Tea Party Republican Lamar Smith: Immigrant Detention Centers are like a Luxury Hotel

On Wednesday, the House Committee on the Judiciary convened a hearing on the supposedly posh conditions at the Department of Homeland Security's immigrant detention centers. The hearing, dubbed "Holiday on ICE" by chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas), focused on the false premise that the Obama administration rules intended to prevent sexual abuse and inhumane conditions at Immigrations and Customs Enforcement facilities made detention too fancy. "

Congressmember Lamar Smith compared federal agents to a “concierge” and refused requests from Democrat committee members to change the obscene title to the hearings. More than 33,000 are held at these inhumane and vermin infested detention facilities daily, according to ICE. Some of these facilities have been under investigation for inadequate medical care, cases of sexual assault and other abuses. Most of these are private prisons owned by supporters of the Republicans in power.
As is well known, detainees are kept under extremely harsh conditions, without proper food or water.
SHAME ON LAMAR SMITH!!

Police Video Proves Trayvon's Murderer George Zimmerman LIED! He said he suffered a Broken Nose, and had blood & grass stains on Shirt & Clothes!

George Zimmerman LIED! (SEE VIDEO) He said he was the victim the night of the murder. He said Trayvon was beating him up, sitting on top of him. He said Trayvon broke his nose and he was covered in Blood and Grass Stains. Look at the Police Video the night of the murder. No Bloody Nose. Nothing Broken. No blood at all. No grass stains at all. Clean as a whistle. (SEE VIDEO)

The latest news results indicate the Lead Investigator wanted Zimmerman charged with manslaughter, but for some reason, the Prosecuting Attorney in Sanford didn't want to charge him.

Also, now we find out that Zimmerman's father, Robert Zimmerman is a retired US Magistrate judge and his mother was a court clerk.

Also, Zimmerman is not a Latino. His father is White and his mother, who is also White, was originally from Peru. Look at shooter Zimmerman's picture. He was previously charged with felony assault on a Police Officer. Somehow those charges were dropped. Did his father influence then too? He cannot be allowed to escape responsibility for his crimes.

Hopefully now, Zimmerman will finally be brought to justice. Hopefully now, the right wing media (Fox, Drudge, etc.) will stop attacking the murdered victim, Trayvon.

Trayvon Martin Case potentially Uncovers More Corrupt Police Racial Profiling Suspects

NOLA.com reports: A New Orleans police officer currently under investigation in a recent police-involved fatal shooting has been suspended indefinitely without pay for posting intemperate remarks on an online news story, suggesting that a young man wearing a hooded sweatshirt deserved to die because he "acted like a thug." Officer Jason Giroir posted "Act like a Thug Die like one!" on an online WWL-TV article posted Sunday about local citizens rallying to protest the fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed 17-year-old Florida boy who was killed Feb. 26 while wearing a hooded sweatshirt and walking through a gated community.

Martin's encounter with a gun-wielding citizen in his Florida neighborhood has become a flashpoint of national debate, hitting on contemporary issues of race and profiling, and a citizen's right to bear arms.

After an online commenter named Eddie Johnson criticized Giroir's comments as racist and questioned whether a hooded sweatshirt makes someone a thug, Giroir responded: "Eddie come on down to our town with a 'Hoodie' and you can join Martin in HELL and talk about your racist stories!:-P"

Police Superintendent Ronal Serpas announced the discipline Monday at a 3 p.m. news conference.

Serpas said Giroir's postings caused him great concern and prompted an immediate suspension.

"To say I'm angry is an understatement. I'm furious," Serpas said.

Serpas repeatedly stated that Giroir's views do not reflect those of the NOPD.

Giroir's wife also posted a similar comment about Martin -- "He acted like a thug and died like one" -- under the news story on the WWL-TV site.

Giroir's attorney, Eric Hessler, said Monday that Giroir spoke to NOPD internal affairs investigators Monday and admitted to making the postings.

"His statement is, 'Yes, I did it,'" Hessler said. "He certainly didn't mean it as a racial comment, as an offensive comment, although it came out that way. He acknowledges he should have chosen better words. I couldn't agree with him more."

Hessler said everyone, especially police officers, need to "think before they type."

The attorney said Giroir is not a racist.

"It was a boneheaded comment," Hessler said. "He admits so."

Giroir is currently under investigation for his role in a fatal shootout earlier this month in Mid-City. Two officers -- Anthony Mayfield Jr. and Michael Asevedo -- were severely wounded. Civilian Justin Sipp, who police say opened fire first, was fatally shot by police, and his brother was wounded.

The incident followed a traffic stop Giroir made early thatmorning on a vehicle that allegedly had a broken license plate light. Inside the car were the Sipp brothers, Justin and Earl.

After Justin Sipp began firing, Giroir and Mayfield returned fire, police have said. Giroir was not wounded.
While the investigation is ongoing, NOPD has not suggested that the shooting was unjustified. On the day of the incident, Mayor Mitch Landrieu referred to the injured officers as "heroes."

At the time of the shooting, Giroir's public Myspace profile also featured comments that suggested he sometimes bends rules in his job. The profile read:

"Hello, my name is Jason C. Giroir. I have been a New Orleans police officer for almost 10 years. I enjoy my job because I like to make a positive impact in life. Sometimes that means not doing everything by the book. Everyone who knows me understands what I mean."

He goes on to talk about his family, calling them the strength and motivation in his life.

Under the category for occupation, he listed his job as "Punisher."

Joe Arpaio Heads to Trial July 19; Court Says Racist eMails Proving Racial Profiling are IN!

The decision of the Court says the Racist eMails are IN!
Joe Arpaio will finally face justice. More than four years after it was first filed, and more than three years since the American Civil Liberties Union lodged its amended complaint in the case, the big racial profiling lawsuit against Sheriff Joe Arpaio -- Melendres v. Arpaio -- will finally go to trial this summer. U.S. District Court Judge G. Murray Snow has scheduled a seven day trial to begin July 19.

Snow ruled on various motions before him, the most significant being the admission of scores of letters from bigoted Maricopa County residents to Arpaio complaining about Latino Spanish speakers, day laborers, and the presence of Mexicans (Brown People) in general. The exhibits in question also include internal MCSO e-mails containing various vile, racist jokes and pictures targeting Mexicans.

Arpaio's lawyers asked that the exhibits not be admitted. Without any discussion, Snow denied their motion saying "Sample communications from the public include requests that MCSO conduct special operations in Sun City because the writer heard employees of a restaurant speaking Spanish, that MCSO operate in Surprise because the writer observed `dozens of day workers' there, and that it send officers to Mesa because the writer observed day laborers, `most of whom, I would believe to be here illegally.' Subsequently, MCSO conducted special operations in the locations specified in the communications." (Racial Profiling PROVED!)
In other words, Arpaio and his masked volunteers conducted their "Suppression Sweeps" (Apraio's term) because those that emailed Joe saw too many Brown People speaking Spanish so they must be "Illeegal."
Now, Judge Snow has ruled that ALL of these racist emails will be read before the court. This will PROVE, once and for all, IN COURT, that Arpaio and his masked volunteers are GUILTY and will be held accountable for ALL of their Racial Profiling and Abuse against Latinos.
Here are several examples of his Abuse:
Arpaio has had so many Racial Profiling abuses. He and his masked goons have been violating Latino Americans' rights for years! Recently, he LOST a racial profiling case. Here are more of his abuses. Hopefully the people who have been abused by him will ALSO take him to court and finally achieve Justice for the wrongdoings perpetrated by Arpaio and his volunteer masked goon squad.
I hope all of them find a lawyer TODAY! May Justice be Served!

HERE IS THE CONFIRMATION MASS WHERE ARPAIO RACIALLY PROFILED THE INNOCENT LATINO CHILDREN!


ONE OF ARPAIO'S MASKED VOLUNTEER GOONS!

President Obama issues Proclamation - Cesar Chavez Day, May 31

César Estrada Chávez (March 31, 1927 – April 23, 1993) was an American farm worker, labor leader, and civil rights activist who, with Dolores Huerta, co-founded the National Farm Workers Association (now: United Farm Workers - UFW).
César Chávez's birthday, March 31, is celebrated in California and Texas as a state holiday, intended to promote service to the community in honor of Chávez's life and work. The President has proclaimed March 31 Cesar Chavez Day with Americans being urged to "observe this day with appropriate service, community, and educational programs to honor Cesar Chavez's enduring legacy."

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION

One of our Nation’s great civil rights leaders, Cesar Estrada Chavez came of age as a migrant farm worker, witnessing the injustice that pervaded fields and vineyards across California. Facing discrimination, poverty, and dangerous working conditions, laborers toiled for little pay and without access to even the most basic necessities. Yet amidst hardship and abuse, Cesar Chavez saw the promise of change — the unlimited potential of a community organized around a common purpose. Today, we celebrate his courage, reflect on his lifetime of advocacy, and recognize the power in each of us to lift up lives and pursue social justice.

Inspired by Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and other visionary leaders, Cesar Chavez based his campaign on principles of nonviolence, which he called “the quality of the heart.” Through boycotts, fasts, strikes, and marches that demanded both endurance and imagination, he drew thousands together in support of “La Causa” — a mission to ensure respect, dignity, and fair treatment for farm workers. Alongside Dolores Huerta, he founded the United Farm Workers of America (UFW), an organization tasked with defending and empowering the men and women who feed the world.

As a tribute to Cesar Chavez’s life and work, my Administration designated the Forty Acres site in Delano, California, as a National Historical Landmark last year, forever commemorating the birthplace of the UFW. In May 2011, the United States Navy named the USNS Cesar Chavez in recognition of his service during World War II. And this month, we honor ten Americans as Champions of Change for their commitment to realizing Cesar Chavez’s dream of a more just tomorrow. Decades after his struggle began, Cesar Chavez’s legacy lives on in all who draw inspiration from the values of service, determination, and community that ignited his movement.

On the 85th anniversary of Cesar Chavez’s birth, we are reminded of what we can accomplish when we recognize our common humanity. He told us, “We cannot seek achievement for ourselves and forget about progress and prosperity for our community. Our ambitions must be broad enough to include the aspirations and needs of others, for their sakes and for our own.” As we honor his broad ambitions and expansive vision, let us pledge to stand forever on the side of equal opportunity and justice for all.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim March 31, 2012, as Cesar Chavez Day. I call upon all Americans to observe this day with appropriate service, community, and education programs to honor Cesar Chavez’s enduring legacy.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this

twenty-third day of March, in the year of our Lord two thousand twelve, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-sixth.

BARACK OBAMA

Appeals court agrees Farmers Branch law on illegal immigrants is unconstitutional

Dallas Morning News reports: A federal appeals court has upheld a lower court’s ruling that a Farmers Branch ordinance banning illegal immigrants from renting in the city is unconstitutional. The decision by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans on Wednesday echoed a lower court ruling that the power to control immigration rests only with the federal government — not states or cities.

“This is a national problem, needing a national solution. And it impacts the nation’s relations with Mexico and other nations,” the decision said. The appeals court judges said that the ordinance was more than a housing regulation and was “designed to burden aliens, both documented and undocumented, in Farmers Branch. As such, the ordinance serves no legitimate city interest.”

Farmers Branch Mayor Bill Glancy said he hadn’t read the decision or spoken to the city’s outside lawyers about it. But he said, “I have supported our stance on illegal immigration because I feel something must be done.” Glancy said he couldn’t say whether the city would appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court — something former Mayor Tim O’Hare vowed the city would do. So far, the city has spent more than $4 million on legal fees fighting for the ordinance.

“The federal courts have made clear that cities cannot make their own immigration laws and target residents for expulsion simply because of their race or nationality. This ordinance was intended to discriminate against Hispanics.”

The appeals court noted other attempts to regulate illegal immigration in Arizona, Alabama and in Hazleton, Pa. “This increasing treatment — some might say mistreatment — of illegal immigrants around the country only reinforces what the Supreme Court has said in explaining why a national policy on immigration unimpeded by the whims of the various states is paramount,” said the decision, written by Judge Thomas Reavley.

Kris Kobach (of John Tanton's Hate Group F.A.I.R, and on Mitt Romney's campaign team), is part of the legal team for Farmers Branch. He said he was disappointed. He crafted many pieces of legislation around the country that would crack down on illegal immigration.

The Republican LIE About Gas Prices

Uncovering HINOs: Confessions of a (Self Proclaimed) Hispanic Racist

Have you ever met anyone who is ashamed of their heritage or their ethnicity? Let's call them HINOs - "Hispanic In Name Only." I've met a few in my life. Many of them are ashamed of their skin color and disassociate themselves from other Latinos. They never speak Spanish. They might say they are "Spanish" or "I'm just Olive Skinned and tan easily." Some of them try to "pass for White" or may say they are "White Hispanics."

The most extreme HINO's join Anti-Latino groups and pal around with racists. Like Uncle Tom, they bow and cater to the ANTI Latino extremists. They join them in ridiculing and castigating Latinos, often spouting negative Latino stereotypes. They vocally support ANTI-Latino legislation and are against Immigration Reform, against the Dream Act and more. The Anti-Latino Hate groups pat them on the back and hold them up as examples of "Good Latinos."

I've called Marco Rubio a HINO. Rubio supports the Anti Immigration laws like Arizona's sb1070. He is strongly against the Dream Act. Like other Republicans, he is calling for Mass Deportation of the 11M here.
There are many more HINOs out there, who, like Uncle Tom, bow and cater to these ANTI Latino groups.

Here are some examples:
- Al Rodriguez, so called leader of the group "You Don't Speak For Me" which was founded by John Tanton's infamous Hate Group F.A.I.R.
- Anna Gaines who married an Anglo-American to gain citizenship. She speaks at Anti Latino Hate rallies, especially in Maricopa County in support of Arpaio and Pearce.
(Look under the rock in the picture. Yes, that's Al Rodriguez and Anna Gaines with Shawna Forde, the murderer of 9 year old Brisenia Flores.)
Now, let's meet our latest example. Her name is Elissa Roberson. She is (of course) a Republican and wrote an article for 'The College Conservative.' She wrote an aptly titled article "Confessions of a Hispanic Racist." See the title? She admits she is a Hispanic Racist (ashamed of her own ethnicity). The article clearly illustrates this. To summarize, she says:
- she is a 4th generation Hispanic who doesn't speak Spanish because she doesn't want to be "lumped into a stereotype."
- her father is White. Her mother is "fully Hispanic". She said Hispanics, Not Whites, are guilty of Discrimination because Hispanics gave her "Funny Looks" when she walked with her Dad, but didn't when she walked with her Mom. (apparently she doesn't like looking like her mom)
- she opposes the Dream Act because her White Dad never received a scholarship yet she sees all these Hispanics getting scholarships and aid. (I wonder if she ever checked her Dad's grades in school or did she just ASSUME he didn't get a scholarship because he was White?)
- she is insulted by the citizenship questions asked on college scholarship applications. She wants people to check "non-citizen" if it applies so she doesn't have to answer so many questions.
- she says "anchor babies are the illegal immigrants' saving grace" because this allows them to stay and allows them to "move multiple families into a small apartment."
- what really gets under her skin is "the audacity of illegal immigrants." Apparently she looks in the wallets of Latina Moms in her doctor's office or at the grocery store and sees their wallets filled with welfare and medical cards and can barely speak English. (or did she just ASSUME again just because they had brown skin and spoke Spanish?)
- she rants her opposition of the Mexican flag, Hispanics who speak Spanish, and giving Latinos a "Free Ride" during this economy. She then makes this very odd supposition saying "It’s not right for legal, law-abiding citizens and the men and women who have fought for this country to be treated as second-class citizens. (Huh? Where did that come from? Everyone knows Latinos support the military and have the highest rate on the front lines.)
- at the end of her rant, she tries to make amends by saying Hispanics are good looking, have good food and are kind and hard working.
- she closes by saying those who come here illegally have No Respect for America and any Liberals who support them should just move to Mexico.

I first learned of Ms. Roberson from Bad Anon, the hate filled commenter who stalks my blog. He raved about her Uncle Tom attitude. It is obvious to me that Ms. Roberson has never studied the history of Immigration in our country. She is totally unaware of the Racial Profiling type laws that are occurring in state after state promoted by John Tanton's Hate Groups like FAIR and Numbers USA. She is unaware of the Hate Crimes against Latinos that have been exponentially increasing since 2006. She supports English Only. She supports changing the Birthright Citizenship laws in our country. She supports Mass Deportation. She is against the Dream Act. She clearly is attempting to distance herself from her own Hispanic heritage.
I Almost feel sorry for her...the poor HINO.

Santorum's Extremist Fans say "Pretend It's Obama" While he is on the Shooting Range!

GO TO SECOND: 34
THEN THE REST OF THE CROWD LAUGHS! (gun range in Louisiana)

Trayvon Martin Murder: The Crime, Excuse, Cover-Up

HATE CRIME PROVED: The Vigilante who murdered Trayvon Martin called him a "Fuckin Coon"

Listen to the Audio!

Recent Hate Crimes Prove, It is Time for Racial Profiling to END!

I've been following the case of the murdered Trayvon Martin. He was a young, black 17 year old student who was racially profiled and murdered by a racist, overzealous Crime Watch Vigilante. Trayvon had gone to the store and was guilty of carrying a bag of skittles and an Iced Tea. The Crime Watch Vigilante ruthlessly stalked him, ignoring the demands of the 911 operator who told him NOT to follow Trayvon. Instead, the vigilante followed and attacked him and shot him dead.

The local police department allowed the vigilante to go free. However, they continued to victimize Trayvon's young body. They performed drug tests on the poor young minority child. They never contacted his parents. The parents called and called police, searching for their son. The police showed up at their home several days later to inform them of the death of their son and the exoneration of the perpetrator.
It wasn't until his parents, attorneys and Trayvon's friends and journalists advocated for justice that the police in Sanford, FL finally started doing at least a minimal investigation. Local cops fearful of the media finally started doing their job and now are finding themselves in a cauldron of boiling trouble.
As we are all finding out, Florida's racist Republican governor Scott and their racist state government passed a vigilante law "Stand Your Ground" which allowed the racist vigilante to get away scot free.
We are all grateful that supporters of the family - all across the country, and many in the media, are standing up and peacefully protesting for Trayvon and ALL Americans so that we finally put a stop to these Racial Profiling laws.

I am confident that we will see justice in Travyon's case and the perpetrator will be arrested and brought to justice. I am also confident, that with all of this media attention, that the state of Florida and their local officials will be held accountable and finally put an end to their Racial Profiling laws. Hopefully, we will see the end to ALL Racial Profiling laws all across the country, especially -- let's see the end of the racial profiling laws in Arizona (sb1070) and the racial profiling laws in other states, including Alabama, Georgia and other states.

White Nationalist Skin Head Receives Life Sentence in Hate Crime Murder!

CNN Reports: A white Mississippi man has been sentenced to life in prison for the 2011 murder of an African-American man, with the judge calling it an inexcusable, "despicable" crime. Deryl Dedmon pleaded guilty to murder and a hate-crime charge, admitting to the June killing of James Craig Anderson. Hinds County Circuit Judge Jeff Weill sentenced him to two concurrent life terms, saying, "This craven act isn't who we are."

"Whatever excuse you offer, forget that. There is no excuse," Weill said. He added, "The state of Mississippi condemns this despicable crime." Dedmon, 19, told the judge that he was a "changed man" who had found religion since his arrest. "I wish I could take it all back," he said, adding, "I was young and dumb, ignorant and full of hatred. I chose to go down the wrong path." Dedmon is also expected to plead guilty to still-undisclosed federal charges Thursday, the first indication that a federal case was pending in Anderson's death. Officials would disclose no details, but Hinds County District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith said he expected other charges -- and other arrests.

"This is just the beginning," Smith said. Anderson's killing prompted several large marches and prayer vigils in Jackson, a city of about 537,000 people. His sister, Barbara Anderson Young, said during Wednesday's hearing that her family was praying for "racial conciliation." "These last months have been very difficult," Young said. "We cried. We wept. We reminisced about our beloved brother, Craig, a loss I cannot even explain. Craig was a big-hearted person who loved his fellow man."

Anderson died after he was beaten and run over by a truck driven by Dedmon, according to police. Dedmon was part of a group of seven white youths from largely white Rankin County who decided to "go f**k with some niggers," after a night of partying and drinking, law enforcement officials have said, quoting some of the suspects in the case.

Smith has said the evidence indicated the suspects, who ranged in age from 17 to 19, "went out with the intention to harm and, in this case, kill a black man." According to investigators, they drove 16 miles in two vehicles from Rankin County to Jackson, where after exiting the highway, they found Anderson alone in a parking lot about 4 a.m. on June 26.

The white men allegedly beat Anderson repeatedly, yelling racial epithets. After the beating, Dedmon drove his Ford F-250 truck over him, leaving him to die, according to what some of the teens cooperating with police have told authorities.

Anderson's death drew national attention after CNN first reported it and aired exclusive surveillance video of the killing, captured by a parking lot security camera in a Jackson suburb.

A second man, John Aaron Rice, was initially charged with murder, but a judge reduced the charges to simple assault because Rice was not believed to be driving the vehicle used to kill Anderson.

Kin of alleged hate crime victim sue For months, lawyers had been working behind the scenes in Jackson, where Dedmon is being held, fighting over a change of venue in a possible trial. Smith had hoped to have a trial in Jackson, where the crime occurred and which is largely black. But defense attorneys wanted to move the trial to an area with a larger white population, the law enforcement officials said.

Murder suspect carried 'backpack of hatred'

Authorities believe Dedmon led and instigated the attack. On a sweltering Mississippi night in June, a gang of youths climbed into Dedmon's green truck and a white SUV and drove to the western edge of Jackson. They would have seen Anderson immediately as they exited the highway, officials said. He was standing in a hotel parking lot just beyond the exit ramp.

On the videotape obtained exclusively by CNN, the group pulls into the parking lot and stops where Anderson is standing, although he is just off camera and not visible.

The young men can then be seen going back and forth between their cars and Anderson. Witnesses told authorities this is when Anderson's beating took place, as the white youths yelled racial epithets, including "white power."

Authorities allege Dedmon and many of the other teens pummeled Anderson repeatedly as he crumpled to the ground, although this is not visible on the tape. After the beating, some of the white youths left, and others got into the green Ford truck.

At this moment, Anderson becomes visible on the tape as he staggers into view and walked toward the truck.

"Defendant Dedmon drove the F-250 out of the parking lot and turned right onto Ellis Avenue," the lawsuit says. "Just as Dedmon turned right, his headlights shone directly on Anderson, who, having been severely beaten, was stumbling in a grassy area near the motel's entrance. Dedmon accelerated, drove onto and over the street curb, and struck Anderson with the front of the F-250."

Shortly afterward, Dedmon allegedly boasted and laughed about the killing, according to statements some of the teens made to detectives. "I ran that nigger over," he allegedly said in a phone conversation to the youths in the other car. "He was not remorseful," Smith said. "He was laughing, laughing about the killing." But during a bail hearing last year, Dedmon's attorney told the court he saw nothing to back up the "racial allegations."

The U.S. Justice Department had been looking into the death as a possible federal hate crime and assisting local prosecutors. Federal investigators also have been digging for months into other possible crimes in the area committed by Dedmon and others that might show a pattern of racial violence.

Anderson's family had asked state and federal officials not to seek the death penalty against Dedmon or any other youths who might be charged in the case, saying they oppose capital punishment in part because of their religious faith. The family also filed a wrongful death suit against all seven of the white youths who were present at the beating of Anderson. The Southern Poverty Law Center, a nationally recognized organization in Montgomery, Alabama, that opposes racism and intolerance, joined in the lawsuit to help the case, joining forces with the family's attorney, Winston J. Thompson III.

"James Anderson lost his life for no other reason than the color of his skin," said Morris Dees, chief trial counsel for the law center . "Those responsible must be held accountable for their callous and deadly actions. We are filing this lawsuit today to ensure his family gets a measure of justice." Anderson, a line worker at a Nissan plant, sang in his church choir, Thompson said. He is survived by his partner of 17 years. "He was just a pillar of the community," Thompson said. "He paid his taxes on time; he went to work, came home -- he was just an average, ordinary citizen, good guy, wonderful gardener

Guest Voz - Congressman Luis Gutierrez: The Republican Immigration Fantasy

Guest Voz - Congressman Luis Gutierrez: Unfortunately for voters, Republican candidates and office holders are convinced that 10 to 11 million people can be forced out of the United States. That is a population roughly the size of Ohio or Georgia. Two-thirds of the 10-11 million immigrants living here illegally have been here more than a decade and about half have children, most of whom are U.S. citizens themselves. Even in the greatest recession of our lifetimes, when jobs are hard to find for everyone and illegal immigration has slowed to a trickle and states are passing harsher and harsher laws, not many of these 10-11 million immigrants are choosing to "self-deport," to use Mitt Romney's phrase.

American voters are much more practical than Republican lawmakers and candidates. Even those who wish 10-11 million people will leave the U.S. realize that it is not going to happen. They are right. The Republican approach to the immigration issue rests on pure fantasy.

So what do you do with a population of 10-11 million people who live, work, and have families in the U.S.? Most Democrats and most voters want to get them into the system, on-the-books, and complying with the law. To do this, proposals have been put forth to force immigrants to pay fines, pass criminal background checks and other screenings, learn English, and live in a probationary period for a time in order to earn the ability to avoid deportation and eventually apply to be a "Legal Permanent Resident" (which allows you to ultimately apply to become a citizen after a number of years). This eliminates the black market, makes enforcement much more efficient, weeds out serious criminals, allows honest employers to retain and hire a legal workforce, and ensures that labor laws, taxation and a number of other rules are applied evenly across the board.

Celebrities Who Were Once Undocumented
It also takes care of a particularly difficult problem faced by young people who grew up in the United States but were born in other countries. At least a million young people were brought here as children and have no papers. They have not knowingly or willfully broken any law by moving with their parents, yet they are trapped in limbo, unable to work legally, charged a much higher rate for tuition in most higher education settings, and unable to get legal in the U.S.

Back in 2010, the DREAM Act, a bill proposed by Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois and Rep. Howard Berman of California and others passed the House by a vote of 216-198 (with eight Republicans voting "Yea"), but ran aground on a Republican-led filibuster in the Senate. The vote to override the filibuster was carried live coast-to-coast on two TV networks (Univision and Telemundo) that had broken into their regularly scheduled programs. Viewers that day watched almost every Republican Senator and a handful of Democrats vote to kill the bill.

Now, a number of Republican politicians, seeing the gap between the GOP's position and the views of most voters -- and especially Latino voters -- are trying to find a middle ground, or what they consider a middle ground. They are proposing to legalize some immigrants who are here illegally —but only a select few — and to deny them the opportunity of eventually earning citizenship. One proposal would only allow protection from deportation if an undocumented immigrant served in the U.S. military. Another would only allow immigrants to avoid deportation by serving in the military or by attending a four year college—and only if they applied and were accepted before they turned 18 and a half years old. This proposal and others would create a second class non-citizen, pseudo legal status in which you could live and work but never participate fully in American society with the full rights and responsibilities as everyone else.

What is the LEAST Latino State of the Union?
So, they propose to exclude almost all of the immigrants already living here and would create a non-citizen class that might never fully integrate into the United States. Never serve on a jury. Never run for elected office. Never vote. This generation of immigrants, unlike every group of immigrants to ever come to the United States, would be excluded from becoming Americans. Like France, we would have a generation of non-citizens living here but not fully part of society. It is a recipe for disaster and at odds with everything that makes the American tradition of immigration so unique, and compelling. And successful.

It is ironic that the proposals are coming mainly from Florida Republicans, many of whom are Cuban by heritage and whose families are just a generation or two separated from being economic and political migrants seeking freedom and opportunity — and inclusion — in America.

In order to find a more practical — and popular — approach that mitigates the damage done to Republicans by the immigration hardliners, these proposals abandon what has been so successful about immigration in this country. Immigrants are changed by America and over time, we live by our motto, E Pluribus Unum — out of many, one. We should not lose sight of this fundamental underpinning of Democracy and American society.

U.S. argues Arizona immigration law unconstitutional

Politico.com reports: In a brief filed Tuesday, the Justice Department asked the Supreme Court to find unconstitutional Arizona's law aimed at cracking down on illegal immigrants. "Petitioners assert that Arizona’s status as a border State that is particularly affected by illegal immigrationjustifies its adoption of its own policy directed to foreign nationals. But the framers recognized that the 'bordering States…will be those who, under the impulse of sudden irritation, and a quick sense of apparent interest or injury,' might take action that undermines relations with other nations, and regarded that possibility as a further reason to vest authority over foreign affairs in the National government," says the brief filed by Solicitor General Donald Verrilli.

The Framers' quote is from Federalist No. 3, written by John Jay. One interesting note about the U.S. Government brief: it was signed by State Department Legal Adviser (and former Yale Law School dean) Harold Koh, underscoring the foreign policy-related argument against the Arizona statute.

Arizona's opening brief is posted here. The case is set to be argued before the high court on April 25.

Republicans Lose More Latino Votes: Mitt Romney Criticizes Sotomayor While Seeking Votes In Puerto Rico

HP Reports: On Friday, Mitt Romney asked the Puerto Rican people for their vote on Sunday's GOP primary in an open letter to the commonwealth. But on Thursday, the candidate attacked a figure many from region see as a hero -- Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor.

Justice Sotomayor is the first Hispanic judge on the U.S. Supreme Court, and the third female judge. Born in the Bronx, Sotomayor is of Puerto Rican descent.

While the former Massachusetts governor released a radio ad last month attacking Santorum for voting to confirm Sonia Sotomayor in 1998, Romney said for the first time yesterday that he himself would not have voted to confirm the judge.

He then went on to criticize the Supreme Court Justice for being a "liberal jurist."

"Judge Sotomayor and I have very different judicial philosophies," he said in the interview. "She is an activist, a liberal jurist. And I prefer people who follow the Constitution and do not make law as a judge. And so I will support Justices who are conservative and who follow the constitution."

Happy St. Patrick's Day with Our President - One of the People!

March Madness :Southern Miss Band Shouts Racist Chants to Latino Player!

This is EXACTLY what I am always talking about. The Far Right's Racial Profiling Attacks against ALL Latinos (whether Legal Citizens or Not) are growing!
USAToday reports: Kansas State guard Angel Rodriguez says he has accepted Southern Mississippi's apology over remarks made by its band and has moved on.The freshman says Friday he did hear the chants of "Where's your green card?" during the Wildcats' 70-64 second-round victory in the NCAA tournament Thursday and that the school's athletic director and "personnel from their school" came to the team hotel to apologize.

Rodriguez said he accepted the apology because "there's ignorant people and I know that's not how they want to represent their university." Rodriguez added a civics lesson, saying he doesn't pay attention to that "nonsense, especially because Puerto Rico is a commonwealth, so we don't need no type of papers."

USM president Martha Saunders issued an apology Thursday in a statement.

Clueless Racist Santorum Says Puerto Rico has to Speak English for Statehood

Hillary Clinton: "Why do extremists—in every country—want to control women? .. Women have a RIGHT to make their OWN CHOICES!"

God Bless Hillary Clinton!
This weekend, at the "Women In the World" - International Summit, she said, "Why do extremists—in every country—want to control women?" The Secretary of State said that even the U.S. ought to live its own values because "America needs to set an example for the entire world."

Republicans Who Hate Obama, Woman Filing Lawsuit Against "ObamaCare" are on Government Assistance!

Many Tea Party Republicans who Hate our President and want to end "ObamaCare" are frequently those on government assistance (eg: Medicare, Medicaid, Unemployment, filing bankruptcy, etc.)

Here are some examples:
Example 1: LA Times reports:
Mary Brown, a 56-year-old Florida woman who owned a small auto repair shop but had no health insurance, became the lead plaintiff challenging President Obama's healthcare law because she was "passionate" (red-faced angry) about the issue. Brown "doesn't have insurance. She doesn't want to pay for it. And she doesn't want the government to tell her she has to have it," said Karen Harned, a lawyer for the National Federation of Independent Business. Brown is a plaintiff in the federation's case, which the Supreme Court plans to hear later this month.
But court records reveal that Brown and her husband filed for bankruptcy last fall with $4,500 in unpaid medical bills. Brown's small auto repair shop near Panama City, Fla., closed, and she and her husband filed a Chapter 7 bankruptcy petition. Brown said in the petition that her only income was $275 a month in unemployment benefits.
Brown's bankruptcy, unpaid medical bills and government assistance (unemployment benefits) could change Brown from a symbol of proud independence into an example of exactly the problem the healthcare law was intended to address. The central issue before the Supreme Court is whether the government can require people to buy health insurance. Under the law, those who fail to buy insurance after 2014 could face a fine of up to $700.
The business federation, along with other critics of the law, calls the insurance mandate a "threat to individual liberty" that violates the Constitution.
Obama administration lawyers argue that the requirement is justified because everyone, sooner or later, needs healthcare. Those who fail to have insurance are at high risk of running up bills they cannot pay, sticking the rest of society with the cost, they argue. Brown's situation, they say, is a perfect example of exactly that kind of "uncompensated care that will ultimately be paid by others."
"This is so ironic," Jane Perkins, a health law expert in North Carolina, said of Brown's situation. "It just shows that all Americans inevitably have a need for healthcare. Somebody has paid for her healthcare costs. And she is now among the 62% whose personal bankruptcy was attributable in part to medical bills."

Example 2: Tea Party Republicans in Mississippi

Meet Kris Kobach, Mitt Romney's Immigration Advisor and the Reason Latinos will NEVER Support Romney!

Anyone who is familiar with the Immigration Debate knows Kris Kobach. In Immigration Circles, Kobach is known as the Architect. Kobach has worked with key state legislators, like Alabama state Sen. Scott Beason, and municipal authorities, like notorious Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio, in drafting and polishing dozens of restrictive immigration laws. He's written parts of Arizona's sb1070 and Alabama's HB 56. As a 2004 congressional candidate, Kobach received campaign contributions from John Tanton's wife's US Immigration Reform PAC and former Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo's Team America PAC.

Kobach is also Mitt Romney's Immigration Advisor for his Presidential Campaign.

Kobach is a dangerous character. Not only is he the chief architect in Romney's "Self Deportation" policy, which in reality, is a precursor for right wing extremists' Mass Deportation initiatives, Kobach is also leading the charge for changing Birthright Citizenship - the 14th Ammendment of the Constitution. Kobach wants to change the Constitution so that Immigrant Children will NO LONGER be Citizens. Instead he wants them to be children with NO COUNTRY -- as has happened in Germany when they changed their Birth Right Citizenship laws. He and his cohort Roy Beck from NumbersUSA are also advocating the reduction of Legal Immigration. They want to reduce the number of LEGAL Immigrants from Latino countries and other countries they deem not worthy. Instead, they advocate massive reductions to Legal Immigration and put in place policies so that only those they deem worthy are eligible to immigrate to the U.S.

It is critical that we keep ourselves informed of who Romney is cozying up to and what Romney and all candidates for President are proposing if they are elected. If we are not careful and Romney or another Republican is elected, many of the proposals currently advocated by the likes of Kobach, Numbers USA, F.A.I.R. and John Tanton may, in fact, become law.

10 Facts about Kobach:
10. Kobach is a lawyer for the anti-immigrant law firm Immigration Reform Law Institute (IRLI), the legal arm of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR). Both of these organizations were founded by the white nationalist, John Tanton, whose legacy has been hard to shake. FAIR has solicited and received money from the Pioneer Fund, a foundation that finances pseudo-scientific ventures attempting to prove the genetic superiority of white, European-descended peoples.

9. During his ill-fated 2004 Congressional campaign, Kobach accepted $10,000 from the US Immigration Reform PAC. The PAC was founded by Mary Lou Tanton, the wife of white nationalist John Tanton, the architect of the modern day anti-immigrant movement.

8. Kobach often defends accusations of bigotry by noting his mission trips to Africa through his church. His church, according to Religious Dispatches, is “part of the Anglican Mission of the Americas.” This is sponsored the extremely homophobic Church of Rwanda. Religious Dispatches goes further, detailing comments made by the Church of Rwanda’s former Archbishop who “likened homosexuality to moral genocide.”

7. Kobach’s work at IRLI has also led him to write and defend anti-immigrant ordinances in small towns across America. In many cases, these ordinances have cost the towns millions of dollars in legal fees, with the bill going to the town’s residents. The increases in taxes to help fund the ordinances defense don’t really fall in line with the “fiscal responsibility” the GOP has prided itself on.

6. Kobach was recently fined $5000 for inaccurately reporting campaign funds. Instead of accepting the fine and moving on, Kobach started spouting conspiracy theories, blaming “anti-conservative bias among some members of the commission.”

5. In 2009, Kobach was hired by notorious Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio to train his deputies in immigration matters. The Department of Justice recently released a report on Arpaio’s office which concluded that the office’s “discriminatory treatment of Latinos reflects a general culture of bias within MCSO.”

4. While working with IRLI Kobach has helped to draft two of the harshest anti-immigrant laws in the country, namely Arizona’s SB 1070 and Alabama’s HB 56, two laws that have stripped the basic civil and human rights of immigrants and people of color in those states. While Kobach has proclaimed total victory, these laws have proven to be extremely divisive.

3. Kobach has frequently spoken of his desire to “restore the original meaning” of the 14th Amendment. The original meaning in Kobach’s eyes would be an end to birthright citizenship in the United States, an issue that Romney has not taken a stand on as of yet.

2. Kobach is a former Department of Justice employee who created a program titled the “National Security Entry-Exit Registration System.” The program “required individuals from more than 20 predominantly Arab countries to register with the government on arrival and departure from the U.S.” It was abandoned in 2011 after years of criticism for its discriminatory policies.

1. Kobach defended the Apartheid policy in South Africa in a 1990 book. He stated, “Clearly, reform has become the clarion call of so many businesses because it is seen as a means of achieving stability. Yet, strict Verwoerdian apartheid enforced with an iron fist can also be seen as a route to a more stable South Africa. ”

REPUBLICANS CONTINUE TO PASS STATE VOTER SUPPRESSION LAWS!

Republicans in states across the U.S. are continuing with their Dirty Tricks! If they can't beat our President legitimately, they will use every Dirty Trick in their arsenal to win. Republican's are passing Voter Suppression laws, laws to STOP early voting, and laws to create long lines -- in state after state.

Don't let Republicans fool you with their "We just want voter's to have a picture ID" claims. They are aiming to reduce the number of minority and young voters in their states - those that typically vote the Democratic Ticket. My message to all of my viewers -- MAKE SURE YOU KNOW YOUR VOTING STATE'S RULES:
1. Learn the Voter Requirements in YOUR STATE (CLICK HERE for your State's rules)
2. Register to Vote; Find out what type of IDs are required to vote.
3. Determine from your state's link if you can Vote early then, if possible, VOTE EARLY!

4. Ask your Parents, Family Members, Friends, Young and Old if they are prepared to vote. SHARE THE LINKS! Then make sure they Vote! Give them a Ride! Meet for Breakfast! Plan this as a family outing!
The NATION Reports:
Pennsylvania is a large, crucial swing state that leans a bit more Democratic than its neighbor Ohio. President Obama must win Pennsylvania if he is to retain the White House. That’s about to become more difficult.

Republicans in Pennsylvania’s state Senate passed a bill Wednesday—on a mostly party-line vote—to require that voters show photo identification in order to vote. Governor Tom Corbett, a Republican, supports the bill and will sign it into law once the Republican-controlled state House of Representatives passes it. Voter identification laws disenfranchise those without a photo ID. Multiple studies have shown that people without IDs are more likely to belong to a Democratic-leaning constituency, such as low-income, minority or young voters. It can also fall especially hard on people with disabilities and the elderly. That’s why Democrats oppose such a law. And as the Associated Press reports, “Counties, civil liberties advocates, labor unions, the AARP and National Association for the Advancement of Colored People also objected to the bill.”

The AP also notes, “The County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania has warned lawmakers that adding the additional step of requiring poll workers to check photo IDs will create longer Election Day lines at polling places.” Long lines at polling booths can cause people to give up and go home. That happened in many Ohio polling places in 2004. Some experts, such as Mark Crispin Miller of New York University, argue that those problems in Ohio may have thrown the election to President Bush.

The Pennsylvania bill is actually more moderate than many of its progenitors in states such as Georgia. Valid identification includes a student ID card from a Pennsylvania college or university, identification from a personal care home or employee cards for county or municipal workers. Voters without identification will be able to cast provisional ballots. However, they would then have to return within six days to prove their eligibility. Such an onerous burden will often go unmet, meaning votes will be thrown out.

Pennsylvania would become the third-largest state, after Texas and Florida, to require voters to produce photo identification. Florida is another large, important swing state. Voting rights have long been a contentious issue in Florida. Many Democrats and civil rights leaders believe that Governor Jeb Bush’s administration allowed George W. Bush to beat Al Gore in Florida in 2000 by ordering a purge of the names of felons from voting rolls. Such purges often ensnare legitimate voters with the same names and prevent them from voting. Thanks to the War on Drugs, felons in Florida are disproportionately black and Latino, as are people with the misfortune to share their names.

African-American Democratic state senators in Florida are trying to find ways to expand opportunities for citizens to vote, but Republicans are stymieing them. As the Miami Herald reported on Wednesday:
Deciding that the proposal was off topic, Republican Senate leaders refused to allow African-American senators to tag a proposal expanding early voting onto voter identification legislation. Sen. Chris Smith, D-Ft. Lauderdale, filed an amendment to HB 1461 that would have given counties the option of opening early voting locations on the Sunday before an election day.

Last year, the Legislature approved sweeping new election law that, among other things, limited early voting hours and prohibited early voting within 72 hours of an election. Don’t worry, though, that Florida Senate Republicans have abandoned civil rights altogether. They made sure to amend the bill to prevent voting clerks from scanning the photo IDs they require voters to show.

As the Herald reports: Senators approved a different amendment sponsored by Sen. Joe Negron, R-Stuart. That proposal allows voters to opt out of having their driver licenses scanned at the polls. The state’s supervisors of elections requested the option of scanning licenses, saying it will expedite the registration process during high-turnout election days. But Negron said civil liberties were at stake and people should be allowed to vote without potentially giving poll workers access to private information.

“This is the defining moment of the Libertarian caucus of the Senate,” Negron said while urging senators to approve his amendment. It passed on a voice vote, eliciting cheers from conservative senators.
“Freedom,” Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, shouted after the vote while pumping his fists in the air.
This is a twofer for Republicans: they get to pose as defenders of small government, while ensuring long lines thanks to the ID requirement. Tea Party Republicans say they support civil liberties, but they make a big exception for the right to vote.

The Republican/Conservative "National Review" says "Arpaio Beclowns Himself!"

National Review reports: As Maricopa County sheriff Joe Arpaio beclowns himself and his wayward admirers, it is worth bearing in mind that the manufactured controversy surrounding President Barack Obama’s birth certificate has its origins in anonymous e-mails sent by Hillary Clinton partisans during the 2008 Democratic primary. Which is to say that all these many years later, Republicans are still getting played by the Clintons. Some things never change.

There is very little to add to the discussion of the facts of the case. President Obama’s short-form birth certificate (the “certificate of live birth”), which is authoritative evidence in any U.S. court, has long been available for inspection, and the archival records from Hawaii (the “long-form birth certificate”) also have been released. Public officials of both parties have confirmed that the president was born in Hawaii. Every judicial proceeding on the matter has confirmed this, and contemporaneous birth announcements in the Honolulu newspapers documented the birth of Barack Hussein Obama in Hawaii in 1961. There is not a single piece of credible evidence to support claims to the contrary.
Such conspiracy theories are immortal because one of the features of a really good conspiracy theory is that very lack of evidence for the theory is taken to be yet more proof of the conspiracy. They are long-lived because the underlying mental pathologies are long-lived: As T. S. Eliot put it, “Humankind cannot bear very much reality.”

Conspiracy theories are long-lived also because there is money to be made from them. One of the particularly disturbing aspects of Sheriff Arpaio’s investigation is its relationship with conspiracy entrepreneur Jerome Corsi, who would very much like to sell you a copy of the birther book he has co-authored with Michael Zullo, the volunteer investigator who took the leading part in the sheriff’s recent press conference. There is a booming business in birther baloney.

There is a great deal at stake in 2012: Obamacare either will be uprooted or it will be entrenched, the growth of the deficit either will be curtailed or it will run rampant, our ability to see to our national-security interests either will be reinforced or it will be diminished, the Supreme Court either will become more a guardian of the Constitution or it will become more a guardian of liberal pet interests. And, barring some unforeseen development, the next president will be either a former Republican governor and business executive, a former Republican senator who has been a reliable lifelong conservative, or a left-wing community organizer born metaphorically of the Chicago machine — but born literally in Hawaii.

Republicans who have chosen to associate with the birthers have done their party and their country a disservice. And as Sheriff Arpaio settles comfortably into that political mental ward, the same must be said of those Republicans who choose to associate themselves with him more broadly. Those who cannot distinguish between the birthers’ flim-flam and the critical questions that face our nation in 2012 will not win and do not deserve to.

Latina Jessica Sanchez - The Next American Idol

Latina Jessica Sanchez was phenomonal tonight on American Idol. She sang Whitney Houston's "I will always love you!"
Jessica was born in San Diego on August 4, 1995 and is only 16 years old. She is an American of Mexican-Filipino descent. Jessica's dad Gilbert is Mexican-American from Texas and her mom is from Bataan/Phillipines. Jessica was gifted with a magnificent voice and was first seen on television in the first season of America's Got Talent at the age of 11 though she didn't win the competition.
We will be rooting for you Jessica, until you win the title of American Idol 2012!

Guest Voz Latina Lista: Marco Rubio – Latino or Tea Partino

Guest Voz Latina Lista — If the rumors circulating on Capitol Hill are true, the GOP thinks they have an Ace up their sleeves on how to at least split the Latino vote in the November presidential election.
Now that Mitt Romney has won both Arizona and Michigan, no matter how marginally, talk is that he’s pretty much accepted as the party’s nominee for president. The second piece of business for the candidate is to choose his running mate — though it sounds like the GOP leadership is doing that for him. Their choice seems to be Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.

According to an article in The Hill, Sen. Rubio seems to be vetting himself for possible selection:
"And campaign fundraising reports show that Rubio spent more than $40,000 in the last six months of 2011 to get himself researched by a public affairs firm. "

According to the article, the most notable Democrats who have declared war on Rubio are Sen. Harry Reid and Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (Fla.). Both questioning Rubio’s lack of support for traditionally seen Latino issues like the DREAM Act and immigration reform.

The Republican strategy to have Rubio as a vice president nominee to split the Latino vote would make sense in any other election — but this one. The collective Latino community has come together in a bipartisan way to urge right-wing conservatives to address immigration reform by starting with passage of the DREAM Act.

Time and time again, Rubio has frustrated those efforts.

Romney has already categorically declared that he would not sign a DREAM Act into law. So it’s obvious, aside from the fact that he agrees with Romney, that Rubio, as a vice president, serves nothing more than a carrot on a stick to get Latinos to vote for the GOP ticket by appealing for a sympathetic vote based on identity politics than party platform.

Unfortunately for the GOP though, this clever strategy won’t work.

The DREAM Act is the one issue that unites Latinos on both sides of the aisle and the GOP’s constant demonization — by labeling it amnesty; and stalling tactics — by saying they don’t agree with the “fine” points of the bill — doesn’t already sit well with most Latino Republicans who have been continuously rebuffed by their party when urging their peers to support the DREAM Act.

By the time the GOP convention in Tampa, FL comes around, when choice for vice president will be announced, Rubio’s name may have already been withdrawn from the hat if a new Latino-based campaign against the Florida senator garners enough steam between now and then.

Called “No Somos Rubios” (We are not Rubios), the campaign highlights Marco Rubio’s like-minded thinking on the DREAM Act as that of his potential running mate, Mitt Romney.
Felipe Matos, campaigner for Presente Action, called Marco Rubio “the anti-Immigrant son of immigrants, who supports Arizona’s racist SB-1070 law, rejects the DREAM Act and thinks that Latinos won’t notice that he’s closer to the Tea Party extremists than he is to Latinos on immigration and other key issues.”
Cynthia Arevalo, an immigration attorney and Florida representative of Somos Republicans, a Latino GOP organization that recently announced its support for Gingrich, said, “As a child of immigrants and as an attorney who has to listen daily to the tragic stories created by anti-immigrant policies supported by Marco Rubio, I think it’s utterly ridiculous to think that he will ‘deliver’ Latino votes. Latinos are not stupid.”

And they’re just getting started.
Tomorrow is a National Day of Action for the DREAM Act as part of the No Somos Rubios campaign with events planned in Washington DC, Arizona and Florida. At the Washington event, Illinois Congressman Luis Gutierrez, a frequent critic of Rubio, will participate by calling on Rubio to support the DREAM Act and immigration reform.

A focal point of the campaign is posing a rhetorical question to the Florida senator: “Marco Rubio – Latino or Tea Partino?”

It’s a question that for many Latino voters has already been answered but for others who hold out hope for a change of heart, well, as they say: people can always “dream.”

Some Men Aren't Getting It. Keep Your Mitts OFF of Women's Healthcare!

I've been watching the news and reading the blogs on this whole Women's Healthcare Controversy. It is SO OBVIOUS! Many Men DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE ISSUE!

Every morning I listen to right wing radio (so you don't have to) so I can research what the Right Wing Extremists are talking about. (Bill Bennett in the Morning) This morning, an ole boy was talking about Rush and Ms. Fluke. He agreed with Rush. "The dame was a floozy. Why do we have to pay for her sex. I bet her parents are ashamed of her."

As you all have heard, Rush Limbaugh called a brave law student, Sandra Fluke, who spoke before Congress supporting Women's Healthcare, a SLUT and a Prostitute. The next day he doubled down and said she should show her Sex Tapes on the internet since taxpayers have to pay for her sex. (Ow! It hurts my fingers to type Limbaugh's spew)

I've also been reading Men's blogs about this issue. Blogger Daniel Sobieski voiced his support of Rush. He said, "Rush Limbaugh, the usually unapologetic conservative pundit, has apologized for using language to describe Sandra Fluke, a 23-year-old Georgetown University law student (she's really 30) whose resume reads more like that of a political activist than a victimized student. He labeled his description "insulting." On the other hand, one wonders what words would apply to a law student in need of $3,000 worth of taxpayer-paid contraceptives as she learns how to handle briefs, no pun intended. Limbaugh's apology came after advertisers began withdrawing their sponsorship. It is their right to do so, and one appreciates that conservatives have often organized boycotts of sponsors of programs whose content they find questionable." (Ahhh, the real reason he apologized - lost advertisers.)

Next, a Male Progressive named Ian commented on My Blog viewing this as a "Feminism" issue vs a Healthcare issue. Ian said: "This is just one more piece of evidence that feminism is a gynocentric ideology with only the interests of women in mind. This is why men even in Progressive circles are finding it hard to reconcile feminism with their other beliefs."

What is becoming abundantly clear to me is, Many MEN DO NOT HAVE A CLUE about this issue and do not view this as a Healthcare issue at all.

Let me take apart these pundits, commenters perspectives, ONE AT A TIME:

Republican MALE PERSPECTIVE 1: The More Birth Control Pills You Take, the more Promiscuous you are.
Answer 1: Birth Control/Contraceptives are NOT like Viagra. You have to take them every day for them to be effective. Contraceptives are prescribed for many female illnesses, including severe cramping, clotting and more.

Republican MALE PERSPECTIVE 2: Lots of Women Don't Want to Take your Birth Control/Contraceptives.
Answer 2: Having Contraceptives on a Health Insurer's formulary does NOT mandate anyone has to prescribe them nor take them.

Repubican MALE PERSPECTIVE 3: I'm NOT going to Pay for your Sex or your Birth Control!
Answer 3: Healthcare involves co-pays, deductibles paid for by the Employee.
Healthcare is viewed as a Benefit paid to the Employee by the Employer, NOT the taxpayers. The issue is, Healthcare providers should include Contraceptives on their Formularies. Then, when contraceptives are prescribed by a Doctor, the employee may obtain the prescription from their pharmacy, paying the established co-pay. By removing Contraceptives from Healthcare Providers' formularies is discrimatory and harmful to women's health.

Republican Perspective 4: The Blunt/Rubio bill goes even further. This bill allows for Employers to remove prescribed medications from their formulary simply by saying these medications are against their beliefs.
Answer4: This opens the door for Employers to remove other prescribed medications from their formularies, including: Aids medication, Cancer medication and additional Female medications.
======================

No one should support Rush Limbaugh for demonizing a brave young woman like Ms. Fluke for telling the truth. Let's all stand strong and help all Americans -- and let's help the Men we know who don't understand that this issue is very important to ALL WOMEN!!

Romney Pandering to Black Voters - Who said he couldn't sing?! (What will the TeaPartiers Say!?)

PS: Romney, why are you calling Black People Dogs? This reminds me of when one of my boss's started off a Diversity Meeting by calling the men "Dudes."

Video of Andrew Breitbart in his Final Days (MUST SEE VIDEO)

The Nation reports: Even before we saw the above clip of Andrew Breitbart screaming “BeHAAAVE yourself! BeHAAAVE yourself!” at Occupy protestors outside the CPAC conference last month, that’s how many of us saw Andrew Breitbart: red-faced, veins popping, eyes like pinwheels as he leans forward to spew barely coherent rants like, “You’re freaks and animals!” “Stop raping people! Stop raping people!” “You freaks! You filthy freaks! You filthy, filthy, filthy raping, murdering freaks!”

True, he wasn’t all exclamation points all the time, but Breitbart, the conservative blogger/impressario who died Thursday at age 43, had come to represent the tantrum at the heart of the rightwing. That tantrum will not die with him, but his death—coming within hours of Rush Limbaugh’s “slut” tantrum that he later (and barely) apologized for--may have prefigured something about the future of hyperventilating rightwing extremism.

This is not to dance on Breitbart’s grave, as many on the right have been attacking the left for doing (and I say that not just because I don’t want to go through what Matt Taibbi is right now). It doesn’t really matter that Breitbart himself danced on Ted Kennedy’s grave within minutes of his passing, either. (Breitbart unapologetically attacked Kennedy after he died, calling him a “villain,” “a big ass motherf@#$er,” a “duplicitous bastard” and a “prick.” “Kennedy was a special pile of human excrement.”)

No, I actually found Breitbart’s death shocking and strangely resonant.And I wonder if the hysteria you can see in his eyes in that clip doesn’t come from righteous anger alone, but also from a sense of impending doom--and if something similar doesn’t explain the ugly, self-destructive rage that’s been bursting out on the right ever since the election of Barack Obama.

After all, in the coming months, Breitbart was facing a lawsuit from former USDA official Shirley Sherrod that he well might have lost. Sherrod was fired from her job after Breitbart posted a heavily edited tape of her speaking to the NAACP that made it seem as if she had treated white farmers with “reverse racism,” when in fact the rest of the speech proved she was actually urging her audience to overcome such feelings. The suit was sure to win exhaustive coverage and, whatever its outcome, would almost certainly have left Breitbart’s reputation (such as it was) in tatters and his wallet lighter.

If he had lost the suit and had to pay damages to a civil rights figure for defamation, he would have found his tweets less trusted and his websites less believed. For many people, a conviction would have also shown how dishonest the ACORN videotapes, made by his protégé, James O’Keefe, had been all along. The destruction of ACORN is still Breitbart’s greatest media victory (if you don’t count destroying Anthony Weiner, who was headed that way anyhow and just happened to use Breitbart as his weapon of accidental, career suicide). And in that atmosphere, who would take seriously the mystery videos that Breitbart announced at CPAC would prove that Obama’s presidency was “plotted” long ago in the “salon” of Bill Ayers and Bernadine Dohrn?

Breitbart’s death doesn’t shut down the Sherrod lawsuit; it is likely to continue against his estate and his aide Larry O’Connor (also named as a defendant), unless Sherrod drops it. Sherrod hasn’t said what she’ll do, but she did issue a graceful if brief statement on Breitbart’s death: "My prayers go out to Mr. Breitbart's family as they cope during this very difficult time. I do not intend to make any further comments."

Obviously Breitbart was under a lot of pressure, considerably more pressure than being a slave to “this twittering, unending bloghorreic chatter,” as Andrew Sullivan put it. (Sullivan went on to call Breitbart “our first new-media culture-war fatality.”) Maybe it’s a bit like the pressure of running in the Republican primaries. That seems to drive people into crazy talk, too.

And maybe it’s like living under the ever-increasing demographic and cultural pressure of simply being a 21st century, severely conservative Republican. Obama’s very presence in the White House reminds them of their impending extinction; that he attends to their every outburst of hysteria with unflappable calm makes them even more desperately sure that he’s their mortician.

Breitbart died less than 12 hours after Rush Limbaugh called Georgetown University law student Sandra Fluke a “slut” and a “prostitute” for testifying before Congresss about the need for health insurance to cover birth control. The next day, Limbaugh amped the attack, saying, “If we are going to pay for your contraceptives, and thus pay for you to have sex, we want something for it, and I'll tell you what it is. We want you to post the videos online so we can all watch.”

On Friday, with some advertisers abandoning his show, Limbaugh tried to double down again, but he seemed confused, even wheezy with dread. By Saturday, much of the GOP backing was away from him, however meekly, and he was, for one of the few times outside of his OxyContin bust, apologizing--well, non-apology apologizing, referring three times to his “choice of words,” without mentioning his intent.
Andrew Breitbart’s death resonates because it happened now, just as the right’s artillery of outrage seems to blowing up in their faces. And that may be his real legacy.

Arpaio and Corsi's Plan to Bring In Millions in a Book Deal over Bogus Birther Investigation of President!

Arpaio's Birther Investigation has gone from Ridiculous to a Potentially Corrupt "Get Rich Quick" Scam. He and his so called Posse have posted, FOR SALE, the sheriff's "investigation" into President Obama's Birth Certificate.
Arpaio must think Americans, or at least his sheep-like Tea Party followers, are Idiots.
Rather than posting the investigation documents on his public website FOR FREE, he and his so-called investigators are posting the documents on Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble for $10 a download. If even ten thousand blind followers around the country download this bogus data, Arpaio and his Tea Party Republican crew stand to gain a MILLION DOLLARS.
These so-called investigation documents are a re-hash of Corsi's previous books. Now, Arpaio and Zullo have allowed Corsi to take TOP BILLING as AUTHOR of the documents and Arpaio even wrote a FORWARD (as in BOOK FORWARD) for these so-called Investigative Documents.
WHAT A SCAM!!

The Power of the New Multi Media: Story of 3 Little Pigs, Then and Now!

THEN --AS THE PIGS TOLD IT:

AND THEY LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER!

NOW --AS THE MULTI-MEDIA REPORTS IT:

THE WHOLE PICTURE!!

Arpaio Angry Because Everyone Is Laughing at his TeaParty Posse's Bogus Birther Reports Against Our President

Arpaio is crying crocodile tears! He wrote an editorial on the AZ Republican's opinion page lamenting the fact that the American Public is laughing at him. He conducted a news conference on Thursday. He said his Tea Party Posse found Birther evidence indicating our President's Birth Certificates is a "forgery." He brought out old evidence created by his posse's lead investigator. The lead investigator is a Retired detective and volunteer Maricopa County Sheriff's Posse member Mike Zullo. Zullo's so called investigative report is BEING SOLD AS A BOOK on Amazon.com. Zullo is listed as the co-author of "A Question of Eligibility," an e-book for SALE through Amazon and Barnes and Noble. The book is a copy of the investigation findings presented to the press Thursday. Zullo's co-author is Jerome Corsi, a well-known political conspiracy writer. Corsi often writes for World Net Daily. Many view this website as an extremist, hate filled Birther website.

Phoenix television station KTVK reports (http://bit.ly/ykO9vU) Corsi denied using Sheriff Joe Arpaio, the self-proclaimed toughest sheriff in the country, as a promotional tool to sell his books and theories. Corsi supplied much of the research for the Sheriff's Office investigation.

The citizens of Maricopa Country are growing more and more tired of Arpaio's neglect of crime and focus on attention grabbing headlines. Take a look at the Commericial that is currently being aired across Arizona.

TeaParty Republican Proposes Law That Declares Single Parenthood Child Abuse

TeaParty Republicans are going over the brink! Santorum is against Birth Control and Sex before marriage. Limbaugh called a law student a "Slut" for utilizing her 1st ammendment rights to support Birth Control.
Now, a TeaParty Republican Wisconsin Senator is proposing a Law That Declares Single Parenthood Child Abuse!
State senator Glenn Grothman (see red-faced picture) has introduced Senate Bill 507, which formally considers single parenthood a contributing factor to child abuse. If passed into law, SB507 requires the Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Board to consider non-marital parenthood a contributing factor to child abuse and neglect.
According to the bill:
Section 1. 48.982 (2) (g) 2. of the statutes is amended to read: 48.982 (2) (g) 2. Promote statewide educational and public awareness campaigns and materials for the purpose of developing public awareness of the problems of child abuse and neglect. In promoting those campaigns and materials, the board shall emphasize nonmarital parenthood as a contributing factor to child abuse and neglect.
Section 2. 48.982 (2) (g) 4. of the statutes is amended to read:
48.982 (2) (g) 4. Disseminate information about the problems of and methods of preventing child abuse and neglect to the public and to organizations concerned with those problems. In disseminating that information, the board shall emphasize nonmarital parenthood as a contributing factor to child abuse and neglect.

Single parents make up a third of Wisconsin parents, The Annie E. Casey Foundation reports. And according to a 2009 report from the US Census Bureau, there are approximately 13.7 million single parents across the U.S., with single mothers outpacing single fathers five to one. These TeaParty Republicans want to CRIMINALIZE ALL OF THEM! So much for their saying Government should be out of people's business!

Right Wing Blogger Breitbart Died on Thursday Morning

Andrew Breitbart died unexpectedly early Thursday morning, just after midnight. Breitbart was an extremist, right wing, tea party blogger. He is famous for outing Anthony Weiner, supporting those that spit on Congressman John Lewis and for posting dishonest, shamelessly editted videos re: ACORN and Shirley Sherrod.
Breitbart was only 43 years old. Looking at his picture at CPAC, just weeks before his death (see picture), it is clear he was not well. He had heart problems. You can see his bloating and sweating face, as is often the case for those not well and not following doctor's order to stop bad habits.

I feel sad about his death. He was too young. He had a wife and family. Nothing is gained by his death. If nothing else, as with Rush Limbaugh, it is good to have someone like Breitbart and Limbaugh representing the opposition. They clearly define what is wrong with their argument.
I believe in Freedom of Speech and both Breitbart and Limbaugh have used their rights to spout their perspectives. Without their public rants, Americans wouldn't believe they actually support their rhetoric. Americans would think our side was making them up.

I frequently opposed and argued with Breitbart. I had at least 2 very public disagreements with him. One in a newspaper comment section and one on his website when he shamelessly supported those that spit on Congressman Lewis.
The one thing I can say positive about Breitbart, he believed in his cause and he allowed the opposition to post on his websites. He did allow me to post comments on his website as long as I stayed civil (which I always did). Additionally, I often used his website as a "counterpoint" to research and support my argument.
My condolences go to his family and he will be missed in the blogosphere. May he Rest in Peace.