Miguel Perez from Creators Syndicate

Who Can Fix Immigration: Obama or McCain? for 07/22/2008

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700

It is a political minefield so dangerous that no one dares to lead us through it. The presidential candidates dance around it as if we don't notice, but both Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain clearly are avoiding one of the most important and controversial issues in the minds of most Americans.

What are they really going to do about illegal immigration? Does anybody know?

...

Updated: Tue Jul 22, 2008

]]>

Are Latinos Voting for Obama or Against Republicans? for 07/29/2008

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700

The dramatic surge in Latino support for Sen. Barack Obama may be the last straw that tips the scale and puts America's first black president in the White House.

When many Latinos were voting for Sen. Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primaries, some pundits actually suggested that this was based on racism — that Latinos would not vote for a black man.

Of course, this opinio ...

Updated: Tue Jul 29, 2008

]]>

Going Home Is Painful, Even on Video for 08/05/2008

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Think of the house of your childhood, the one that you haven't seen in many years but still brings back very good memories. And then consider that it has been turned into a police station and that the bedroom you once shared with your brother is now the cell. There are bars on your bedroom door!

Think of the other house, the one on the farm where you were born, and then consider that it ...

Updated: Tue Aug 05, 2008

]]>

Latino-American History, Chapter 7: Exalted or Offended? for 08/12/2008

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700

It all began with an innocuous column to commemorate Hispanic Heritage Month, one that encouraged U.S. Latinos to take pride in the contributions their ancestors made to this great nation. And yet many non-Latinos were offended.

Almost 20 years ago, in a column I wrote for the New York Daily News, I told Latinos that they have many reasons to take pride in their North American roots, tha ...

Updated: Tue Aug 12, 2008

]]>

Georgia on Her Mind for 08/19/2008

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700

When she wrote about Tbilisi as part of a class assignment at Lehman College in the Bronx, N.Y., this spring, Ekaterine Osepashvili didn't know her hometown soon would become the center of world attention.

Her article — published in The Bronx Journal, Lehman's student newspaper — was a very personal account that revealed not only the historic treasures of that beautiful city ...

Updated: Tue Aug 19, 2008

]]>

Your Party or Your People? for 08/26/2008

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700

When they begin their journeys, their intentions are usually good and genuine: They seek personal political empowerment so they can help their people.

But something happens to many Hispanic community activists on their way to gaining that power. In order to move up the ladder, they often are forced to cut deals with the political establishment and to become peons of political party machi ...

Updated: Tue Aug 26, 2008

]]>

The 'Bola' Is in McCain's Court for 09/02/2008

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0700

When they come to the barrios to seek the Hispanic vote, Democratic Party leaders tell us anything we want to hear, especially about their plans to fix our broken immigration system and to grant some kind of amnesty to the 12 million illegal immigrants already living here.

But when they address a national audience, as they did from their convention in Denver last week, you don't hear any ...

Updated: Tue Sep 02, 2008

]]>

McCain Hits, Stays on 1st Base for 09/09/2008

Tue, 09 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0700

When it became John McCain's turn to bat in the contest to win the Hispanic vote, the senator from Arizona took a good swing at the "bola." But he got a base hit when he needed a home run.

"We believe everyone has something to contribute and deserves the opportunity to reach their God-given potential," McCain said in his acceptance speech at the Republican National Co ...

Updated: Tue Sep 09, 2008

]]>

Latino-American History, Chapter 8: We Are All 'Americanos' for 09/16/2008

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Perhaps I had not been paying attention, but now that I'm in the midst of writing a series of columns on the Latino contributions to North American society, I see a history column everywhere I look.

When Sen. John McCain reminded us that a Latina daughter of migrant workers is just as "American" as a boy whose ancestors were on the Mayflower, most people rightfully read it as a ...

Updated: Tue Sep 16, 2008

]]>

Latino-American History, Chapter 9: Latinos Are Failing for 09/23/2008

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0700

About this time every year, when Latinos can't keep up with all the parades and fiestas to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, I get terribly upset.

I keep looking for the kind of substance that African-Americans absorb in serious seminars and lectures during Black History Month, but I can't find it!

Amid the cocktail parties and parade pageants to elect queens and hobnob with poli ...

Updated: Tue Sep 23, 2008

]]>

Beating Around the Bush Bailout for 09/30/2008

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0700

With leaders such as Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain, what's there to worry about?

Did you see them in their highly anticipated first debate? Didn't you feel reassured that the nation's financial crisis soon will be in good hands?

Not!

Instead of a demonstration of their leadership qualities, we saw two men keeping their fingers to the wind.

On the Wall Street bai ...

Updated: Tue Sep 30, 2008

]]>

Latino-American History, Chapter 10: Columbus Deserves His Day for 10/07/2008

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700

To most of us, he was the ultimate explorer, the gutsy genius who brought Europe to the New World, one of history's greatest figures.

His name, of course, was Cristobal Colon, better known here as Christopher Columbus, the Italian navigator, who sailed for Spain.

To Italian-Americans, the day he "discovered" the New World marks the day when they display pride for their h ...

Updated: Tue Oct 07, 2008

]]>

Latino-American History, Chapter 11: Two Good Places To Rest for 10/14/2008

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700

To most Spaniards, Christopher Columbus rests where he belongs: in the Gothic Cathedral of Santa Maria, in Seville, Spain, the city from where he set sail for the New World in 1492.

But to most Dominicans, Columbus rests where he wanted to be buried: in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, where they have built him an impressive tomb — the cross-shaped monument known as "El Faro ...

Updated: Tue Oct 14, 2008

]]>

In an Act of Desperation, McCain Tries To Connect With Latinos for 10/21/2008

Tue, 21 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700

It took him a long time, but Sen. John McCain finally said what he needed to say to score some points with Latino voters.

In last Wednesday's presidential debate, McCain brought up immigration, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, the pending free trade agreement with Colombia, and made Sen. Barack Obama defend his absurd position on renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement wit ...

Updated: Tue Oct 21, 2008

]]>

'Locos' About Obama? for 10/28/2008

Tue, 28 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700

He never has traveled to Latin America. He opposes free trade with Colombia, turning his back on one of the only U.S. allies in the region. He wants to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement with Mexico and Canada. He insists on meeting "without preconditions" with tyrants such as Cuba's Fidel and Raul Castro and anti-American zealots such as Venezuela's Hugo Chavez. He h ...

Updated: Tue Oct 28, 2008

]]>

Mexico Wears Two Faces for 11/04/2008

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0800

At first, you think it must be some kind of sick joke. Someone must be trying to be funny by twisting a few things around and making it seem as if Mexico, the world's largest exporter of illegal immigrants, is vowing to arrest and deport anyone who enters that country illegally. You try to laugh, but it's not really that funny.

"Of course, it has to be a joke," you say to yours ...

Updated: Tue Nov 04, 2008

]]>

The Punching Bag Strikes Back for 11/11/2008

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0800

Latinos flipped the vote in four battleground states and gave Barack Obama free passage to the White House. But did Obama earn the Hispanic vote, or did he win it by default?

More importantly, will President-elect Obama repay his debt to Latinos, or will he continue to take their support for granted and go on ignoring them?

During his race against Sen. John McCain, Obama paid litt ...

Updated: Tue Nov 11, 2008

]]>

Blacks and Latinos: Natural Allies for 11/18/2008

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0800

When Barack Obama was losing the Hispanic vote to Hillary Clinton during the Democratic primaries, some people automatically assumed that racial discrimination had something to do with it. There was widespread speculation that Hispanics wouldn't vote for a black candidate.

In many cities where blacks and Latinos live side by side, there was plenty of evidence to the contrary. In local el ...

Updated: Tue Nov 18, 2008

]]>

Looking for Brown Faces for 11/25/2008

Tue, 25 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0800

As President-elect Barack Obama takes his time to make his first Hispanic appointment, the Latino leaders who supported him are beginning to squirm — not because they all expect job offers, but because they fear they could end up with egg on their faces.

Just a few days ago, they were saying they expected Obama to repay his debt to Latino voters by naming between two and four Latin ...

Updated: Tue Nov 25, 2008

]]>

The Jobs That Americans (SET ITAL) Didn't (END ITAL) Want for 12/02/2008

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 00:00:00 -0800

It was bigger than any border wall, more secure than any sophisticated ID card, and more effective than immigration raids and border vigilantes. It turned out to be the most effective weapon for deterring illegal immigration. Who would have thought of it? All we needed to do was thrash our economy!

Now that the so-called "jobs that Americans don't want" are becoming much more d ...

Updated: Tue Dec 02, 2008

]]>