"A Proud Racist" -Santa Clara Councilman

http://www.dailynews.com/breakingnews/ci_14254846

Remembering our fallen immigrant soldiers.

As we remember all the fallen soldiers on this memorial day, let us not forget all those who have died to fight for a country that has denied them citizenship and has tried to deport their families.

After September 11, 2001, President George W Bush signed a July 2002 executive order that made undocumented people join the armed forces and be eligible for expedited US citizenship. Because of this, many people enlisted. Among these include undocumented Guatemalan, Lance Corporal José Gutiérrez, who was the second solider to die in Iraq; Mexicans José Angel Garibay, a 21-year-old corporal who died in Nasiriya, and Private Francisco Martínez, who drowned when his tank fell in to the Euphrates River.

These men are a very small representation of the approximate 65,000 immigrant soldiers who have or are currently fighting in the Iraq War. (2008) Yet, our government and Americans many times forget these women and men who left everything behind to serve in the armed forces. As these men and women fight in Iraq, the government is very busy trying to deport their family members; parents, wives, grandparents, you name it. At the same time, many American xenophobes are busy trying to kick immigrants out of this country.

Here are a few words to the US government and to our xenophobic Americans:

To the government: Stop terrorizing families, particularly those who have family members serving in our armed forces. Our undocumented members of the armed forces are doing what they promised they would do. Now keep your part and grant them and their family members legalization.

To Americans: Let us not forget our immigrant personal who have fought in the war, especially those who are in place of us. While many of us sit back in our country, there are thousands of undocumented people giving their lives, serving all over the world. Stop causing havoc in our cities and trying to put fear in the lives of so many Americans. Immigrants want to be Americans, they are showing this, particularly those who are fighting in the Iraq War.

To Conclude, please watch this spoken word by Paul Flores.

Immigrant or Drunk-Driver Checkpoints?

I actually have been wanting to write about this for a while, but never really found the time. But now that I sitting here in my living room...

We all have seen or been passed a "drunk-driving" checkpoint on the streets. According to the police departments, these are an "effort to reduce the number of persons killed and injured in alcohol involved crashes, DUI checkpoints are conducted to identify offenders and get them off the street, as well as educate the public on the dangers of impaired driving." But how much of this is true?

Last week in San Bernardino, I passed through a similar checkpoint. I was ok because I had not drank and I had my driver's license accounted for. But for so many people, that was not the case.

Many, coming home from a long day of work, the grocery store, or church, were asked to provide a license.

"No lo tengo señor." (I dont have it sir) This was the response of so many people. Because they did not have a license, they are ordered off the car, given a citation and impounded the car for 30 days.

For many, this was their only transportation to work. To many this was the only transportation to get to church, do errands, take their kids to school. But on this day, that changed. Not only were their car taken from them (roughly $1000 to get out of the inpound after 30days) but they have to now pay a fine for driving without a license.

Your first question might be, "Jonathan, how do you know this?" Simple, I have had this happen to close family members.

Let me start by saying, I understand what the police department is trying to do, protect our citizens from drunk driving. Against DRUNK DRIVING, not innocent people who are coming home from work.

Can we stop? Can we stop making people feel harrassed. These people are only here to make a living. All they want is to provide for their families.

On a different note, (related to driver's licenses, but not checkpoints) I know of this lady who drives an ice cream truck. Everyday, she wakes up, fills her truck with ice cream and sells to provide for her children. She is a single mother because her husband got recently deported to his home country. But one day, as she began her route, she was pulled over by police in San Bernardino. Herself, being undocumented, did not have a driver's license. THe officer confiscated the ice cream truck from her.

Why? This lady was not being a criminal? This lady was not being reckless. All she was doing was trying to provide for her children. She was not asking for charity. She was not asking for government support.

It is time that we look at our policies. We must stop making immigrants criminals. They are not criminals. they are hard working parents, students, sons and daughters. They are working people of the United States. Stop hurting people more than we already are. Lets give them the opportunity to go to work, pick up their children and support their families.

Stop harrassing and give them Driver's Licenses.

Comments on Los Aztecas post...

I was reading my post when I came across the post of Los Aztecas.

What stood out to me as I reas was the following...

...there are just not enough people to start a moviemiento, a revolucion.

Well that was before I met a group of people who are in this movement, this revolucion.

This new family has given me a reason to join the revolution and that movement that I have been seekin on campus. This familia with the addition of our newly revived group LASA, the Latin American Student Association, and all the great people involved in that club, I know that this revolucion is only going to get bigger.

And as it gets bigger, I expect nothing less than success and change.

Si se puede.

Que Viva la Revolucion.

New Blog

As I have been absent for a while, since election season, I would like to start blogging again, so when time permits or it becomes necessary, I will blog.

Jon

Dealing with an Illusion

So Last week, a student from APU managed to get through a week with a painted on confederate flag over a swatzika. A week later, I have heard the rumor that he has been expelled from the university.

I do not know how i feel about this...

on one side, I understand that the painted symbols are symbols of hatred, symbols of oppression and symbols of supremacy. I understand that although the student claims he did not put these symbols on his truck, he did parade around the campus without thinking it was bad.

Even though it is the illusion that he KNEW that this was not wrong, it still was. I understand that many students where hurt, including me, about what this person demonstrated to the school. My initial reaction was to sentence this guy with all the mighty force I have and condemn his actions. I know that many of our students felt the same way, hoping to see this guys life ruined for being "ignorant".

So with him being expelled, does that make it right? Did we win?

As a Multi-Ethnic Leader on campus, my goal is to bring about Racial Reconciliation. As a Christian, God also commands me to bring about reconciliation. Reconciliation is defined as the act to restore to friendship or harmony.

As a student fighting injustices, I am committed to bringing reconciliation between race groups, between social classes, between the poor and the rich, between immigrants and natives, etc.

So my goal is to bring reconciliation. In bringing this to the table I want the majority culture to acknowledge that the racist past and the current systematic oppression CONTINUES TO AFFECT THE LIFES OF US MINORITIES. But I also want the racial minorities and I to practice TRUE FORGIVENESS.

Biblically, Jesus commands us to use the forgiveness of God to forgive others. (Mat. 6:14-15) Forgiveness is not based upon whether we feel like forgiving, but instead it is a basic obligation.

In forgiving we are nor forgetting. It does not mean that we cannot fight institutional racism, it does not mean that we will loose our necessary gain to make social justice a reality. IT MEANS TO FORGIVE.

We are all sinners. We all make mistake. Tell me, as a minority, how many times have we used the race card? How many times have we exploited the white guilt? How many times have we not coverred our own sins in labeling whites a certain way?

Dont get me wrong, I strongly believe that Whites have used there privilege to there advantage. THey have used it and will continue to use it. That does not make it right, does it?

I think we are both at fault. While White culture chooses to ignore the problem, it ignores the fact there there are injustices. While minorities group try to make gain in society, they use the white guilt as a way to make it up.

Going back to the situation with the student. Did we win?

What did we get out of it. He is expelled. Did he learn something? Did he learn not to mess with the minority? or did he learn what he portrayed as a prank was wrong?

Did you have a conversation about it? Does he understand why people are upset?

Although punishment should be served because he did break a code found in our student handbook, I do not believe an expulsion is necessary.

Yes he did hurt me. Yes he did hurt my friends. But again, can we forgive.

I would say, lets bring him back onto campus. Let us not forget what he had on his truck, but let us walk alongside him and teach him and let him teach us where we are coming from. We all fall short.

Who is ready to throw the first rock?

Los Aztecas

I am not a Mexican... I am too American to be considered such.

I am not American... I am too Mexican to considered such.

I am not a Mexican-American... I have too many complexities to be described as such. There is no way I can put my Mexican side in front of American and I cant put my American in front of my Mexican side.

You know what I am? I am a Chicano. A Chicano! Gives me chills just writing it. The best way to describe a Chicano is by looking at me. What do I mean? Well, as many of you know and can tell by some of my post, I am very political. I like to talk about issues that affect everyone in this country and I especially like to write and think about the political atmosphere for the Hispanic/Latino/Chicano person. Well to many a Chicano is someone who is politicized Mexican-American. According to the handbook of Texas: They used Chicano to denote their rediscovered heritage, their youthful assertiveness, and their militant agenda.

I have rediscovered my heritage. I have found who I am as a person, what it means to be a foreigner in a land and what it means to live a life where you are not treated as others. I have found my youthful assertiveness, because I feel free to express my feelings, thoughts, and desires; I know my rights and I have control over my anger.

The last point is tricky. I have a militant agenda, yes I do. By I am also assertive and know my place. I know when a militant agenda should be used. Most of the time, I am able to compromise and use logic to push for something without confronting a militant agenda.

Way too much on why I am a Chicano...

So I am a Chicano.

The last two weekends I have made my way to doing a hunger strike. I fasted for 6 days (on water) and slept at the encampment at the Placita Olvera, dowtown LA. Being part of this fight for an end in the ICE raids, I began to notice something about my surroundings. APU does not give me an opportunity to express my Chicano views. And it is not like there is a gun to my head or rules that say I can't, there are just not enough people to start a moviemiento, a revolucion.

As I sat there contemplating about different things, I had the opportunity to watch a group of dancers perform. These people began by expressing reverence and prayer to the supernatural gods of the sun, earth and water. Then they created lively music with the howling of the sea conch, and with rhythms produced by drums and by dried seeds which were tied to the feet of the dancers. They expressed their anger on the ICE raids and focus on the inhumane treatment of the immigrants here in the US.

The Aztec Dance is special for many reasons. It empowers. You do
not have to believe
in the religious values of it to know that it empowers us. It
revives our people.
It is a deep expression of social, political, and cultural issues,
and it has a deep impact on a Mexican-American or Chicano's life.

After watching these dancers, It crossed my mind that at
Azusa Pacific, we needed
to stand and be revived. Yes, I know God is the ultimate
revival mechanism but
for some, there is more to that. Wouldnt it be nice to have
a group of Aztec dancers
Dancing at APU. It will honestly empower my raza to be the
awaking Giant it has been
called to be.

It is time to be empowered and rise!

Si Se Puede!... Si Se Puede!...

Que viva la revolucion!