Dies y Seis de Septiembre (Mexican Independence Day)

Yesterday, in honor of Mexican Independence Day, I was wearing my Mexican soccer jersey - the one styled after their 2006 World Cup uniforms.

Since we were headed out the door to a friend's house, I grabbed a green cap instead of my standard NRA cap to "go with" the jersey.  The cap I chose has "U. S. Border Patrol" emblazoned on the front.    When we got to my friend's house another friend said "Wow, you are really sending a mixed message with your Mexico shirt and your Border Patrol hat!"  Before I could say *anything* a third friend said "Oh No He's Not!"

Who cares, right?   The part that is funny to me is that the guy who made the crack about a "mixed message" is a legal immigrant to this country (from another continent).    Also the friend that jumped to my defense is Hispanic (born here in the USA).

I say all that to lead into this - apparently a Majority Of Latinos In Arizona Supported the much ballyhooed Arizona immigration law, commonly referred to as Arizona SB 1070.     I know, the fact that Latinos supported the law didn't get much (if any) airtime from the "Mainstream Media" but then again, the "MSM" also seemed to neglect to mention the fact that this law basically supports existing Federal regulations.

This is not to mention the fact that, considering everything my buddy from another continent had to go through to get here, I would think he would be vehemenantly opposed to illegal immigration and acutely aware of the fact that people who do not go through the proper channels are breaking the law.

The Fence Is Going Up!

One of the FEW responsibilities of a valid government is to protect the safety and security of it's citizens. To this end there has been *much* discussion as to what should (or should not) be done to protect the southern and northern (landlocked) borders of the United States of America.

This morning on the radio, one of our local radio commentators interviewed a judge from Cameron county concerning progress on the border fence.

Good fences make good neighbors, right? Funny thing is, when the border fence is referred to in Spanish, I have *never* heard it referred to as a "fence" (cerca). Without exception, people speaking Spanish refer to this as "El Muro" (The Wall). More than once I have been speaking with bilingual friends and the subject has come up. When I have asked the question "Have you ever seen pictures of the Berlin Wall coming down? This is not a Wall - this is a fence." the response has been "Well yeah but you know...".

That's the problem. I do know.

What is being built looks to be a sensible fence. It will not be located on the levies and have to be torn down in 2011. It will not be built inside city limits. Those two particular genius proposals (and all the resultant flap about "The Wall" cutting Brownsville in half as it followed the levy) are complete inventions of local Rio Grande Valley politicians. (I know you will be as shocked as I was to learn that politicians had actually lied...)

These same politicians are now hanging their hopes on Barack Obama to "Stop the Wall". But, by their own admission, Obama "has a lot on his plate" and he "might not be able to give the necessary attention to a small piece of South Texas".

All this would mean that, despite the best efforts of local politicians, the American government has actually taken steps to protect American citizens.

Love it or hate it, comments are encouraged.

Some things never change

Fireworks.
Lots and lots of fireworks.
Then the occassional rounds of gunfire.
Then the car horns.
It's New Year's Eve in south Texas.
(This will probably go on until about 2 or 3 am. Glad i'm not going to work tomorrow.)

BTW, i (finally) saw Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather for the Very First Time. Now all those lines from You've Got Mail make sense - "Go to the mattresses", "Leave the gun, take the cannolis", "Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Wednesday". (You're thinking "Why does this guy know lines from You've Got Mail ?" Answer:My wife loves that movie.) And even though I had never seen The Godfather before, I always seemed to understand "he made him an offer he couldn't refuse". :-)

Happy 2008 !!!

Happy Anniversary VoG

December 12 is a big deal in Mexico. According to news shows on all the local Spanish channels this morning, the Virgen de Guadalupe (Virgin of Guadalupe - i know, you never would have guessed, right?) appeared to Juan Diego on this day 476 years ago.

The easiest way to tell that this is a big deal in Latin American culture was NOT the costumes, NOT the parades, NOT even the cheering crowds. No, the easiest way to tell that this is a big deal in Latin American culture is the fact that all three psuedo news shows used this as their Lead Story at the Top of the Hour superseding the morning Bush-bashing.

It really is humorous how predictable the Spanish-speaking "drive by media" (to use a Rushism) is in their "reporting". And as far as fact-finding goes, they make CBS look good. Sightings of chupacabras are reported just as seriously as if they were a train wreck or chemical spill with hundreds injured. More than once I have heard the statement "No one has ever seen chupacabras, This is what it looks like." (When i see that "artist rendition" the first thing i think of is a "gray")

I can hear it now - "You're White, you can't say stuff like that!" Whatever. Obama wasn't weak on foreign policy because he's black, he was just weak on foreign policy. Hillary isn't wrong on healthcare because she's a woman, she is just wrong on healthcare. McCain is overreacting to all the waterboarding nonsense - the fact that he's a former POW doesn't add any actual weight to his opinion on the matter.

The truth hurts.

Time Traveling and Day of the Dead

Okay, I know, I'm like way behind schedule posting. My problem has been that I'll start a post and not be able to finish it (normally because I find something interesting on Wikipedia or Yahoo! News) so this is what I'm going to do.

With this version of "time traveling" (strictly forward and linear - shucks) I'm just taking advantage of the fact that I started a post several days ago. I'll go ahead and finish the blog entries that I started and post them ASAP and hopefully I'll get caught up to the present! Right now it's November 12 but I'll finish this post for November 1 - Dia de los Muertos.

Day of the Dead...keeping the tradition alive

From Articulos en Yahoo!

Toys are brought to the cemeteries as offerings to deceased children and Tequila, Mescal and Pulque, traditional Mexican liquors, are common offerings left on the graves of adults.

My wife (born and raised in Mexico) finds it humorous when people are surprised that the offerings are gone the next morning. She told a group of our friends that all you have to do is hide and watch. A short while after dark you will see vagrants eating the food, drinking the liquor and taking the toys.

Some have said that it is very important to keep these traditions alive as part of Hispanic culture. I know this is not the most "PC" thing to say but personally, I find Dia de los Muertos creepy. I guess it is realistic in it's fatalism but it's still creepy.

Border Fence Update

Checking back over my blog I realized that there are quite a few "loose ends" that I needed to "tie up". So here's a quick update on the one of the local "hot button" issues.

The Border Fence. Private citizens are taking action (and actually accomplishing something) here and here . Here is a good example of a low tech fence actually working. Where is the high tech "virtual fence" we've heard will solve our problems? After Boeing "reported it solved most of the computer glitches" (famous last words) it will finally begin testing a section of virtual fence in Arizona later this month.

"But a fence sends the wrong message" , you say? Really? Here is an example of three wanted sex offenders that were nabbed as they came through border check points. With completely open borders, these fellows (and other sex offenders) will be able to sneak into the country undetected. By further closing our porous southern border, we increase our chances at catching these scum bags.

And agents at border crossings continue to find marijuana and cocaine (the pot was in a charter bus).

Locally we won't have to worry about the "ominous shadows" of an actual border fence for quite some time to come (if ever) because some boneheaded bureaucrat planned the fence to cut through the middle of Brownsville, TX. This would have put part of the UT-Brownsville campus south of the fence.

More updates on other stuff later.

Change of Plans

As I mentioned in my earlier post here, "These images are all from the free version of "Google Earth" available at http://earth.google.com/ It will only appear this way if you check Earth City Lights under NASA under Featured Content. All these images are copyright 2007 Google, copyright 2007 Terrametrics and copyright 2007 Europa Technologies."

In the aforementioned post I showed a Google Earth City Lights image of where we were planning on going on vacation with my in-laws. It turns out that my in-laws (they're super by the way) had just finished hosting a conference and, being a little tired, they weren't really up to traveling 8 hours one-way to "relax". So we all decided to hang out at the campground where the conference had been and just take it easy.

Here is the Google Earth City Lights image (again at an "eye altitude" of 50 miles) of the campground and surrounding area. This campground is located just to the south of Monterrey, Mexico; a modern metropolitan city if there ever was one.

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A short drive to the southeast you can go shopping in Villa de Santiago and a short drive to the north you can find modern malls, Wal-Mart, H-E-B, Pollo Loco, Burger King, McDonald's, many museums, a planetarium, amusement parks, and that's not all.

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Despite the somewhat large population of Monterrey and the amount of automobile exhaust connected to that, Monterrey does not suffer from the pollution problems plaguing Mexico City. This is because Mexico City is surrounded by mountains and that puts it in the middle of a "bowl" while Monterrey is wrapped around a mountain so the smog isn't trapped. (but i digress...)

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We had a great time, played Rummikub (in Spanish) and I found the whole experience very relaxing. Three cheers for great in-laws!!!

10 Principles for Immigration Reform

from NumbersUSA: (emphasis mine. Don't hate me - this plan is not half as tough Mexican immigration laws and enforcement.)
1. The purpose of U.S. immigration policy is to benefit the citizens of the United States.

2. Since immigration policy can profoundly shape a country, it should be set by deliberate actions, not by accident or acquiescence, with careful consideration to ensure that it does not adversely affect the quality of life of American citizens and their communities.

3. Immigration policy should be based on and adhere to the rule of law. Immigration laws must be enforced consistently and uniformly throughout the United States.

4. Non-citizens enter the United States as guests and must obey the rules governing their entry. The U.S. government must track the entry, stay, and departure of all visa-holders to ensure that they comply fully with the terms of their visas, or to remove them if they fail to comply.

5. The borders of the United States must be physically secured at the earliest possible time. An effective barrier to the illegal entry of both aliens and contraband is vital to U.S. security.

6. Those responsible for facilitating illegal immigration shall be sought, arrested and prosecuted to the full extent of the law and shall forfeit any profits from such activity. This applies to smugglers and traffickers of people, as well as to those involved in the production, procurement, distribution, or use of fraudulent or counterfeit documents.

7. U.S. employers shall be given a simple and streamlined process to determine whether employees are legally eligible to work. Employers who obey the law shall be protected both from liability and from unfair competition by those who violate immigration law. The violators shall be subject to fines and taxes in excess of what they would have paid to employ U.S. citizens and legal residents for the same work.

8. Those who enter or remain in the United States in violation of the law shall be detained and removed expeditiously. Illegal aliens shall not accrue any benefit, including U.S. citizenship, as a result of their illegal entry or presence in the United States.

9. No federal, state or local entity shall reward individuals for violating immigration laws by granting public benefits or services, or by issuing or accepting any form of identification, or by providing any other assistance that facilitates unlawful presence or employment in this country. All federal and law enforcement agencies shall cooperate fully with federal immigration authorities, and shall report to such authorities any information they receive indicating that an individual may have violated immigration laws.

10. Illegal aliens currently in the United States may be afforded a one-time opportunity to leave the United States without penalty and seek permission to reenter legally if they qualify under existing law. Those who do not take advantage of this opportunity will be removed and permanently barred from returning.

Tamales for Breakfast

The fireworks explosions lasted until after 3am last night. Somehow i find lying in the dark in a strange country, listening to the whine and report of rockets and the ¨BOOM¨ of homemade explosives a tad unsettling. Tonight will probably be more of the same, despite the fact that some of these folks have to go to work tomorrow.

Our Christmas celebration was really good - chock full of all the cheesy stuff holidays are supposed to be about - family friends and good food. i was even able to make the acquaintance of several people that i had previously only known from photographs.

As part of my own celebration, i took my dear sweet time getting out of bed. Then i had real, honest to goodness, homemade by my Mexican mother-in-law tamales for breakfast. Seriously, you are SO jealous.

Fireworks for Christmas

My family is staying in the front room of the building my in-laws live in and my in-law´s dear lovely sweet darling precious wonderful neighbors are REALLY starting to get on my nerve with their tradition of exploding fireworks in the street on the wee hours of any holiday.

At least i don´t have to work in the morning.

Feliz Navi-blog!

i just want to take this opportunity to wish everybody MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR and throw in a quick THANK GOD FOR THE SECOND AMENDMENT!

Where i am right now its ¡FELIZ NAVIDAD y PROSPERO AÑO NUEVO!....

In case you didn´t know, here in Mexico personal ownership of a firearm is VERY RESTRICTED and is, for all intents and purposes, illegal. Interestingly enough, the national murder rate here is about double the national murder rate of the United States. Go figure.

We Made It

DESPITE the hassle with obtaining visas to travel and a permit for the car (the rules are different every year - no joke) we were FINALLY able to get everything in order, pick up my brother-in-law and drive to my in-laws in Monterrey, Mexico.

All of us are watching a Trace Bundy DVD so my brother-in-laws showed me this on You Tube. (its in Spanish but you´ll get the idea)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78WikcTWe4M Tony Melendez

In-Laws

Wow! This month has been a blur! Its been really good, though. Lots of good important stuff - time spent with friends, time spent with family and in a few hours we will make the trek to spend some quality time with my in-laws. (My mother-in-law is an awesome cook - trust me, you're jealous!)

More details tomorrow. :-)

Biden not worried about Hispanic vote

Some might call it "Biden's Bid for the Beltway" or "Political Posturing for Possible Presidency" (make your grammar teacher proud - make up your own headline). But it was obvious from watching the news in Spanish this evening that Senator Joe Biden isn't worried about kowtowing to the Hispanic audience.

Seems to me like this is a fairly balanced article. After the newscast, i had to "google" Joe Biden because the ONLY thing getting play in Spanish was "Joe Biden said Mexico is corrupt." and the newscasters were acting like "Mexico is still corrupt" was some kind of slam instead of a fact.