A Flare-Up in the Quiet War over Caribbean Rum
The battle between Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands erupted last fall after Congress stuck $192 million in rum tax rebates for the U.S. territories into the $700 billion financial bailout package.
The rum provision was small potatoes but highly symbolic. Opponents of the bailout bill derided the rebate as a subsidy for rum-makers. Liquor industry interests howled that the money went to the territorial governments, not the rum-makers. When Congress passed the bailout, the furor died – but politicking over the obscure rebate program continues.
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
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?
Historic 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.
Gemini Division
Rosario Dawson stars in Gemini Dvision, a web only sci-fi show with 5 minute episodes. Rosario plays Detectve Ana Diaz, who suddenly finds herself in a secret agency fighting a group of super soldiers. The show promises to set some good trends with online shows.
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.
Letter from Barack Obama to Puerto Rico
Barack Obama wrote a letter to the people of Puerto Rico to express his views on Puerto Rican status, citizenship, jobs, health and their place in America.
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.
Cesar 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.
