Regardless of Our Differences, I am Confident of the Future of America! May God Bless America! May God Bless OUR President Barack Obama!

I've been thinking so much about the Trayvon Martin case, the state of Minorities in America, the dysfunction in Congress, Edward Snowden, the media, the leaks, so much division.

At the same time the Nation is evolving. More and more we are becoming a multi cultural, multi racial America. We are evolving to an America where race, ethnicity, age, sexual preference, gender doesn't matter at all.

I do believe our country has evolved, regardless what the extremists believe.

I still think we have the Best Country in the World.
I still believe that the American Dream is possible.
I still believe that you, me -- each of us -- can achieve the American Dream.

May God Bless America.
May God Bless Our President, Barack Obama!

Happy Mother's Day - 2013: A Tribute to Hard-Working Latina Mothers

I've been thinking about my Mom today. Mom was one of the hardest workers and best role models I have ever met. Momma -- as I called her as a six year old, taught us our work ethic. She, like most Latina Women, took her role very seriously. We were taught to Honor God, Family and Work!

As I've frequently written, every summer from the time I was 6 until I was 12, we went up to the Traverse City area to pick Cherries. There are numerous Farms across Michigan. Regardless of what the right wing believes, most ALL of us were American Citizens. 95 - 99 percent of us were Latino. Occasionally, there was a white family, but the ones I saw over the years never stayed an entire season.

Each farm housed about a dozen families. Each family was housed in one bedroom garage apartments. Electricity was provided. They were furnished with bunk-beds, a gas stove and an icebox. There was a community outhouse and showers. The housing was very similar to what was seen on the TV show M.A.S.H.

Our family usually had 5 kids and Mom working each year. My Dad stayed working at the Factory and my oldest brother and sister were in the Army and Air Force. So for the first few years, it was my next oldest two brothers, my older sister, my brother that was just 3 years older than me, my mom and me. My younger brother and sister were babies and my youngest sister wasn't born until 2 years later. We usually had one older woman (an Abuelita) who took care of the babies for all of the working families.

Every morning, Mom woke us up at 6:00 am. However, she herself always woke up an hour earlier so she could prepare our breakfasts and make our lunches. Mom was a great cook. For breakfast, she often made homemade breakfast cake and Mexican Hot Chocolate. The hot chocolate was always delicious. It was a mixture of Hershey's cocoa, milk and a stick of cinnamon. I still remember the taste. For lunch, she made us burritos of bean, meat or egg. She always made her tortillas and beans from scratch. She packed them in a picnic basket with plenty of water and made Kool-Aid for our lunch drink.

Then, we left for work and arrived in the Cherry fields just before seven am. The owner assigned each of the families two long rows of Cherry Trees. My mom assigned my older sister a ladder and the older boys the bottom half of the trees, then they moved to the ladders when they finished the bottom. My brother and I, being younger, were selected to climb the trees and pick the middle and very top of the trees. My mother picked the bottom and supervised the entire operation. She trained us how to carefully pick the cherries, making sure to keep the stems on the cherries while not bruising the fruit. She also encouraged the older boys to race and would name a champion for the most lugs picked. We each were assigned our own large buckets with a back harness across our backs. We filled our buckets about 3/4 full and them poured them into wooden lugs.

Mom had us line up the lugs around every 5th tree in each row. We then stacked the lugs. That way, the owner would come by and pick up the lugs and load them on a low, flat bed trailer which was attached to a farm-tractor. When the lugs were collected, the owner gave our Mom a ticket for each lug. She was paid 50 cents a ticket.

We worked 7am - 6pm, Monday through Friday and from 7am to Noon on Saturday. We often went swimming in the evening at Lake Leelanau. There was a special area reserved for the "Mexicans" separate from the local swimmers. It didn't matter to us. We had fun swimming together, then playing games until dusk.

Our family picked about 100 lugs a day. By the end of the week, Mom had about 550 tickets = $275.
Every Saturday afternoon, we went to the local, little town. My mom shopped for groceries and usually spent about $50 a week.

We each earned an allowance. Each one of us received our weekly pay. The older boys received about $35. My sister about $25. My brother received 10 and I received 5. While mom went shopping, each of us spent part of our weekly allowance on sodas or going to the movies. What ever my mom had left over, she saved to give to my Dad when he came up to visit every other weekend.

Each Saturday evening in the farm camp, we usually played records. Everyone loved rock and roll or Mexican music. We laughed, sang and danced until about 11. Then, our mothers rushed us off to bed. We couldn't stay up too late because we all went to church on Sunday morning. We were ALL Catholic. The local church reserved a special Mass in Spanish for all of the workers. We went to Mass, prayed, all as Family. After Mass, our mothers all made us a nice Sunday dinner. It was always special. This was the one day we had a big Chicken dinner. Afterwards, the children all played in the big farmyard. I loved playing Tag, or using a cardboard to slide down a nearby hill. Sometimes we played softball, soccer or frozen tag.

I always thought these summers were so much fun. We were all poor, hard working families, who loved our parents and knew how important it was to work hard and look out for one another. Our Mothers taught us this. We ALL believed the way to achieve the American Dream was in honoring God, Family and having a good work ethic.

What the Boston Marathon Terrorist Brothers Didn't Understand About the American Dream!

The Boston Marathon Terrorists’ reign of terror has ended with one brother dead and the other with a suicidal gunshot wound through his mouth. The Brother's story is that of a family who never understood the meaning of the American Dream, and instead, whose lives caused a nightmare of death, injury, terror and destruction.

The Tsarnaev brothers were born in Kyrgyzstan, and are ethnic Chechens and Muslim. The father, Anzor Tsarnaev and his younger son Dzhokhar  first came to the United States legally in April 2002 on 90-day tourist visas. Once in this country, the father applied for political asylum, claiming he feared deadly persecution based on his ties to Chechnya. Dzhokhar, who was 8, applied for asylum under his father’s petition. The rest of the family (Mother, brother Tamerlan and 2 sisters) came to this country in 2002 and applied for refugee status. In March, 2007, the family was granted legal permanent residence status.  They settled in a working-class part of Cambridge, where the father Anzor, opened an auto shop. Their mother worked as a Beauty Consultant, giving Facials.

Tamerlan failed and flunked out of college and made an attempt to become an Olympic boxer, but also failed in this quest. It was at this time that Tamerlan said he didn't understand Americans and didn't have any American friends. In 2009, he started following various Islamic sites on the internet and following a strict interpretation of the Islamic religion.
In 2009, he was arrested and charged with beating his then-girlfriend. This arrest prevented him from achieving citizenship status.Their fighting was rooted in his wanting her to wear Islamic clothing and follow strict Islamic rule. The FBI was warned by Russian intelligence that Tamerlan was frequenting terroristic type websites on the internet. The FBI questioned Tamerlan and his family, but found no deeper connection.

The father, who was ill, returned to Dagestan in 2011. With the father gone, the older brother Tamerlan assumed a paternal role. Tamerlan went back to Russia in Jan, 2012 for 6 months. The FBI is currently investigating what he did during that period.

Back in America, the family struggled with money. The mother lost her job and began giving facials out of her home. She was having difficulty making ends meet. She started listening to Tamerlan and the various Anti US Government conspiracies he read about on the internet. She also started following a strict interpretation of Islamic rule and started wearing Islamic dress. She talked her daughters into arranged marriages and tried to do the same for Dzhokhar, but he said no.  In mid-2012, she was arrested for shop-lifting at Lord & Taylors. She later returned to Dagestan to join her husband. 

Tamerlan  returned to the US in mid-2012, maintaining the father role with his family. He is married to a woman from Rhode Island and convinced her to wear Islamic clothing and follow strict Islamic rule. They have a daughter.

Reports indicate Dzhokhar did well in high school and in sports. He played video games, used the internet, Facebook, Twitter, was a wrestler and was popular with his friends. He became a citizen on 9/11/2012. He also loved and followed his brother. In late 2012 and 2013, Dzokhar was flunking out of college, but remained popular with his friends.

Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarmaev perpetrated the evil bombings at the Boston Marathon. Tamerlan is now Dead, run over by his brother as they were being pursued by law enforcement. Dzokhar apparently attempted suicide as he was hiding in a boat in a suburban backyard. Their mother claims her sons were innocent and the FBI is really responsible for their crimes.

The Tsarmaev brothers expected instant riches and wealth in America. They didn't understand what WE AMERICANS understand. The American Dream doesn't mean instant riches or power.The American Dream allows us the freedom to pursue our Dreams, based on hard work, persistence, resilience and love of our country.

Dream Come True: For young immigrants, avoiding deportation to cost $465

Washington (CNN) -- Young Dreamers can start applying on August 15 for two-year deferrals from deportation for $465 in fees, a top immigration official announced Friday.

The announcement gives the first details of the Obama administration's policy change announced June 15 that provides Dreamers who came to the United States as children a path to an employment authorization card without fear of getting deported.
Under the new policy, people younger than 30 who came to the United States before the age of 16, pose no criminal or security threat, and were successful students or served in the military can get a two-year deferral from deportation as well as an employment authorization card.
Participants must be able to prove they have lived continuously in the United States since June 15, 2007 -- five years before the change was announced -- and must have entered the country without inspection or had their lawful immigration status expire.

Alejandro Mayorkas, director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, said the application process will include providing biometric information and undergoing a background check. Applicants who commit fraud in the application process, pose a security threat or have been convicted of serious crimes will be ineligible and subject to prosecution, he said.
In all other cases, according to Mayorkas, information submitted in the application process will not be used for immigration enforcement.
A senior administration official said the goal is to maximize participation by eligible young illegal immigrants, so a strong privacy policy is important.
Other details announced Friday made clear that while successful applicants would avoid deportation for two years, there is no mechanism involved that would speed up or ease their path to full citizenship.
Conservative (Republican/TeaParty) critics of the new policy said it amounted to a "backdoor" amnesty by the Obama administration to appease Hispanic supporters angered by the lack of comprehensive immigration reform since the president took office.
The policy change was in essence an administrative step to mimic some provisions of the DREAM Act backed by Obama and Democrats that was blocked by Republicans in Congress.
In announcing the change on June 15, President Obama said it will make immigration policy: "more fair, more efficient and more just." Noting children of illegal immigrants "study in our schools, play in our neighborhoods, befriend our kids, pledge allegiance to our flag," Obama said that "it makes no sense to expel talented young people who are, for all intents and purposes, Americans."
In the conference call Friday with reporters, the senior administration official said the fees charged for applications are intended to cover the cost of implementing the policy change. No general fee waiver exists, but an exemption may be granted in exceptional cases, such as homelessness or disabilities, the official said.
The official also warned people that applications will only be accepted starting August 15, and warned that anyone who offers to expedite the process or start it earlier would be unauthorized and likely running a scam.

Gabby Douglas -- America's Hero! American Dream!

I LOVE Gabby Douglas. I am so proud of her. Her performances have proven she is ALL HEART!! She is America's Olympic Champion. She has LIVED the American Dream. She is our heroine, a champion and a role model for ALL American Girls! Gabby led the 2012 U.S. Women’s Gymnastics team to gold medals this week.  
Gabby was born on December 31, 1995 in Virginia Beach, VA. When Gabby was 3 years old, her older sister, Arielle - a former gymnast, taught her how to do a perfectly straight cartwheel. By the age of 4, Gabby taught herself how to do a cartwheel with one hand.
By 14, Gabby left Virginia Beach and left her family so she could train with elite coach, Liang Chow, in West Des Moines, IA. Gabby lived with a host family, the Partons.
In March 2012, Gabby competed with the U.S. team at the Pacific Rim Championships. She injured her ankle on her first rotation, vault, but went on to win gold on the uneven bars in the event finals.
In June, 2012, Gabby competed in the VISA Championships and finished second in all-around, just two tenths of a point behind the leader. She also won a bronze medal for her floor routine and a gold medal for her uneven bars routine.
Gabby competed at the Olympic Trials in San Jose, CA. and earned a guaranteed spot on the Olympic Team by winning the competition.
While at the 2012 Olympics, she has proven to be an exceptional athlete. She has won several Gold Medals. She is the epitomy of the American Dream.
GABBY WE LOVE YOU AND ARE VERY PROUD OF YOU!

Secret to Winning the Presidential Election in 2012

Today, I'm going to reveal to all Presidential Candidates the view of the American Dream by the vast majority of the American Public

Barack Obama  is fully aware of this. However, Mitt Romney doesn't have a clue. I doubt Romney or any of his handlers read my blog, but I'm going to give them the answer. I want to see if any of them are paying attention. I doubt it, because to date, it is very obvious, all they care about is the Very Rich 1 percenters. They care about Wall Street and Wall Street Bankers. They don't care about us, We the People.

However, I'm going to give them the answer, just in case they want to reach us.

Mr. Romney, here is the answer. Right in front of you. All you have to do is read and listen.
The American Public wants one thing. They want to be happy. They want to be at peace. They want to be treated equally. Just like anyone else. They want to be safe, at home, to love their family. That's all. Nothing. else. THIS is the American Dream. None of us want a big house or a golf course or a new car to make us happy. Sure, those things are nice to have, but no one expects them. We just want to be happy and free to enjoy our family and our friends.

We all know it takes hard work to achieve the American Dream. None of us expects a free ride. We all know that Education is the great equalizer. Those of us in the workforce know that a college degree is important. If you expect to advance, you need one. Otherwise, you will stay at your current level with little to no hope of ever advancing. We want better for our children. We want them to get a degree so they can advance.

Mr. Romney, what you are totally missing is, none of us expect to be millionaires like you. We don't expect to live on a golf course or live in a million dollar dream house. That is NOT our Dream.

Additionally, we don't want to be a burden to our children when we are too old to work. We have paid into Social Security all of our lives and we want and expect that Social Security and Medicare will be there when we reach 66.

Regarding the rich, We don't care that they are rich, but we do understand that many of the very rich are very different than the majority of us. The big business owners are different. For years we have been watching them earn millions and millions in bonuses and stock options. We also have been watching them complain about regulations that have been saving our lives. OSHA puts in place safety standards. Look at what has been happening in the "Fracking" industry. How many lives are lost without regulations?
Another major issue: Outsourcing overseas. I personally know of dozens of IT organizations that are routinely outsourcing to India, Canada, Europe and Latin countries. We know they only pay them $1 an hour with no benefits. We know they have no safety regulations. We know this makes their profits even bigger. We also know the more jobs we outsource, the fewer taxpayers we have paying into Social Security. Everyone knows that. Why don't you? You would think you and all of Congress would figure out a way to keep the jobs HERE in the U.S. so that we have more taxpayers paying into Social Security. We think you should figure out a way that those who SELL to us American Buyers would BASE their Jobs HERE in America!

Mr. Romney, our President is very aware of these issues. Why aren't you? Why do you continually cater to Big Business and the Tea Party advocates?
I am also a bit suprised middle and lower income Tea Party members have succumbed to all of this rhetoric. I know several Tea Party members. Most of them ARE on social security or have kids who are on assistance, and NONE of them are Minorities. Most of them do not know or understand the issues nor do they know how the Republican Agenda you are advocating will impact their lives. If Social Security and Medicare/Medicaid are taken away, they will be devastated. They have been successfully brainwashed by your side. None of them understand the impact your Republican Agenda will have on their lives. They don't understand that privatizing Social Security will mean they will have NO guarantees for their future. Privatizing Social Security is just like the current 401K retirement process they have with thier curent employer. There ARE NO GUARANTEES that anything will be there when they are too old to work. All this means is you are stuffing the pockets of the Private Providers of these plans. All the middle/lower income Tea Partiers know is what they are told by the puppets of the 1 percenters on Fox News.
I know the mindset of these Tea Party members. They are driven by their view of Barack Obama. Their views are based on the fact he is black. Their deep seated hatred of African Americans drives much of their agenda. It is truly is a very, very sad state of affairs. I wish I could do something to change their mindset. I cannot.

Mr. Romney, based on your Far Right agenda and your political ads to date, it is clear you are not a viable candidate for President of our United States of America. Unless you become enlightened, We the American People have only One Choice for President, and that is re-electing our current President, Barack Obama.

Obama 2012 - My Poster for our President - Support the American Dream!

Greatest Commercial of 2011

Latino Realizes American Dream - New Owner of the Atlanta Hawks

The new owner of the Atlanta Hawks (pending NBA approval) faced the media with two surprising confessions: He’d never held a news conference before, and he was very nervous.
In fact, it took three tries just to get the obligatory Hawks cap on his head. He's not the typical high-powered, mega-wealthy kind of guy you might expect. He had something unexpected: humility.

To understand where that comes from, you have to understand where he came from. Growing up, Alex Meruelo loved basketball. He was a starter for his California Catholic high school team. He loved the sport, but he was smart enough to know he wasn’t going to make a living at it. So when his dad offered for him to take over the family tuxedo business, you could say Meruelo’s basketball career came to a formal end.

This son of Cuban immigrants quickly found that although he was good at basketball, he was great at business. The empire he has created makes everything from pizzas to wind turbines. He got rich and got back to basketball. He will be the first Hispanic majority owner of an NBA team.

And I asked whether he knew, when he was negotiating the deal, that would be the headline.
"I’m not sure if you really think about it. It’s something that just happens. It happens," he said. "It’s something that, there’s no question that it’s a big responsibility. It’s something that at the same time, I’m very privileged. I’m honored. I want to make sure I do a good job.”

Media reports tell of his father leaving Cuba, setting up a new life in America. It's the American dream. So for Meruelo, emotions were likely to factor in. "Emotion is a tremendous part of this deal. And I am trying to contain myself as much a possible because to explain it, how I feel or what I believe, is very hard to put into words right now. Very hard," he said. "It’s a dream come true, and Atlanta, I am so happy to be here. I’m happy to be part of this organization, and I am so committed to making sure we do the right thing, and I want to make sure that I own the respect. The loyalty of the Atlanta Hawks fans is something that is even more important to me.”

Does he feel he now has a sense of responsibility to the Hispanic community? “Of course, when you put it like that, there is no question you have a sense of responsibility. I plan to make sure that I fulfill my sense of responsibility and to make sure that their voice is heard," he said. "It’s something that, again, I’m taken aback by, and I’m very proud of it, and I am very humbled.”

There was a moment during the first news conference when Meruelo seemed to get choked up. What had gotten to him? "You want to see me cry, don’t you?" he quipped. "I’m extremely elated, and I am trying so hard to control my emotions, but I am sure you will see them on the court. You will see them in the games."

As a reporter, you can become jaded about interviewing important people. Sometimes, they use the interview as a way to advance their own agendas. This was not one of those times. This was a kid whose mom and dad fled Castro and communism, a kid who loved a game but had to give it up to take on the family business. A kid who made it big and bought a team with hopes of making it great. I didn’t really want to make him cry. But it happened when I asked what his father would say. “I’m sure he’s very proud of me," he simply said.

Each word was spoken haltingly, and his eyes were brimming with tears. It was said in a way that made you realize, for Alex Meruelo, buying the Hawks was a big deal in more ways than one.

Guest Voz - Fernando Briceno (so called Illegal Immigrant / Now Citizen): People Who Come Here Seeking the "American Dream" & Working are NOT ILLEGAL!

ATLANTA - It's a controversial issue that's currently being debated in Georgia - illegal immigration. In the end, hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants in the state alone could be affected. One man, who admits to being an undocumented worker for more than 20 years, is sharing his story. In 1986, a young Fernando Briceno came to America from Ecuador to play for his country in table tennis. After the tournament in Miami he took a trip to New York and says he fell in love. "I fell in love with the city. You cannot blame a teenager to fall in love with New York City," said Fernando Briceno. But is was after a second trip to the states that he began a secret life-- overstaying his visa and becoming an illegal immigrant. He says he didn't realize what he had done until after obtaining employment. "When I went to get my first paycheck, my boss referred to me as an illegal alien. In my mind I was thinking illegal is Al Capone. Alien, I had just seen the movie with Sigourney Weaver. I was confused what it was. I had to ask a couple of friends what it was," said Briceno. Even with no green card, Briceno held several jobs - including a translator for the Drug Enforcement Agency. "The little English that I do know, I learned on my own - closed captions, reading newspapers," said Briceno. Briceno has written a book, "Confessions of an Illegal Immigrant," he says to debunk the myths about illegals. And while he supports immigration reform, he is against Georgia House Bill 87. The bill authorizes state and local police to verify the immigration status of suspected criminals and requires employers to do the same for prospective new hires. "We are not criminals. If you consider a crime working, then you need to re-think your whole life. Because working is what makes you who you are," said Briceno. Briceno is now a legal U.S. resident living in Atlanta. He proposes making the green card process easier for those illegal immigrants already living here and a national ID to discourage more from coming. But he says the American dream is concept that everyone is trying to materialize. "If you could find some people in the world that could say no, I don't want freedom, no I don't want liberty, no I don't want to pursue happiness, where are you going to find people like that?"

It Came to Me Today! Remembering the American Dream!

I have been very contemplative today. I have a routine, you know.

Generally, I have a host of family/work activities that begin my day. Then, at the end of my usual day, I visit my wonderful, lovely blog...my blog that keeps me involved, studious, knowledgable and a humanitarian. My blog that consumes me as I read the days events, think about my posts, and wonder about my viewers' responses. Then I review the comments, compare the comments vs the spam; decide where I will or will not respond, then decide if I will comment - what when and how.

Today is different. I've been very contemplative. I started my day out the same. But then, after family/work, I started thinking about me. Where am I in life right now? How do my blog, my viewer comments and I fit in to the big picture.

Why is today different? This weekend, I spent time with grandchildren. One of my grandson's birthday was yesterday. He is so handsome, nice, and has such a wonderful future ahead of him. He is a talented football player at 9. He is captain of his team. His mom and his Dad (my handsome and wonderful son) are so caring and supportive of both their sons.

I also had a long talk with my youngest son. He is a delight. He is 25 years old. He is in the prime of his life, yet he often takes time to sit and talk with his mom. Today, we talked about life in general. We talked about discipline vs non discipline. We talked about being a teenager. We talked about the temptations of life. We talked about people we know, who did not have discipline in their young lives. Now today, some in their 30's, others in their 40's, others in their 50's, are struggling, struggling so much in life right now.

I am so amazed by both of my sons and my grandsons. They have so much life ahead of them to experience, yet their eyes are so wide open, so young, so naive, so open to a myraid of possibilities. And I am sitting back, listening to the news shows, the internet, the wearies and woes of the outside world, wondering what "sign" will take our country, our world, to the next stage of all of our lives.

I look into the eyes of my handsome, muscle bound, brilliant sons and grandsons and I see the world ahead of them, captured in their palms, awaiting their presence to decide where our world will turn next.

And I look into my own eyes, bifocals in place, looking, wondering, investigating the medicare plans of the future. Hoping I have enough time to set in place a stable and reliable life for my future generations. Then I realize, they will not need my pittance nor advice. They have the world in their palms, the rainbows ahead and the possibilities of the unimaginary at their doorsteps. The world is waiting them..their hard work and future thoughts and dreams, just as happened when my Dad passed the baton on to me and my brothers and sisters.

We live in such a beautiful country. The American Dream for all. Sometimes we forget the reality of it all. I remembered it today!
God Bless America!
God Bless Our President Obama!
God Bless Us All!!

In this Passionate and Sometimes Volatile Immigration Debate We Should All Remember these Words of Peace!

The Prayer of St.Francis:

Make me a channel of your peace
Where there is hatred let me bring your love
Where there is injury, your pardon Lord
And where there is doubt - true faith in You

Make me a channel of your peace
Where there is despair in life - let me bring hope
Where there is darkness - only light
And where there's sadness - ever joy

Oh, Master grant that I may never seek
So much to be consoled - as to console
To be understood - as to understand
To be loved as to love with all my soul

Make me a channel of your peace
It is in pardoning - that we are pardoned
It is in giving of ourselves - that we receive
And in dying that we are born to eternal life

Happy Father's Day and The American Dream

My family and I had a very nice Father's Day today. My husband slept in and I hurried downstairs to make his coffee and make him a nice breakfast. Our younger son ate breakfast with us and we both gave him our Father's Day cards.

In our family, on birthdays and holidays, it is important that we read each word of the card. When we select cards, we try to find one that is meaningful for each of us and sends the message we want to deliver, then, like a ceremony, the recipient reads it out loud as the giver smiles and looks shyly away.

After breakfast, I cleaned up the kitchen and my husband went outside and tended the backyard. He loves to garden and tinker around the yard. We have a small to medium pool, not new but in pretty good shape due to my husband's care-filled tending. Flowers and greenery are everywhere and the blooms do their best in this hot Texas 100 degree plus summer heat. I sat outside and watched him clean the pool and we made our plans for the day. Our older son, his wife and our two grandkids were coming over in the afternoon for a barbecue. Her sister and two boys were coming too. We planned for a long afternoon of swimming, sunning, eating and relaxing to celebrate the day. I hurried inside and cleaned the house and started getting everything set up for the barbecue. I like everything done before guests arrive so no one has to do anything but relax and talk.

Everyone arrived at 3pm as planned. The grandkids gave grandpa a Father's Day card from the family, being sure to read the words aloud. Hugs were next. Then everyone was outside swimming. Then my husband put on the charcoals. We prefer old fashioned charcoal vs butane. My husband says charcoal makes the burgers taste better.

After dinner, we came inside and we started talking. As we often do on lazy afternoons like this, my son asked about the past. He asked, "Mom, what was it like in the 70's. Was it like the movies?" I knew what he meant, long haired hippies and tie-died clothes. I said, "Not really. It was just like it is today. People were the same. We were the same, only younger. Houses, stores, movies, basically all the same. We didn't have the technology. No cell phones, video games as we have today, no laptops or internet. In that way we were different. But as far as people, we were probably about the same. Kids played outside more. Remember when you were a boy, you ran and played outside all day?" He nodded. We talked about the early video games. In the end, we all agreed people were the same but technology was different.

They stayed another hour or so and then went home. I cleaned up the kitchen and my husband layed down on the coach to watch sports. I opened up my laptop. I checked my mail and saw the message from Minuteman X and wrote the previous blog. Afterwards, my mind kept resonating on my son's question. I also started thinking about my own Dad.

Maybe times were very different back then. I remember growing up. My parents were so very strict. It was all about responsibility, hard work and the future. We also were taught our place in society. However, I didn't necessarily agree with their philosophy. Some of this had to do with what was going on in the outside world. Revolution was happening on the streets. Civil Rights, Womens' Rights, Equality for all. The President was murdered. His brother and MLK too. Then I met my future husband in the 70's. We were so much in love. We both believed in Equality for all, Womens' Rights and in having fun. In the next few years we moved in together, were married, had our oldest son. It was a magical time. Our son settled us down to our own family life. Then we had our second son, another miracle, as we evolved to a beautiful family. We did everything together, and we still do today.

What I did tell my son today was, when I moved out of my parents house at 19, I never moved back, never wanted to move back. I had met my future husband by then and my life was brand new. I love my Dad and my Mom and I appreciate all of their sacrifices, but once I moved out, I never ever once thought of moving back. I think it was due to their strict nature. In my own mind, their entire focus was on instilling in each of us a hard work ethic, a commitment to complete our education and secure a good career. I am forever indebted to them for these gifts.

However, with my own children and grandchildren, it is like we have been best friends all of our lives, so close, so happy to see each other, wishing we could all live together again someday. There were many years, we lived on macaroni and cheese adding a can of peas for the meat. It took years for us before we had two cents to rub together, but I remember those times and they were good times too.

I've been very fortunate all of my life. I had two wonderful parents who sacrificed their entire lives to give all of their children a better life. They were very successful in achieving their goal. All my siblings have done well. For me and my family they gave us the greatest gift of all. They enabled us to achieve the American Dream and I love it. Happy Father's Day Everyone!

Dream Student Achieves American Dream!

Viewers, one of my readers referenced the following article written by columnist Frank Mickadeit from the OC Register. I thought it was a very timely article, particularly in light of the fact that several Dream students are currently staging a Hungry Strike in front of several Congressmens' offices in support of passing the Dream Act:
You couldn't better illustrate the deep rift in Orange County over immigration than by looking at what happened on opposite ends of the county
Late Tuesday night, the Yorba 'Zona (Yorba Linda) City Council did what councils in Villa Park failed to do and Costa Mesa couldn't quite bring itself to do: 1) endorse Arizona's immigration law. 2)Less than 24 hours later, in Newport Beach, I watched a college-bound student being honored for outstanding scholarship stand before 350 people and, to great applause, proudly declare his Mexican birth and undocumented U.S. status. The latter occurred at billionaire Henry Nicholas 's estate, on a sprawling patio overlooking the Pacific. The occasion was the celebration of the young men and women from Santa Ana and Valley high schools who graduated from the Nicholas Academic Centers affiliated with those campuses. Nicholas has supported the after-school tutoring program the last three years, but it has its roots in the work of retired Judge Jack Mandel, who began tutoring students in 1970.

Mandel's very first tutee was a surprise speaker. Raul Tapia went on to become Cal State Fullerton's top grad and then to Harvard Law and a big-time practice. I thought the old judge was going to cry when his confident and impeccably dressed protégé strode to the stage. Each of the 66 2010 N.A.C. grads is headed to a college in one of 10 states or the District of Columbia (though none to an Arizona college). This year's N.A.C. class is up from 24 in 2009, the expansion due to the addition of the center at Valley High. Altogether, they won $1 million in scholarships.
Back to our undocumented scholar. "I knew being an undocumented student was going to be an obstacle," he told the audience in nervous but unaccented English. "I knew that lots of undocumented students (get) into great colleges and couldn't pay for it." That would not be a problem for our guy, as it turned out, because he earned a privately funded scholarship that will pay for all four years at a highly ranked university. He noted that another undocumented kid won the same scholarship the year before, both of them overcoming the sponsor's reluctance to award it to someone not here legally. He said he told her, "Ma'am, I'm pretty sure your investment will (pay off)." What struck me was the utterly tenuous, fragile nature of this young man's presence. As I remarked to a retired judge (not Mandel) standing next to me: One moment this kid is at a billionaire's mansion, reveling in his and his classmates' moment of glory and on his way to a great university, and just like that, (snapping my fingers), he could be picked up and hauled back to Mexico. And were this Arizona (or maybe even Yorba Linda), he probably would be, the instant he declared his status.
The retired judge suggested I reveal the kid's name and accomplishments but not his immigration status. "That's not the story here," he said, "although it is a good story." But I decided to reveal the scholar's accomplishments and his status but not his name. To me, his status is a necessary part of this ongoing story.

Tiger Walks Away from Golf After Admitting to Affairs!

TIGER Woods has decided to temporarily walk away from golf after admitting his affairs for the first time. Last month, Tiger crashed into a tree just yards from his front door. After his accident, he required hospital treatment. This raised a media frenzy, especially in light of the fact that TMZ.com exposed the issue of Tiger's affair with New York socialite Rachel Uchitel. According to TMZ, this led to a confrontation between Tiger and his wife shortly before he got into his SUV that morning. Since the accident, several other women have come forward admitting their affairs with Tiger, including admissions of infidelity in his own home. All of this news coverage has impacted his family and his golf career.

In a statement on Tiger's official website he said: “After much soul searching, I have decided to take an indefinite break from professional golf. I am deeply aware of the disappointment and hurt that my infidelity has caused to so many people, most of all my wife and children. I want to say again to everyone that I am profoundly sorry and that I ask forgiveness. It may not be possible to repair the damage I’ve done, but I want to do my best to try.”

I am disappointed in Tiger. I have always viewed him as a role model. The story of his dad mentoring his young son at such an early age into becoming the world's greatest golfer and achieving the American Dream was a lesson all father's wish they could achieve. I compare Tiger to any minority who has acheived great success, including our President Barack Obama.

To find, alas, that Tiger is just a man is disappointing, but understandable. As I've reported previously, several studies tell us that 50 - 60% of men cheat on their wives. These same studies say 45 - 55% of women cheat on their husbands. For a celebrity of Tiger's stature, with women constantly being the aggressor, it is understandable, though I am extremely disappointed in him.

Anyone who puts themselves in the public eye and commercially sells their image to various marketers should expect the American Public to question their public indiscretions. In the past, I've written about misdeeds of various politicians or individuals in the public eye. Bill Clinton cheated on Hillary and continued to cheat even after he was discovered. Yet he lied not only to Hillary but to the American Public. SC Governor Sanford lied to his wife and to the American Public and later crooned about his profound love for his mistress. Jenny Sanford is divorcing him. Former Presidential Candidate John Edwards lied to his wife and to the American Public about his affair with his mistress, promising to marry her after his wife Elizabeth died. These three politicians bear much more responsibility to the American Public then National Golf legend Tiger Woods. At least Tiger is admitting the truth and is stepping out of the Public View temporarily.

I realize Tiger and his family are in great pain right now. How do you forgive the unforgivable... the overblown ego that permitted these actions, the loss of trust, the sex acts themselves? I can't imagine the pain their family and extended family are going through right now as they go through these trials so much in the public eye. Tiger's mother and mother-in-law are particularly suffering.

I am also suffering and so are all of Tiger's admirers. He was our role-model, our icon who acheived the American Dream. "If he can do it, we can do it...Si Se Puede!" And what is worse, all those naysayer/backstabbers who wished and dreamed Tiger would fail, all those golfers who had no hope of ever even coming close to Tiger's stats, are all laughing now. Remember Fuzzy Zoeller's comment when Tiger won The Masters? Zoeller, referring to the following year's Master's Club Champion's Dinner, for which the defending champion selects the menu, said, "He's doing quite well, pretty impressive. That little boy is driving well and he's putting well. He's doing everything it takes to win. So, you know what you guys do when he gets in here? You pat him on the back and say congratulations and enjoy it and tell him not to serve fried chicken next year. Got it." Zoeller then smiled, snapped his fingers, and walked away before turning and adding, "or collard greens or whatever the hell they serve."

For many years to come, Tiger will be a figure of fun to comedians great and small. Tiger Woods will have to put up with those jokes and jabs for at least 20 more years. My prayers go to his wife, his children, his mom and mother-in-law, and to Tiger himself.

Judge Sotomayor and my Lesson from Eighth Grade

When I was in Junior High School I had an experience I do not like to dwell upon. I am reminded of that experience today, through the Sotomayor hearings. Some Republicans and Right wing Shock Jocks have attempted to label Judge Sotomayor a reverse racist. In reality, she is not. Instead, she is a strict advocate of the law. Her enemies, for various political reasons, are mischaracterizing her actions.
Additionally, some right wingers seem to suggest racism against minorities does not exist in our country and all things are equal. These right wingers are wrong.

My Junior High School experience helped me learn a very important lesson in life. As many of my long time readers know, I grew up in Michigan. Since my Dad worked in an auto factory, we were one of the very few Latino families that lived in Michigan all year long. Growing up, most of my friends were white. There were very few Latinos or Blacks living in Lansing at the time. In eighth grade, my friend Allie and I walked home from school. We often took short cuts because we lived miles away from school.

When Allie and I walked home, we cut across some railroad tracks. On one particular day, we saw a purse on the tracks. Allie picked it up. She looked inside and saw a wallet. It had the name of a student with our school ID in it. We both decided she would take it to the principal's office the next day so the owner could pick it up.

The next afternoon, just before the end of the school day, I was called into the vice principal's office. She started badgering me with numerous questions. "Did you take it?" "Why did you take it?" I was startled by her attack. I explained that Allie and I found the purse and we both agreed she would bring it into the office. The Vice Principal kept badgering me. Being only 12 years old, I finally started crying. The Vice Principal said my tears proved I was lying and I may as well admit I stole it. I said no. I did not. I asked her to bring Allie in the room. She said No. She was not going to do that to her. She told me to go home and think about it and come back with a confession the next day.

Since it was after the school day ended, I walked home alone, crying the whole way. My mom and dad were waiting for me when I arrived. I was late. They saw me crying. They wanted to know what was wrong.

I explained what happened.

Mom and Dad were both quiet. They both sat beside me and let me cry. I said, "Why would they think that? Why? I have always been a good student. Why would they think that?"

They hugged me. Then Dad said, "This is your first experience with true racism. This is not the last time this will happen. Expect it to happen many more times. In situations like this, some people will just assume you are guilty simply because you are Mexican."

"But why Dad? Why? I am a good girl."
He nodded. "Yes mija. I know you are a good girl. But we Mexicans are always suspect in some people's eyes. We have to know the rules and abide by them. We have to work twice as hard just to be considered equal. You will see others bend the rules or break them, but you can never do so. And the crimes of one Mexican are layed on the shoulders of all of us."

I blinked back my tears and listened to every word he was saying. "But Dad. Is that fair?"

"It doesn't matter if it is fair or not. It is just the way it is."
I started to cry again. "Dad. I don't want to go back to school if that is how it is going to be."

"No mijita. No. You must go back to school. If you do not go back to school you will do exactly what they want you to do. They want you to give up. You cannot do that. You are an American. This is our country too. You were born here. I was born here. My Dad was born here. This is our country just as much as it is their country. We are ALL Americans. You must go back. You must complete your education. You must achieve your dreams."

I stopped crying and I nodded.

He added, "Tomorrow, I want you to go back to your friend and ask her what she told the principal. If she is your friend and she is honest, she will tell you the truth. Then the both of you can go back to the principal and tell the truth."

I nodded. My parents both hugged me.

Though I didn't want to go back the next day, I did as my father suggested. I went back to Allie and asked her what she said to the principal. She told me she went to the Vice Principal, turned in the purse and told her we found it. I told her what the Vice Principal said. It was Allie's turn to become angry. We both went back to the Vice Principal's office. Allie repeated the truth about what happened and asked the Vice Principal why she made accusations against me. The VP became quiet and shrugged. She said "Fine" and guided us to leave her office. Though she looked embarrassed, she never apologized to me, but at least she left me alone.

I thought about my eighth grade experience as I heard Republican Senators rehash over and over again Judge Sotomayor's out of context comments or their misinterpretation of the Ricci case. I admire Judge Sotomayor's civility and poise throughout the hearing and as she proved her diligence to the Constitution and the Rule of Law her entire career. She believed in hard work and Education in order to achieve the American Dream, just like my Dad coached me.

Message to ANTIs on July 4th: Never ASSUME Latino Workers are "Illeeegals!"

In high school, one of my instructors often said, "Never ASSUME." She referenced the spelling of the word and said, "It makes an A-S-S out of U and ME." So many people ASS-U-ME, especially during Immigration discussions.

Take for example Latino workers performing AgJobs or Construction work. Many people ASSUME these workers are "illeegals." In fact, with all of the hyped up rhetoric promoted by the likes of Dobbs, Beck, Hannity and Savage, extremist ANTIs believe most Latinos they see are "illeeeegals." This ASSUMPTION is just NOT True! We have over 50M American Citizen Latinos living and working in our country today. (Beyond these assumptions, calling human beings "illeegal" and treating them as less than human is wrong!)

As many of my long time readers know, my citizen family has lived in the USA over 200 years. During the depression in the mid 1930s through the early 1940s, my father worked for the State of Michigan/Farm Bureaus transporting workers from Texas to Michigan to harvest crops. He also worked the fields and supervised the workers. All of the workers he transported were Latinos from Texas, they were not from Mexico. San Antonio served as a hub for many Latino workers, almost like today's Day Labor sites. Entire families of workers travelled to Michigan and throughout the mid-west. Even today, some people call San Antonio the Latino capital of America.

My father started working for an auto factory in the 1940s and moved our family to Michigan. By the time I came along in the 1950s, we kids went to school from September through June. Then, in mid-June, our cousins from Texas caravaned up to Michigan to pick strawberries and cherries. We joined the caravan up to the Traverse City area. My dad felt strongly that we join them because he wanted to instill in us a very strong work ethic. My dad often referenced the old quotation: "Idle hands are the devil's playground."

Though picking crops is a difficult job, it is quite profitable if you have a hard working family all working. My mother was our foreman. She woke up at 6am, made us egg/bean tacos for breakfast and packed our lunches, this time bean or spam tacos and a cooler filled with jugs of water and kool-aid. Each morning, the farm owner assigned each family one or two rows of cherry trees, depending on the size of the family. Our job was to clean each tree in our rows. Each of us had a large bucket. We had a suspender like backbrace on our backs and we clamped the bucket to the front of the brace so both hands were free to pick cherries. It took 2 big buckets to fill a lug. The lugs were stacked at every 5th tree. That made it easier for the farm owner to drive by and pick up the lugs. He picked up the lugs and placed them on a long, flat trailer bed which he pulled with his tractor. For each lug, my mother received a ticket worth 50 cents. My brothers picked the most lugs a day. This was on purpose. My mother sent them to the lower and mid portions of the trees with the highest density of cherries. My four brothers were strong and fast and averaged about 25 lugs per day. My two older sisters followed my brothers and semi-cleaned the trees behind them. My mother and I followed them. I climbed to the tip top of the trees and my mother did the final cleanup of each tree. There were eight of us, 7 kids and my mom. We averaged about 150 lugs a day. We worked Monday through Friday from 7am to 6pm and on Saturday from 7am to noon. We averaged about 800 lugs a week, which was about $400, lots of money back then. My mother paid my brothers the most, ranging between $25 - $30 a week, based on their numbers. My sisters earned about $20. I received $10. This was big money for all of us and we appreciated every cent. We usually spent most of it over the weekend when we went into town. We went to the soda fountain and to the movies. We went to the local stores to buy records and brought them back to the camp for the Saturday night dances. My mother bought groceries for the week, usually spending about $50. And she saved the rest and gave it to my dad. My dad continued working in the factory in Lansing and only came up to Traverse City every other weekend. We stayed in camp from mid June to the end of July. Other migrant families went on to other crops, which were harvested later in the year in lower Michigan. These crops included cucumbers and onions. There was a huge pickle factory in Eaton Rapids and many families went there.

I loved the camaraderie in the camps. After work, we spent a great deal of time together playing sports or having camp dances. The locals provided us workers a separate section of the lake for swimming and a separate Sunday Mass at the Catholic church. Though we were all citizens and they were separating us due to our ethnicity, we didn't view this as racist at the time. It just was how things were then. The locals separated us out and we just kept to the places and spaces provided.

My father always made sure we stayed at a nice camp where the owner provided clean living quarters, showers and bathrooms for the workers. There were some owners that only cared about profit and only provided tents for the workers. The owner at our camp was compassionate for the people although he did keep us at arm's length, not allowing his children to play with the children in the camp.

All of us were citizens, most from Texas. We were all hard working people looking to succeed in life. We were all happy to live in America.