Aztec dancer at Mexico City performance.

DAVID LEONHARDT, with the New York Times recently wrote an op-ed –  Hispanics, the New Italians with regard to “new arrivals.”

Ranking by Population — Pew

Indeed some Hispanic and Latinos are the new Italians, but the majority of those “Hispanics / Latinos” who are of Mexican descent are not the “New Italians” because those of Mexican descent are indigenous.  Mexicans should not be considered “new arrivals.”   Many people from the Anglo / Caucasian community forget Mexicans are indigenous to the United States pre-Guadalupe Treaty and it is high time we educate and remind them with regard to how we feel about painting with broad strokes.   The Mexica didn’t travel by Mayflower boat  to achieve the shores of this continent — nay, they were already here before borders were established and Manifest Destiny.   *On a side note:   The corrupt Sheriff Joe Arpaio is of Italian descent, and more than likely his ancestry came to our shores via boat.

The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is a historical source of verification that those of Mexican descent had to recede when The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed by the United States and Mexico on February 2, 1848, ending the Mexican War and extending the boundaries of the United States by over 525,000 square miles. In addition to establishing the Rio Grande as the border between the two countries, the territory acquired by the U.S. included what will become the states of Texas, California, Nevada, Utah, most of New Mexico and Arizona, and parts of Colorado and Wyoming. In exchange Mexico received fifteen million dollars in compensation for the territory and the U.S. agreed to assume claims from private citizens of these areas against the Mexican government.

Many Americans forget how our President Abraham Lincoln believed the Mexican-American war to be ‘illegal.’  As a Congressional freshman, Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln rebuked President Polk for the Mexican War.

got on the floor of the House on January 12, 1848, when he defended the vote of his party given a few days previous “declaring that the war with Mexico was unnecessarily and unconstitutionally commenced by the President.”

It is no secret that Mexican-Americans make up almost 70% of the Latino population pie, but our culture is different than the Honduran, the Cuban, the Dominican Republic and so forth.  In fact, the only thing that we really have in common is the Spanish language.  In addition, many of the legal terms Americans use are in Latin, too.

Indeed a majority of “us” or the Hispanic / Latino people who are lumped into one big pile will often identify ourselves from our country of origin.

The Pew Hispanic Research states:

When Labels Don’t Fit: Hispanics and Their Views of Identity

by Paul Taylor, Mark Hugo Lopez, Jessica Hamar Martínez and Gabriel Velasco

I. Executive Summary

Nearly four decades after the United States government mandated the use of the terms “Hispanic” or “Latino” to categorize Americans who trace their roots to Spanish-speaking countries, a new nationwide survey of Hispanic adults finds that these terms still haven’t been fully embraced by Hispanics themselves. A majority (51%) say they most often identify themselves by their family’s country of origin; just 24% say they prefer a pan-ethnic label.

Moreover, by a ratio of more than two-to-one (69% versus 29%), survey respondents say that the more than 50 million Latinos in the U.S. have many different cultures rather than a common culture. Respondents do, however, express a strong, shared connection to the Spanish language. More than eight-in-ten (82%) Latino adults say they speak Spanish, and nearly all (95%) say it is important for future generations to continue to do so.  FULL STORY>>>

Indeed, I hope the New York Times, the Associated Press, the UK Guardian, the Huffington Post will not lump “Hispanics” into one big pile.   We are different, and as a Mexican-American — I do know our American history and rose my right hand to defend this great Nation, however, I also know that those of Mexican descent are indigenous to this land, too.

Most people forget those of Mexican descent are indigenous to the southwestern part of our Nation.

USA!  USA!  USA!  Hallelujah!  Thank Heavens! Suspect is alive in order for the United States to possible get sufficient intelligence with regard to why this happened!   Congratulations to the law enforcement authorities who delivered the suspect alive!  Americans are happy!!!!!!

It’s over: Boston bombing suspect in custody

When, when, when, when is the Republican National Committee going to change their platform?

Where is RNC Chairman Reince Preibus?

When will we see leadership and a positive shift take place in the name of “sincerity?”

Republican lawmakers are making xenophobic comments and it is reaching a fevered pitch against women, immigrants, people of color and so forth.

A Jewish friend of mine via Lou Show says this about Dennis Johnson — the Oklahoma GOP lawmaker who made the “Jew Me Down” comment:

“Incredibly stupid. I think he’ll have to count out any Jewish customers in the future.”

“I would NOT accept his off-handed apology.”

From the HuffPo:

Dennis Johnson, Oklahoma GOP Lawmaker, Apologizes To ‘The Jews’ For ‘Jew Me Down’ Comment

Oklahoma state Rep. Dennis Johnson (R-Duncan) apologized Wednesday for recently using the phrase “Jew me down.”

While speaking on the virtues of small business in debate over a bill Wednesday, he said, “They might try to Jew me down on a price. That’s fine … that’s free market as well.” He was then handed a note about fifteen seconds later.

“Did I?” he said to a colleague.

“I apologize to the Jews,” he said to laughs. “They’re good small businessmen as well.”

Johnson expanded on his apology to The Oklahoman. “It just came out of one of the wrinkles of my brain and it was not something that was intentional,” Johnson said. “I certainly didn’t mean to offend anyone and I apologize for the folks I did offend. It is a comment that should never be made. I will never do it again.”

Johnson was not the first lawmaker to have to apologize for using the phrase, an offensive term for haggling. Texas state Rep. Larry Taylor (R- Friendswood) apologized in 2011 for urging an insurance association to treat policyholders well and not try to “Jew them down.”  FULL STORY>>>

FBI Photos Released of Boston Bombing suspects

CNN’s John King owes us an apology.

“Us” refers to people who have tan or darker skin.

Doesn’t he know we have far right wing whackos attacking Mexican-American / Latino / Hispanic people enough as it is?

Doesn’t he know that inaccurate reporting does more harm than good?!  In the future I hope reporters and journalists will wait for “official” statements from the likes of the FBI who have a responsibility to the American people to give the FACTS.

There is a clear and present danger about some people who do not welcome brown immigrants or people of color, and comments like these hurt us.

Here are just some headline samples of what we had to endure and stand strongly firm against:

“Hispanic” / Latina-led Political National Organizations Slams Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert for the Hispanic/Muslim Scare

Laura Ingraham using similar immigration fear tactics J.D.Hayworth once used and is now elected out of office

Mexican-American Women Political Group Slams Rep. Steve King For Using National Tragedy as an Immigration Scare Tactic

It Appears Anti-Immigrant / Tea Party Rep. Steve King is happy with the Boston Bombing Slowing Legal Immigration Efforts

Is this a VDARE threat? — Patriot backlash against “Amnesty” mounting against immigrants

Amnesty Myth Maker: Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) and atack against immigrants

Reps. Steve King (R-Iowa), Lou Barletta (R-Pa.), and Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) are poster children for known hate group NumbersUSA

Roy Beck / Numbers USA fights a legal method to fix a clearly broken immigration system

Yesterday, he made comments about the Boston Bomber(s) being a “dark-skinned” male without verifying that source through an FBI official.

Watch Video below:

I do not know the ethnic background of the Boston Bombing suspects released by the FBI, but it does appear that one of them looks pale skinned.

We do not care about the color of a person’s skin.  We want the bomber(s) brought to justice regardless of his skin color.

We do care about the importance of not fanning the xenophobic flames that white nationalist organizations are in the business of doing.

Are you listening John King? You are hurting us and our push for LEGAL immigration reform for a clearly broken system.

Below is the FBI surveillance video of the 2 Boston Bombing suspects.

Latina-led Political National Organization Slams Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert

Lincoln, NE / Phoenix, AZ — Somos Independents (a national Latina-led political movement) believe Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert is working against healthy interests of our National Security.  Today Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) warned  that “radical Islamists” are being “trained to act like Hispanic[s]“ and cross the U.S.-Mexico border, and it appears he is using a national tragedy to promote his anti-immigrant agenda.  Lest Gohmert forget that Mexico is our ally and trade partner and indeed they proved their alliance with Americans when Germany tried to attack the United States via our southern neighbor during the Civil War.   An official Mexican response was issued to Berlin on April 14, 1917, stating that Mexico had no interest in allying with the German cause.

It is our belief that our political leaders need to be prudent about this process.  We are extremely dismayed and disappointed in the irresponsibility of Texas Republican Representative Louie Gohmert’s xenophobic statements by attempting to use the Boston Marathon national tragedy to stop the forward progress in fixing the broken immigration system.  It is unwise for the likes of Gohmert to promote unhealthy ideas that harm and affect our National security as it relates to our allies and our soil neighbors.

The 2013 Legal immigration reform bill is a major step forward in securing our Nation because only after everyone is registered and documented will we know who is in our Nation and where we can find them.  We know that once we fix the broken immigration system, and once we document all immigrants —  then they can feel safe to help law enforcement agencies to target criminal activity without the fear of deportation when they report suspicious activity to the law enforcement authorities.  Therefore, bringing the immigrants out of the shadows will only strengthen our Nation’s security.

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SOMOS INDEPENDENTS (formerly known as the National Tequila Party Movement) is a woman-led political movement.  It is our goal to communicatto women and Latina matriarchs across the nation with regard to the need in fixing the broken immigration system. We organize events, and college rallies that encourages a massive Latino Get Out The Vote and political participation. This movement is a non-partisan movement. We don’t care how people vote, we just want them to get on the early ballot system, become consistent primary and general election voters.

On Monday, Sen. Ted Cruz told Sean Hannity: “I think that [a path to citizenship] is profoundly unfair …”

It looks like the Texas Senator (Cuban-American) Ted Cruz is the poster boy for Numbers USA.  According to the SPLC, Roy Beck, was head of the immigration-restriction group NumbersUSA.

SPLC states:

Beck leads an organization that has reached the heights of mainstream legitimacy, a position that helped NumbersUSA achieve dramatic policy successes, most especially in June 2007, when his followers flooded the Senate with more than a million faxes. (The onslaught helped doom comprehensive immigration reform that had bipartisan support and had been expected by many observers to pass.) He has long insisted that NumbersUSA has no “vision of a homogenous white America,” and his website decries all manner of “immigrant bashing” and racism.

But John Tanton has come to be an embarrassment. His longstanding connections to white nationalist ideologues, his flirtation with anti-Semitism, and his many racist statements about Latinos have become well known — and are a huge liability for Beck and his restrictionist program. Pressed, Beck claims he is not ashamed of his mentor. But Tanton’s name is nowhere on his website. John Tanton, it seems, is undermining Roy Beck’s respectability.

“It is amazing that Beck has attained the mainstream status he has, considering where he comes from,” concludes Henry Fernandez, a senior fellow at the progressive Center for American Progress, a think tank based in Washington, D.C. “His extremely close and decades-long relationship with Tanton should give pause to anyone who deals with NumbersUSA.”

NumbersUSA uploaded the below photo of Ted Cruz on their facebook page approximately 10 hours ago:

NumbersUSA

Does this mean Cruz is against privileged amnesty Cuban immigrants receive via the Cuban Adjustment Act of 1966?

Is the Tea Party politician Cruz against Cuban immigrants receiving government benefit$ once their wet foot touches dry land since Tea Party people claim to be in support of doing away with tax payer funded government entitlement$?

What about the Cuban immigrant dry foot that touches dry land?  Is this why we are seeing a spike with regard to Cuban immigrants coming through Mexico?

That said, let it be understood the Texas Senator is on the record for ending his speeches with a story about how his father fled Cuban oppression.  According to the Dallas News, “his father departed for the U.S. in 1957, more than a year before Fidel Castro came to power.”

Cruz stated:

“My dad fled Cuba. He was imprisoned and tortured as a teenager, and came to Austin penniless, seeking freedom. The reason I’m running is simple. He fled oppression once. And you have my word that I’ll fight every day to protect freedom here, so that none of us have to flee oppression a second time.”

Penniless?

I thought his dad had money sowed into his underwear?  According to the inflation calculator, $100.00 back then is equivalent to $826.21 today.  That is a whole helluva lot more money than the dying immigrant crossing the desert comes here with.  Many immigrants crossing the desert die of dehydration.

According to FOX NEWS:

Cruz’s father Rafael is a pastor outside Dallas. He fought with Fidel Castro’s rebels in Cuba before Castro took power and eventually embraced communism, and the elder Cruz fled to the U.S. with nothing but $100 sowed into his underwear.

If Cruz believes in the idea of fleeing oppression and the corrupt Fidel Castro — doesn’t he know that Mexico’s corrupt score is worse than Cuba’s according to the Global Coalition Against Corruption?

I know a bunch of immigrants who came here  without a single dime to their name, and they come here to avoid the oppressive drug cartels.   They come here not seeking government entitlements and are not afraid of working in the hot agricultural fields  for a hard earned day’s pay.  Most immigrants do not receive a year’s worth of government entitlement$ the Cuban immigrants receive.

According to the Dallas News:

Wow!

We are getting some good news this month!Looks like the AP Stylebook today  is making some great changes!

Many Mexican-Americans have grown to dislike the term ‘illegal immigrant’ — it is dehumanizing.  We know several kids in our country who were brought here by their parents when they were infants or really young.  They do really well in school and are not part of the real criminal element when it comes to being here.  Indeed these same immigrants will help save the baby boom generation and their government entitlements once American politicians figure out  new tax payers are needed in order to sustain the baby boomers.

This is a great direction taken by the AP, and we thank Kathleen Carroll for explaining … see below.

‘Illegal immigrant’ no more

Posted on 04/02/2013 by Paul Colford

 

The AP Stylebook today is making some changes in how we describe people living in a country illegally.

Senior Vice President and Executive Editor Kathleen Carroll explains the thinking behind the decision:

The Stylebook no longer sanctions the term “illegal immigrant” or the use of “illegal” to describe a person. Instead, it tells users that “illegal” should describe only an action, such as living in or immigrating to a country illegally.

Why did we make the change?

The discussions on this topic have been wide-ranging and include many people from many walks of life. (Earlier, they led us to reject descriptions such as “undocumented,” despite ardent support from some quarters, because it is not precise. A person may have plenty of documents, just not the ones required for legal residence.)

Those discussions continued even after AP affirmed “illegal immigrant” as the best use, for two reasons.

A number of people felt that “illegal immigrant” was the best choice at the time. They also believed the always-evolving English language might soon yield a different choice and we should stay in the conversation.

Also, we had in other areas been ridding the Stylebook of labels. The new section on mental health issues argues for using credibly sourced diagnoses instead of labels. Saying someone was “diagnosed with schizophrenia” instead of schizophrenic, for example.

And that discussion about labeling people, instead of behavior, led us back to “illegal immigrant” again.

We concluded that to be consistent, we needed to change our guidance.

So we have.

FULL STORY HERE>>>

Mexican-American / Woman-led Organization Slams Republican For Using Derogatory Term “Wetback”

Contact:402-890-2295
or (520) 329-1877

For Immediate Release – 3-29-13
info@nationaltequilapartymovement.com

Shirl Mora James, President – Civil Rights and Immigration Lawyer
DeeDee Garcia Blase, Communications

Phoenix, AZ – We are disappointed to learn that Republicans are still using derogatory terms that predate the Civil Rights era.  We consider the term “wetback” offensive.  According to the Washington Post, Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska), in an interview with a local radio station released Thursday, referred to Latinos working on a ranch by using the derogatory term “wetbacks.”

The ousted and former Republican Senator Russell Pearce also proudly used this derogatory term despite being told it was offensive. This is precisely why Mexican-Americans who account for almost 70% of the entire Latino population pie are leaving the Republican Party and this is precisely why members of SOMOS REPUBLICANS joined a new movement via SOMOS INDEPENDENTS.  In fact, the GOP has not yet reversed their restrictionist and protectionist anti-immigrant platform they adopted in 2012.

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About the National Tequila Party Movement:
The National Tequila Party Movement (now known as SOMOS INDEPENDENTS is a woman-led political movement. More females vote in Presidential elections than men strong Latina matriarchs are emerging. It is our goal to communicatto females and Latina matriarchs across the nation with regard to the need for compassion towards undocumented immigrants and the need to fix the broken immigration system. The Tequila Party is currently organizing a national tour of concerts, events, dinners and college rallies that will encourage a massive Latino Get Out The Vote and political participation. This movement is a non-partisan movement. We don’t care how people vote, we just want them to get on the early ballot system, become consistent primary and general election voters.

Republican Don Young of Alaska uses derogatory term “Wetback”

Today is National Medal of Honor Day. Here are a list of U.S. Latino Medal of Honor Recipients.  (Click on image for full list).

Right now Republicans are attacking a woman’s right to choose life for their babies, and the big legislative showdown is today that begins at 11:30 Arizona Time or 1:30 Central Time.

Shirl Mora James is a Civil Rights and Immigration lawyer in the Midwest who has committed her life to protecting a woman’s right to choose in having their babies.   Shirl is also the President of a woman-led movement via SOMOS INDEPENDENTS (formerly the National Tequila Party Movement).

I will be watching her via LIVE STREAMING as she takes a very strong stance against Nebraska Governor Heineman and Senator Charles Janssen who seem to want to encourage the undocumented women to have abortions rather than receive healthy prenatal care.

So far, the NATIONAL RIGHT TO LIFE has not taken a stance against Republican politicians who are attacking the 14th amendment and who are attempting to take prenatal care away from babies who need prenatal care~!

Shirl Mora James will be giving the below testimony at the Nebraska legislative hearing.  She is not your ordinary internet arm revolutionary — nay, she walks her talk…hosts rallies to increase getting out the vote and conducts educational seminars.  She is a mover and a shaker.  She’s a dynamic and fierce woman who we get to see in live action here.

       March 21, 2013
Good afternoon, Chairperson Campbell and distinguished members of the Health and Human Services Committee.  My name is Shirl A. Mora James.  I am a civil rights/immigration attorney from Lincoln.  I am licensed to practice in all the Nebraska state courts, the United States Federal Courts of the District of Nebraska, the United States Immigration Court in Omaha, the United States Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit and the United States Supreme Court.  I am here speaking as the President of Nebraska Hispanic Bar Association and as the President of Somo Independents, a national organization lead by Latinas to register and empower Latin@s to support politicians that support our issues which include providing prenatal care for all U. S. citizen babies.

Today, my purpose is to give a voice to the silent unborn U.S. citizen babies and their mothers in this debate, these babies could be denied prenatal care, if you allow LB-518 out of committee.  Personally, I was raised in western Nebraska and taught in the Catholic teachings which value babies above all else and especially above one’s self-interest.  Simply put, no mother, whether she has legal presence or not, should ever have to ponder the possibility of aborting her wanted unborn baby because she cannot afford prenatal care.  I ask you all to consider this truth, these U.S. citizen babies and their mothers are part of our human family and must be treated as such.

Now, it is high time to call out the author of LB-518 and other anti-life politicians who attempt to dehumanize these U.S. citizen babies by calling them ‘anchor babies’ or by denying them prenatal care for their own pathetic political gain.  To the author of LB-518, I say: you are a coward who attacks innocent helpless U.S. citizen babies, where in the world is your moral compass?  Stop and think, what would you do, if these children were yours.  You profess to be ‘Prolife and have Family Values’ so then  ‘walk your talk’ and stop attacking the health and the very lives of these innocent babies and start protecting and advocating for them or else you are nothing but a hypocrite for political self-gain.

Moreover, SHAME on all the anti-life politicians that attack U.S. citizen babies because of the status of their mothers!  Finally, let’s ponder this moral question:  What have we become, in what kind of society would it ok to deny certain U.S. citizen babies prenatal care and attempt to force a mother to ponder a needless abortion, and what does it say about our so-called “Prolife” political leaders that promote the killing or disabling of certain U.S. citizen babies by denying them prenatal care.

Honorable members of this Committee, PLEASE save the babies from this EVILNESS that has seeped into the core of a very small segment of Nebraska society!  Please, I respectfully request that you all vote for our Nebraskan U.S. citizen babies and kill LB-518 in committee, and continue to allow our unborn Nebraskan babies the opportunity to obtain the necessary prenatal care regardless of the status or the wealth of their mother.  I thank you for your time and kind consideration in this most important matter.  If you have any questions for me, I would be happy to answer them now.

Sincerely,
S. A. Mora James, JD
S. A. Mora James, JD
Attorney/Abogada
President of Nebraska Hispanic Association
President of Somo Independents