Thursday, September 30, 2010

October 1, 2010


Illustration by Julio Saldago

The following is from the official press release. Once again, undocumented students are making history by taking control of their lives and putting it all on the line. I am proud to say that not only are they my peers, but my heroes.

Students Arrested for their Dreams Now Could Face Deportation

TOMORROW Oct, 1, 2010: Rally and Press Conference
in Front of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, 500 Indiana Ave, NW, Wash, DC 2001. at 8AM

Washington, D.C. On October 1st, eight young American immigrants- among them aspiring social workers, professors, lawyers, and engineers- will walk into a courtroom to answer for having sacrificed everything to fight for their rights. For the first time in American history, undocumented immigrants will be representing themselves in a court of law after having intentionally risked their lives in this country.

Reyna Wences from Illinois, Dulce Matuz from Arizona, Myrna Orozco from Missouri, Tania Unzueta from Illinois, Erika Andiola from Arizona, Nicolas Gonzales from Illinois, Laura Lopez from California, and Isabel Castillo from Virginia are charged with unlawful entry based on a mass sit-in on Capitol Hill on July 20th. These eight DREAM-eligible youth sat in the offices of Senator John McCain and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, asking them to champion the DREAM Act as a stand-alone bill.

On September 21st, the Senate attempted to reach cloture on the Defense Authorization Bill with the intent of then attaching the DREAM Act as an amendment. However, debate over the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell dominated the debate in the Senate and they did not reach cloture, leaving the DREAM Act in limbo, and with it, the last hope for these eight young Americans.

Given the ineffectiveness of the Senate, they now face the prospect of being convicted and, pursuant to current law, imprisoned or deported, unless immediate congressional action is taken to pass the DREAM Act (Development, Relief, and Education of Alien Minors). Whether they are found guilty or innocent, ICE is within its jurisdiction to put these youth in deportation proceedings.

At least 70,000 undocumented immigrant youth graduate from high schools every year, and many of them struggle to attend institutes of higher education and the military. The DREAM Act will grant youth who traveled to the United States before the age of 16 a path to citizenship contingent on continuous presence in the country, good behavior, and the attainment of at least a two-year university degree or a two-year commitment to the armed forces.

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Got one mind for the white folks to see


Me and my captain don't agree

But he don't know, he don't know my mind

When he see's me laughing, laughing to keep from crying

Got one mind for the white folks to see

Another for what I know is me

~William Laurence James

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Blink of an eye


That's a good way of summing up everything that's been going on these last few weeks.The DREAM Act movement went from planning, to calling and getting an answer. The DREAM Act was up in the air earlier this week. If you're reading this chances are you know already. It didn't happen. At best it was a splash of cold water to our collective faces. To wake up from our trance and realize that there's still work to be done. The DREAM Act is going to pass this year. Whether we do it the hard way or the easy way. It looks like the hard way at this point, but it's nothing the movement can't handle.

That's one good thing about growing up in poor communities with high crime rates and dense minority residents. You can take anything and still keep going, and we will. Giving up is not in our nature as DREAM Act students and individuals, if it was we would have listened to everyone, gone back to Mexico and that would be the end of that. But it's also in my nature to do things that pisses people off because they told me to do it, rather than letting me do it own my own. Whatever happens pass or not, I'll still be here sharing. I'll still go on about my life and I'm sure there will still be some of you here reading and supporting and/or hating me and trying to put me down by writing mean, vindictive comments. If it's one thing I've learned, you can't expect to put out things like this without getting apposing views. 

Friday, September 17, 2010

Military recruitment through the DREAM Act



A lot of what's been going on, besides the DREAM Act getting attached to military defense bill, is that it is going to be the militaries tool for recruiting undocumented and Latino youth to die in an imperialist war for a country that doesn't want them or value them. That the DREAM Act will only serve to shed more Latino blood in the oil wars and because Latino youth aren't going to go to college. They would rather join the military than to get a two year degree at a community college. Well I have my opinions about this, like everyone else. Course, Suicidal Tendencies can articulate it better than I can. Suicidal Tendencies indeed. If the DREAM Act doesn't pass, I'll do the world a favor, I'll leave back to Mexico. Through a bus or a coffin.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Up Hill Battle


My life has at times, some more than others, like if I'm pushing a boulder up a hill. Or in the case of the picture I posted, an elderly man pushing a shopping cart full of bottles and cans up a hill, passing a cemetery, hoping that the cans collected will garner enough money for food and bills. Everyday is a struggle, that's the chip on my shoulder. I have different chips, depending on the day, month, year or decade. They all come back to the "I am not a legal resident" chip that has been on my shoulder since I was brought here. It's get's pretty old pretty fast and I've noticed that. From conversations to the way I act and go about my life.

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Take Action on DREAM now

Senator Reid will be moving the DREAM Act to a vote via as an amendment to the Defense Authorization Bill.
What does this mean?
It means that the DREAM Act still needs 60 votes to pass.  We still need 60 senators to say yes when it comes time for the bill to be attached to the defense bill.
What can you do to help?
We need calls right now. We need to flood offices with calls in support of the DREAM Act.   Currently we are being beat by anti-immigrants  10 calls to 1.  That  means for every 1 call you make in support 10 people are calling against the DREAM Act.
TAKE ACTION NOW AND CALL IN SUPPORT OF THE DREAM ACT:
Dial: 1-888-254-5087 if busy or not working call switchboard directly at 202-224-3121
Ask to speak with Sen. _____:
Ask for the following people and leave a message with their office.
Call-in Script for Republicans:
“Hi I am calling to ask that Senator _______ vote for the DREAM Act. This bill will allow for undocumented youth to fix their status by serving this country in the armed services in addition to allowing for them to return the investment our country has made in them. Please have the member support the dream act.”
Republicans:
Sen. Hatch of Utah
Sen. Bunning of Kentucky
Sen. Bennet of Utah
Sen. Gregg of New Hampshire
Sen. Bailey-Hutchison of Texas
Sen. McCain of Arizona
Sen. Voinovich of Ohio
Sen. Snowe of Maine
Sen. Brown of Massachusetts
Sen. Collins of Maine
Sen. LeMeiux of Florida
Sen. Brownback of Kansas
Call-in script for Democrats:
“Hi I am calling to ask that Senator _______ vote in favor of the DREAM Act. This bill will allow for thousands of undocumented youth to fix their status by getting a two year college degree or joining the military. This is an investment in our countries future. Support the DREAM Act.”
Democrats:
Sen. Hagan of North Carolina
Sen. Pryor of Arkansas
Sen. Landrieu of Louisiana
Sen. Conrad of North Dakota
Sen. Dorgan of North Dakota
Sen. Nelson of Florida
Sen. Baucus of Montana
Sen. Tester of Montana
Sen. Feinstein of California
CALLED ALL OF THEM? CALL AGAIN AND HAVE FIVE FRIENDS DO THE SAME THING.

Monday, September 06, 2010

Hypothetical conversations



What if, 'if's' and 'but's' were candy and nuts ? A life lesson I learned a millennium ago was that it's better to have a 'no' than a 'what if.' Meaning that I would rather have a question or query answered with a 'no', rather than spending the rest of my life wondering 'what if.' We all have to make decisions, some times we have time to think about them and some we must make in an instant. But failing to make a choice, while waiting for an answer to come to us is the worst thing we could possibly do. Thus I propose, what will happen when the DREAM Act passes or when it fails this year ?

Thursday, September 02, 2010

Machete star Danny Trejo

Machete Star Danny Trejo Mini-Doc by Estevan Oriol from SA Studios Global on Vimeo.


Peep this cool video of Danny Trejo talking about still living in East L.A. even though he's a movie star and coming full circle in his acting career and with the Machete movie. Also, I come out in this video heheheh at 51 seconds you can see me pose with him and thank him for taking the pic. He's the nicest man on the face of the earth. Go see Machete !!!