The U.S. House of Representatives just passed VAWA also known as the Violence Against Women Act.

The bill will now go directly to President Obama for signature.

Senate Republicans drug their feet holding up the bill. The Senate GOPers had a problem with protecting native American Women, Undocumented Immigrant Women and Same Sex partners. Although it passed the House, 138 House Republicans voted against it.

In the Senate 22 Republicans voted against it with an overwhelming 78 Senators in favor.

Are Republicans really comfortable with being labeled as anti-Immigrant, anti-Woman, anti-Native American, anti-Children, anti-Seniors, anti-Gay and anti-Middle Class? The real problem is that they aren’t just being labeled as such, but, by and through their actions they’re firmly confirming that the aforementioned labels fit.

Unfortunately the amount allotted for VAWA was 17 percent less than the last time it was reauthorized in 2005. That means less programs to help women who are victims of domestic violence, less shelters, less victims advocates, less educational programs, less resources in general for these women who are victims of abusive partners.

All I can say is shame on the Republicans. They’ve shown us that they truly don’t care about women affected by violence. It hurts deep down to know that we live in an America that is so embroiled in politics that we are willing to let women go unprotected and without resources just to make a political point.

Can you imagine how much it must hurt the actual battered women who have been in dire need of these resources?

Carlos E. Galindo is a radio talk show host & political analyst conducting radio shows in both English and Spanish on four radio stations in Arizona. Mr. Galindo is a weekly contributor to KPFK 90.7 FM Los Angeles and has appeared on CNN, Univision and Telemundo as a political analyst. Mr. Galindo is also an Op-Ed columnist on Prensa Hispana Arizona. Carlos Galindo is a founding member and President of the Immigrant Advocacy Foundation, Inc.

http://www.carlosgalindo.com

Apparently Reuters/Ipsos just released a poll in which the majority of Americans want undocumented Immigrants deported. It’s obvious that the Republican party has a lot of work to do in order to get the conservative crowd on board with Comprehensive Immigration Reform. I say the Republican party because another poll by Reuters/Ipsos reports that 75% of Republicans indicated that all or most undocumented Immigrants should be deported.

After years of misinformation Republicans and conservatives pundits have absolutely soured their constituents on Immigrants. In devaluing the undocumented worker with statements from border governor’s like Jan Brewer, Immigration Reform is going to be a hard sell. We watched John McCain’s town hall meeting last night at a 98% white community (CDP) in Arizona called Sun Lakes in which he was absolutely berated by attendees. Hey, when for years you’re hearing things like, “it’s an invasion, it’s absolutely invasion”, “It’s out of control, it’s simply out of control”, “there are decapitated bodies in our Arizona desert.” How do you think the uninformed white person is going to react? By the way those comments all came from Jan Brewer.

McCain, Flake, Rubio and the rest of the Republicans who either participated in the extremist rhetoric or stood by idly allowing the misinformation to be spread, have a gargantuan task at hand.

Unfortunately for those Republicans trying to sell the concept of CIR to your average Republican or Anglo, there are still many extremist Republican politicians like Tea Party favorite Rafael “Ted” Cruz (R) Texas making themselves prevalent in the conversation and calling any reform amnesty. Apparently Cruz never got the memo.

You reap what you sow. If the Republicans can’t pull this off, they will continue to become less and less relevant in the upcoming elections. It’s the demographics stupid! .

(Reuters) – More than half of U.S. citizens believe that most or all of the country’s 11 million illegal immigrants should be deported, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Wednesday that highlights the difficulties facing lawmakers trying to reform the U.S. immigration system.

The online survey shows resistance to easing immigration laws despite the biggest push for reform in Congress since 2007.

Thirty percent of those polled think that most illegal immigrants, with some exceptions, should be deported, while 23 percent believe all illegal immigrants should be deported.

Only 5 percent believe all illegal immigrants should be allowed to stay in the United States legally, and 31 percent want most illegal immigrants to stay.

ISSUE POLARIZES POLICYMAKERS

Attitudes toward immigration are polarized by party, according to another the Reuters/Ipsos poll. Seventy-five percent of Republicans think all or most immigrants should be deported, compared to 40 percent of Democrats who think the same.

Tea Party Protesters at Arizona State Capitol (picture by Carlos Galindo)

Carlos E. Galindo is a nationally syndicated radio talk show host & political analyst conducting radio shows in both English and Spanish on radio stations in Arizona. Mr. Galindo is a weekly contributor to KPFK 98.7 FM Los Angeles and W60 AM Radio, Los Angeles, San Diego and has appeared on CNN, Univision and Telemundo as a political analyst. Mr. Galindo is also an Op-Ed columnist on Prensa Hispana and the Tucson Citizen in Arizona. Carlos Galindo is President and founder of the Immigrant Advocacy Foundation, Inc.

http://www.carlosgalindo.com

Sometimes I wish I could take each and everyone of those who denigrates the undocumented Immigrant through an informative journey.

I would start off by having them spend some time in the native country of the undocumented worker. Not for purposes of subjecting them to the harsh conditions found in most of these countries that produce our low skilled labor force, but because I want them to truly understand the complexity of the issue, and it starts at the source, the birth country of the undocumented worker. It’s important to understand that in each of these countries, those who have left for a better life in America act like a calling card to those back home. Some of these Immigrant workers send money, others send larger items through transport firms that specialize in bringing packages to local towns. Some of the Immigrants, previously undocumented, have now through an adjustment of status become Permanent Residents, perhaps even U.S. Citizens. Each one of these scenarios creates a virtual invitation for those that stayed behind by somehow confirming the achievement of the American Dream. This, coupled with comments from the employers who hire the undocumented worker such as: “Jose, I wish I had two of you,” “do you have a friend or a relative that’s looking for work?” “Maria, you’re a sweetheart, my sister, my neighbor, my co-worker would like to have someone like you help them clean their house” serves as an enticement to take that leap across the border.

Equally, each one of those scenarios triggers an action from the undocumented worker and ultimately a reaction from the relative at home. It’s an invitation that’s tendered daily to those in foreign countries as they chat long distance using calling cards or international plans on their cell phones. The good news from the United States of pending employment solidifies a decision for that desperate foreigner who seeks to feed his family in his native country or just simply seeks to live a life like their hermano, primo or tio.

The journey that commences once that decision is made is a dangerous one that traverses the desert region between our neighbor to the South and the land of opportunity.

I have personally interviewed hundreds of Immigrants that have crossed that unforgiving desert. Many share horror stories of abuse at the hands of the human trafficker. In one interview the now U.S. Citizen Immigrant, entrepreneur, and job creator, shared with me that out of a group of thirteen, only six of them survived the treacherous desert. It’s simply heartbreaking to listen to the stories as they sob and break down, at times sharing a story they have never shared with anyone in such vivid detail.

I’ve also personally traversed the desert floor with the Desert Angels, a desert rescue and body recovery organization. As you follow the hidden paths the undocumented Immigrants take, you find shoes that have disintegrated, jeans that have been abandoned after making a desperate effort to strip away the clothes that serves to bake their bodies at extreme temperatures with a terrain that reaches temperatures as high as 160 degrees in the summer. Water bottles abandoned because the water gets so hot that it is undrinkable and simply causes the desert crosser to vomit the near boiling water. Any food consumed is canned or non-perishable, but even that food that would traditionally help give them strength, becomes a cumbersome burden as their strength diminishes hour by hour. Children’s strollers, baby clothes and toys are left behind, telling the story of a tender life at risk as Mom attempts to carry, not just her own weight, but that of that child that may be near death.

I don’t share this with you to invoke some hidden or suppressed compassion. I’m well aware that most of those who oppose illegal Immigration, or oppose the presence of millions of undocumented workers currently serving as our labor force don’t possess an ounce of compassion. I know many of you have been desensitized by political rhetoric and a constant barrage of misinformation and denigrating words like invaders, criminals, wetbacks, and leeches to name a few. I share the Immigrants journey because it’s an important component in the dialog we engage in daily when we converse about what to do with those millions of Immigrants that have been here 10, 15 or 20 years hiding in the shadows.

Every employer that hires an undocumented worker is responsible for the wave of Immigrants who arrive in the U.S. seeking employment. Most pro-Immigrant activists don’t want to touch the employer sanction issue. It’s a double edged sword. They feel as if they would lose credibility if they somehow address the workplace of the undocumented Immigrants. That somehow they’ll be responsible for collateral damage that may result from advocating for enforcement of an aggressive employer sanction law that will penalize the employer and not just the employee utilizing a false identity.

I differ from these activists. As a pro-Immigrant activist and radio talk show host that not only advocates for Immigrants on a daily basis, but converses with them daily, I insist that the problem has always been with the employer. An employer who is willing to hire undocumented workers at an extremely low wage, work them long hours, brag about the productivity or efficiency of his company, yet donates faithfully to the reelection campaign of those same politicians that are creating omnibus anti-Immigrant legislation that of course omits any meaningful employer sanctions. It’s a hypocritical system that utilizes a double standard.

If we pursued the employer aggressively with an employer sanction law that would not just criminalize the employee as it currently does here in Arizona, but focus the criminality on the employer, we would resolve the “illegal immigration” issue. With a criminal focus on the employer, that company or individual that seeks to profit from cheap labor would immediately scream bloody murder, and at the same time they would scream for Immigration Reform, and they would most certainly insist on having at their disposal a system in which they could hire the workers they needed from a foreign country, while having the ability to adjust the employees status to permanent residency based on the longevity of the employment and the value factor to the employer. The practice of talking out of both sides of their mouth in hiring undocumented workers yet funding anti-Immigrant legislators would drastically change to yelling out of both sides of their mouth, screaming out of pain from the stiff criminal penalties imposed from an aggressive employer sanction law while screaming out of the other side of their mouth for immediate relief in the form of Comprehensive Immigration Reform that would meet their needs and the needs of a modern day United States extremely dependent on Immigrant labor.

The private prison industry long ago understood that they could utilize the hypocrisy and the double standard utilized by the anti-Immigrant lobby and the employers. They saw this as as a perfect business model. Utilizing the hatred for undocumented Immigrants, politicians that represent the anti-Immigrant constituency and powerful and eager investors like ex Vice President Dick Cheney, wall street moguls, and financial institutions, the private prison industry successfully cashed in on the anti-Immigrant hype. The private prison industry successfully met behind closed doors with anti-immigrant legislators and were instrumental in creating and nurturing anti-Immigrant laws that serve as a net to capture those undocumented Immigrants so badly needed to occupy the vacant beds at the private prison facilities that ultimately generate billions of dollar.

Make no mistake, there’s a virtual sign on the border that states, “wanted, for employment, undocumented Immigrants.” Further inland, there’s another virtual sign that states, “wanted, for deportation, undocumented Immigrants, no experience preferred.”

I’m in no way advocating for an open border. That’s a common mistake made by most pro-Immigrant advocates. I understand that we’re a sovereign nation, and as such, we must have borders. I also understand that the border issue has been utilized as a tool by both sides of this issue.

Americans need a better understanding of this complex issue that contains some very basic and glaring necessities. We need an expansion of our visa program to meet our work force needs. We need to issue a much greater amount of visas to the country that we most draw upon for our low skilled labor force. That, would clearly be our neighbor to the south, Mexico. We need to address our options when it comes to those that are currently here already serving as our undocumented work force, we need to provide relief for those children that were brought here at a very young age and that have now been woven into the fabric of our country, and, we need to quit moving the fence post when it comes to border security. That decision should not be made based on the whims of a politician that either represents racist, xenophobe or white supremacist constituents, nor should it be a politician who is influenced by private prison lobbyists. We need a bipartisan commission that will submit a reasonable plan based on all the above. We can’t bank on opportunist Latino politicians like Senator Marco Rubio (R) Florida who doesn’t truly understand the complexity of the Immigration issue, nor can we heed advice from “pro-Immigrant” opportunist politicians like Congressman Luis Gutierrez (D) Illinois who seeks an omnibus reform bill that would incorporate the undocumented Immigrant that arrived yesterday.

Archaic laws that remain on the books simply serve to destroy any advances that this country has achieved or serve to maliciously prosecute those “violators” who break these laws while actually serving the basic needs of this country, e.g. current Immigration laws and those who serve as our labor force.

The time has come, we cannot put Comprehensive Immigration Reform on the back burner. We have to be realistic about this country’s needs and we have to somehow deal with those millions currently living in the shadows. After all we invited them in.

Undocumented Immigrant Holding The American Flag

Carlos E. Galindo is a radio talk show host & political analyst conducting radio shows in both English and Spanish on four radio stations in Arizona. Mr. Galindo is a weekly contributor to KPFK 98.7 FM Los Angeles and has appeared on CNN, Univision and Telemundo as a political analyst. Mr. Galindo is also an Op-Ed columnist on Prensa Hispana Arizona. Carlos Galindo is a founding member and President of the Immigrant Advocacy Foundation, Inc.

http://www.carlosgalindo.com

“Dick” Morris is an idiot. I detest the offensive manner in which he attacks President Obama and the manner in which he supports any unqualified Republican candidate put up for office by the party of old and out of touch socially, white men.

After years of watching Morris on the FOX network political shows, it’s evident to me that his entire existence in his miserable life has been to promote his lousy books.

His recent decision to appear on CNN’s “Piers Morgan Tonight” show was his epic fail moment.

After having been fired by FOX News, managed by Roger Ailes and owned by Rupert Murdoch, why would you go on Morgan’s show? Most of us know, and certainly Morris should have known that Morgan would tear him a new one.

Piers Morgan is a devout Murdoch soldier. It was Murdoch who gave Morgan his job at the now defunct “News of the World”, a London rag owned by Murdoch and at the time Morgan gratefully served as a writer/editor for the troubled gossip paper.

Rupert Murdoch confirmed a continued alliance with Morgan On January 26, 2013 at 4:13 PM when @rupertmurdoch tweeted: Let’s have petition to keep Piers Morgan in U.S. We need him, as does CNN.

So after getting the boot from Murdoch on the FOX News channel, Morris decides to go on Piers Morgan’s show to explain his side of things. Morgan was ready for him. After quizzing Morris on his failed prediction on the 2012 Presidential elections, Morris attempted to defend himself by claiming Rasmussen and other pundits were also wrong on the elections, having called it a landslide for Romney. When further chastised by Morgan and questioned on why it was that he, Morris, was the one given the boot from FOX News and not pundits like Karl Rove, he stated: “I was wrong at the top of my lungs.” Morris’ only excuse was that he apparently had been labeled as the poster child for those who incorrectly called the election a landslide for Romney.

The rest of the interview was excruciating. Morgan executed his role as a hit man for Rupert Murdoch perfectly. He denigrated and exposed Morris as a fraud. It was a form of tar and feathering ordered by Murdoch and executed by his loyal soldier Morgan.

I don’t feel bad for Dick Morris. He’s an ex Democrat who was instrumental during the Clinton era who at one point went south and joined forces with the Republican party. His relationship with FOX was a lengthy one which included over 3,000 interviews. He benefited, he profited, at times he looked like a cheap pitch man for those who published his fictitious books. In any event, FOX news pundits like Hannity, Van Sustern and O’Reilly benefited greatly by using him as a top barker and basher against the Obama administration and the Democrats.

I certainly hope we have seen the last of this detestable snake oil salesman, however according to Morris the divorce isn’t final between himself and FOX news, but he’s already seeing other people (networks).

Even if Dick Morris doesn’t return to any mainstream political talk shows, there are plenty of other right wing nuts standing in the wings to take his place.

God help us!

Morris Predicts, FAUX News Fires.

Carlos E. Galindo is a nationally syndicated radio talk show host & political analyst conducting radio shows in both English and Spanish on radio stations in Arizona. Mr. Galindo is a weekly contributor to KPFK 98.7 FM Los Angeles and W60 AM Radio, Los Angeles, San Diego and has appeared on CNN, Univision and Telemundo as a political analyst. Mr. Galindo is also an Op-Ed columnist on Prensa Hispana and the Tucson Citizen in Arizona. Carlos Galindo is President and founder of the Immigrant Advocacy Foundation, Inc.
http://www.carlosgalindo.com

Why do media outlets label Republican Latinos as key players in the Immigration reform dialogue? I am sick of seeing the likes of Marco Rubio (R) Florida and Raul Labrador (R) Idaho advanced as somehow representative of Latinos throughout the United States.

Not only are Rubio and Labrador not representative of the Latinos in the U.S., they certainly are not representative of the Immigrants in America. Rubio with Cuban roots and Labrador born in Puerto Rico have no idea what it’s like to suffer in the United States. I would best be represented by a white man with a good grasp on the complexity of Latino issues than two politicians that have been placed at the forefront of this Immigration debate because of their affiliation to communities that have been labeled by some as being Hispanic or Latino, such as the Cuban and Puerto Rican communities have been. Rubio and Labrador represent and understand the necessities of today’s Immigrants about as much as Black politicians understand the needs and the plight of the current Haitian or African Immigrant. Just because the pigment of their skin is identical, that doesn’t mean the modern day black politician can remember or relate to what their ancestors felt when they were brought here as Immigrant slaves in the seventeenth century.

Rubio and Labrador are so far removed from the day to day struggle of the modern Immigrant and Latino, that they couldn’t possibly understand the needs or the intricacies involved with today’s Immigrant community. That detachment and their insistence on utilizing code words floated by Republican politicians and pundits creates a credibility problem for Rubio and Labrador. Your average Latino, and most definitely today’s Immigrant doesn’t recognize Rubio or Labrador as politicians looking to serve the best interest of the Latino community.

As an Immigrant from Mexico and as an active member of the Immigrant community in Arizona, I find it truly offensive every time I see a news story referencing either of these two politicians as key players. Why does the Republican party feel a need to pick someone who at best shares the same pigmentation I do to take the lead on an issue that affects my community?

Here’s where we can separate Rubio and Labrador and define them by lack of knowledge and extreme hypocrisy. Rubio is riding the political wave, and after years of trying to blend in to Anglo communities and political mixers with a name like “Marco Rubio”, he’s willing to be labeled the key Latino of the Republican party. It’s all about political opportunism and advancement for Rubio, who I’m sure aspires to be the first Latino POTUS. Rubio’s willing to take one for the team as long as he is accepted as “one of them” in the Republican party.

As for Labrador, we can go one further. Labrador is a blatant hypocrite. After working for years as an Immigration attorney representing clients who yearn to adjust their legal status in the United States, Labrador pleads ignorance when it comes to understanding the Immigration process. What else can I deduce when Labrador utilizes rhetoric like “get at the back of the line” and his comments during the 2012 campaign in which Labrador indicated that the Republican party needed to be an inclusive party, a “party of legal immigration.”

On his congressional page he states his position in this manner:

In order for us to have real immigration reform, our top priority needs to be to first secure our nation’s borders and start enforcing the immigration laws already enacted. To do so we must give our law enforcement officials the resources they need to enforce the laws on the books and secure our borders. I also believe that undocumented immigrants must return to their country of origin and then reapply to legally come to the United States. Finally, I believe that we need a guest worker program that actually works because guest workers play an important role in the American economy and more specifically in the state of Idaho. This guest worker program will not include a pathway to citizenship or amnesty.

Why is Labrador’s hard stance on Immigration hypocritical you might ask? Well, primarily because as an Immigration attorney for 15 years, Labrador claims to have had undocumented workers as clients. One has to assume that if in fact these workers were undocumented, they either stole someone’s identity, invented a social security number or borrowed a friend or relatives identity. In any event that would mean that Labrador was assisting people he knew to be in the country unlawfully in requesting a pardon (amnesty in Republican rhetoric) from a Federal Immigration Judge. I can’t think of a more hypocritical situation, one in which you claim to want legal Immigration, yet you are part and parcel to filing paperwork for undocumented workers to request a pardon for what many call criminal behavior. Can we assume then that Labrador feels that undocumented workers that can afford to pay an attorney like him are exempt from prosecution and do not in fact have to get at the “back of the line”, wherever that may be?

Fact: The Republican party is replete with hypocrites, and Rubio and Labrador are simply part of that same system. The difference is, the rest of the party is comprised primarily of old white men that don’t hide their disdain for Immigrants, legal or otherwise, Rubio and Labrador on the other hand lend themselves to being the brown skinned snake oil salesmen for the GOP.

If I haven’t made it clear enough yet, as an Immigrant, a Latino, a U.S. Citizen, and current President of the Immigrant Advocacy Foundation, Inc., I will repeat it, Marco Rubio and Raul Labrador do not represent us.

Oh, and don’t even get me started on Rafael “Ted” Cruz (R) Texas. That’s a blog in itself.

Carlos E. Galindo is a radio talk show host & political analyst conducting radio shows in both English and Spanish on four radio stations in Arizona. Mr. Galindo is a weekly contributor to KPFK 98.7 FM Los Angeles and has appeared on CNN, Univision and Telemundo as a political analyst. Mr. Galindo is also an Op-Ed columnist on Prensa Hispana Arizona. Carlos Galindo is a founding member and President of the Immigrant Advocacy Foundation, Inc.

http://www.carlosgalindo.com

History will show that Barack Obama has been the best President the United States has ever had. Even if you disagree with that statement, you have to agree that he has modernized the office of the presidency, made bold moves that have proven successful and over all he has slowly pulled us out of a double dip recession originally entered into courtesy of Bush 43′s failed war strategies and out of control defense spending.

In any event, President Obama had an uphill battle during his first administration and his second term doesn’t seem like it will be any different. Fresh off a battle with the Republicans over the fiscal cliff, Obama has proved himself to be an astute negotiator. He has also clearly demonstrated his ability to use his power to delegate. His negotiation skills were proven by his ability to convince congress’ chief obstructionist that taxes should go up for those making over $400,000.00 and for couples making over $450,000.00. However, Obama’s ability to delegate prefaced his negotiations with John Boehner. On Morning Joe I listened to Scarborough slamming President Obama for supposedly not being able to communicate with other human beings, upset because President Obama had utilized Vice President Biden to negotiate with the hateful senior senator from Kentucky Mitch McConnell. if you recall McConnell is the same guy who in 2010 stated, “The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president.” Sending Joe Biden to negotiate with McConnell, the minority leader in the senate was a no brainer. It was glaringly obvious by McConnell’s statement and subsequent behavior that he didn’t want to give President Obama the time of day, besides, that’s Biden’s job as Senate President. Biden approached McConnell as an ex senator, former colleague and Vice President of the United States. McConnell caved and the fiscal cliff bill flew through the senate and over to our obstructionist congress. Boehner did what he knew he needed to do after President Obama negotiated with him and the rest is history.

Time and time again President Obama has been able to overcome the hatred directed towards the first African American President. He has executed the duties of the office of the President with respect, fairness and most importantly in a manner that has always served the best interest of this country. Contrary to Republican and conservative beliefs, President Obama is not a socialist, is not a Muslim and is not hell bent on ruining this country. His love for this country is derived from his traditional upbringing based on solid American values instilled in him by not just his Mother, but his White Grandparents. His Ivy league education refined him, honed his intelligence, and prepared him to be a great leader. His respect for the laws of this country and our constitution are reflected in his careful and calculated decisions that have ultimately reshaped and greatly benefited this great country of ours.

President Obama has now selected Charles “Chuck” Hagel as his nominee for Secretary of Defense. Hagel is the ex senator from Nebraska, a highly decorated war veteran who would be the first enlisted man to lead this nation’s defense, and he’s a Republican to boot. Republicans are the first to claim a stake on patriotism, service to this country and respect for their statesmen. If that’s the case, then why is it that they’re so willing to trash a member of their own party? Republicans adamantly oppose Hagel’s confirmation and have vowed to put up a good fight. We know McCain is upset because Hagel refused to buy into McCain’s flawed presidential candidacy in which he tapped an inept and extremely ignorant politician from Wasilla Alaska as his Vice Presidential candidate. We also know that many Republicans are upset because of Hagel’s criticism of the Iraq war and his comment regarding the 2012 Republican presidential candidates, referring to each of them as being in a “race to say who would bomb Iran first.” The list goes on of “reasons” that the Republicans oppose Chuck Hagel, the reality is that the Republicans are doing what they do best, obstruct.

I think Hagel will make a fine Secretary of Defense. I also think that President Obama has been consistent by reaching out to Republicans in an effort to reach across the aisle, or should we say, extending the olive branch. However, the problem is the Republican controlled house has also been consistent in their obstructionist and selfish behavior. This is not a congress willing to do what is best for their constituents, this is a congress bound and determined on protecting the wealthiest under the guise of wanting to create jobs and protecting our children’s future. I think this is the perfect time to invoke Ralph Waldo Emerson’s quote: “When a whole nation is roaring Patriotism at the top of its voice, I am fain to explore the cleanness of its hands and purity of its heart.”

I have a suggestion for President Obama, he should continue extending that olive branch to the Republicans, and in the other hand he should keep a sledge hammer.

Carlos E. Galindo is a radio talk show host & political analyst conducting radio shows in both English and Spanish on four radio stations in Arizona. Mr. Galindo is a weekly contributor to KPFK 98.7 FM Los Angeles and has appeared on CNN, Univision and Telemundo as a political analyst. Mr. Galindo is also an Op-Ed columnist on Prensa Hispana Arizona. Carlos Galindo is a founding member and President of the Immigrant Advocacy Foundation, Inc.

http://www.carlosgalindo.com

With just two days to go before the 2012 Presidential election it doesn’t surprise me, but it certainly disgusts me to see how disgracefully Romney and his political pundits have behaved in utilizing the Benghazi tragedy for political gain. As we know FOX News and their entire network have been amongst the worst offenders. Working hand in hand with Romney to exploit the ambassador’s untimely death. They have all acted shamelessly in their twisted analysis and exploitation of the Benghazi incident.

The Republicans claim this election is about the economy and jobs. This campaign started with a focus on social programs, and we immediately observed Romney and Ryan’s clear intent to destroy what America has diligently built to protect the poor and their elderly. In no time the campaign conversation turned to women’s issues. Once again, what prevailed was Romney’s failure to support women and in particular equal pay for women. Ryan’s alliance with extremist politicians, and his own desire to define rape coupled with his Ayn Rand ideology, put the Romney-Ryan campaign on a path to failure and defined the ticket as one who clearly does not see a woman, as an equal to men.

Romney’s 47% comment defined the Romney-Ryan ticket as one of the haves, versus the have-nots.

The Benghazi tragedy was a gift for Romney. Romney didn’t waste a second in seizing the opportunity to exploit the Libyan incident, he didn’t spend one minute to mourn with the family of U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens, he didn’t spend a second in mourning with us, the 47% who’s hearts were broken as we observed the morbid images of Ambassador Stevens’ body being ravaged by terrorists. Romney’s sole focus was exploitation of a weak moment. It was the Bain strategy at it’s maximum.

Romney’s behavior was telling, it was a repeat of past behavior. Romney didn’t care about the lives of those workers and their families that he destroyed as he gobbled up companies and bankrupted them while sending their jobs to China as the head honcho of Bain, for Romney, it’s all about carpe diem, no matter whose throat he has to cut to achieve his ultimate goal.

Then, it was Bain Capital, today, it’s the presidency of the United States, for Romney it’s all about serving the elite, profiting from the next project, and filling his, and his friends coffers, for continued exploitation and of course, exportation to overseas accounts.

For most of us it has been RIP Ambassador Chris Stevens, for Romney, it’s been VIP treatment for those uniting with him in exploiting the Benghazi matter.

Carlos E. Galindo is a nationally syndicated radio talk show host & political analyst conducting radio shows in both English and Spanish on four radio stations in Arizona. Mr. Galindo is a weekly contributor to KPFK 98.7 FM Los Angeles and W60 AM Radio, Los Angeles, San Diego and has appeared on CNN, Univision and Telemundo as a political analyst. Mr. Galindo is also an Op-Ed columnist on Prensa Hispana and the Tucson Citizen in Arizona. Carlos Galindo is President and founder of the Immigrant Advocacy Foundation, Inc.

http://www.carlosgalindo.com

Let’s for argument sake say that in a Romney administration he’ll help the middle class and the wealthy. We all know that Romney is a man born into privilege. I’m okay with that. I’m not going to criticize his family’s success other than to make sure that those reading this blog understand that the seed money came from a lawsuit filed by Grandpa Romney against the Mexican Government. In that lawsuit Grandpa alleged he had been damaged by losing all his properties during the Mexican Civil war of 1910 and that somehow Mexico and its government was responsible for his loss. Romney’s grandpa fled Mexico with his numerous wives and Willard’s Mexican born daddy to Utah where he setup shop under a guarantee that he would not be prosecuted by U.S. officials. Grandpa Romney had originally fled the United States to Mexico to avoid prosecution over his polygamist lifestyle. The rest is Romney history. However, with that lawsuit settlement as seed money, the Romney empire was established. So George Romney, Willard’s dad, may have suffered a little, but Willard has certainly never suffered financially. Willard could not possibly understand what it’s like to be poor, to be without, to spend sleepless night worrying about how you’ll come up with the water payment or electricity payment before they cut it off. Willard has never spent one moment wondering where his next meal will come from, or how he’s going to feed his children. Once again, I don’t blame Romney for living his sheltered life to the fullest as tendered to him by Dad and Grandpa Romney, but we can’t possibly think that a man of privilege could even fathom what a poor man feels. It’s just not within their scope of understanding and comprehension. There are just a handful of men in history that were born wealthy and tended to the poor, and most of those rejected their wealth and lived amongst the poor. That’s the only way that a wealthy person could reprogram themselves to not only care, we all care, but to feel and understand what it’s like to feel the desperation one feels as a poor person, and I say that from experience.

Taking into consideration the aforementioned, it would be absolutely nonsensical for a poor person regardless of their ethnicity or color to vote for Willard “Mitt” Romney.

Recently Willard Romney criticized those on welfare and food stamps. Those comments are reflective of how out of touch with poor people Romney actually is, it’s truly sad to know that the man responsible for sheltering Willard from being exposed to the pain of poor people was himself a welfare recipient at one time, his father and ex governor of Michigan George Romney.

Carlos E. Galindo is a radio talk show host & political analyst conducting radio shows in both English and Spanish on four radio stations in Arizona. Mr. Galindo is a weekly contributor to KPFK 98.7 FM Los Angeles and has appeared on CNN, Univision and Telemundo as a political analyst. Mr. Galindo is also an Op-Ed columnist on Prensa Hispana Arizona. Carlos Galindo is a founding member and President of the Immigrant Advocacy Foundation, Inc.

http://www.carlosgalindo.com

When I saw a tweet come through indicating that Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio would be speaking at the Republican convention I just shook my head. This comes on the heels of Missouri’s Republican Representative Todd Akins’ offensive comments about “legitimate rape.”

What would possess you to invite Sheriff Joe to speak at the Republican convention? Especially knowing he’s currently a lightning rod for civil rights lawsuits and fed intervention. Keep in mind that there are serious allegations of racial profiling against Arpaio and MCSO. Is this how the GOP attracts minorities to the party?

So what kind of message is the Republican party trying to send? Are they banking on voters having so much pent up anger and hatred for President Obama that they can openly attack minorities, women, children, the elderly, the poor, even the middle class. They’ve bet it all on a platform of fear and racism. They have actually convinced many blue collar workers to go against what’s best for them. They use code words and phrases like “the welfare president”, “socialist”, “European style governing”, “the Kenyan”, and the most common phrase, “I want my America back.”

As the rhetoric ramps up and only a week away from the Republican convention and 78 days from the 2012 elections, one can only wonder what it is that Republicans expect they will accomplish by ramping up the attack on the middle class and women.

The list of speakers for the Republican convention to be held in Tampa Florida is replete with Republicans who have led the attack against the American public. Chris Christie the New Jersey Governor insults voters and Republicans cheer, he calls reporters idiots and describes them as stupid and it instantly becomes fodder for the conservatives, Pam Bondi the Florida Attorney General is hell bent on voter suppression and has been working diligently with another speaker Florida Governor Rick Scott to maintain a secret voter purge list, ex Florida Governor Jeb Bush famous for having supervised the theft of an election in 2000, Rafael Cruz the Cuban-American Tea Party backed extremist who thinks George Soros has a secret agenda to rid us of golf courses, you might know him by “Ted” Cruz, Arthur Genestre Davis, the African American ex “Democratic” congressman from Alabama and former Democratic gubernatorial candidate for Governor in the 2010 elections who has sold out to the republican party and changed party affiliation, yet another token for the party of white old men, Mary Fallin Governor of Oklahoma who led the attack against the poor and while running for Governor said “I don’t know about you, but I’ve never been offered a job by a poor person”, Puerto Rico’s governor Luis Fortuño who in 2008 stumped for John McCain and did a bang up job of trashing candidate Obama to the Latino community, stating, “Obama needs to go away for 10-15 years and then come back and try for the presidency”, Nimrata Randhawa Haley, many of you know her as Nikki Haley the Governor of South Carolina, daughter of Sikh immigrants and well known for her offensive SB20 immigration bill that has an actual police force that can easily be compared to the gestapo, designed to hunt down undocumented immigrants while wearing special uniforms and special emblems on their cars, Mike Huckabee the former governor of Arkansas and radio talk show host who today allowed Todd Akin on his show to grovel and beg forgiveness for his offensive comments about women and rape, Huckabee is well known for his offensive comments as well, John Kasich the Governor of Ohio who has most recently been a surrogate for Romney and who during a speech before some Republicans in 2009 talked about the need to “break the back of organized labor in the schools”, Susana Martinez the sitting Governor of New Mexico who is as anti-Immigrant as they come and who ran on a platform of taking away the drivers licenses of undocumented Immigrants in her state. Martinez also complained about the U.S. born children of undocumented Immigrants and later admitted that her Grandfather entered the U.S. illegally, Rand Paul the Senator from Kentucky who unequivocally stated that he was not in agreement with certain provisions within the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

The list continues to grow! One thing you can be assured of, whomever is added to the list will excite the Republican base. The Republicans have hand selected these speakers to represent the equivalence to a bowl of granola, “fruits, nuts & flakes.”

This is your modern day Republican party folks. A hybrid between, a racist, xenophobe, nativist, nationalist and gun toting, woman hating, immigrant detesting, wealthy loving, hypocritically fiscal conservative U.S. born Anglo, sprinkled in with a few colored folk to deter any notion of what they stand for.

Every time I see a Republican I’m reminded of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s quote. As soon as they start with their rhetoric, I say, “please, no need to open your mouth,” “who you are speaks so loudly I can’t hear what you’re saying.”

The Republican Convention Platform

Carlos E. Galindo is a radio talk show host & political analyst conducting radio shows in both English and Spanish on four radio stations in Arizona. Mr. Galindo is a weekly contributor to KPFK 98.7 FM Los Angeles and W60 AM Radio, Los Angeles, San Diego and has appeared on CNN, Univision and Telemundo as a political analyst. Mr. Galindo is also an Op-Ed columnist on Prensa Hispana and the Tucson Citizen in Arizona. Carlos Galindo is President and founder of the Immigrant Advocacy Foundation, Inc.

http://www.carlosgalindo.com

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It was in a bus like this that I was driven in to an all-white school after being plucked out of my normal school. I don’t know if my Mother received a letter from the district or not. She spoke little English and worked long hours cleaning houses for the wealthy ranchers. I remember being scared. There were only a handful of us being driven to another city approximately 10 miles away. All we were told was, “you kids are going to another school.” I had no idea what desegregation was or what its implications would be on my life. As we arrived I saw a sea of white faces. They were young like me, I didn’t immediately fear them, but the parents who were dropping them off looked at me as if I was different. They were angry, they mumbled under their breath and other parents spoke to each other in hushed tones as they pointed at us.

As we were led into the principal’s office we were met by a short statured man with a balding head and glasses. He frowned as he looked us over, I don’t remember his exact words to be honest with you. I do remember his look of disapproval. We didn’t know it at the time, but we were everything they detested. They had tried so hard to maintain an all-white school, an environment that was what they considered healthy and would permit the white children in the school to go through life without being tainted by these children of color. Their contact with people like me was traditionally limited to seeing me at the store or the public library where we sat in a different section. Nobody told me I had to sit there. It was just the way things were done. I also remember having contact with these white children when my Mother cleaned their houses. Sometimes she would bring me along to throw the trash out and help pick up the kids toys. They spoke very little to me other than to show me their latest toys, and then they would then run off to play while I returned to helping mom with her duties as a housekeeper.

The classroom environment was horrendous. We could never quite reach the same grades as my classmates. No matter how much my sister, who by then had entered Stanford University on a scholarship told me that my letter formation was perfect and that my school work was excellent, the teacher just didn’t seem to see me on the same level as the other students. I remember it as if it was yesterday. I was nine years old and wore glasses. I requested the most coveted position in the school. I wanted to do a week stint as a crossing guard. When my turn came around, I was passed over. I didn’t understand it. It was beyond reason. I had done everything I was supposed to do. The teacher couldn’t explain it to me either.

One day as I was sitting in class, a young white boy turned to talk to me; he wanted answers for the test we were taking. I refused to talk to him, I ignored him, and he made such a raucous that the teacher singled me out and said that I had been talking and asked me to turn my desk facing the back of the room. We minorities already occupied the back row of the classroom. I was kept that way for months.

On a spring break from Stanford my sister visited our home and she asked me how things were going at school. I shared my dilemma with her. I had to twist my body half way around during the entire day to look at the chalk board as the teacher taught. She asked me how long I had been that way. I told her it had been since the beginning of the school year. She was furious. She turned to my mother and said “tomorrow we are going to the school to set this thing straight.” I could hardly sleep that night. I didn’t know what would happen, what type of retribution I would receive for having been a whistle blower.

If you recall back then, they didn’t have the intercom system in elementary schools and the principal would walk the parents to the classroom. When my sister and my mother arrived and told the principal what had been going on, he tried to deny them access to the classroom to see me. My sister by now had been exposed to a different environment at Stanford and was keenly aware of civil rights and was as you could probably imagine quite an intelligent young woman. She demanded they be taken to my classroom. Upon entering the classroom they observed my desk as it had been for months, facing away from the front of the classroom. The principal promptly announced to the teacher that the folks with him were Carlos’ mother and sister. The teacher, I remember her name to this day, Mrs. Cecil, said, “Carlos, honey, for Gods’ sake turn your desk around, you can’t see what’s going on that way.” Those words are like indelible ink tattooed in my memory. I was allowed to go home early that day, or perhaps it was my sister and my mother that insisted I go with them after observing the abuse.

Recess wasn’t any better. I don’t blame the kids for calling me filthy names like “dirty Mexican”, “wetback”, “beaner”, or for making fun of the way I was dressed with clothes from the second hand store or hand me down worn out tennis shoes that the ranchers would give my mother after their kids were done with them or had outgrown them. The name calling and the hatred was simply learned behavior. This is what they heard over dinner from mom and dad or when friends came over. The system itself facilitated the demeaning and degrading of minorities. It had been that way for hundreds of years.

This nightmare scenario was repeated when I was bussed to another all white school in another part of the city when I was eleven years old. I suppose they figured I was a seasoned “desegregator”, if you’ll permit me to take the liberty to invent a new word. As part of the front line of desegregation I suppose it’s apropos to create a word that long ago should have been created to describe these brown and black children that were tossed into a sea of white children and forced to weather the racial elements.

I wonder how many of my “bussed” classmates have ever taken the time to write down just a few of their thoughts regarding their experiences as part of the tip of desegregation. I wonder what has become of these brown children who were subjected to such harsh treatment by their peers and educators. Have they withheld it as something too painful to bring up, have they ever shared it with their children, or were they too ashamed to talk about it?

For those of you who have ever wondered what it is that drives me to defend the rights of the underprivileged, I hope this gives you an insight as to just a small portion of the pain and suffering I endured as a Mexican Immigrant living in the United States, and somewhat explains my motivation in seeking justice for the oppressed.

I love this country. I certainly don’t blame all whites for what some have done to me, and for what some continue to do to me, even 43 years after my desegregation experiences.

The Desegregation Bus

Carlos E. Galindo is a radio talk show host & political analyst conducting radio shows in both English and Spanish on four radio stations in Arizona. Mr. Galindo is a weekly contributor to KPFK 98.7 FM Los Angeles and W60 AM Radio, Los Angeles, San Diego and has appeared on CNN, Univision and Telemundo as a political analyst. Mr. Galindo is also an Op-Ed columnist on Prensa Hispana and the Tucson Citizen in Arizona. Carlos Galindo is President and founder of the Immigrant Advocacy Foundation, Inc.

http://www.carlosgalindo.com