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!
So, change the blue to red, white & blue!
Who would want to vote any other way?
campaigntrail@huffingtonpost.com
Latinos For Obama Meetings
Ms. Terry Rivera, a longtime Santa Fe County Democratic Party official, started a local chapter of the Latinos for Obama in June. She invited several people to the first meeting and had Democratic Activist Miguel Lucero talk to us about the political and social history of the Latino movement.
Miguel told us that, New Mexico’s Spanish-speaking population, was intrigued by the concepts of freedom, democracy and the “United States of America.” Under General Galven (namesake of Galveston, Texas) an army was raised to assist in the American Revolution of 1776.
Historically, New Mexico’s Spanish-speaking population, was guaranteed that elections and laws would be printed in BOTH Spanish and English by the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848 that ended the “War with Mexico.” Spanish-speakers didn’t vote or voted through a ‘Patron system’ whereby a village elder would tell you who to vote for. The voters were mature males who owned land or animals. The Patron would be the largest landowner or a ‘Mayordomo’ who controlled the water rights or church properties.
As a Territory of the United States, New Mexico was desperate to become a state and local legislators knew that having people vote more and be registered in the party in power in Washington, D.C. would give the best possible support for statehood. All the Spanish-speaking voters registered Republican because Abraham Lincoln was a Republican and the idea of treating all men equally was an intriguing thought to the natives who had been conquered by the White army of the United States in 1846.
During the Civil War, the Territory (which included Arizona at the time) was divided in half and the southern half was Confederate and the northern half stayed in the Union. Most Spanish speaking people enlisted in the Union Army. The Confederates were mainly from Texas and the cotton field owners near Mesilla joined with them and Lt. Colonel John R. Baylor, CSA, made Mesilla the Capitol of the southern territory of New Mexico. The Confederate plan was to drive the Union Army out of New Mexico and then seize the gold fields near Denver to finance the War Between the States. The Confederates had won three major battles already and were ready to lay seize to Santa Fe. The Union Army withdrew and just outside of Santa Fe at Glorieta Pass they ambushed the Confederates and drove the Texans all the way back to Albuquerque and eventually Mesilla were they stayed the rest of the war. The Battle of Glorieta is dubbed the Gettysburg of the West. New Mexicans remember it as the second time Texas invaded New Mexico.
During this time, all the Spanish-speaking voters registered Republican because it was the party of the martyr Abraham Lincoln. The Republican Party also had a good platform for farmers and large landowners. It was very independent-oriented and the “rugged individualism” of President Teddy Roosevelt was a popular theme. The Spanish-speaking population stayed registered as Republicans until the Republican-caused Great Depression and the 1932 Election of FDR.
New Mexico’s Spanish speaking population is composed of the original descendants of the Spanish Conquistadors, and much later Mexican immigrants. The identity of these peoples is hard to categorize with a ‘one-size-fits-all’ label. Northern New Mexicans have always just said they were Spanish-Americans and have vehemently refused the ‘Mexican-American’ label that the U.S. Census Bureau imposed. The term “Hispanics” fit the older generation while the young activists adopted the term “La Raza” (The Race) in the 1960-70’s; even “Brown Power” and later “Chicano.” The term “Latino” which arose in the political scene in the 1990’s bundled Hispanics from Latin America, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Mexico and South America; and could cover the following racial categories: White/Caucasian or Black/African, Asian, Native American, or Pacific Islander.
But this term “Latino” had its historical roots with Maximilian I, Emperor of Mexico 1863-1867. He was placed on his throne by Napoleon III of France, the Austrian Hapsburgs and the Mexican Conservatives. The Mexican Liberals under Benito Juarez opposed him and revolution broke out. In an effort to bring all fractions together, Maximilian brought his allies from Brazil and what Napoleon III called “Latin America” and stated that all were “Latinos” including Mexicans since the Romance languages of Spanish, French and Portuguese linked them. It was a term that didn’t stick well with the locals and eventually the revolution deposed Maximilian and he was executed by President Juarez and the new democracy.
Latinos and Blacks have historically competed for jobs, housing and education; with the majority Whites pitting them against each other in this economic struggle to achieve political success.
Latinos complained about Mayor Tom Bradley’s election bid in Los Angeles in 1973, Mayor David Dinkens election bid in New York in 1989 and Mayor Willie Brown’s election bid in San Francisco in 1996; that for their voting support they were promised more economic support that never materialized.
Historically in New Mexico, we have not had a lot of Black people, but they have had generally good relations with the Latino population. In 1536, Spanish explorer Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca was shipwrecked on the coast of Texas with three others. One was Esteban (Estevan), a Moorish Servant. The four wandered through the Southwest in search of the Seven Cities of Cibola (the fabled cities of gold).
Esteban, came back with Coronado in 1540 to lead him to New Mexico and stayed in Zuni after Coronado left, welcomed as a Messiah. He eventually wore out his welcome and wreaked havoc amongst the tribal members and was put to death by them. The next Blacks in history were escaped and freed slaves that came in 1850’s out on the Santa Fe Trail from Missouri and through Texas. Then Blacks came as cowboys on the Goodnight-Loving Trail in 1866 and the Buffalo Soldiers stationed at Fort Selden from 1866 to the 1880’s. Blacks worked on the railroad in the 1880’s and 1890’s then in the Mesilla Valley cotton fields after the 1900’s. Blacks started working in the oil fields at Hobbs and at the military bases in the 1940’s at Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Clovis.
Hispano New Mexicans are very patriotic and have fought in many wars with distinction including the Indian Wars. This dates back to our quest for statehood. The Civil War required us to defend the Union to preserve our chance for statehood. Many joined the Roughriders and followed Teddy Roosevelt up San Juan Hill in 1898 hoping to win not just a war but also statehood; which was eventually won in 1912.
A few Hispanics went into World War One, but the National Guard had already been called into service to fight Pancho Villa after he attacked on American soil at Columbus, New Mexico in 1916. In World War Two, Latinos had the most casualties per capita. The New Mexico National Guard was rushed into the Philippines in 1942 to fight the Japanese and thousands died during the Bataan Death March. Korea and Vietnam also saw heavy Latino support. So that a John McCain as a war hero plays to the Latino community. It is important to educate people about his anti-veteran voting over the last 26 years.
John F. Kennedy, a Catholic, was immensely popular in New Mexico in 1960. A powerful speaker who came on a train tour---he became the hope for the poverty stricken Hispanics. His assassination devastated both the Hispanic and Blacks communities that were unified behind him. In 1964, LBJ, a Texan, was on the ballot and it didn’t thrill New Mexicans. But in 1968, Bobby Kennedy electrified crowds with his speaking ability and his ties and compassion with Cesar Chaves and farm workers gave hope to New Mexican Hispanics. To some, including myself, Obama, reminds our community organizers of the Kennedy’s message.
In the 1980’s Albuquerque became a relocation center for the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement. This included the Mariel Boatlift, the release of Cuban Prisoners by Castro, the relocation of San Salvadorian rebels, Vietnamese refugees (including Black Ameriasians children) and Haitian refugees. These relocations added different types of Spanish speakers and Blacks to the melting pot in New Mexico. Mexican and Guatemalan immigration in the 80’s, 90’s and today continue our diversity expansion.
In concluding, Mr. Lucero stated that although Northern New Mexico votes Democratic at a 60-80% rate it needs to be motivated by the Obama campaign to turn out. Instead of picking a unifying title for the organization that is better than Latinos for Obama, it is more important to be out in the local communities and be visible and use Spanish-language radio to educate people about Obama.
But why is this “unification” for Obama, the candidate, so foreign to us?
Many of the “Latinos for Obama” were in Jesse Jackson’s Rainbow Coalition. The symbol for the campaign was a rainbow of green (for environmentalists), red (for Native Americans), yellow (for Asians), white (for Whites), black (for Blacks), and brown for Hispanics. So each Democratic Party constituency had a stripe in the coalition. The fact that Jesse was Black was immaterial to the Coalition members---he was just the leader, a temporary CEO of this cause for the greater good. We had that brown stripe and that was all that mattered. When we called in phone banking and people answered “But he is a Black Man” --- and we said “So?”.
Taking this lesson from the Rainbow Coalition we have our own stripe again: it is in the ‘Hope’ and ‘Change We Can Believe In’ themes of the Obama campaign. These are messages and symbols that resonate in the Latino community that has been bypassed for so long.
William Henry Mee
Santa Fe, N.M.
Yesterday the Obama campaign released a 30 second television ad in Spanish. Barack speaks about the critical importance of voting, for your future and your family's future.
Watch the ad, and share it with a friend.
If you know Latinos who would like to get involved in the campaign for change in New Hampshire, or who need more information, please visit our New Hampshire Latinos website: my.barackobama.com/nhlatinos
We need your help - 11 days left to step up.
The country is about to elect it's first African American president. It's a historical moment
The image of an African American as the leader of the US will bring deep social changes to our country. His presidency will be a subtle reminder to all of us that color has no correlation with intellect. He will be a role model for the African American youth, some who will most likely follow in his footsteps. His presidency will redefine and expand the meaning of being a US American, to include more deeply the African American culture
Nevertheless, amidst this historical time, we are leaving out a large constituency. Hispanics are part of this country’s mix and they are shaping the direction of the US. However, mainstream media does not show this fact, just like they failed to showcase the political voice of African Americans for many decades. There is a lag from when the media chooses to showcase an image of our country to what is really happening. African Americans have been part of our countries’ political make up for many decades, but I feel it’s until recently that the media began to project this fact. Hispanics are currently part of this country’s political make-up but this fact is not being presented to the public.
Must 30 or 50 years pass for the media to recognize the political voice of Latinos and just then finally showcase this fact to the world?
On October 5th a group of Latino community leaders in Grand Rapids, MI organized a “Last Chance Party!” at El Sombrero Restaurant to raise awareness of the importance of Latinos registering to vote. Good food, buena música, and excellent company made the day a success. The event was a collaboration between business, faith, and community leaders.
It's a momentous time in the US. The possibility that Barack Obama will be the first African American president in US history seems more and more likely as time passes. His campaign exudes a sense of inevitable victory...like it's destined to win. I feel the media has picked up on this. It seems there are more African American commentators are on TV and the the media is giving African Americans more equitable time on TV to voice their opinions. It’s fascinating to watch this happen, however this should have occurred many years ago.
The US is no longer the black and white world, literally and figuratively, that existed 100 years ago. Today, Latinos are a big part of this mix. Latinos will, in the near future, become the majority of the minorities. English no longer holds a monopoly on the means of communication; Spanish has become a fierce competitor in the US. The growing use of bi-lingual education is testament to this fact. Favorite fastfoods such as pizza, hotdogs and burgers are now no longer the number one choice. It's now Mexican and other Hispanic foods that are seducing the palates of many around the US. We are now becoming "green" people a long past tradition of our Latin American "Indian" ancestors. I hope an Obama presidency will lead the country to recognize this reality and thus show the world that the US is more than just a black and white world.
Earlier this afternoon, Minnesota Latinos for Obama launched a major effort to raise money for a national Latino GOTV operation designed to engage and turnout millions of new Latino voters.
We'll have pictures and a full write up soon, but for now, check out the press release about the event and fundraising effort:
ST. PAUL – Today, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson joined Minnesota state Sen. Patricia Torres Ray and hundreds of members of Minnesota's Latino community for a reception at the Landmark Center in St. Paul to kick off a major push to raise more than $100,000 as Minnesota's contribution to a national Latino voter turnout program that will engage millions of new Latino voters for Barack Obama's Campaign for Change. This unprecedented financial haul is a symbol of the growing Latino organizing strength in Minnesota and the strong base of support Senator Obama has mobilized among Minnesota Latinos. Governor Richardson spoke to hundreds of supporters about Senator Obama's plans to strengthen families, restore our economy for working Minnesotans and build strong communities. "Barack Obama is the only candidate who can bring this country together to get the economy working again for middle class families," Governor Bill Richardson said. "John McCain just does not get what families are dealing with in this tough economy. We just cannot continue with four more years of the failed policies of the last eight years. Senator Obama will invest in our families, get a hold of this economic crisis and get this country back on track by re-focusing on middle-class families." Torres Ray, the first Latina state senator in Minnesota history, has long been a strong and active Obama supporter. "Latinos are a critical and growing group of voters who will help determine the course of this election in key states," Torres Ray said. "Here in Minnesota, the Latino community has never been as strongly organized and activated as it is now. This outpouring of support for Senator Obama reflects the fact that he has stood with us time and again on issue after issue. John McCain has let Latinos down, letting the radical wing of his party shape his views and undermine his principles. We need Barack Obama and Joe Biden in office to return a strong voice for the issues we care about."
ST. PAUL – Today, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson joined Minnesota state Sen. Patricia Torres Ray and hundreds of members of Minnesota's Latino community for a reception at the Landmark Center in St. Paul to kick off a major push to raise more than $100,000 as Minnesota's contribution to a national Latino voter turnout program that will engage millions of new Latino voters for Barack Obama's Campaign for Change. This unprecedented financial haul is a symbol of the growing Latino organizing strength in Minnesota and the strong base of support Senator Obama has mobilized among Minnesota Latinos.
Governor Richardson spoke to hundreds of supporters about Senator Obama's plans to strengthen families, restore our economy for working Minnesotans and build strong communities.
"Barack Obama is the only candidate who can bring this country together to get the economy working again for middle class families," Governor Bill Richardson said. "John McCain just does not get what families are dealing with in this tough economy. We just cannot continue with four more years of the failed policies of the last eight years. Senator Obama will invest in our families, get a hold of this economic crisis and get this country back on track by re-focusing on middle-class families."
Torres Ray, the first Latina state senator in Minnesota history, has long been a strong and active Obama supporter.
"Latinos are a critical and growing group of voters who will help determine the course of this election in key states," Torres Ray said. "Here in Minnesota, the Latino community has never been as strongly organized and activated as it is now. This outpouring of support for Senator Obama reflects the fact that he has stood with us time and again on issue after issue. John McCain has let Latinos down, letting the radical wing of his party shape his views and undermine his principles. We need Barack Obama and Joe Biden in office to return a strong voice for the issues we care about."
Go to cafepress.com on line store
