US Hispanic groups, buoyed by massive weekend protests against a proposed immigration crackdown, are planning a major boycott of American life dubbed a â€Âday without Latinos,†leaders said on Tuesday.
Organisers of the planned May 1 “A day without Latinos or a day without immigrants” boycott will ask immigrants to put down tools, leave their places of work and classrooms, shut their business and take to the streets en masse to protest a bill that would criminalise illegal immigration.
Nativo Lopez, president of the Mexican American Political Association, one of the organisers of a massive protest in Los Angeles that saw at least 500,000 protest on Saturday, said the protest would send a stern message to Washington.
“We are looking forward to a major action in all large US cities where immigrants make up a significant proportion of the workforce,” he told AFP.
“We are asking people not to go to school, or work, or shopping and instead to go out and protest against the racist and inhumane measures in this bill.”
Planning meetings will be held in several cities over the next few weeks with the official announcement to be made in D.C. soon.
“Amnesty and Full Legalization” is the demand from the March 25 Coalition, organizers of last Saturday’s historic march in L.A.
I’ll be blogging much more about this in the coming days.
Mr. Phil,
Thank you, you said everything I was thinking. God bless all Human Beings, because
that is what we are in the end. Just Human Beings, some with different backgrounds,
cultures, languages, appearances, but at the end we were created by the one and only
Creator GOD Almighty.
Tony Alexander
I was not trying to look for an escape goat. I mentioned that so you can open
your eyes, people like you, and see what we do. You mentioned that there are
legal Americans willing to do those jobs. Show me. Dont tell me, show me.
Will you do it? I have. And what do you know whether or not they get their taxes taken out
or not. I do. I know plenty of people who do and they dont get their refunds.
And I did not make it about a race issue, I never even mentioned race, you did.
And if you have such a problem with being taxed, call your politicians. I also
pay taxes, I am making a very decent living. And in case you did not know, any white
collar immigrant making a decent living get taxed even more, hhhhmmm I wonder why?
TONY:
For your information, ILLEGAL immigrants have paid over a BILLION dollars in
TAXES to the U.S. government.
Since you don’t understand this, let me explain it:
TRUE, some illegals get paid, under the counter, but so do some AMERICANS. What
happens is this. An illegal immigrant CANNOT be hired by MOST companies without
a SOCIAL SECURITY CARD or NUMBER, etc. Many of these numbers are BOUGHT by
ILLEGAL WORKERS so that they can enter in to the workforce.
NOW, I am not saying that this is RIGHT, but let’s just say that in order to
WORK, they HAVE TO do it this way. Once again, I say, if your family is in
need of a better life, sometimes you will do ANYTHING to insure that they have
a good future. Still, I don’t DEFEND the falsification of federal documents, but
I do UNDERSTAND why they do it. NO SS card, NO JOB, period!
So, to enlighten you on the subject, let me tell you that WHEN they have this
SS card, which is often a VALID number, then they work PRETENDING to be that
person. Therefore, TAXES are taken out of their EARNINGS just as with you and
I. The only difference is, they DON’T FILE TAXES. Although perhaps SOMETIMES
this leads to UNPAID TAXES in the end, MOST of the time they would have RECEIVED
a REFUND because of such low wages. They can’t CLAIM the REFUND either.
SO, whether you AGREE or not with the PROCESS that ILLEGALS take, you cannot
deny that they DO INDEED PAY TAXES.
Ana Maria,
I dont think you even know what you are writing. I also went through the process
I am a Natularize US Citizen, you dont even know what we are fighting about.
Do you know what the HR 4437 says. Please read it first and then make comments.
And, for your information they are not fighting to become Citizens when was that
ever mentioned? Do you know what the Guest Worker Program consits of. This will
only grant them permission to work here for 3 years and then, if they are still here
and that expires they will have to reapply and not to mention they have to be
eligible, you know they are going to make it hard to even be eligible.
And you should know better, you had to pay a fee to apply for Citizenship, anytime you apply for anything there is a fee, so we are not getting anything free at all. There is the
penalty fee that is paid and filing fees for every other piece of paper submitted into
immigration and not to mention the pictures, translations of documents, fingerprinting
doctors examination. SEE I DO KNOW. And about your comment about other countries
accepting immigrants, know your history and what is going on right now. Hispanics
are everywhere in the world not only USA. And Mexico, we have no problem with
USA citizens going down there and retiring, alot of people do it and I know a couple
of them, I will be one of them. to be continued….
Ana Maria,
Tell me what kind of things are given to illegals, they do not get anything. What
they do have they have worked hard for it. They do not get free handouts. Do you
even know what we are protesting for? We are protesting for the right
to be treated like humans not animals. We are protesting against the HR4437, read about
it. In the Guest Worker Program, there is not even mention of them being able
to become US Citizens, unless there is an Amnesty that specifically states so.
So please do your research before even writing about only what you think not what you
actually know. Know the facts please.
I mispelled Naturalized my bad.
I am natural born American and my parents are Cuban immigrants. I however, did not agree with protesting on May 1st. My family stood proud and went to work and and worked 4 times as hard as we should have to make up for the ones that did not show. Everyone that did not come to work was fired and I agree with that decision. I applaud those that carried on with their lives and did the right thing by going to work.
There is a better way to change the mindset of others. Communication, information and support is the first step. America is built on laws and laws can be changes and created. Do not give others any reason to defame you or your culture. Stand proud, as we do, but more than anything, be proud. People treat you in the manner that you expect. Stop expecting people to treat you like second class citizens and they will stop treating you as one.
Be proud of your culture, but more so, be proud of wanting to be an American!
Antoinette,
Come on, you know all you did was work like any other day, What do you do?
If I may ask? We are proud and that is why we are standing up. They should not
have gotten fired, they have rights too. You just have it made, you are a US
citizen, what do you know about struggling, maybe your parents do, but they are
cubans, as soon as a cuban hits the US soil you have everything tailored to you.
Cubans are even paid to learn english, I know this for a fact. And that is exactly
what we want done, be treated like first class citizens. You are just
confussed. Or maybe you just like your Cuban patriots anybody else are just second
hand citizens. I AM MEXICAN AND PROUD OF IT. I HAVE BEEN IN THIS COUNTRY
FOR 27 YEARS, I WOULD GO BACK TO MEXICO BUT I DONT WANT TO JUST YET. I have not met
a cuban who is not here legally. You get politial asylum, come on you do not know
what the rest of the immigrants are going through.
First of all for clarification my mention of race was a general to all comments not targeted towards any one posting. Maybe there was some misunderstanding to my posting because I do recall mentioning that society takes advantage of these situations. Okay the tax problem, goes back to square “1.” Do it legally, then you can file taxes, you can get a refund. I am not to be blamed because taxes are witheld from anyone’s earning but they are not allowed to file a refund at the end of the year. I never said Americans aren’t paid under the table. My all fairness is do what’s right. So there is no need to enlighten me on anything. Ethics the difference between what is right and wrong. Trust me I have lived the Unamerican dream and have been discriminated against on many occassions and deal with on a daily basis. I don’t use my past of poverty as a scapegoat. I managed to but myself through four years of military, and 5 years of pharmacy school and never blamed a soul. And yes, my first job was working home in Louisiana pulling weeds out of corn fields. So don’t tell me what I wont do because I’ve done it. To compare the robberies of New Orleans to this is like comparing apples and oranges. They were wrong! You don’t have anything and you’re walking out of a wal-mart with a televison. Yes they deserved to be jailed. That wasn’t a need. I had family there who loss everything and had it been them robbing they deserved to be jailed as well. Ana Marie spoke words of wisdom: It’s not a matter of being an immigrant. LEGAL: le·gal Audio pronunciation of “LEGAL” ( P ) Pronunciation Key (lgl)
adj.
1. Of, relating to, or concerned with law: legal papers.
2.
1. Authorized by or based on law: a legal right.
2. Established by law; statutory: the legal owner.
3. In conformity with or permitted by law: legal business operations.
4. Recognized or enforced by law rather than by equity.
5. In terms of or created by the law: a legal offense.
6. Applicable to or characteristic of attorneys or their profession.
Celina,
Unless we walk in others shoes, we can not even begin to speak as though we know who people are, where they are from, or the hardships that they face or have faced. Your comment about Cubans thinking that everyone else is a second hand citizen? I do not reply to ingnorance or comments like that.
That sort of commentary is the first way to have no one take you serious. It is not about who suffers more, or who has been here longer, or even your opinion of me. It is about making your voice and life count. The protest did not accomplish anything, except to create more jobs for some others. The USA didn’t suffer on May 1st. The people that didn’t go to work are the only ones that suffered, loss of pay. If we want to fight and stand up for ourselves, then do it in a way that will make a difference.
Educate our children to not sling verbal hatred and to love everyone as their own. I personally guarantee that you will convince more people to follow you that way than by telling us how you are so much better than others because you suffer.
Welcome to life on our planet, we all suffer. It doesn’t make anyone better or more deserving of anything. But Celina, if you would like to think that I am confused because I am Cuban and not Mexican, then by all means, go right ahead. I will even tell you that you win.
I will continue to do what I am doing, talking without raising my voice, writing letters to Congress, and faxing letters to the White House. I will also continue to set these examples and educate those that want to listen. You continue to belittle those that don’t see things your way. I would love to speak to you again in 27 years and compare what we have accomplished.
God bless us immigrants, we seem to be fighting each other.
I just want to say Mexicans have been here thousands of years in American at least long the Native Americans. I was born and raised here and my grandmother was from Mexico. She raised 13 children and every single one was successful never once did they take welfare and I am proud of my grandmother for coming her 1919 and raising such find citizen. My father family has been here since 1640 from England.
HEY BOB!!!!!!!!!,
Thanks for the opportunity to say what I need to say. It’s been great. If things don’t change I will continue to do what I can and participate in any way needed. You are all wonderful people, and it’s been a pleasure.
Melanie
Ok,
Antoinette
You and Tony Alexander got my message. See until we direct anything to someone
specifically then you start getting all on the defensive side. Think
about what is going on with the immigrants. They have been targeted.
And I do believe May 1st did accomplish a point, read the newspapers or watch the
news. I am not ingnorant, and you did respond to my comment about cubans thinking
everyone else are second hand citizens. I do apologize, we are all immigrants and
you are right we should not be fighting or debating each other. And one more
thing, I have walked on others peoples shoes, you just dont know how many people
I have helped. I myself have gone through many hardships, have experienced
discrimination first hand.
Tony Alexander,
I do not blame anyone for my hardships or what I have gone through. I have
overcome those obstacles and have done just fine for myself all on my own and hard
work. I am not trying to get people to feel sorry for myself, if I would have
I would not be where I am at right now. I also have worked manual labor jobs
and good for you too.
Thanks Celina for the nice comments about what I wrote. I keep hearing American
(estadounidenses)talking about LAWS and how bad it is to break them. Look, I
don’t even have a speeding ticket, but I can understand that SOMETIMES there are
LAWS that will be broken as times change and have to be restructured because of
PROBLEMS with these laws. I.E. Prohibition, etc.
The LATINOS are NOT thinking to themselves, “HMMMMM….WE DON’T CARE ABOUT THE
U.S. LAWS, WE JUST WANT TO COME OVER HERE AND TAKE THEIR JOBS. WE WANT TO BREAK
ALL OF THE LAWS, YEAH, THAT WOULD BE FUN, USE SOCIAL SERVICES, MEDICARE, AND
TAKE UP SPACE IN THE U.S. SCHOOLS…..Is this REALLY what you believe they
are thinking???
NO, they are thinking……$50-70 dollars per week will NEVER amount to nothing,
THE U.S. is SAFER for my children and family as, at least I know in the case of
MEXICO, Mexican Police are a JOKE. MANY places in MEXICO are WAY WAY out of
control when security is the issue.
I CHALLENGE anyone to work for this amount of money and SURVIVE and take care
of a FAMILY.
They are ALSO thinking, AMERICAN schools are BETTER for my child and they will
have a FUTURE.
LISTEN!! IMPORTANT POINT ABOUT EDUCATION OF LATINOS IN THE U.S.!!!
I hear SOOOO many times that THEY NEED TO LEARN ENGLISH, THEY NEED TO LEARN
ENGLISH!!! And LISTEN AMERICANS, I agree, BUT…..
Do you know what happens REALLY with the undocumented immigrants??? They WORK about 6 days
a week from 7 a.m. - 7 p.m. and have 1 day off. NOW, I am FLUENT in SPANISH
and have studied the language and have LESS than a year to become a SPANISH
teacher, so you think I might know a LITTLE bit about learning another language,
right??
I’ll tell you, they might learn, and many DO learn some of the ENGLISH language,
but it is VERY hard to do with this kind of a work schedule. MANY, not all, of
the companies TAKE ADVANTAGE of their workers by working their BUTTS off and
paying very little.
HERE IS THE POINT ON EDUCATION: While AMERICANS don’t often see it, I DO. My
wife is MEXICAN and my IN-LAWS are undocumented. I have seen it EVERYWHERE in
the MEXICAN community. What am I talking about?
ENGLISH SPEAKING MEXICAN CHILDREN!! Why is this?? Well, let’s see….maybe
because they are going to U.S. SCHOOLS and LEARNING IT, you think?? SO, the
NEXT generation WILL BE COMPLETELY FLUENT IN ENGLISH, it is ONLY the 1st generation
that has trouble learning ENGLISH. (Example: My niece, 7 years old, speaks
perfect ENGLISH because of being EDUCATED in the U.S., my sister-in-law, 15,
speaks very good ENGLISH that she has learned through EDUCATION and ESL programs.
Plus, instead of DROPPING OUT of school and entering the workforce like my
wife did at AGE 12 (When did YOU begin working?) and NEVER finishing her
studies BECAUSE she was FORCED to try to TAKE CARE of her FAMILY while she was
STILL A CHILD, THESE 2nd GENERATION of IMMIGRANTS WILL SPEAK ENGLISH FLUENTLY,
AND they will be MORE EDUCATED PEOPLE as they will FINISH school.
So, the LAWS that are broken are to PROVIDE better SECURITY, FINANCIAL FUTURE,
and EDUCATION for their families and CHILDREN.
AND, they are willing to work their BUTTS off for it. PLEASE people, my fellow
AMERICANS, realize that these people are faced with the HARSH REALITY that they
PROBABLY will NEVER have anything in LIFE if they stay in their home countries.
They AND their FAMILIES and CHILDREN will ALWAYS be POOR.
Think about it…….BEING POOR IN THE U.S. HAS BEEN REALLY HARD ON ME WHILE
I AM ATTENDING COLLEGE, but I CANNOT EVEN IMAGINE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BEING
POOR IN THIS COUNTRY AND BEING POOR IN ANOTHER COUNTRY THAT DOESN’T OFFER
GOOD EDUCATION, GOOD JOBS, GOOD SECURITY FOR MY FAMILY, ETC.
My friends, WHO wouldn’t break a LAW for their CHILDREN to insure a FUTURE and
a GOOD life?? THESE PEOPLE ARE NOT ATTACKING OUR CITIZENS, ROBBING BANKS,
KILLING AMERICANS, ETC. They just want what you often take for granted,
OPPORTUNITY, and WE are the land of opportunity!
CALEB,
You make SOME good points, but we need to stay focused here. It is NOT about
whether one RACE is lazy or whatever. YES, there are ignorant people in
EVERY group of people, AMERICAN, MEXICAN, etc.
YES, this IS the LAND OF OPPORTUNITY, CALEB! I know how the MEXICANS live here.
AGAIN, I am immersed in the culture, but LISTEN….the reason that
UNDOCUMENTED workers do not get “AHEAD” is simple. MANY take advantage of
their CHEAP labor. In other words, $250 a week for 60 hours of work. That is
not going to help them advance much.
Look, in the UNIVERSITY, there are COLOMBIANS, PUERTO RICANS, DOMINICANS,
MEXICANS, ETC. “THEY” will, once finished with their studies, earn MUCH more
than a person in MEXICO with a college degree. I know, because one of my
sister-in-laws works as a NURSE in MEXICO after studying for 4 years and does
NOT make very much money.
But LISTEN, CALEB, PLEASE: WHO BENEFITS “MOST” in this LAND OF OPPORTUNITY when
the MEXICANS come here?? THE MEXICAN CHILDREN!
YES, it is very difficult for a 1st GENERATION MEXICAN IMMIGRANT in the U.S. to
KEEP WORKING for LOW WAGES, STUDY, LEARN ENGLISH, work their way up the SOCIETAL
LADDER in the U.S., etc. STILL, IT CAN BE DONE.
BUT, the CHILDREN, like my 7 year old MEXICAN niece, “WILL” be able to have EASY
ACCESS to the great OPPORTUNITES in EDUCATION in the U.S., and their FUTURES
will be BETTER off.
CALEB, for NOW, the U.S. is a better place for a CHILD to be born and a CHILD
has more opportunities in this land. So, CALEB, when you think about the U.S.
as being a “LAND OF OPPORTUNITY”, think MORE about the 2nd generation of
MEXICAN IMMIGRANTS who will BENEFIT for their PARENTS SACRIFICES.
ALSO CALEB, it would appear that you love your NATIVE country, MEXICO. That
is how it SHOULD be. I have NO doubt that the MEXICAN PEOPLE are, on the whole,
GOOD PEOPLE, and that they would RATHER have a good life in MEXICO with their
FAMILY, CULTURE, etc. Even the MEXICANS here LOVE their native LAND, as they
SHOULD.
THEIR ANCESTORS WERE FROM MEXICO, and the countless historical sites of the
Aztecs, Mayans, etc. (Tehuantepec, Tenochtilan, The Murals in D.F., etc.)SURELY will always be a
part of “BEING MEXICAN.” I mean, MEXICO is the land where they still speak
NAHUATL and CHOL (I believe the latter is a MAYAN language, could be wrong).
SO WHAT IS “NOT” TO BE PROUD OF??
The MEXICANS are proud of their heritage as they have the RIGHT to be.
NOW, CALEB, I myself MENTIONED the MEXICAN AMERICAN WAR OF 1846-1848 above in
an earlier post. But Caleb, you wrote SOMETHING to the effect of “YOU came over
to these lands, etc.” Look, “I” and my fellow AMERICANS of today are JUST AS
MUCH NATIVE AMERICANS as the INDIANS in my view. LIKE THE INDIANS, “WE”, this
generation were BORN here on THIS SOIL. IT MAKES NO DIFFERENCE WHERE OUR
ANCESTORS CAME FROM, “WE” DID NOT COME OVER TO THIS LAND, “WE” WERE BORN HERE!!
As a matter of FACT, NOBODY knows even where the NATIVE AMERICAN INDIANS
ORIGINALLY CAME FROM OR WHERE THE “HUMAN RACE” ORIGINALLY STARTED OUT FROM!!
SO, EVERYONE, INCLUDING YOUR PEOPLE HAS PROBABLY MIGRATED TO OTHER LANDS WHERE
ANOTHER GROUP WAS LIVING AS WELL AT THE SAME TIME, SO WHAT IS THE POINT?
You also mentioned that “it was not long ago that these lands were MEXICAN” and
that “why shouldn’t they fly the Mexican flag over them?” Look, it has been
ONLY in RECENT times that the WORLD, for the most part, has respected the
BORDERS of the many countries which we have today.
BEFORE, MANY WARS were FOUGHT to decide who would take TERRITORY. That was the
WAY of OUR ancestors and the way of the WORLD back then. This INCLUDES LATINOS…
(Simon Bolivar, San Martin, etc.) The AZTEC INDIANS took land from other
groups of INDIANS, etc. That is just how people lived BACK THEN. So do not use
that WAR of 1846 to COMPARE to today’s society and the culture we live in today.
What MEXICO LOST is in the past. TODAY we are more EDUCATED people and our
countries do not just TAKE other countries land. I AGREE that it was a BAD DEAL
for MEXICO, but that is just HISTORY. Don’t blame people today for this! And
NO, it does NOT give them the RIGHT to fly the MEXICAN flag over the U.S.! What
“GIVES THEM THE RIGHT” is the U.S. Constitution and the 1st AMENDMENT.
I would HOPE and I myself BELIEVE that the GOOD MEXICAN people would fly the MEXICAN FLAG only as a
symbol of their LOVE for their PEOPLE, CULTURE, and NATIVE LAND and NOT over something that
happened in 1846.
LASTLY, please just ADMIT that the U.S. ECONOMIC system is in better shape than
the MEXICAN system. The U.S. GOV’T, although it has its own problems, is ALSO
structured better at this point of time than that of MEXICO. The AMERICAN
system is not PERFECT, but it is the best we have.
I understand where your PRIDE comes from, and your HERITAGE is very important.
The MEXICAN PEOPLE are merely victims of CORRUPTION, but that does NOT mean that
the PEOPLE are not GREAT people who love the “LAND” and the “CULTURE” they
belong to…..I understand that and respect that.
I’m going back to Mexico! I’ll let Clyde, Bob, and Earl take over my shity job
i did go to the protest on may 1 and i think latinos should saty here to have fredom i thought that was why other people from other places came here for but like white people want all imagrents out what are they going to do with out us they need us? thanx for reading this and yes im am mexican!
Phil,
I could not agree with you more. And Caleb you too.
SALUDOS A TODOS Y QUE DIOS LOS BENDIGA.
Celina
i think that all the latinos are a comunity united.I am latino i live honduras and i love honduras
To “I ant tillen” or whatever and his/her message on May 3, 9:57 p.m.,
AND, as a matter of fact, to EVERYONE else out there that feels like him/her.
LISTEN:
Please STOP making BLANKET and STEREOTYPICAL statements against a WHOLE GROUP
of people. You wrote, “WHITE PEOPLE WANT ALL IMMIGRANTS OUT.” That is NOT
true and VERY offensive to me as a WHITE person who loves the LATINO culture.
My BROTHER-IN-LAW, who is MEXICAN (undocumented) WORKS for a company that puts
“LA TUBERIA” in houses. He works for a group of WHITE GUYS.
He has had OTHER jobs that he has worked for MEXICAN guys. He has told me that
the WHITE AMERICANS treat him and PAY him better. Now, that isn’t to say
that MEXICAN people are bad, but just to CLARIFY that ALL races have DIFFERENT
people who believe in DIFFERENT things and to make a BLANKET statement concerning
a WHOLE race of people is just WRONG.
SO, what should “I” say?? ALL MEXICAN PEOPLE TREAT THEIR WORKERS BAD AND PAY
POORLY???? OF COURSE NOT!! I know better than that! I know tons of GOOD
MEXICANS who are GOOD people all around.
MY FRIENDS,
White people face this kind of discrimination ALL of the time. Being blamed
for the past and USED as a CRUTCH for everyone’s problems.
Please QUIT blaming “WHITE people” and BLAME the “PEOPLE” who are responsible.
Listen, I do NOT wish to offend ANY groups of people, but we ALL know that it
is VERY POLITICALLY INCORRECT to say ANYTHING about ANY other race that may
OFFEND them.
However, when the RACE is the WHITE RACE, then ALL comments seem to be
ACCEPTABLE and nobody seems to care. Well, “I” don’t insult your race because
it is not right, so please be more considerate to WHITE people with your words.
For that matter, be more considerate to ALL people.
It would be extremely nice to have some support by the LATINOS concerning the
statements I just posted about the WHITE race.
GOOD LATINOS, please discourage other LATINOS from insulting ALL white people and
saying that we don’t want immigrants.
There are good whites, there are good latinos, blacks, asians, etc.
Por favor, LATINOS, no echen la culpa a la raza BLANCA. Conozco muchos hueros
que quieren mucho a la communidad hispana. Tambie’n, hay muchos estudiantes que
se dedican a los estudios del idioma espan~ol. Estudian la cultura de Mexico,
Latino-America, y Espan~a.
Conozco un doctor HUERO de 70 an~os que viaja cada verano a MEXICO para ofrecer sus
servicios en una clinica para ayudar la gente mexicana, !sin que le paguen nada!
!Trabaja gratis! Casi perdio a su hijo porque e’l, y su hijo, estuvieron en
MEXICO cuando paso’ el huracan. (el huracan Mitch, creo)
Tengo una amiga HUERA que habla el espan~ol fluyentemente. Ella siempre ha
estudiado la cultura puertoriquen~a. Trabaja un una iglesia catolica donde
ayuda la iglesia, la que tiene una poblacio’n muy grande de hispanos, con los
asuntos que enfrenta la communidad hispana. Ella pasa mucho tiempo traduciendo
los anuncios de la iglesia a espan~ol para los hispanos.
Y yo, tambie’n, soy uno de ellos. Soy un HUERO muy metido en la cultura
MEXICANA y me gusta apoyar a los latinos cuando puedo. He ayudado muchos de
mis amigos hispanos conseguir trabajos y habia sido traductor cuando me necessitan
para communicar con la gente estadounidense.
Adema’s, he estudiado el idioma espan~ol mucho y voy a ser un profesor de la
preparatoria (espan~ol). He estudiado la historia y cultura MEXICANA, LATINO-
AMERICANA, y un poco de ESPAN~A.
Entonces, por favor, tratanos, los que quieren ayudar, con respeto. Gracias.
Phil (Felipe)
Phil,
I could not agree with you more. I too know of good white people that treat
us with respect and are nice to the Mexican community. In our area
one of the leaders for one of the Immigrant organizations is white. I applaud you
because you do know our reality and know what we go through and what we have gone
through. What I do hate and makes me very sad is all those ugly comments from
other PEOPLE at this site and other sites I have seen, but that is life and reality
I will keep my head high up and go on with my life and do what I need to do.
Phil,
Thank you for your words. My words were in response to the post of such named Chris, April 11, 2006 @ 12:31 am. In such types of comments, I feel the need to point this kinds of things (my pride, history, etc.) to prove a point. If whatever I wrote (specially in the area of race) has upset you, I’m truly sorry for this wasn’t my intention, at least not to you: you have written well (historically and grammatically, in both languages, which is something to applaud) and well argumented, so I apologize for this.
Having said that, the U.S.-Mexico war of the 19th century is, yes, old… I understand waving a foreigners flag in U.S. soil can be disrespectful to others; and yes, you’re completely right: most immigrants are waving it as a sign of pride, not of sorrow. And even more so right: we’re all immigrants and belong wherever we were born.
But in my opinion, the topic of that war is still valid. Not to blame it on any legal American, but to make them aware of the land in which they’re living in. This is not your land, not mine. When we die, we will become it, so, in some way, we are property of the land. The same way I cannot say for sure how a legal American has lived, or how has an immigrant lived: I haven’t walked in their shoes, through the land… I have witnessed how some of my brothers I KNOW have struggled in the land you walk on, and at that I have stopped my comment: I haven’t assumed nothing of your government. I haven’t said that Mexican has done a better job than the U.S. government, I have just stated the pride of my people, and the fact that we are working in making our situation better. I’ve pointed out, like you have: both of our governments have problems that we’re dealing with. But comments like:
“the U.S. is a better place for a CHILD to be born”
Ouch!… firstly, I was raised in the border (Cd. Juarez/El Paso), and had a lot of friends that were born in the U.S. that had a childhood very similar to mine… secondly, what is “better”? Is it safer? Is it more tolerant? Is it cheaper? C’mon, look around and sincerely answer these questions, you may even be right… thirdly, it hurts to hear such an open-minded person like yourself talk like that. I truly did not believe the myth of the ellitistic legal American: why compare? why say better? Many believe that, many have moved there because of that belief, and for many it has worked out, for others it hasn’t: and I think that you should first ponder about that before making me say something that I know for fact it’s not true: I lived here, and am happy here, and, yes, I know that I’m better off here than in your country. We’re talking about my life and the place that I lived in, here: so, don’t you think that comment was a little offensive? I mean, you may think you have proof of that: so many people going over there. But only empowered by a beleif, not by assurance… and that belief could’ve been brought up by many factors, some of which are not true.
Have you thought about how many people were born here in Mexico? How many of those are happy here? And are better off here? That’s a lot of more than the ones that are over there, I assure you, so I’m not the only one.
I’m not saying Mexico’s is a better place for children to be born in: that’s a parent decision to make. If you want your children to be born in the U.S., good; I want my children to be born here, deal?
” “THEY†will, once finished with their studies, earn MUCH more than a person in MEXICO with a college degree.”
“one of my sister-in-laws works as a NURSE in MEXICO after studying for 4 years and does NOT make very much money.”
“please just ADMIT that the U.S. ECONOMIC system is in better shape than the MEXICAN system”
Uhmm… a nurse career is done in two years (half time) and I have a friend that studied eight years here and is only being payed minimum salary, know why? Those eight years were spend finishing high school… besides I know of a lot nurses over here with very good salaries… by mexicans standards: yes, our economic systems are different, you take in a lot of money, but you also take out a lot. I don’t have my statistics with me, but for what I’ve seen, to live in the U.S. is much more expensive than in Mexico: but you get paid more, so is no big deal for you. So are you in better shape? Yes, of course! We asked you guys to lend us money, that’s how better shape you are! Uhmm… are you done? God! I really didn’t want to get into this but: do you actually know of the problems of your country? I know of mine, and I’m still proud to be mexican………………… I’m sorry, is just that everytime someone begins comparing our countries I get so frustrated: we’re working on it, that’s all I get to say, because yes, I’m aware of our economic problems, but this doesn’t get solved quickly. But it’s very important for me that you understand that a life is built not around money, while it’s basically the only thing I hear you guys compare our country with yours (that, and the corruption, which you guys aren’t immune to). Those other things in which a life is built upon is where lies the reason I love being a mexican: our way of life, the values it grows upon, the joy of our culture, the weirdness of it, how we sing during funerals, cry during birthday parties, if you don’t have someone to party with “go ask your cousins to come over!” (instant party), if you don’t have a reason to party “well, my niece had it’s first tooth” (done!), our beautiful food, the creativity that it’s at the base of all of it, the problem resolving that ONE person can do with just a hammer and two coins, how we can withstand insult after insult but “just don’t talk about my mom cuz you’re dead”, and the fact that my family is still the source of my biggest strength… that does not compare with what your country has to offer me: you can have your economy, I’ll stay here and enjoy my tacos.
CALEB:
First of all, let me start out by saying that you know that I respect your culture
and, as a matter of fact, I PREFER many aspects of the MEXICAN culture over my
own. There is no doubt that your people and your culture are RICH in other ways
that MONEY cannot buy. I will not debate that.
Second, I will accept your apology and just point out that anyone who makes
BLANKET statements about one particular race usually just destroys the VALID points
that are made by that same person. Sure, you may find some sympathizers, but
you will lose practically all of your support that you otherwise could’ve gained.
You just shut yourself off to GOOD caring people who agree with you. So that’s
that.
Hmmmmmm…, Thirdly, let me address your response to the comment I made, “It is
better for a CHILD to be born in the U.S.” Ok, here we go. Caleb, what I was
referring to is the FACT that 50% of MEXICANS are impoverished. To me, THIS,
POVERTY, is the real enemy.
Ok, with that said, let me tell you that SURE there are people that wil have
good lives in MEXICO. Once again, TRADITIONS, CULTURE, FAMILY, etc. are ALL
very important POSITIVE ASPECTS of living in MEXICO. HOWEVER, the U.S. is
stronger in EDUCATION, ECONOMY, JOBS, SECURITY, etc. These TOO are important
for a CHILD’s FUTURE.
The FACT is that many MEXICANS come to the U.S. because they deem these latter
items mentioned to be VERY important. Many MEXICANS do NOT feel that they have
the BEST opportunities to ADVANCE in life, so they come here. The stats are that
ONE in EVERY TEN CHILDREN born to MEXICAN BORN PARENTS IS born in the U.S. That
is a FACT.
Listen CALEB, this isn’t to DOWNGRADE your country!! Don’t let me OFFEND you! I
AGREE with you that the MOST important things in life are FAMILY, CULTURE,
TRADITIONS, etc. In a perfect UTOPIAN society, these would be GREAT by themselves
and everyone would be able to just live, work any job, make a living and spend
time with their family and practice their culture.
Unfortunately, my friend, things just don’t work that way (I wish they did!).
Although MONEY is NOT everything, I agree, in TODAY’S world, our societies
THRIVE off of it. So ECONOMIC and FINANCIAL security is VERY important because
of this. MOST PEOPLE DO NOT WANT TO LIVE IN POVERTY, agreed?
ALSO, so you wish to stay in MEXICO and live YOUR life in your country?? That
is COMPLETELY VALID and that is FAIR, and I have no problem with YOUR decision.
If YOU are happy with your life, that is GOOD. EVERYONE should be ABLE to do
what they want with THEIR own lives, to be HAPPY, right, don’t you agree?? I do.
So let’s turn to the question of CHILDREN. Do THEY have the right?? Perhaps
AFTER seeing BOTH sides, a MEXICAN CHILD will CHOOSE to stay in MEXICO, and
if they are HAPPY, that is GREAT!
But what about if a MEXICAN child FEELS the STRESSES of jobs that do not pay
very well, a DESIRE to become more FINANCIALLY stable and become, PERHAPS, an
ASTRONAUT?? Maybe the child DREAMS of making over $100,000 a year as a DOCTOR.
Yes, it’s MONEY, but what about if a CHILD feels he or she is TRAPPED by the
ECONOMIC SOCIETY.
Let’s say that THIS MEXICAN CHILD LOVES HIS OR HER HERITAGE….Let’s say that the
child is PROUD to be MEXICAN, ENJOYS SPENDING TIME WITH HIS FAMILY and practicing
TRADITIONS. But he or she WANTS to, DESIRES to, DREAMS of, owning a THREE
STORY house, a CORVETTE, and his or her own SUCESSFUL SMALL BUSINESS??
Does a CHILD have the right to CHOOSE his or her own DESTINY? I say yes. YOU
may be happy with your life, that is GREAT! But what do we do about the CHILD?
My answer is that we, as parents, try to GIVE our children EVERY opportunity and
let HIM or HER decide.
FAMILY, TRADITION, and CULTURE will be there EVEN IF a child desires to advance
ECONOMICALLY. BUT…..ECONOMIC opportunities will NOT or be MUCH HARDER to
acheive if a CHILD is not helped to become PREPARED to confront a competetive
WORLD market. The CHILD may never get HIS or HER chance, may never fulfill
HIS OR HER dreams. The CHILD will be WAY WAY BEHIND and probably will never
catch up. It will be too much work and almost impossible.
So, CALEB, won’t FAMILY and CULTURE and TRADITIONS always be there?? If one
CHOOSES to live as you have, can they not CHOOSE this life after CHOOSING what
ECONOMIC path to take??
Therefore, it is NOT by any means to down MEXICO, their will be many YOUNG people
who would like to leave MEXICO due to the ECONOMIC conditions but will be
UNPREPARED to advance in the U.S. It is a hard life! My NIECE, on the other
hand, speaks ENGLISH, is going to finish her education here, will be ready to
go to college, and can STILL choose to live in MEXICO if she wishes. She can
ALSO choose to become a highly payed LAWYER in the U.S. if SHE WISHES.
That, to me, is a GREAT situation. She can pick! That’s what I want! I respect
her decision the same as I respect YOURS.
LASTLY CALEB, I know that MEXICAN people are hard workers. LISTEN, your
COUNTRY and people are NOT the “government!” So, I do NOT insult MEXICAN people.
SURE, I know and hope that it will be a better ECONOMIC situation for MEXICANS
one day. SURE, I know that the U.S. is NOT PERFECT!
So, with that said, allow me to rephrase my statement: “Isn’t it better for a
CHILD to be born in the U.S. in regard to his or her ECONOMIC FUTURE and
SECURITY? ALTHOUGH Mexico is RICH in TRADITIONS, FAMILY, CULTURE, etc., can
it be said that CHILDREN can have THESE VERY IMPORTANT ASPECTS OF LIFE together
with FINANACIAL AND ECONOMIC success so that THEY, THEY, THE CHILDREN will
ultimately have the FINAL decision in how THEY wish to live?? I think that it
can and SHOULD be said. I think that HARD WORKING MEXICANS need to continue to
support a better ECONOMIC future for MEXICO while preserving their HERITAGE.
In the meantime, the U.S. IS better equipped to provide the EDUCATION, SECURITY,
and FINANCIAL opportunities that one needs to deal with POVERTY. That doesn’t
mean to say that ONE country is BETTER than the other, it is just a FACT.
But, Caleb, continue to practice your traditions, love your family, culture, etc.
Yes this is important! I respect that.
Let’s just make sure that we give our CHILDREN “ALL” of the necessities that
THEY will need to make their own choices LATER in life and let’s don’t let
our CHILDREN feel LATER that they cannot PURSURE “THEIR” DREAMS due to OUR
DECISIONS for THEIR LIVES.
Phil,
Agreed. Thank you for your rephrase… and in that I do agree: the people that go over there find that the economy is important in their life, and I respect that; is their choice, and I wish them well.
You may find my comments utopian, but I get, as you, as a human being, the will to decide what will be the foundation of our lifestyle; a personal lifestyle, going beyond tradition and society. Right now, I believe that both of us are, because of this discussion, in a position in which we have encountered the main differences of our ideas which is indeed the decision of what is the foundation of our lifestyle:
“So, CALEB, won’t FAMILY and CULTURE and TRADITIONS always be there?? If one CHOOSES to live as you have, can they not CHOOSE this life after CHOOSING what ECONOMIC path to take??”
Yes, but this implies that you’ve decided to choose your economic path before making the decision of which life (tradition, culture, etc.) to live; I’m not indicating in any way that this decision is “bad” or “wrong”, it’s your choice and my choice in the end, and we have our own reasons to do so.
“She can pick! That’s what I want! I respect her decision the same as I respect YOURS.”
Thank you, and I’m certain she’ll pick well. Yes, the situation you have visioned for her makes it so that her ability to choose will be endless, and it’ll be an easy choice economically.
Many of my countrymen have chosen this way: again, it’s their choice, good for them.
But I, and many who are still here, have made a choice of deciding first what type of life (traditions, culture, etc.) to live and then decide what economic path to take. Even though our lifestyle and culture comes with us and is always there, if one of us opts to first decide the economic path it’s, in some way, an abandonment of that lifestyle and culture; not a complete abandonment, of course, but a demotion in the priority list. How many of my brothers have gone out to U.S. land and when I speak to them in their natal language they act as if they don’t know it? How many of my sisters have looked down on me because “I’m still living in Mexico”? I know that these examples aren’t the big picture, and it’s probably a small percentage of what’s really going on, but it’s a sign of what I’m talking about.
I agree that choosing first your economic path almost guarantees an easy choice for years to come, but, for us, at what cost? That’s why I don’t fully agree with U.S.-Mexican immigration: it’s ourselves putting our own culture at the line. Yes, it may be profitable, and may assure economic stability and growth that can assure an easy choice for later generations, but we’re a group of people that it’s characterized by pushing themselves through struggle. 50% of poverty, 75% government corruption, 65% illiterate population… I’m proud to say we’ve been worse, and we’re getting better, slowly, fighting to get better through struggle.
… Learning to dream, they learn how to make themselves great, to make themselves dignified, they learn to struggle. That is why, when true men and women say ‘we are going to dream,’ they are saying, and they are saying to each other, ‘we are going to struggle’…
- Subcomandante Insurgente Marcos, The History of Dreams
I’ve been thought a dream of having Mexico out of debt, creating it’s own technology, and take part of the future Big 9 meetings. I’ve a college degree, with my own company, and accepted to do a postgraduate degree in Manchester, U.K. I’m someone’s child, and I have made my own decision of what I want to do, through struggle, and I’ll walk through that classroom feeling “I’m Mexican, living in Mexico, and coming back to Mexico”.
My children will have their own dreams, and I’m sure as hell they will make them true. They will still have the beautiful situation of choosing: but a choice, for us, comes with struggle, life in it’s own way makes you earn it. So, yes, it’ll be harder for them because of it, but (here comes the best part) I rather know that they have that feeling of being part of something that it’s truly theirs, then giving them an economically stable future without that feeling. With all due respect, your daughter may decide return to Mexico but will she really feel Mexican? I’m guessing she’ll feel more as an American (with all understanding), because, obviously, she has lived there the biggest part of her life. I’m not saying this isn’t right: it was your choice for your family, and there’s nothing wrong feeling as an American. But I’m Mexican, and it’s very important for me that my children feel that way also… yes, even more so than assuring them economic well-being: because I’ve decided first what type of life I want me and my children to live and then, based on that, where to make money independently of how hard it will be because of my first decision. Going somewhere else that is not Mexico and raising them there will make it very hard for them to feel that way (although I know it can be done, I’ve seen it in your country), but if I’m going to struggle with something I rather struggle with making my home better in which my children have their own nation surrounding, infecting them with patriotism of their homeland, then making my children feel mexican in a place where I’m good financially. The beautiful thing about this is that my kids will have this exact same choice as well, and they, as well as your kids, will get to pick; and no, it won’t be an easy choice for my kids, but I know she’ll have her country by her side to do it (yeah, I’m hoping for someday having a girl, jeje).
I understand where you’re coming from, and I respect it, I’m even thanking you for it. Everyone has different opinions of what they want for them and their families and how to get it, and that is exactly what I wanted to point out: we have different priorities, even more so when it comes to family… I wish you well for you, your family and your country, and from what I’ve read, I’m pretty sure you’ll wish exactly that back, so at least we have that in common, jeje =).
CALEB:
Whether we agree on everything or not, I respect the LOGIC you use when responding
to my posts. You are NOT just spouting off irresponsible comments of hatred.
I will say that I appreciate a good debate anytime, but some people just have
no clue about the subject at hand.
It’s nice to see a couple of guys like us (and, of course, we aren’t the only ones)
making GOOD points and debating them.
I do, indeed, wish well for your family and for Mexico. I have the upmost
respect for your people, country, culture, etc. I hope that this immigration
situation is worked out in a way that both sides can benefit. Only time
will tell.
=)
The goverment that is currently being ocupied by some racist biggots like
sessemberger,Delay,frist and among other evil activist are curently allowing
white supremist and other white hate groups to influence the final descision
on the inmigration issue. These political biggots and domestic terrorist are
determined to vote against inmigrant rights and human rights in order to advance
their hateful and destructive agenda. We as people of color are responsible in
taking action in any and every way that we can to confront this issue head on
no matter what because our future and our childrens future depends on it.
with the help of our father and jesus we will strive and evil will never prevail
over good we must be strong and keep our heads up and look ahead because these
evil satan folowers will not prevail!!!!!!!!!
It is time that solidarity is reaffirmed by our actions as we have learned from the past struggles of our raza. When I say raza, I mean everyone..white, black, asian, muslim, mexican, salvadorian,etc….The raza …the people….who share the vision of a world without injustice. Do I believe that we will one day live in a utopian society? NO, that is far from the truth or reality. The familia is where its at. It starts by establishing strong ties with our family, no matter what bullshit the government throws our way. It starts by teaching our children love and respect. Without love and respect, nothing good can exist. Tolerance and solidarity can along exist if we can learn to get along with our family. I want to unite with all my brothers and sisters living in my community….We as one should fight for our human right to live where we want to live. This is not your land, my land, but its our land!!!