Luis Ubiñas is coming from the private tech sector to head the mighty philanthropic organization. Here's the press release from the Foundation with a link to Ubiñas' bio: Ford Foundation Announces New President
And the Ford Foundation's home page, with some warm and fuzzy promotional shots of their new boss.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
WANTED: Latinos to Fill Federal Jobs
Here's one from the LA Times--it might not be available for free for too long--on the feds' waking up to, and attempting to make amends for, the dearth of Latinos in the well(enough)-paid, good-benefits positions with the Federal Government. (We can think of one very high up, and lucrative position a Latino has held with the feds, but, alas, that won't be for too much longer now.)
Monday, August 27, 2007
Gonzo's Gone
By Amorosa
There’s something insidious, maybe unconsciously so, about the Right’s appointment of minorities to august positions in their administrations. On the surface, it all looks good: we can commend their need to be seen as “includers,” folks who though they may not push minority-friendly legislation or multiculturalism, want to give lie to the generally held belief that conservatives are no friend to people of color. (Nor the poor. Nor women.) But, in essence, the choice of candidates so radical or so incompetent only serves to fan the resentment of too many already antipathetic Americans and buoy those die-hards who claim that minorities are “not yet ready” to play with the big guys. These appointees present such administrations a win-win situation and do a great disservice to the groups they represent as they leave them in the dust.
Soon to be former Attorney General, Alberto Gonzales, “a cypher,” an “empty suit,” the man worse for the Department [of Justice] and its morale than anyone in recent history including the Watergate era" (The characterization is Daniel Metcalfe’s, recently retired career attorney in the DoJ, who served under both Republicans and Democrats for over 30 years.), seems to prove the point even more graphically than does Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.
A man who summarily allows people of questionable guilt to be executed WITHOUT EVEN REVIEWING THE CASE is not fit to be the poster boy of the son of Mexican immigrants who makes it big in the land of dreams come true. Nor is a man who cheer leads for torture, the illegal wiretapping of U.S. citizens, fires competent (an operative word in any discussion relating to Gonzales) attorneys to make room for more sycophants at the DoJ, and unconscionably and repeatedly lies to Congress.
It’s not a ladder Alberto Gonzales climbed, but a pit he dug for himself.
If you’re like me, not yet tired of the story, here’s some solid stuff on why Gonzo is gone, including, if I may, a piece I wrote in equal indignation at the time when Bush was thought to be considering him for a Supreme Court seat.
The Spanish language side of the story from Univisión, growing cooler and cooler in their support over the years.
Salon.com’s story on the clemency refusals when he was Governer Bush’s Attorney General in Texas
Ana Simo's jeremiad in The Gully Online at the hypocrisy of Latino organizations for “blithely endorsing” him and a hypothetical “what if” he tried to pull that torture **** in Mexico.
US Washington watcher Michael Tomasky writing in the Guardian of London, Sinking Ship Leaves Rat
The Hispanic American Village's All the President’s Hombres by yours truly.
Tuesday--The morning after: While the press has done nothing but report and comment on the A.G.'s exit, there has not yet been one peep out of the mainstream Latino organizations: MALDEF, NALEO, LULAC, NAHJ (National Association of Hispanic Journalists), supporters of Gonzales' appointment. Maybe there's a lesson to be learned here from African Americans who do not categorically boost one of their own, but will, for the most part, examine a person's record, ethics and suitability for a post before tooting his horn. Thomas is a case in point, an admitted and much-criticized embarrassment to the NAACP and other orgs.
I wish I could vote for the story instead of the man.
Senator Ted Kennedy, voting against confirming Alberto Gonzales as U.S. Attorney General, after hearing the American Dream story of the nominee’s humble, immigrant origins.
There’s something insidious, maybe unconsciously so, about the Right’s appointment of minorities to august positions in their administrations. On the surface, it all looks good: we can commend their need to be seen as “includers,” folks who though they may not push minority-friendly legislation or multiculturalism, want to give lie to the generally held belief that conservatives are no friend to people of color. (Nor the poor. Nor women.) But, in essence, the choice of candidates so radical or so incompetent only serves to fan the resentment of too many already antipathetic Americans and buoy those die-hards who claim that minorities are “not yet ready” to play with the big guys. These appointees present such administrations a win-win situation and do a great disservice to the groups they represent as they leave them in the dust.
Soon to be former Attorney General, Alberto Gonzales, “a cypher,” an “empty suit,” the man worse for the Department [of Justice] and its morale than anyone in recent history including the Watergate era" (The characterization is Daniel Metcalfe’s, recently retired career attorney in the DoJ, who served under both Republicans and Democrats for over 30 years.), seems to prove the point even more graphically than does Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.
A man who summarily allows people of questionable guilt to be executed WITHOUT EVEN REVIEWING THE CASE is not fit to be the poster boy of the son of Mexican immigrants who makes it big in the land of dreams come true. Nor is a man who cheer leads for torture, the illegal wiretapping of U.S. citizens, fires competent (an operative word in any discussion relating to Gonzales) attorneys to make room for more sycophants at the DoJ, and unconscionably and repeatedly lies to Congress.
It’s not a ladder Alberto Gonzales climbed, but a pit he dug for himself.
If you’re like me, not yet tired of the story, here’s some solid stuff on why Gonzo is gone, including, if I may, a piece I wrote in equal indignation at the time when Bush was thought to be considering him for a Supreme Court seat.
The Spanish language side of the story from Univisión, growing cooler and cooler in their support over the years.
Salon.com’s story on the clemency refusals when he was Governer Bush’s Attorney General in Texas
Ana Simo's jeremiad in The Gully Online at the hypocrisy of Latino organizations for “blithely endorsing” him and a hypothetical “what if” he tried to pull that torture **** in Mexico.
US Washington watcher Michael Tomasky writing in the Guardian of London, Sinking Ship Leaves Rat
The Hispanic American Village's All the President’s Hombres by yours truly.
Tuesday--The morning after: While the press has done nothing but report and comment on the A.G.'s exit, there has not yet been one peep out of the mainstream Latino organizations: MALDEF, NALEO, LULAC, NAHJ (National Association of Hispanic Journalists), supporters of Gonzales' appointment. Maybe there's a lesson to be learned here from African Americans who do not categorically boost one of their own, but will, for the most part, examine a person's record, ethics and suitability for a post before tooting his horn. Thomas is a case in point, an admitted and much-criticized embarrassment to the NAACP and other orgs.
U.S. Attorney General Gonzales Resigns
U.S. Attorney General Gonzales Resigns:
"U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is resigning after a stormy tenure as head of the Justice Department. Bush administration officials say Gonzales submitted his resignation to President Bush on Friday. Read/hear VOA National correspondent Jim Malone reporting from Washington for VoA News."
This resignation follows others reported earlier this week, including the departure of Assistant Attorney General Wan J. Kim, the Justice Department's top civil rights enforcer, who resigned Thursday after more than a year of criticism that his office filled its ranks with conservative loyalists instead of experienced attorneys. Seoul-born Kim was the first immigrant and first Korean-American to head the department's civil rights division, his job for just over two years. More at the Asian American Village blog.
"U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is resigning after a stormy tenure as head of the Justice Department. Bush administration officials say Gonzales submitted his resignation to President Bush on Friday. Read/hear VOA National correspondent Jim Malone reporting from Washington for VoA News."
This resignation follows others reported earlier this week, including the departure of Assistant Attorney General Wan J. Kim, the Justice Department's top civil rights enforcer, who resigned Thursday after more than a year of criticism that his office filled its ranks with conservative loyalists instead of experienced attorneys. Seoul-born Kim was the first immigrant and first Korean-American to head the department's civil rights division, his job for just over two years. More at the Asian American Village blog.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
A Very Personal Appeal for Aid to Peru
amorosa's blog for the HAV
Readers of the Hispanic American Village will know of my recent trip to Peru and how lasting were my impressions of this land of contrasts and great physical beauty. And of its people, mostly reserved, always engaging and respectful, easy to travel and live amongst, proud of their heritage, just learning their history.
The news, last Tuesday night, of the massive earthquake undoubtedly affected me more strongly than those to whom Peru means Machu Pichu, Inca warriors and ceviche, but, of course, with a very different force than those with families and a long chain of memories there. When the quake's path became clear, it proved uncanny: the 40 kilometer deep fault of the quake followed on the surface my footsteps exactly as I made my way south from Lima, Peru's capital.
The news sources reporting on the disaster don't know what most Peruvians don't know as well: that this region is home to the largest concentration of the approximately 3% of the population that is of African extraction, left a legacy of a most shameful episode in the colonial annals of the country. Until recently, Afro-Peruvians and their history were allowed to be subsumed under that, also regrettable chronology, of their indigenous compatriots.
But, no matter the genealogy, nor the iniquity of the past, the Peruvian people have suffered tremendously in this disaster, and I'm asking you, as I'm asking all those around me, to give what they can.
Oxfam America, with a history of support for the world's peoples, through ongoing projects and disaster aid, is I feel one of, if not, the worthiest conduit of support funds.
Go to their web site for ongoing reports of the situation and their efforts in the region and to make a donation.
I've just discovered the site of another organization, new to me, specializing in providing medical assistance to developing countries and the impoverished of the US, that is appealing for donations: Direct Relief International
Once again:
Hispanic American Village
A Peruvian Journey -- And Quest
Oxfam America -- Earthquake updates
Direct Relief.org
I just came across the blog of a clearing house of charitable organizations, Network for Good. They've got a long, long list of organizations they say it's cool to donate to: http://networkforgood.blogspot.com/2007/08/help-peru-earthquake-victims.html
Readers of the Hispanic American Village will know of my recent trip to Peru and how lasting were my impressions of this land of contrasts and great physical beauty. And of its people, mostly reserved, always engaging and respectful, easy to travel and live amongst, proud of their heritage, just learning their history.
The news, last Tuesday night, of the massive earthquake undoubtedly affected me more strongly than those to whom Peru means Machu Pichu, Inca warriors and ceviche, but, of course, with a very different force than those with families and a long chain of memories there. When the quake's path became clear, it proved uncanny: the 40 kilometer deep fault of the quake followed on the surface my footsteps exactly as I made my way south from Lima, Peru's capital.
The news sources reporting on the disaster don't know what most Peruvians don't know as well: that this region is home to the largest concentration of the approximately 3% of the population that is of African extraction, left a legacy of a most shameful episode in the colonial annals of the country. Until recently, Afro-Peruvians and their history were allowed to be subsumed under that, also regrettable chronology, of their indigenous compatriots.
But, no matter the genealogy, nor the iniquity of the past, the Peruvian people have suffered tremendously in this disaster, and I'm asking you, as I'm asking all those around me, to give what they can.
Oxfam America, with a history of support for the world's peoples, through ongoing projects and disaster aid, is I feel one of, if not, the worthiest conduit of support funds.
Go to their web site for ongoing reports of the situation and their efforts in the region and to make a donation.
I've just discovered the site of another organization, new to me, specializing in providing medical assistance to developing countries and the impoverished of the US, that is appealing for donations: Direct Relief International
Once again:
Hispanic American Village
A Peruvian Journey -- And Quest
Oxfam America -- Earthquake updates
Direct Relief.org
I just came across the blog of a clearing house of charitable organizations, Network for Good. They've got a long, long list of organizations they say it's cool to donate to: http://networkforgood.blogspot.com/2007/08/help-peru-earthquake-victims.html
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
The U.S. Army: On the Beach
U.S. Army recruiters have landed on one of New York's most hallowed Latino landmarks, Orchard Beach. They turned up at the annual Sunday summer series of on-the-beach bashes on Bronx sand, not to boogie but to bag Latino recruits. The military has been going all out to replace with Latinos its dwindling stock of volunteers now that African-American enlistments have dipped, alarming the brass.
The New York Times, covering the story, noted the recruiters' mixed reception, those unhospitable being led by two Bronx elected officials, Assemblyman Jose Rivera and City Councilwoman Melissa Mark-Viverito.
In addition to the obvious dangers faced by ground troops in Iraq, as well as the growing unpopularity of this and the war in Afghanistan, two articles, one a recent excellent read from In These Times, the other, ours of an earlier vintage, report on the lengths and less than honorable tactics recruiters are going to in order to lure Latinos into life, limb and sanity-menacing service. Of special note are nearly always empty promises to legitimize the undocumented.
Read and tell us what you think:
The Times:
At Bronx Latino Festival, the Army Sponsors the Music
In These Times (and we ask your indulgence to forgive the lapse of this excellent journal with the repeated use of "illegal immigrants" instead of a term, like "undocumented worker," that doesn't delegitimize one's whole being for committing but one-questionably illegal--act):
Illegal Immigrants: Uncle Sam Wants You
And ours, the Hispanic American Village's piece of a few years ago, when Latino casualties began to ring a bell nation-wide, examining some of the tricks and tactics used to get Latino kids to sign up and away:
The Military: What's in it for Latinos/as?
The New York Times, covering the story, noted the recruiters' mixed reception, those unhospitable being led by two Bronx elected officials, Assemblyman Jose Rivera and City Councilwoman Melissa Mark-Viverito.
In addition to the obvious dangers faced by ground troops in Iraq, as well as the growing unpopularity of this and the war in Afghanistan, two articles, one a recent excellent read from In These Times, the other, ours of an earlier vintage, report on the lengths and less than honorable tactics recruiters are going to in order to lure Latinos into life, limb and sanity-menacing service. Of special note are nearly always empty promises to legitimize the undocumented.
Read and tell us what you think:
The Times:
At Bronx Latino Festival, the Army Sponsors the Music
In These Times (and we ask your indulgence to forgive the lapse of this excellent journal with the repeated use of "illegal immigrants" instead of a term, like "undocumented worker," that doesn't delegitimize one's whole being for committing but one-questionably illegal--act):
Illegal Immigrants: Uncle Sam Wants You
And ours, the Hispanic American Village's piece of a few years ago, when Latino casualties began to ring a bell nation-wide, examining some of the tricks and tactics used to get Latino kids to sign up and away:
The Military: What's in it for Latinos/as?
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