Obama & McCain Endorsed by Largest Spanish Newspaper LA OPINIÓN

LA OPINIÓN's Democratic choice is Barack Obama____Leer en Español

Here's an excerpt from the endorsement:

We believe that of the two, Senator Barack Obama represents fundamental change in a campaign in which "change" has become a central theme. Obama’s approach to immigration and his inspiring vision are what the country need to break through the current feeling of political malaise.

We need a leader today that can inspire and unite America again around its greatest possibilities. Barack Obama is the right leader for the time. We know that he is not as well known among our community and while he has the support of Maria Elena Durazo, Senator Gil Cedillo and others he comes to the Latino community with less name recognition. Nevertheless, it is Obama who deserves our support.

La Opinion's Republican choice is John McCain

Here's an excerpt from the endorsement:

The Arizona senator’s longtime position on immigration would by itself be reason enough to support his candidacy, but there are more reasons why we believe he should win the Republican primary.

McCain is a politician with broad experience and strong convictions that have at times led him to disagree with his party and the White House. We do not agree with all of his positions, such as his support for President Bush’s Iraq policy. However, in comparison to his rivals in his party, he has more pros than cons. We point to his efforts to limit the damaging influence of special interest money in Washington, his zeal on budget issues, and his inclusiveness and moderation on social issues.

Pro-immigrant activists opposed the 'inhumane and unjust' immigration bill

While the anti-Latino immigrant lobby is overjoyed at their success in killing the so-called Border Security and Immigration Reform Bill, many on the pro-immigrant never lifted a finger in support of that bill--and they, too, were pleased by its dismissed.

The mainstream media reported the proposal's defeat as a defeat for the pro-immigrant side because a few visible organizations such as the National Council of La Raza signed on as supporters. But groups like La Raza are longstanding inside the Beltway operators with a range of political and economic interests--and a history of engaging in "practical" politics. Their calculation was clearly that a bad bill was better than nothing.

However, the people on the front lines of the immigration divide never had much love for the mess that was being sold in Washington as immigration reform.

For example, Enrique Morones of Border Angels and his fellow activists support a humane and just solution to the immigration problem--and they view the defeated proposal as offering neither. In their view no bill was better than a very bad one.

These are some of the larger organizations that called for the defeat of the bill: Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA), the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the National Alliance of Latin American and Caribbean Communities (NALACC), the Mexican American Political Association (MAPA), Hermandad Mexicana Latinoamericana and the William C. Velasquez Institute (WCVI).

Morones rightly observes that "...true change for justice takes time"-- and that no amount of political expediency should be allowed to compromise what's right.

His prescription for a human and just immigration reform?

As a human rights activist, Morones advocates marching forward against the stiff wall of bigotry and hate erected by the right. He advises "…let’s continue to peacefully lobby, educate, organize, etc…lets register more people to vote…protect all our people as humane reform will take place."

BTW: Morones has paid a heavy price for standing up for what's right. The San Diego Padres relieved him of his executive position for acting on his civic and moral duty to save people from dying at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Click here for more on Enrique Morones and his humanitarian organization Border Angels.

Learning to love our Native roots

Note: This article is written by a 17 year old young man of Puerto Rican and Quechan Indian heritage. He writes about how his confused identity led him into passing for Mexican on the streets of LA and getting deeply involved gangbanging. It has been his search for his true native identity that has rescued him. He now lives in San Francisco where he's finishing high school and he next wants to go college. His goal? To return to LA to help other young people find their true paths.

I wish him well.

But how many more of our young people are hurting themselves or others due to their confusion? How many of us older folks walk around wounded inside because we're still confused? Isn't it time for you to learn to love your native roots?

UPDATE: The article does not appear to be available either on YO! or New America News, but it is on a yahoogroup. Here's the link: Cholo: Learning to love my Native roots (by Alex Cantero, 17, YO! Youth Outlook - 6.11.07)

My mom is Quechan Native American and grew up in the Echo Park area of Los Angeles, while my dad was born in Puerto Rico and grew up in New York. So, I have Indian from both sides. One side is Taino Indian, the people who were raped by Columbus and whose land he stole.

Quechan Indians are from Arizona. Their land is right on the border of Mexico and Arizona and was occupied by the Spaniards. From what I’ve read on the internet, the Quechans fought the Spaniards. They weren’t wiped out like many other tribes were. It makes me proud that they fought the conquerors. If I were around back then, I would have been one of the main warriors, wiping out every European I came across.

My mom’s immediate family has lived in L.A since the early 1900s, while the rest of her family lived on the reservation in Arizona. In L.A., they struggled when growing up because they were Indian and they grew up in the barrio.

The Pachucos – Mexican gangsters in L.A during the 40s, famous for wearing Zoot Suits and fighting with sailors – used to beat up my grandma and my mom’s uncles just for being Indian. That just shows how ignorant people are about their own history and how their race came into existence.

Many Latino people don’t realize they are children of rape because before the Spaniards came, this was all native land. A lot of Latinos deny their Indian roots because they were brainwashed by Christianity and Spanish culture. In Mexican culture, “indio” is the same as “poor and stupid.”

More

California's Booming Latinos: 52% by 2042

"The sky is the limit for Latino children today. They're going to have a world of opportunities handed to them as the baby boomers, who are largely white, retire. We haven't felt in the past that we needed them that much. But we're going to feel it."

So says Dowell Myers, a University of Southern California professor and author of Immigrants and Boomers, to the latest report by California's Department of Finance projecting that Latinos will become the state's majority ethnic group by 2042.

The report released Monday by predicts that 52 percent of all Californians will be Latino by 2050, when whites will make up just 26 percent of the population.

See California boomin' (Sacramento Bee - 7.10.07)