Duane Buck case shows amnesia on Texas Death Penalty
The media appears to be in a bit of a frenzy over the recent Supreme Court halt on the death penalty case for Duane Edward Buck. Unfortunately, there is next to no mention of Victor Hugo Saldano. Saldano won his stay while Governor George W. Bush was still campaigning for president and John Cornyn was Attorney General for Texas.
The facts of Saldano and Buck's case are that under Bush and Cornyn, Dr. Walter Quijano testified at several capital murder cases where he offered supposedly professional, scientific testimony that because of many factors, including being Black or Hispanic, those two groups were "more worthy of the death penalty" due to "future dangerousness." The idea is that because Blacks and Hispanics are statistically more likely to be repeat offenders, this shows that if they are tried for capital murder, they inherently have the qualities you look for to favor the death penalty over a life sentence. Add a comment
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On Texas State Website, Calls for Vigilante Justice
Texans advocating extreme solutions to secure the border — including land mines and booby traps on Texas farmland along the Rio Grande — have a new forum to share their views: a website operated by the Texas Department of Agriculture.
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Residents of War-Torn Ciudad Mier Slowly Return Home
by Julian Aguilar, The Texas Tribune
The Mexican city of Ciudad Mier is limping back to normalcy a month after residents were forced to abandon their homes amid threats by the notorious Los Zetas cartel.
Mier, which sits about a half-dozen miles from the Texas border in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas, looked this week like a city rebuilding after a war between the Zetas and the Gulf cartel closed schools and businesses and left a majority of buildings abandoned and strewn with broken glass. The police station is now a charred shell in which a filing cabinet sits half-opened and riddled with bullet holes. Just blocks from the city’s northern entrance, a worker with the federal electric company, Comisión Federal de Electricidad, was installing transformers after a ferocious gun battle between the warring gangs knocked out power to the main thoroughfare. Add a comment
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Dream Students
While Congress continues to debate the DREAM Act, which would allow some young people a path to citizenship, it's worth looking at the pros and cons. Immigration discussions general include making sure America recieves people with skills or talent to increase our own percieved value as a society.
Look at a a brief scorecard of the potential beneficiaries of this law, it's easy to see the basic character of the young people benefitting. Add a comment
Fox News Latino uses "anchor baby" slur for Cruz-Bardem baby
Writing for Fox News Latino, Alexandra Gratereaux summarizes a Spanish article, by saying actors Pénelope Cruz and Javier Bardem plan on having an anchor baby because the baby will be born in Los Angeles instead of heir native Spain.
A Fox News press release describes their Latino portal as "an unprecedented opportunity to expand our reach by engaging a new audience and providing a unique platform on which web users can access compelling content focused on the Latino community and the American dream."
The idea of an anchor baby is that immigrants come here just to have a baby on US soil and make them US citizens. It's a derogatory slur and would be on par with calling Bristol Palin's child a bastard or illegitimate, which no professional journalist would stoop to. Add a comment
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TX House Bills Would Crack Down on Illegal Immigration
Republican state lawmakers, buoyed by their party’s resounding victories on Election Day, are signaling just how far they're willing to go in cracking down on illegal immigration in the upcoming legislative session. A slew of bills filed Monday includes measures that would sanction businesses that hire undocumented workers, require state agencies to report on the costs of providing services to illegal immigrants and allow police to check an individual's immigration status on “reasonable suspicion.”
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Cinco de Mayo
Cinco de Mayo may be the most well known celebration by Latinos in the United States. It is, however, one of the most misunderstood celebrations. Is it Mexican Independence Day? Why does it seem to be celebrated by Latinos in the United States more than Mexico? Is it appropriate to celebrate a Mexican holiday in the United States? Is it a holiday just for Mexican Americans or for all Latinos in the United States?
And why is this holiday important for all Americans?
Add a commentUnivision joins YouTube
Wired is reporting that Univision has entered an agreement with YouTube to add Spanish language programming to the online video site. This expands the possible audience and availability of Univision's poular programming, but even mor einteresting is the progressive business model.
They will be streaming online with ads, but they will also use Google's technology to recognize when users upload Univision content and instead of threatening the user and taking it down, they will injct ads and monetize the copyright infringement.
This allows them to protect their rights to profit form their content while not alienating fans. At the same time, it crowd-sources revenue opportunitities because a fan might present a clip in a context or manner the networks didn't think to, possibly reaching more viewers than the rights holders would have in the beginning.
Anyway, stay tuned to your computer for upcoming episodes of shows ranging from Mujeres Asesinas to El Gordo y La Flaca and Don Francisco Presenta.
Add a commentBrief Account of the Devastation of the Indies
A first hand account of the indigenous genocide which occurred in the West Indies, Bartolome de Las Casas one of the priests who accompanied the Spanish to the Caribbean.
Add a commentLatinos Incógnitos
This is a list of stars that aren't grouped as Latinos in the general media because of their appearance, speech, name, or mixed heritage. Since Latinos have varying degrees of European, Asian, African, and Indigenous heritage, many of us don't fit the archetype of outward appearance that people expect. If you know of any Latinos Incógnitos, send me an e-mail and I'll add them to the list.Add a comment
The Role Played by Hispanics in the US Revolution
MARYLAND STATE RESOLUTIONON THE ROLE PLAYED BY HISPANICS
IN THE ACHIEVEMENT OF AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE
16 March, 1996
Submitted by Héctor Díaz, Chairman of the Hispanics in History Cultural Organization
WHEREAS, the Independence of the United States of America was achieved not only due to the efforts of American patriots, but also to the assistance of foreign governments, soldiers and individuals who supported them, and
WHEREAS, in spite of being an important factor in the victory, the participation of Hispanics in the War of Independence is not mentioned in the history textbooks of this nation, and
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Latino Patriotism
Few others can claim the patriotism demonstrated by our Hispanic citizens. Consistent with this, they've received awards for heroism and bravery far in excess to their proportion of the population.--Ronald Reagan - September 16, 1981
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Latino Medal of Honor Recipients
Would you jump on a grenade to protect your mission, your weapons or your fellow soldiers? Would you take a bullet and continue fighting for the sake of the country? How about several bullets and some shrapnel?
Would you risk your life to save another soldier or expose yourself to open fire to keep your entire platoon from perishing?
Add a commentHistoric Latino Voter Turnout Helps Elect Barack Obama
Latino voters turned out in record numbers this election and voted decisively for Barack Obama, helping him win in a landslide election in which the minority vote provided the decisive margin of victory. According to exit poll projections, almost 11 million Latinos voted with 67% voting for Senator Obama. If these numbers hold, it would be an astounding 44% increase in Latino voter turnout since the 2004 elections. Senator Obama received a higher percentage of the Latino vote than did John Kerry (59%) and Al Gore (62%) putting to rest for good the suggestion by some that Latinos would not vote for an African American candidate.
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2008 Party Platforms on Immigration
The Democratic and Republican parties just finished their conventions. With vice presidential announcements and hurricanes, the party platforms were widely ignored. These platforms are part of what the candidates from each party will try to uphold when they reach office. They can often have widespread impacts on Latinos in the United States and abroad. Add a comment
Dolores Huerta (1930 - present)
Dolores C. Huerta is the co-founder and Secretary-Treasurer of the United Farm Workers of America, AFL-CIO ("UFW"). The mother of 11 children, 14 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren, Dolores has played a major roll in the American civil rights movement.
Dolores Huerta was born on April 10, 1930 in a mining town in northern New Mexico, where her father, Juan Fernandez, was a miner, field worker, union activist and State Assemblyman. Her parents divorced when she was three years old. Her mother, Alicia Chavez, raised Dolores, along with her two brothers, and two sisters, in the central San Joaquin Valley farm worker community of Stockton, California. Her mother was a businesswoman who owned a restaurant and a 70-room hotel, which often put up farm worker families for free.
Add a commentCesar Estrada Chavez (1927 - 1993)
The Story of Cesar Chavez
THE BEGINNING
The story of Cesar Estrada Chavez begins near Yuma, Arizona. Cesar was born on March 31, 1927. He was named after his grandfather, Cesario. Regrettably, the story of Cesar Estrada Chavez also ends near Yuma, Arizona. He passed away on April 23, 1993, in San Luis, a small village near Yuma, Arizona.
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