Stop Immigration Raids!

So today I was supposed to go to an immigrat rights protest downtown. Somehow it either didn't happen or I missed it completely, though I was there at the appropriate time. But I've been meaning to write this note and it's a very important one. Obama hasn't been much change in policy as far as immigrants are concerned. And the most frightening thing is he's continued with the ruthless policy of immigration raids.

Back in July he promised(http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=69612) to end it. Like a good politician, speaking in front of a raving latino crowd, he gave them what they wanted to hear: hope. But that isn't what has happened so far. Immigrant rights activists have been furious after raids have continued.

What is an immigration raid? In my state of Florida we have many random blitzes from the police, purposely near immigrant (mostly Brazilian in my region) businesses and neighborhoods. I didn't know this could even occur at the time and I was surprised how fast the news would carry through the community. My mom would always be like "oh so and so called me, told me she had to turn another way cause she saw a police blitz over on so so street". My mom doesn't need to care about them, she's legal now, but that doesn't mean she doesn't have a heart. And everyone should have a heart in this case.

An illegal immigrant, driving just to feed his family, in a moment is now torn away from all that he built up. From his family, car, house, his whole life turned upside down. The police turns into the enemy, not the helping hand for immigrants. Immigration raids at workplaces and on the streets are purely unethical. Why deport someone who isn't breaking the law (outside from entering illegally). If they're producing members of a society, they shouldn't be uprooted so cruelly. Like i've said, immigrants don't come here to drive, they come to work and try to build on the American dream. The policy of the U.S. government however, only encourages criminal activity. Without supervision, in their state in the shadows, what incentive do they have to be lawful, to pay their taxes, etc? The aim is to assimilate illegals, not alienate them.

The author of this article (http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_12074704?nclick_check=1) is correct in many ways. Obama has sent mixed signals, purposely or otherwise on his intentions with immigrant rights. And he is correct that Mexico is being pathetic in complaining to the U.S. government. Mexico needs to become a state capable to function on its own. Ironically, it's so close to the most powerful nation in the world and yet it is so weak economically. Many of its south american neighbors put it to shame in that aspect. But we must help them in some way, while also giving them the responsibility for their citizens. I'm all for legalizing the immigrants here now, but we cannot have another 12 million illegals here 10 years from now because of Mexico or any other nation's excuses.

Stop Using Twitter!

First we had livejournal, which some people used often, providing you with a constant stream of your friends' stream of consciousness. Personally I enjoyed livejournal and I thought it was a great way of communicating your thoughts, while keeping a very personal connection with people you knew. No pictures, no video, just pure rambling, sometimes long and boring factoids about your life.

Well, unsurprisingly the advent of Myspace took this model and "enhanced" it, or- I believe -ruined it. No more was it a purely text-based thing but now you had layouts and the famous 'myspace mirror picture' ( little known fact: an angel loses his wings every time you take those), bulletins, stupid interactive games, video, child molesters, pesky ads, and a whole plethora of other things to deal with. But the major problem was it eliminated a lot of what made livejournal personal and made having myspace friends you possibly don't know a greater possibility.

Facebook is a bit different but runs on the same concept right? I just like it because it's neat and organized, and from the beginning functioned on these network things that kept you at least in theory in your area code. Plus facebook brought bumper stickers and graffiti! Who doesn't love those? The status update was also a good invention, keeping you interested in your friends' mundane happenings. Also, I think notes are used more often in Facebook than in myspace, but of course they serve a different function than a diary like livejournal was. Right now I think facebook is the most "virtuous" option, even though I hate this "new" facebook. The makers of facebook are like unsatisfied women who always have to move furniture around every month at the expense of their husbands.

BUT TWITTER? (I had to go bold on you guys) Are serious? I know I said status updates are cool and all, but you can't run a service just on status updates! 140 characters?! What kind of brain-dead, ADD, simple people would sign up for this ? OH America. But this is not a chastisement of all of America, but of American media and politicians more precisely. What other institution (if it were an institution) better embodies American idiocy? It's a shame on the world stage to be caught up in such a gimmick.

Every major news network has a twitter, Fox and CNN (I don't know about MSNBC) both have shows in which they twitter WHILE doing it. It's a sad excuse for what they call being 'interactive'. " Well it's time for our twitter board ' babymama242 says: OBAMA shud pympp slap AIG' , " . You've certainly seen the type of misconstrued sentences, criminal typos and purely ignorant things that come up on these type of forums like Youtube, facebook discussion boards, and twitter. So they never should be used in any form as a journalistic element.

The media's job is to give news, not to interact. Stop twittering and go cover important stories on genocide, injustice, the president, whatever. I can name 100 things right off the top of my head right now that could be a better use of the media's time than devoting time to even mentioning twitter. So please. Stop it, you're not cool! Twitter isn't even cool!

Now for the politicians. All those congressmen/women twittering during the president's speech. And all of them have it too, it's ridiculous. Do you think that keeps you closer to your constituents? That they now know what disrespectful asshole you are going online to make your status update while the president talks? Thanks a lot, you're really caring about my interests. I just hate politicians, almost all of them. And this type of shit, though so stupid and small on the list of shit they do, really pisses me off. They're acting like celebrities, like Ashton Kutcher twittering a picture of his wife's ass. What's the difference? Very minimal in my book.

So just stop twittering. Stop it.

Cuba, G-20 and Republican Uselessness.

I just wanted to talk a little bit about recent events and their implications in the future:

Cuba:

While Obama's move was applauded by most democrats and wildly criticized by blind republicans, it didn't do much. The fact still remains that America maintains a stubborn embargo that would have had even more disastrous consequences if Cuba hadn't been so pragmatic in dealing with the Soviets and now Europe. Now Cuban-Americans can visit Cuba and send money. But a lot of Cubans here, at least many fiery ones in Miami wouldn't go back anyway. They'd much rather put on a huge party in Dolphins Stadium when Fidel Castro dies (true story) . The money might help a bit, but if we take the examples of Mexico and Mexican-Americans what they need is fair trade, not visitation and remittances. The stupid embargo makes Cuba spend many times over 3x more on important imports such as medicine. Still, it remains a fighting a country that makes Latin America (and the U.S. ) jealous in educational and health standards. It is obvious blockades and embargos do not work, while only making the "enemy" more stubborn and resistant. The example of Cuba and Palestine is out there for all to see.

G-20:

With that said, Obama made great progress at the recent G-20 summit. It's amazing how the world deposits trust and confidence in him. He was able to mediate a conflict with France and China and he was clearly the leader among leaders, instead of a creepy old man that gives back massages to Angela Merkel and makes world leaders cringe. He gave a great speech in France calling out the Europeans for a knee-jerk anti-americacnism that had developed in recent years while also being humble and saying America should also learn to appreciate Europe. Overall it was a very successful trip.

Republican uselessness:

I've come to the conclusion that the republican party is the most shameful image of America in this world. It is not an opposition party, but a mud-slinging bunch of imbiciles who know nothing of what they're talking about. There was a time when being a republican meant something concrete, an understandable and rational opposition. But the developments since and a bit before Nixon drew all that was bad from it to the top.

I'm very opposed to a two-party state and I'm by no means a democrat but the Republican party has just deteriorated to a point of no return. It must either die completely and arise anew like a phoenix or a new party (hopefully parties) will take its place. If you ask me the future will be the latter. Instead of reevaluating itself, the republicans have only shifted more to the right. Instead of seeing the huge mistake of Sarah Palin, they support her more than ever. Instead of reaching out to minorities, the educated classes, etc. they are more and more concentrated within the rich capitalist/uneducated whites, an ironic combination but that makes sense given the history of this country.

The misdirected anger is ridiculous. Propagated networks such as Fox News, the public turns its righteous anger of the situation on a government that is barely 3 months old, instead of the failed companies and policies of wall street. Just like while most southerners did not own slaves, the vast majority of confederate troops fought for a system they never did and never would benefit from. That is what these "tea parties" are. Misdirected anger. They are a huge tea bagging on the american public. Funded by the rich, the people holding "Obama is a Facist!" don't know what facism is, and even less that they are in fact benefitting from Obama's tax plans.

It's scary when you think that this country is so evenly divided between left and right. It makes no sense how a failed platform such as Mccain's (which I love as an individual, not as a president) would still gather 46% of the popular vote in the election.

Even scarier is the power of the pundits over these people. When Glenn Beck incites not only anger towards the administration but also implies violence(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNp9GSbFQhQ&feature=related), when the Texan governor implies secession from the union, when pundits warn to buy guns while you can, all these things scare me because we have 46% of the population who voted for these guys. And lets say 46% do not necessarily agree with these outcries but I'm confident in saying that at least half of those 46% do. When Glenn Beck does his crazy antics in San Antonio and calls for secession in Texas and the huge mob applauds that is some scary shit (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3W-gmwnWLs).

It seems to me like Obama has been in power for years in the way Republicans are attacking him. But he hasn't. In only 3 months Newt Gringwitch is already calling Obama " the biggest power grabber in U.S. history" . In only 3 months Republicans have fired every sort of inane criticism (none of them really useful or constructive) of Obama. Like bowing to the Saudi King? Who cares? But apparently to republicans that is unacceptable. It was ok when Bush kissed and held hands with the Saudi King though, that's all good , no homo you know? It took far longer for the Democrats to start fighting back during Bush's 8 year reign and even when they did it was utterly weak.

So who is leading this ridiculous party? It's certainly not Michael Steele, the first black chairman but also an idiot who wants to bring republicans to the "urban-suburban" scene through using words such as "bling" and other ghetto sayings. No one in congress seems to lead them either. The real leaders of the republican party are brain-dead farts like Rush Limbaugh, O'Reilly and that stupid "principle" 14-year old they had speak at their conference.

That's why I say the republicans are contributing nothing to the discussion. They are useless, an opposition without opposition. And the only way to escape this circle of ignorance is through education.

Brazil, a hopeful future

Not a lot of people thought twenty years ago that Brazil would be an emerging giant in the world. It had held its first free presidential elections since the right-wing military dictatorship supported by the U.S. took control in 1964. It's first try was a failure, however. Electing the charismatic, young and good-looking Fernando Collor turned out to be a disappointment for democracy as his huge corruption scheme unravelled and he resigned in order to not be impeached. The 1990s were not kind with rinflation rampant and the wide gulf between rich and poor only widening and interest rates that are the highest in the world (and continues to be).

However, in 2003 a different kind of president was elected (finally). Having run since 1989, Luis Inacio "lula" da Silva finally was elected in the second round of a competitive election. He is truly a man of the people. Born in the poor northeastern Brazilian state of Pernambuco to a large and humble family, he knows exactly the plight of the people. He moved to the industrial São Paulo at 7 and quit school before finishing high school in order to work and support his family. He led the steel workers union in Sao Paulo in a time where unions were oppressed, ending up imprisoned by the dictatorship. He was one of the founding fathers of PT , the Worker's Party in Brazil. Upon the loosening of restrictions in the mid-80s Lula was at the forefront of Brazilian liberalism and the fight for justice. However, the elitist/ "intellectual" Fernando Henrique Cardoso still won the presidency in 1994 and 1998, the only good thing he did was introduce the Real, but even then with mistakes.

Lula is amazing for other quirky reasons too. What other president do you know is missing a pinky from working at the steel plant? He also has a lisp, which is pretty funny but cool that he doesn't give a damn. And most of all he doesn't talk down to the people, unlike most Brazilian politicians. Instead he talks to the people, in ways everyone can understand. His way with words and his vivid metaphors are as entertaining as they are true.


But back to Brazilian progress, all that history lesson and biography was to say that Brazil is emerging as one of the largest and most responsible economies out there. Lula always refused to be a lackey of the U.S. interests and publicly criticized Bush several times. He was a defender of the emerging and poor nations, defending them when members of the EU and the U.S. accused Brazil and other nations of being the causes of the food crisis in 2007. He came out very ironically saying that if there was a food crisis, it was because people in India, China, Brazil and emerging countries are eating better, not because Brazil is producing ethanol, which was one of the accusations.

Under Lula, millions of Brazilians have come out of poverty to middle-class standing. He introduced several social welfare programs that have created jobs for those once without hope. I'm not illusioned though, Brazil still has one of the most horrible slums in the world in Rio and São Paulo and the northeast is still a completely different country compared to the richer south. But what I see is progress and hope that in the future things are going to be better because they have already progressed a long way.

As for the International Recession, Lula has been hitting HARD on the so-called "industrialized, first world" countries. And he is right in doing so. Today he said, while having Prime Minister Gordon Brown by his side, that this recession is caused by people with blonde hair and blue eyes. And he's right, this wasn't caused by African nations, or Latin America or Asia, this was caused mostly by white people in Europe and America. And Lula isn't racist, he's just stating a fact that while white people in America and Europe cause the problems, poor nations who depend on credit for life suffer the most. That's why he has called out jointly with Prime Minister Brown for a $100 Billion fund to help credit flow amongst nations.

Lula, though angered that a lot of what he was able to build on in the last five years may be tainted by this crisis, is not despairing. Brazil is suffering much less than most countries. No mass job cuts as of yet, no massive bank failures. What is affecting Brazil is international trade, which is a big deal. Still, the government projects that Brazil will still grow this year, initially put at 4%, now analyst say it could be much less but still growth or 0.

So I look forward, hopeful for my parent's country, for a people I've lived with and know of their joy, beauty and generosity. I'm an American, and I love this country, but in no way am I ashamed of my Brazilian roots. The Brazilian future is bright, if only they do not fall in previous traps.

Reflections on an idiotic democracy

Rousseau said that that democracy ran on the principle of virtue. The virtue of its citizens is what makes a democracy great or small. And nothing could be more true. Honesty, intelligence, courage and all the other virtues are really important in a system that is free and truly democratic.

Aristotle said that to study politics one needs experience in life. Politics is not something you just do , it's not something you aim for. Politics should be a calling, a love for the people and to represent them. No one should go to school thinking ' i want to be a senator when i grow up' . No, you don't. You wouldn't do shit being a senator, no matter what you learned at your Ivy League school or Uchicago. You must be a leader first in order to lead. And you can only do that by being a servant. A servant of the people. My biggest passion is justice and for a while now I've had this calling to one day hopefully fight for immigrant rights as a lawyer or in some non-profit. That's my goal. Do I love politics? Yeah, but I can only lead if I have lead and served humbly.

So many of the people in Washington are so grossly incompetent. They are people who are just rich, influential, but not servants. They are idiots, ignorant and greedy. And above all they are representatives of a failed system that for a long time now has failed to have its main ingredient : VIRTUE.

So I ask: Why isn't Ralph Nader president?

Because people don't care. People in this country do not know their own good! I mean, it's ridiculous, but the truth nonetheless. Sure, I was never much of a Nader fan, always a socialist resigned to supporting Democrats, but the truth is I was wrong. The democrats TODAY, with Obama or without are the same as the republicans. Sure, they bicker over little issues that in truth don't matter at all while both take money from the big corporations. Who stops cheap drugs from coming in through Canada? The big pharmaceutical lobbies in congress. Who helps put loopholes and deregulation in the bailout? The Wall Street lobbyists. And every day we learn that both parties are recipients, equaly guilty in this dirty, dirty game of money. I've always said our electoral system is a fraud.

I recently watched a documentary called "the Unreasonable Man" about Ralph Nader's life and I have to say it changed by perspective of politicians. This guy is as close to perfect as it gets. I'm talking about his service to the American people. He's no crazy communist, he's a fighter for you, the consumer. Ironically, he has never even held a public office and yet he gets credit for a HUGE list of laws that has made America safer, cleaner and better for each individual.

One guy in the documentary said it right, if the clean air, food boxes, airbags, seatbelts all said "ralph nader" on them maybe people would give him the respect he deserves. Not to mention the numerous foundations he started for the fight against injustice. I mean, the list is so huge of his accomplishments I'd be undermining them if I tried to list them because each one is so important.

But supporting Ralph in the elections was crazy right? You KNEW he was going to lose. Why? Because of people like us, people who lack the insight to know what's our own good. People who do not really believe in democracy, who are resigned to this ugly two-party system. I ask, what the FUCK did George Bush enact/fight for before becoming president? What did Gore do? NOTHING, NOTHING, NOTHING. They were not a TENTH of the public servant Ralph Nader was, is and continues to be.

So after watching that documentary I just feel depressed. Depressed that perhaps our country is too stupid and will never truly change. Obama has proven he's not that much change from his predecessor. He's erred on Israel, he's erred on the bailout, he's erred on his appointees, especially Tim Geithner and he will continue to go wrong as long as outside forces control our democracy.

So please, America, learn to put democracy first. Learn to foster the virtue that it needs and throw away the mask. And honor your American heroes, Ralph Nader being one of the greatest among them.

A grim future for Israel

The politics of appeasement in its many forms are utterly intolerable in our 21st century world. No longer can we support countries on the basis of ideology or overthrow dictators only to establish another, more cruel one. Neither can we support and acquiesce to those irrational leaders that demand only more and more in order to be calmed. All this were policies of the 20th century, failed in all respects. So why repeat it? Why play the same game?

I've been relatively quiet about Israel and Palestine since the Israeli offensive ended. I waited, hoping for the results of the election, hoping perhaps that the Israeli people would choose logic over fear. But their choices of rational and honorable leaders and parties are few. Israel seems to me like the perfect facist state in the making. For even the so declared "centrist-left" , Kadima would make good friends with Dick Chaney, our most decrepit vice-president.

In the recent election the votes were split very evenly. Kadima, perhaps the lesser of two evils (or three considering the other far right Yisrael Beiteinu) , did not achieve enough seats to properly command a government by itself. A coalition with a party from the right is very likely. Or even worse, Netanyahu could return by forming a coalition and Israel would certainly see more days where innocent lives are killed on both sides. But let us analyze the peace initiatives of both rival parties, perhaps we could find a sensible option:

Palestinian sovereignty, but not at Israel's expense. . That is the dogma of Likud leader and blind man, Benjamin Netanyahu. American Jews, the bastion of liberalism and with the black demographic the most affiliated with the left-leaning Democratic party in the U.S. . You'd think the leader of a party in Israel would be more cautious in speaking of such a touchy subject. In fact the opposite happens, he explains how the Palestinians "should govern themselves, but they shouldn't have certain powers that would threaten the state of Israel" . Those "powers"? Their borders, airspace and even internet!

This is where my tempers flare. Do you Mr. Netanyahu really think a PEOPLE will stand for this? Do you feel threatened by their numbers, or perhaps because they haven't given up yet on being free? Any rational human being can see that this is ludicrous. I'm utterly speechless to continue, so I will leave this matter up to you, the reader.

Israel must give up land to remain Jewish and democratic . The article above features the Israeli option for liberalism, as most parties more left than Kadima are barely significant (except Labor perhaps). How does Ms. Tzipi Livni court the "American Jewry"? By invoking the long promoted "Israel fighting for existence" line. That it's the "only" jewish state and thus fighting for its existence should be halted right there. What makes having a Jewish state any different than having an Islamic state in Iran? Yet we condemn one and support the other? There is no way for Israel to be "Jewish" state as their jewish leaders so desire; they must conform with the fact that they share a land with a people that were actually there first and that their rights are not to be infringed. Secondly, her statement about being the only democracy in the Middle East is false. Hamas was elected too, to Israel's grief.

Livni went on in her address to have the gall, the audacity to urge the American government not to send diplmats to Durban II, an anti-racism conference to be held in Geneva sponsored by the UN. Who does she think she is suggesting to a sovereign government what it should or should not do? It is more than clear why she wouldn't like that. Durban II will be the evaluation and scrutinizing of Israel's blatantly racist and genocidal acts.

I'm sorry, Israel but you're screwed either way. Kadima or Likud, whoever leads the coalition government, will just be more of the same. This reflects on a people that live on fear and not understanding, of excess and not moderation. Even more importantly, it reflects that the Israeli people are short sighted and do not know their own good. Their well being depends on being liked by their neighbors and the world, and not just the U.S. as some figure. Sure, the Gaza Offensive of 2008-09 will keep down insurgencies (or maybe they won't) for a year, maybe more. It will certainly limit Gaza's growth. But for how long? How long does it take a child of 7 or 8 to realize that the loss of his mechanic father and housewife mother was caused by the racist excess of a nation who voted for these leaders? How long will it take for this child to be lured by radicals and those who hate just as much as the other side? I say to you that it doesn't take long in the despair and poverty that confront the Palestinians today. And thus the cycle continues, on towards another 2,000 years of plight?

But if you love Israel, if you want its well being. Hate racism, hate fear, hate the lies and bias.

-Jonathan Rodrigues

The Insensitivity of Modernity

So much of our news is centered around failed attempts at sympathy. In the age of the internet and 24 hour news stations, the world is united in an instant, but numb in a second. Of course, it's not our fault (at least not usually individually) that so many tragedies occur, that so many governments oppress their people and that famine and poverty are rampant. But it is our fault for being numb, living our petty lives like none of this ever existed. I say truly that there is nothing in this world more important than love and compassion. Empathy needs to be built, not false and void sympathy, designed to make you feel sad for a passing moment, a transitory release of what your whole soul cries out for: humanity. It is because of this that I always remember a quote from the movie Hotel Rwanda; it is the scene where a white reporter is talking to a native about the tragedy around them. The native replies with something to the effect of " your people will see this on the television screens, sitting down eating, they will feel bad for a moment, and then they can turn it off and sleep sound and peacefully in their beds". Nothing is more true. How can we sleep peacefully when other human beings suffer? I'm not saying we should all become superhumans and go on a mission to save the world of all grief. But what have you done to make this world better? What is your job, your family, your life to the world in a greater scheme? When I write these things I write them in passion. I love Chase because he is very analytic while I'm just mostly emotion. The world needs servants! The world needs people who understand. I have seen poverty, I have surpassed many boundaries when 19 years ago no one would have said I could have gotten this far. But I do not strive for me directly, but for the fuel that runs me. For my community that has suffered long and grieves hard in injustice. I hope to be a blessing in a stranger's life. If only one. And maybe I'll one day publish my story, but if anyone can take anything from this, take love and give it to the next person you see. Take individualism and incinerate it. Take your life and dedicate it to something larger than your career or family. Take life and live abundantly.