Why I Stopped Blogging Regularly

You would think that given that I've been blogging immigration-related issues for over five years while based in Arizona, the past several months would be peak time for writing at this site. Unfortunately, I'm suffering from outrage fatigue and blogging sends me into an unproductive place.

SB1070 and HB2281 fucked with my very being, my very identity - to put it bluntly.

The salt in the wound is watching poll after poll show sizeable majorities of the populace agree that brown-skinned gente should bend over and take the violation of our civil and human rights with a smile on our faces. We should "do our part" by accepting racial profiling, the oppression of our culture, and the militarization of our ancestral homeland all in the name of a false sense of security.

A rage has been building inside of me that I recognize as unhealthy, so I remain silent on this page in deference to speaking out in real life through everyday conversation and community organizing (Socialist!!!). Scanning headlines and reading commentary used to be soothing, but with such potent hate gathering around those of us targeted in Arizona, I find it depressing and paralyzing.

What's worse is that it will only get worse before it gets better. I think that's why I find myself unable to watch the downward spiral from the front row.

I'd rather sit on the stone bench in the corner of my mountainview yard, close my eyes, and listen to the wind. It gives me the strength to keep fighting for what I know with every habanero flake in my veins - history will not judge the actions of the current era in Arizona very kindly.

Happy 4th Blogiversary to Latino Político

July 1st came and went and it wasn't until a few minutes ago that I realized, "OH crap! The site's anniversary!"

So I'm gonna take a cue from the GOP leadership of Arizona's State Senate and pretend that it's not really the 2nd of July if I ignore all the clocks and calendars.

Four years. Wow. I think about the ways blogging has changed and evolved in that time span and am excited for what is possible. I haven't posted nearly as frequently here as I did in the past, but my blogging/activism hasn't slowed down at all. In fact, it's probably increased. Twitter has everything to do with it. Facebook, too.

This site was always about getting more eyes on a worldview that connected with the reality I experience as someone with morenito skin con una identidad sin fronteras. Immigration has obviously been a big part of the radicalizing I've undergone the past several years. With anti-migrant hate remaining out there in strong potency, and racist blowhards aplenty who conflate "latino" and "illegal" with descriptors like diseased/criminal/drugged-out/drug-pushing/etc etc etc, keeping on that beat remains very personal.

The nature of my blogging and activism has changed, but the spirit that sparked my entrance to the web pueblo remains the same:

I started this site to get my voice down on "paper". I don't really care if I get five or 500 hits in a day. I'm doing this because I care about my country. I yearn for the days when we can again proudly live up to this inscription that can be found on the Statue of Liberty:

"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me.
I lift my lamp beside the golden door."

July 1, 2005

In the near future, this place will have a new voice added to the mezcla. She's Xicana, una feminista, una amiga mía and more importantly, completely unknown to all the blogging crowds and circles I've known over the past several years. Knowing her in real life is never boring so this should be quite the paranda. ¡Cuidado! haters. Lou will whup your ass.

Happy 3rd Blogiversary to Latino Político

Well, well, well. Another July 1st has arrived and with it, the third blogiversary/birthday for Latino Político.

Things have been quiet here lately due to a confluence of events in my 3D World but with Netroots Nation on the horizon, I see a near future that has a larger reserve of motivation and commitment to what I've been trying to do here over the past three years. In the beginning, it read something like this:

I started this site to get my voice down on "paper". I don't really care if I get five or 500 hits in a day. I'm doing this because I care about my country. I yearn for the days when we can again proudly live up to this inscription that can be found on the Statue of Liberty:

"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me.
I lift my lamp beside the golden door."

Since the last blogiversary post, a lot has happened in the world, real and virtual. Those of us who tend to blog more on ideological discussions rather than partisan have seen a different party take over Congress only to find little change or improvement. A piece of it is that the Democrats only have a bare majority of influence in the Senate with Junior Caligula still doing his Decider thing in the White House, but I would be lying if I didn't confess that I have felt more disappointment than accomplishment lately. Call me a purity troll, if you must, but I'm being honest. jejeje

The background to all of this, of course, has been the primaries and the recently-started general election to elect the next Decider. It seems like it has all succeeded in flipping on the crazy-gene switch online, and it gets exhausting when you're someone like me who doesn't care for it in any reality. So there's the monsoon cloud in a nutshell, but I can also happily report that silver linings abound.

The pro-migrant blogosphere is growing stronger everyday thanks to the passion and unshakeable commitment to human rights by emerging voices to this medium. After all that's happened (and perhaps more important, not happened) in the political realm with regards to the lives and livelihood of undocumented workers, activists need to know that we're not alone nor crazy. Well, some of us might be crazy, but that's a different post altogether ;-)

With the recentish launch of The Sanctuary, an avenue has opened up for many of us to come together. We're coordinating in ways that makes the efforts of grassroots activists more potent through sharing information with netroots activists. Blogging by itself does very little, but when we are able to translate our words into political power, it makes it worth it to do this, in my humble opinion. There's still a long way to go, but I have noticed forward-movement over the past year.

Some opportunities that I'm thankful for include the Blogger Summit that I attended in March in Washington, DC thanks to the crew at the New Organizing Institute; also really looking forward to going to Netroots Nation thanks to a scholarship through Democracy for America where finally, after three years of interacting online, I'll get to meet blog compadres XP and Duke1676. Watch out, world!

I say that, because this big ball of tierra is always going to improve as long as human beings gather together and remember things like this:

It is not enough to teach our young people to be successful...so they can realize their ambitions, so they can earn good livings, so they can accumulate the material things that this society bestows. Those are worthwhile goals. But it is not enough to progress as individuals while our friends and neighbors are left behind." - César E. Chávez

And not just remember, but strengthen each other in a way that we live the ideals that declares that our hermanos y hermanas are our shared responsibility. There will always be low and high tides in energy, but sitting at this keyboard today, knowing that there are friends and allies across the world who recognize the humanity in everyone gives me hope. This may be a political blog, but I've found that the true power lies in each of us willing to engage and empower those around us to bring about a better life.

To all that visit this humble casita in the barrio, either through clicking on a link or via RSS, thanks for being you.

paz

Netroots Nation Bound thanks to DfA

Thanks to all of you who made your way over the past couple of weeks to the Democracy for America Netroots Nation Scholarship page and voted for me. I got a phone call a couple of days ago telling me that I had been selected for assistance to get me over to Austin, Texas, for the upcoming Netroots Nation conference (formerly known as YearlyKos). I'm really excited for the opportunity and appreciative to DfA for the help.

Anybody else going?

Opportunities on the Horizon

Ya know, it's amazing how quickly things can move. This site is quickly approaching three years old and, while I've been blogging a lot longer than that at other places, there's always a special place reserved for your own site in the heart.

I leave to Washington D.C. today to do some major networking with other blogging activists around the country. I'm deeply grateful for this opportunity and was flattered to be invited. Hopefully I will be able to add to the discussions that are planned on how to build a better online progressive/liberal presence that translates to change in the streets and throughout the electoral process.

As part of my trip, I'll also be attending the Take Back America Conference, which you will see linked at the top of the right sidebar. I'm looking forward to spending a week in the District of Colombia, but more importantly, getting better versed on how to come back and build a better network of activism.

We have a lot of work ahead of us and it's easy to get discouraged, but I am hopeful that with a more engaged electorate sprouting up all over the country, we can finally get this system of injustice and inequality on a more forward-looking trajectory.

I'll try to check in throughout the week, but until then, feel free to lay around and slack.

New Domain Name

I finally got off my duff and snagged a new domain for this here humble blog. The old link will still work: http://maneegee.blogspot.com, but feel free to update your blogrolls

www.latinopolitico.net

Blogroll Amnesty Day

Since there are habanero flakes in my bloodstream, I'm not one to go down the path of assimilation without resistance; hence the reason that I'm a day late for Blogroll Amnesty Day. Actually, the delay had more to do with a self-inflicted injury involving the consumption of mass (liberal!) quantities of fermented hops but who ever let details get in the way of propaganda? Surely, not I.

If you pay any attention at all to the two blogrolls over there on the right ------>
you'll note that the lists expand pretty regularly. That's because this blog is proud to have a liberal(!) blogrolling policy, where you're guaranteed a link from here if you reciprocate over at your site. I'm always on the hunt for good reads, too, so some of the offerings are based on stuff that I unearthed in my latest bout of procrastination. It's amazing how quickly you can be captivated by a new-to-you author, or realize that one of your favorite dead-tree writers is sharing their musings on the web.

Borders are something that I reject, if any of the writing over the past 31 months here will tell you anything - which is why I also have some of the offending so-called A-List sites listed in my blogroll that are responsible for blogroll bloodbath anniversary remembrance day; because due to an ironic twist of fate, the lines of blogtopia (yes! skippy coined that phrase) jumped around me with the crash of a gate and I, like others, found myself wandering listlessly through forsaken territory - only to learn that it's much more livelier (and liberal!) out here without the need to calculate the next post based on the prevailing meme of a corporate-ruled political system or the falling rates of an advertising network.

As web activists, we should be willing to share the work of each other con gusto. The 'we' depends on who you read, obviamente, but as you'll see if you check in with my periodic Pro-Migrant Blog Roundups, the center of the blogptopic universe does not revolve around the sites that have knighted themselves as The Netroots™. We are much more diverse (and liberal!) out here, and who knows, maybe you'll find us wandering the pages of the Wall Street Journal or the Washington Post speaking a different truth.

So without further ado, I am recommending in honor of Blogroll Amnesty Day, the following sites to keep you away from that latest task that you've been putting off for the last week:

• The Latin Americanist
• Problem Chylde
• Intercontinental Cry
• Generation 1.5
• Dream Act - Texas
• T. Don Hutto - America's Family Prison

And one for fun:

1. Hasta Los Gatos Quieren Zapatos
   

Comment Moderation Back Online

Sorry for the inconvenience, but it appears the trolls have decided to move from my email inbox to the comments. I hate to do it, because that means I have to do more babysitting around here; but I refuse to let hate speech infiltrate this humble blog:

Too bad they didn't burn those spics effing house down!!Oh, wait, but then they would be homeless. Oh, that's when they go back to the house they left in Mexico. You rat-people make my skin crawl! Let's start giving out el grande sized D-con packets with the food-stamp benefits!!!
angry america | 01.22.08 - 2:18 pm | #

That was in response to the hate crime committed in Dallas last week. Thank the deities that there are plenty of people who choose compassion as a foundation for their lives, otherwise this idealist may have to reevaluate his motives for blogging.

Midweek Meta Open Thread

• Please don't sign me up for any listservs without asking. I get enough emails each day (averaging over 200), so I'm impatient when it comes to automatic sign-ups for the Peoples' Movement for Ethical Treatment of Roof Shingles.
• I've created a profile at Juarol.com and MiGente.com Add me as an amigo.
  
• Had a scare with Bud, he caught some type of viral infection and is getting better, but the vet says he'll be fine after the antibiotics run their course. No need to tell him to get more rest, he takes more naps than Family Man.
• I'm contemplating a change in format around here for posts, with more frequent news clips around the tubes and an occasional substantive post. Thoughts?
• The Haloscan gnomes are pissed, sorry if the comment links disappear on you - just hit the Refresh button until they are appeased.
• Any sites you'd like to see on the blogroll that are missing? I'm trying to find as many pro-migrant blogs as possible.
  

Fundraising for a BlogDiva

Blog amiga Liza Sabater is in need of some financial help to get her blogging headquarters back up and running. She is the mastermind behind culturekitchen, The Daily Gotham, and LizaSabater.com; any assistance you can provide would be much appreciated. She goes out of her way to make sure that a more diverse set of voices are heard and respected among the greater online community.

I'm pitching in $25.00, will you help?

Liza says:

Life without my computer is just not complete.

Does feeling like this make me a geek?
UPDATE! Help me get Linus to the (Mac) hospital:

Contribution button at this link

Midweek Meta Open Thread

• I am not very good at coding. This frustrates me.
  

• I've added a form on the left sidebar that allows readers to get Latino Político posts via email. You can sign up over there <--------
  

• Blogrolling.com, which powers the Bloggers del Mundo blogroll on the right sidebar, should add the ability to add sites with special characters in their title. There's no reason that accent marks and the ¡ can't be included in their code. ¿Sabes?
  

• Comments are always a joy to read. It makes this worth it to know that someone else is interacting with the text. Speaking of comments, you can access the RSS feed for comments anytime on the left sidebar or by using this link. I somehow zapped the icon earlier this week (see the first bullet item of this post for the reason)
  

• Thanks for being you
  

Extreme Makeover: Latino Pundit Version

Check out Louis' new digs over at Latino Pundit. Looks great!

Midweek Meta Open Thread

For those who have been reading here for awhile, I offer this link to a post created by two people whose writing always strikes the deepest chords in my heart.

Artichoke Circus - by DuctapeFatwa and Dove

This is an open thread.

Midweek Meta Open Thread

• I've been working on tweaks to the template again (does that make me a tweaker? heh). Still trying to resolve the problem with the way the site displays in Internet Explorer using 800 x 600 resolution (switch to Firefox, people!) I know there's a way to get the center column to automatically squish, but for the life of me, can't figure out where to put the code. Soooooo, if any coding gurus would like to help with that, please email me at the link to the left.

• My buddy James, who's a Plática Starter here, has renamed his site to The Mahatma X Files - please update your blogrolls (it was formerly "The Left End of the Dial")
  

• You'll notice at the top of the right column on this page, there's a new widget courtesy of the Rock the Vote peeps. Clicking on it will open up a Voter Registration page that makes it easy for a person to get fully engaged on the civic level. If you're a blogger and would like to add the widget to your site, the link is here.

• Finally. A logo that I love unconditionally. Hope you like it.
  

• Pumpkin Cheesecake, anyone? It's autumn!

Discovering The New World

Columbus Day is not a holiday that I celebrate nor commemorate. It is one of those phenomenons in U.S. society that is so ingrained that to even question its validity is nearly traitorous. But, sorry, can't fight back my instincts - the very concept of celebrating a figure like Columbus is offensive.

When the ships arrived at the shores of this chunk of land, nothing was discovered. Well, at least from the perspective of the native peoples who had already called it home and cultivated its lifeforce in such a balance that the give and take of the natural cycle was allowed to do its thing.

Lately, I can't help but feel a little bit like a village man who suddenly realizes that over the horizon a new creature is trotting in this general direction. They certainly look humanlike, but there's something different.

Did you know that the Spanish Conquistadors scared the bejeebers out of native peoples whenever they initially rode up on horses? You see, there were no creatures like that around here for at least 10,000 years, so to new eyes, it looked like a centaurish animal.

We all know that the illusion was immediately shattered like a mirror when the riders dismounted. The newcomers were, indeed, humans only still different. Different ways of communicating, different sets of values, everything different. Which brings me to the point of this post.

Lots of conversation is raging about the blog world and its diversity. Specifically, the lack of it. And here is where I would like to share some thoughts that are wafting around like clouds of smoke out of a pipe. I will let Jenifer Fernandez Ancona begin, by quoting the ending of her excellent commentary over at Open Left.

One of the key ways to build bridges is for people to get to know each other better, and to find where there is common ground across issues. A sense of community is built through ideological ties, but also personal ties. This is also why more diverse voices at the planning table of Netroots Nation is important, and why deliberately bringing together bloggers and Internet activists from all kinds of different backgrounds could be a central goal of the gathering.

But that kind of multi-racial coalition can only work if everyone -- especially those with the biggest platforms who are considered leaders -- is truly on board.

Now, if you go read the comments, you'll see some defensive blow back by one the more prominent bloggers in the Progressive Blogosphere™. It's not surprising since there's been quite a bit of it displayed in all its glory this week. On the other side of the indignation coming from the most heavily-trafficked blogs are the beginnings of entreaties and conversation.

Only we're already starting to see that we don't speak the same language - even if we hold a lot of the same political values. So, how to move forward?

Well, speaking as a Latino and for me as a person, I agree with Jenifer that the first step is to have the blogs who have been coronated by the status quo as the official spokespeople to realize that there is a problem. The other piece that should be occurring simultaneously is a commitment to listening to what has always been going on outside of the Kos/MyDD/FireDogLake/Atrios/Digby realm of existence.

There are blogs out here that specifically write for audiences using our voices as people of color. As I wrote over the summer, however, none of us can (nor will) claim to be speaking for everyone within our demographic. But we are out here doing our thing. We might not have the street cred to warrant an invitation to debate on Meet the Press or anything, and maybe the question we should all ask, is why?

If you find that question absurd coming from a random Latino blogger who averages around 100 hits a day, then you are still part of the problem.

But what have you (the plural you) got to show for your blogging efforts?

The conversation is already at a stopping point here.

A method of measurement is being asked for that does not speak the same dialect as me. Where the questioner is seeking some type of validation, I read arrogance. Pointing that out is not always the easiest thing to do, but it is necessary. Sorry. But since you, dear Hypothetical Human asked, I would like to point out an example of what I'm talking about when I mention shutting our mouths and clicking on sites that are outside of our norm.

Remember the Immigration Marches from 2006? I recall the shock that it sent over at DailyKos and other sites - lots of "how could we have missed knowing about this?" "did you see those numbers, how did they get so many?" etc etc. Well, that's because you weren't listening.

So, here we are today - 13 de Agosto 2007.

Conversations are beginning to bud now, those who have managed to "Crash the Gates" are scrambling to point out every non-white/non-male blogger that they've ever known in order to refute assertions that they lack diversity, and still I sit - wondering if we'll ever be able to figure out how to talk with one another without me being expected to assimilate to the Empire's way of existence.

to be continued...

Blogging 2.0

Let's engage in some omphaloskepsis, shall we?

It's Friday, many peeps are coming off the YearlyKos wave (not me, I was chained to my desk), and an explosion of kinetic energy has hit blogtopia (yes, skippy coined that phrase). Actually, that's quite presumptive of me to say, isn't it? I should clarify that my role has seemingly been shifted into a higher gear. I'll get to the specifics in a jif, but want to begin with some thoughts that are stewing in my head.

Blogito Ergo Sum
What is a blogger? The simple answer is: someone who blogs; but, does that mean solely someone who owns their own blog? What about the myriad commenters and faithful readers that drive the counter hits that make this worth the time invested? I recall the year spent lurking at DailyKos before getting the courage to sign up for my own account. Throughout that time, I was a faithful reader and considered myself a blogger even though I never made that move from passive to active participant. I'm sure it was fear that kept me from clicking on the 'Create New User' link - but, thankfully, got over it when Booman Tribune was launched. The rest, as the townfolk like to say, is history.

I mention my progression of involvement because I think it's important to unlocking the power that the blogging movement can have in the realm of real life. As I sit here, I'm cognizant of the fact that I went from web-surfer to devoted reader to content provider to facilitator to my emerging role as activist coordinator.

From megaphone-wielding pundit to empowered citizen
As the online political movement grows in size and accumulates some history, it's amusing to see the reaction from the various political campaigns and mainstream media evolve. With the latter there's a good deal of hostility, but what does one expect when new and vibrant competition enters the water? Many blogs were born out of frustration with traditional media voices who were/are blatant tools of propaganda or, at best, really really ignorant of how embarrasing their dismount from the shark was viewed by the watching crowd.

A curious thing has happened to change the equation, though. The blogs are attracting droves of readers that read messages and analysis that resonate with their experience, and therein lies our power. A blog with no readers will wither on the vine; but when a measly website can work the magic of congealing a community where like-minded people can gather to analyze, rant and rave on the issues del día - watch out. Which is exactly the lesson that has been learned from the official political class of this country.

In true instinctive form, they began a relationship with the blogosphere as they often do with people in real life - by letting the Almighty Dollar conduct the train. Well, after six years of appeasement and passive resistance to the Bush Administration, it was only a matter of time when a train wreck would occur under hyrda-like names of Bankruptcy Bill, John Roberts, Samuel Alito, Alberto Gonzales, Military Commissions Act, and most recently - FISA.

Despite electoral successes in 2006 by the Democratic Party, many of which can be directly attributed to the GOTV and fundraising efforts of emerging leaders in the netroots, there are many important/central campaign promises being left unfulfilled [cough...Iraq....cough]. Speaking from my personal headspace, I (unfortunately) often find myself operating on a steady diet of outrage and resentment towards politicians that are supposedly on my side. Since life's narrative is a series of natural dips, cliffs, mesas, and climbs - there's a decision to be made: what's next?

The birth of an Accidental Activist
I suppose one good word to describe what we're now seeing is infiltration. It is infiltration by influence - calling, writing and engaging politicians directly; protesting in the streets (not nearly enough of it, in my opinion); and getting some type of response from the mainstream media when we coordinate a counter-message against any truthiness or outright manipulation of the facts by the pundits; direct assault - bloggers running for elected offices at local, state and national levels; joining campaigns as media and strategy consultants; and the emerging ability for bloggers to get their voices/analysis on television, radio and other traditional forms of media without any middle parties; and finally - changing the entire equation altogether.

Built on a foundation of sound analysis of policy and a growing sense of empowerment, blogs are learning that those two ingredients, topped with a cherry of community-building snark, can create a situation which is totally catching the status-quo inside-the-beltway modus operandi off guard. The days of political blogging just for the sake of blogging is transforming into a catalyst for an engaged and informed citizenry that is not afraid to demand accountability from its government.

Rants now come attached with updates bearing the contact information for an offending politico, dear causes are written and wedded with links to petitions that will be delivered to legislators, and most importantly - we're starting to organize.

Blogs United and the currency of the internet
Thanks to the effort of kid oakland, a coalition of online activists is growing that is aimed at shaking up the political landscape of the United States. The group, Blogs United, has already spent months laying groundwork via email; developed a wiki with links all over the web and a clearinghouse of great blogging how-tos; and recently launched a Soapbox community blog to make networking and coordinating more efficient.

Moving beyond the blogosphere, Blogs United also has a presence on Facebook and MySpace. It is this mixing of worlds - political blogs and social networks - that will allow the progressive movement (note: this is much bigger than the progressive blogtopia) to grow in quantity and, hopefully, quality. Coupling the efforts of these networks with our own such as Party Builder and Democracy for America, our hope for an engaged citizenry moves towards reality.

Links, as we all know, are the currency of this medium. Blogrolls are a great thing because they provide some permanence to the support of another site, but even better is to write a post directing traffic to local bloggers who are writing about races in their area. It allows us all to see the issues through their eyes and hopefully gain them allies in whatever action they are seeking.

It also opens up the opportunity for us to find each other. I think we take for granted the fact that everyone knows about so-and-so writer. We should never assume anything (insert cliché here) - we could be missing an opportunity to spin a new cord of silk in the web.

The idea is to connect activists with one another to the point that some form of coordination is achieved to reach our goals. Some examples: forcing the permanent retirement of a Congressman, gathering local bloggers within a state to target state legislative races, or even inspiring someone to create an aggregator of blogs that target a specific community. We should be liberal [ahem] in our efforts to seek out and highlight writers that resonate with us. Every contact helps.

Empowering each other for a better future
Political blogging is not a spectator sport, at least in my view, it shouldn't be. Through storytelling - how is my family going to pay for abuelito's chemotherapy? - information gathering and sharing - which candidate is going to offer a healthcare plan that benefits us? - and a pulse on how to go about changing dynamics - Candidate X hasn't offered a plan, let's put pressure on him to do so - we can change this country for the better.

In order to slay the dragon that goes by the name Apathy, we must learn to use the sword of Results. It's human nature to want to see something change as a consequence of our actions. When that doesn't happen, stagnation can set in. So - let's empower each other to bring about the greatest effects of our writing. Encourage one another, link to one another, and most of all, lets take our messages away from the computers and into our homes, workplaces and communities. A fire has been sparked already in the short history of the online netroots, let's pour some gasoline on it and burn down the status quo that has left far too many people without a chance to realize their potentional.

We, The People - it was always meant to be this way.

Crossposted at Blogs United, DailyKos, and Booman Tribune

Happy 2nd Blogiversary to Latino Político

My, how times flies.

Two years ago, this blog was launched and I can barely believe it. I wish I could tell you that the first post was a grand introduction, but it was just a mundane tester-post to get my feet wet with the Blogger format.

It wasn't until a couple of weeks later that I could put into words what I wanted to do with this humble space in blogtopia (skippy - the coiner of that phrase).

I started this site to get my voice down on "paper". I don't really care if I get five or 500 hits in a day. I'm doing this because I care about my country. I yearn for the days when we can again proudly live up to this inscription that can be found on the Statue of Liberty:

"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me.
I lift my lamp beside the golden door."

As the months have stretched into years, I don't think much has changed. Evolved, yes. But the basic foundation that keeps me plugged into the Matrix remains the opportunity to give voice to the voiceless. Those who are forced to dwell in the shadows of this society.

I was talking to domo last week and was explaining to her that I feel an obligation to speak out for those caught in the snare of this country's broken immigration system. Their advocacy in the political system is usually given by lawmakers in a backhanded way. "Sure, we'll help you get legal status, but you better do this, this, this and this first - and don't betray us by rejecting assimilation."

How generous of them...

As the archives continue to grow here thanks to a great team of Plática Starters, some of whom have been quiet as of late (hint hint, wink wink) - I give thanks for the relationships that have been borne. Having the opportunity to meet many fellow bloggers in the realm of real life has been a fantastic experience because the shared solidarity found online can be expressed face-to-face. That solidarity is a powerful thing, which is why we can form bonds with people we've never met. Something internal is tapped-into when we read words from others that inspire, educate and occasionally challenge. I truly believe that.

Things are not always going to be smooth, as evidenced by many flame wars, tussles and outright anger that can be found at just about any blog. But I received some important wisdom from a starry-eyed friend of mine recently, who said, "...know that you are always headed in the right direction when you listen to your own guidance on things."

My compass in real-life and (hopefully) in this sphere of existence is one of compassion and listening. That's not to say that I don't get angry and type or scream off-the-cuff, cuz that would just expose the hypocrisy that certainly lives within me, but when push comes to shove - the lesson I've learned is that the Golden Rule is its strongest when we confront others who treat us in a way that we most certainly do not want to be treated.

I've written before about breaking the cycle of war within in order to be able to truly work for the same goal in society, and the world by extension. We have to figure out what our niche is to raise the status quo out of its current, I believe, unmanageable form. It is not an easy thing to do, and certainly requires vigilance, but it is a worthy path to take in my experience.

So, I'm going to climb off this wooden crate now and, from the bottom of my bleeding liberal heart, thank you for being you. Also, for reading these words, this site, and all of the real-life activism you are doing in your circles of influence.

Wisdom lies neither in fixity nor in change, but in the dialectic between the two.

--Octavio Paz

Amen to that, and Onward!

Paz

Follow Up on Latin@ Blogger Study

Part of the Una Identidad Sin Fronteras series

Spoke with Toni this morning, it was a great interview regarding the role of Hispan@/Latin@ bloggers in the wider realm of blogtopia (yes! skippy coined that term); I thank her once again for reaching out.

She is still seeking participants, I'm going to forward over a non-comprehensive list courtesy of k/o's Blogs United group, but if you know of others who would provide good commentary on what it means to be a Latin@ blogger, please get in touch me via email at man.eegee at gmail dot com so I can get you in touch with her.

One question that has stuck with me from the interview was when she asked if there were any issues that pertain specifically to Latin@s. The truth is, we blog about the same things that other ethnic and non-ethnic blogs write about, only using our lens. And really, that's how it is with each individual blogger. After some crafty evasion on my part (probably not too crafty since it was 7am'ish, hehe), I expanded a bit on what it means to talk about immigration reform from a Latin@ perspective.

I've come across alot of people on the "left" end of the political spectrum who hold the same exact positions as the Minutemen-wing of the GOP, but for completely different reasons. It's difficult to get them to understand that there is no way to separate the way race intersects with the overall discussion of immigration reform. It takes dance steps more complex than a full-blown salsa competition to pretend otherwise, in my not so humble opinion.

The Latin@ community feels the direct impact of racial discrimination in this environment of workplace raids, increased police-state environments, and English-Only based nativism. It's not something that is proven by statistics or widespread news coverage (cough), but rather through our experiences. Here's a perfect example of what I'm talking about.

On Sunday I was eating breakfast with one of my closest amigas at a Mexican restaurant in downtown Tempe. As we were chatting, a raised voice gonged its way through the room from the front register area. It was an older Anglo gentleman with a camouflaged baseball hat adorned upon his salt and peppered hairy head.

He was berating the woman at the register because he claimed she was overcharging him for four pints of frijoles. Berate is one word for it, the other would be humiliate and denigrate. He cussed her out as if she had just spit on the grave of his mother.

The woman was visibly shaking, but in as forceful a tone as she could muster, told him that he needed to not be disrespectful to her nor the rest of the customers. He continued on his tirade, and at that point the entire dining room had stopped their conversations and tuned into the show.

My blood was at a rolling boil at that point. I wanted to intervene but the line hadn't been crossed yet - she was handling it fine on her own.

Until.

First, he demeaned the way she spoke English. It was flawless, but apparently her accent was too much for him to handle. Second, he uttered the words that got me out of my booth and in his face, "Go back to where you came from!"

As I walked up and stared him down, he was standing at the exit and continued to yell offensive mierda. I told him that if he didn't leave, I would be the one to call the cops. After telling me to go Cheney myself and that I wouldn't dare do any of that, he ended his temper tantrum and left.

So, you see, we have plenty of perspective to add on what the immigration free-for-all has done to our communities. These are our families, our sisters, our very dignity being trampled upon and, unfortunately, the situation is often ignored or deemed insignificant when it comes to the larger goal of political point-scoring by the Democrats and Republicans.

It is why we must continue to give voice to the struggles and hardships endured by our people. If our stories are not told, then who beyond la gente latina, will receive the flicker of motivation to stand up for our basic human rights?

Thanks again for the opportunity to go into full meta-mode this morning, Toni, you've helped me shoot some adrenaline into the bloodstream of my groggy muse.

Paz, Man Eegee

meta: beating skippy's dead horse

hell hath no fury like a bush kangaroo scorned

we got yer 'amnesty' right here

we agree with jon swift who finds the use of the word "amnesty" in the current blogrolling bloodletting ironic. to paraphrase his words so loosely as to almost be using another language, it's as if the blogs doing the roll trimming were the u.s. government deporting illegal aliens, but calling "king's x" when it came time to accept responsibility for the actions. in other words, it's duncan and kos who want the amnesty, not the blogs they are ruthlessly slashing off their rolls.

in blogtopia, and yes, we coined that phrase, the coinage of the realm is linkage. and versa visa. the only way to give value to your peers is thru links. and a spot on your permanent blogroll is the highest value you can give.

so, in spite of the protestations that it's "nothing personal," it's quite literally the opposite: you cut a blog from your roll, you are stating to your readers that you don't find that blog of any value. that cut blog is no longer your peer.

linkage

in case you have no idea what is behind the "week and day before st. valentine's day massacre", dailykos, eschaton and other sites purged their blogrolls - and with it cut loose many sites that helped build the so-called movement used as reasoning for said purge. personally, i think it's more bowel movement than revolution, but that's for a future diary.

so skippy is pissed. rightfully so, in my opinion. we have been linked up at their site for months thanks to their generosity to grow blogtopia (which, yes! they coined that phrase!) so it is of no surprise to me that the blogroll purges have been met with a neighborhood rampage hearty protestations.

in response, skippy has offered blogroll amnesty - promising to link to any site that links to them. I will join this cause of blogtopia revolution and make the same promise.

now. on to the dulce de leche cheesecake:

Introducing Latino Político v3.0

So, what do you think?

I'll be tweaking the new format here and there, but I'm quite pleased with the new 3-column layout. I'm not opposed to moving stuff around so if you have suggestions about where stuff should go, feel free to use this thread as a Suggestion Box.

One thing I plan on adding is the 'Labels' list on the left sidebar. That'll come soon, mis ojos son locos con el diablo que se llama CSS.

By the way, it is best viewed using Firefox. If you're still using Internet Explorer, do yourself a favor and download Firefox. You won't regret it. Trust Me. There's even spell check.