Thanksgiving: An immigration story that continues to this day

Thanksgiving is uniquely American. It celebrates the arrival of a new group on this continent that came with good intentions, was not always well-received by the natives but still managed to thrive and prosper. It's a story that continues to this day. I wish you and yours the good fortune to give thanks tomorrow for peace, plenty and hope.

Raul Ramos y Sanchez

Participe en una discusión televisora sobre el voto Latino

¿Existe un consenso nacional entre los votantes hispanos? ¿Fue el voto Latino que permitió a los Demócratas mantener control de la Cámara de Representantes? Estos son algunos de los temas que voy a platicar con otros invitados y el publico en Dialogo de Costa a Costa, un talk-show nacional sobre la cadena HITN con la reconocida presentadora Malin Falu.  Estas invitado para tomar parte en las actuaciones.

Cuando:

Martes 30 de noviembre, 2010 a las 8PM Eastern Time

Donde:

HITN, (Hispanic Information and Telecommunications Network). Para el acceso en su área, visite: http://www.hitn.tv/available.php

Como tomar parte:

Teléfono:             1-800-964-4486      

Email: dialogo@hitn.org,

Text messages:             347-455-2589      

Sitio de web para el programa:
http://www.hitn.tv/dialogo/category/temas-de-actualidad

Join me in a national cable TV discussion of the Latino vote

Is there a national consensus among Hispanic voters? Did the Latino vote allow the Democrats to keep control of the House? These are some of the topics I will discuss with other guests and callers on Dialogo de Costa a Costa, a live national Spanish-language TV talk show hosted by veteran broadcast reporter Malin Falu on HITN. I hope you will tune in and call, email or text your comments or questions.

When to watch:

Tuesday November 30, 2010 at 8PM Eastern Time – Live

Where to watch:

HITN, (Hispanic Information and Telecommunications Network). For cable access in your area, visit http://www.hitn.tv/available.php

How to take part:

Call: 1-800-964-4486

Email: dialogo@hitn.org,

Text messages: 347-455-2589

Program website:

http://www.hitn.tv/dialogo/category/temas-de-actualidad

TSA Crotch-Gate Rife With Hypocrisy

The media has found a new 15-minute celebrity in John Tyner, the software engineer who complained to a TSA employee at the San Diego airport about what Mr. Tyner considered an unjust invasion of his, ahem, privacy. With the story involving the opportunity to discuss genital groping, the media naturally pounced. Before long, political pundits jumped into the act.

Charles Krauthammer offered a simple solution: stop harassing “ordinary Americans” and start profiling. Of course, like most who favor profiling, Mr. Krauthammer is vague about who should be targeted by the TSA. But you can bet CK thinks those being profiled should be people who do not look like him. However, profiling is more than institutionalized prejudice. It's also dangerously stupid. In his rush to demagogue this issue, Mr. Krauthammer seems to have ignored the likes of Colleen LaRose (AKA Jihad Jane), the blond, green-eyed suburbanite who was arrested as part of a plot to kill a cartoonist who had defiled Mohammed in the eyes of Muslim extremists. And let's not forget the Hutaree Militia or Timothy McVeigh. Fact is, terrorists can be any color or gender. 

In another crotch-gate editorial, fellow traveler George Will, desperately searching the conservative pantheon for a hero from the right who would have stood against these "draconian" TSA measures, resurrected the ghost of William F. Buckley.  Mr. Will paints Buckley as a champion of the downtrodden, a glowing example of an American who stood up to the oppression of the powerful and said “no more, tyrants!” The example Will uses is an incident from 1960 when Buckley was miffed by a trainload of suburban commuters who refused to complain to the conductor about the sudden breakdown of the air-conditioning. (Oh, the horror.)

Still, it seems a lot of “ordinary Americans” are incensed at what they see as this latest infringement on their liberties. There was a similar hue and cry when the Ohio Supreme Court ruled earlier this year that the state’s highway patrol could issue speeding tickets without using radar.

Meanwhile, recent polls show most Americans support immigration laws like Arizona’s SB 1070, even if it leads to racial profiling.

Inside my skin, the message is quite clear. Many Americans take great umbrage when they feel their rights are being violated by authorities. But if someone who is not an “ordinary American” is racially profiled, well, that’s quite literally a horse of a different color. In their view, the 80% of Hispanics in the U.S. legally need to suck it up and quit whining about the very real possibility of being detained any time a police officer believes “reasonable suspicion” of their immigration status exists.

It’s very likely many Americans supporting SB 1070 are not even conscious of this hypocrisy. Having a blind spot to other people’s problems is an all too common human fault.  But from where I sit, the irony is pretty thick.

Raul Ramos y Sanchez

The Tea Party is really the Me Party

Once again, followers of the reactionary cult known as the Tea Party have turned a blind eye on their avowed principles when it conflicts with their self-interest. In this case, it seems their pious faith in the redemptive power of the marketplace does not extend beyond U.S. borders.

According to a recent poll, 61% of Tea Party members believe free trade has hurt the United States. Keep in mind, these are the same people who get apoplectic when discussing the Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, a measure that in their eyes trampled free market sacred ground by using government programs to stimulate the economy. Ah, but international trade is different, they argue. It's a free market, but not a fair one.

Of course, that's exactly the argument minorities in the U.S. have made about the free market system within our borders for centuries. Unless you live in the privileged, insulated and typically racially-segregated stratas of U.S. society, you know in your bones minorities do not compete on a level playing field in the domestic economy.

However, since most Me Party fanatics are on the privileged side of the free market system in the domestic economy, they like the rules of the game just fine. Affirmative action programs are "reverse racism" in the Me Party world view.

But when the scales are tipped in the other direction and international free trade threatens their interests, the Me Party faithful drop their principles as quickly as a Las Vegas hooker drops her panties for a big-tipping john.

The same kind of Me Party hypocrisy is evident on other issues as well. The Me Party is vehemently opposed to "big government." But God help you if you try to touch their Social Security, Medicare or home mortgage deduction.

In truth, the Me Party is little more than a confederation of selfish, aging Baby Boomers who see the nation changing and are desperately worried about losing their long-held primacy. Do not underestimate them. The Me Party is a powerful force fueled by fear and frustration. But ultimately, this movement will implode from its own irrational motives. Until then, the entire nation will suffer through this fit of political schizophrenia.

Raul Ramos y Sanchez

Goldman Sachs breaks out the bubbly while the rest of us drink snake oil

Few will argue the U.S. economy is sick. The cavernous difference of opinion lies in how we got that way – and most importantly – where to find the best treatment. Judging from yesterday's elections, it seems the crucial independent swing vote “refudiated” the Democrats’ cure for the nation’s economic ills and chose to take a large dose of snake oil instead.

In some ways, blaming the Democrats seems understandable. After two years of Democratic control in congress and the White House, there is little doubt we are still hurting from the Great Recession which hit bottom under George W. Bush.

Many Americans are still out of work, worried about their jobs or nervously watching a 401K that looks like a snowman in early April. Median income for U.S. households dropped again in 2009 with the average wage declining by $457. So it seems logical to blame the Democrats, right?

However, there are some who have managed to do quite well under Obama and the Democrats. And you might be surprised to find out just who they are.

While the national wage average fell again in 2009 (a trend which began under Bush), executive bonuses at the nation’s largest 38 companies reached a record-setting $140 billion last year. Goldman Sachs had the best year in its history with employee bonuses averaging $600,000 per person. (Seems the $750 billion in TARP money Bush doled out to his friends during his last days in office has sure helped them "weather the recession.") And here is the icing on the cake. The income of those earning over $50 million a year increased five times in 2009. That’s right. The super-rich saw their wealth increase five times in 2009—while the rest of us saw our income drop. So if Obama and the Democrats are really at fault for the continued economic downturn, then why are these the same people who are now celebrating the Republican gains in yesterday’s elections?

Yes, the corks on bottles of Dom Pérignon are popping at Goldman Sachs, AIG, and the other large investment firms. These are the same people who created the now-infamous credit default swaps that fueled our economic collapse. Also joining in the merriment are the CEOs at large insurance companies (that saw profits rise 56% in 2009). Perhaps giddiest of all are those individuals in the wealth stratosphere. All these folks know the good times are really going to roll now.  And if they can keep using the Dems as scapegoats for their greed and blunders and elect a Republican president in 2012 … well, you ain’t seen nothing yet when it comes to disparity of wealth, America.

Meanwhile, I hope all you independent voters enjoy the snake oil you ordered. Because you – and the rest of us poor saps – will eventually be picking up the tab on the champagne flowing right now in the penthouses and yachts.

Raul Ramos y Sanchez

More details on the statistics quoted in this article 

AMERICA LIBRE eBooks for $2.99: Last Day

The Grand Central Publishing special $2.99 price for AMERICA LIBRE eBooks expires tomorrow.


If you've wanted to check out the award-winning novel or share it with a friend, this is a great opportunity.


You can save $7 on the price of any of these eBook types...

• Amazon Kindle 
• Barnes and Noble Nook
• Ebooks for iPhones, iPads, PCs, Macs
• Sony readers
• And more

You'll find more details here. 


I hope you'll take advantage of this unique opportunity.


Raul Ramos y Sanchez

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Only One Week Left for AMERICA LIBRE E-Book at $2.99

If you've wanted to share AMERICA LIBRE with a friend (or check it out for yourself), you may want to know the Grand Central Publishing e-Book special price of $2.99 will expire in seven days. You can save $7 on the regular e-Book price of $9.99.

You'll find more details here. 

Thanks for your support,

Raul

AMERICA LIBRE Will Appear as Stage Prop on ABC Primetime Show

Today, I learned from my editor at Grand Central Publishing that AMERICA LIBRE has had another brush with Show Business…

The ABC primetime sci-fi drama NO ORDINARY FAMILY will include AMERICA LIBRE as a prop during episode #109 scheduled to air Tuesday, December 7 at 8pm. 

AMERICA LIBRE will appear in a bookstore scene both on the shelf and as a wall poster. Thanks to my editor, a number of other Grand Central Publishing titles were included in the shoot. But only AMERICA LIBRE along with TELL ME SOMETHING TRUE by Leila Cobo and TRY TO REMEMBER by Iris Gomez were selected by ABC as wall posters.

If you own a copy of the novel, I hope you’ll tune in to the show and enjoy this fun connection to primetime television. If you don’t own a copy … well, naturally I hope that changes. With that in mind, I should mention…

The E-Book version of AMERICA LIBRE is available for just $2.99 until November 1, 2010. More details here.

Finally, please do me a favor and share this news with your friends. The more copies of AMERICA LIBRE out there, the better the chances the novel could become a show or movie of its own.

With best regards,
Raul

NO ORDINARY FAMILY Website