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BrownViews was offline almost all day today and we've been struggling both with technical issues with the web page but this has been compounded by problems with my lap top.  To make matters even worse, my home desk top isn't reading any mail so I've been crippled.  Finally got my lap top fixed this afternoon but then was busy doing other things and backed up with email.  Anyways, you know the routine.  Too much of this 'time saving' electronic crap and no service or time to work it.  Anyways, back on now.  Thanks to those who alerted me to this.  I couldn't get the emails initially but now we're back in service.   

 
Is Obama Talking Down to Brown?
Thursday, 24 July 2008
Here's an op ed from a friend in Denver.  He's obviously a Republican and pro-business, and as you'll see, not a supporter of Obama.  Still, it gives a different perspective.  Either way, as BrownViews readers should know by now, we're supporting Ralph Nader.  Still, I thought this was good critical reading for you all. 

               ----By Gil Cisneros                   

It’s not often I quote Jesse Jackson. But after listening to Obama's speech to LaRaza on July 13th, I finally understood what Jackson was saying. This time, however, Obama was not speaking “down to black people.” Instead, he was speaking down to brown people—to the Hispanic community. It’s not what Obama said, but more importantly, what he didn’t that is so troubling.        

Sure, Obama, like McCain, said we must legalize the millions of people working and contributing in this country. Unlike McCain, however, Obama hasn’t exactly “been there” for us. It’s not called the Obama/McCain immigration bill, now is it?Obama could have demonstrated courage and actually put his name on this bill. Instead, he took the easy route. It wouldn’t play so well in battleground states or with swing voters. Ask yourself before entering the voting booth this November one simple but integral question. Who sacrificed potential votes to do the right thing?   

There's more . . .

Last Updated ( Thursday, 24 July 2008 )
 
Pew: Hispanics Support Obama over McCain for President by Nearly Three-to-One
Thursday, 24 July 2008
Hispanic registered voters support Democrat Barack Obama for president over Republican John McCain by 66% to 23%, according to a nationwide survey of 2,015 Latinos conducted by the Pew Hispanic Center, a project of the Pew Research Center, from June 9 through July 13, 2008.  

obama leads

There's more . . .
Last Updated ( Thursday, 24 July 2008 )
 
C&L: Fired US Attorney David Iglesias: Rove Skipped Testimony to Avoid Indictment
Monday, 21 July 2008

  David Iglesias, one of the eight US Attorneys forced out of their jobs by the Bush administration for failing to pursue bogus politically-motivated prosecutions, appeared on “Morning Joe” Friday to promote his new book, In Justice, and offered his thoughts on why Karl Rove ignored a Congressional subpoena and skipped town in order to avoid testifying.  Click here to see this vid on Crooks and Liars. 

 

“Which I believe is the reason why he is refusing to testify in front of the Congress. He has information that I believe would show illegal activity, interfering with ongoing federal criminal investigations. So Rove is not testifying I think basically to keep himself from being indicted.”

Also, remember to watch Robert Greenwald’s latest video and sign the petition demanding Karl Rove be held accountable.

 
The Insecurity of Ethnic Authority
Monday, 14 July 2008

Regarding the Utah State Labor Commission's efforts to carry the water for the Workers Comp Fund of Utah, at this point we've understood that it's a fait accompli.  That's to say the following:  Utah employers can continue to hire and employ "documented" workers (wink, wink, nod, nod) and pretend not to know they really are undocumented.  They can hire them for cheap, make them do the most risky jobs, not provide adequate training and certainly not in the employees' language, not provide adequate safety equipment to save money, and in short, make a profit off of these  employees.  But the minute one gets injured on the job, rather than supporting them, the State of Utah has now become an accomplice in stripping them of their rights for protection. 

Sherrie Hayashi, Utah State Labor Commissioner, has apparently signed an "emergency provision" that will allow employers or representatives from the Workers Comp Fund to cut an injured worker off at the knees - quite literally, almost - if he or she cannot prove an ability to seek gainful employment after rehabilitation from an injury.   Sherrie has been an ally in the past and why she allowed herself to be forced to do this is beyond me.  This executive decision now forces any foreign-looking employee - Asians, Latinos, Polynesians, Middle Eastern, etc. - to have to prove legal right to be here and to work beyond what they had to do to obtain employment in the first place. 

You can be sure that injured white employees will not have to prove a right to be here legally.  This is unprecedented move now puts the immigration enforcement power in the hands of those who would have to pay for these injured employees.  Talk about a conflict of interest.  Additionally, how many citizens of ethnic backgrounds will now have to prove citizenship.  I repeat, this is unprecented in the USA!! 

In past discussions with Sherrie, she has admitted to not wanting to rock the boat too much or she wouldn't be able to accomplish what she wanted if she lost her job.  Quite frankly, given this move, it appears she is more interested in her salaried job, than the health benefits of those injured workers.  I admit, after I speak with her - if she will speak with me, now - I may see things differently from a better informed perspective but I can assure you, I just don't see it now.  It's all profit to me, profit for the already wealthy WCF of Utah that had already tried other measures to cut off undocumented employees from their benefits.  And since Latinos, the largest sector of injured workers, continue to grow, and since no one wants to punish or sanction employers, this way we can cut employees off of their expensive benefits.   Appalling!  Literally inhumane and unjust.... and we shouldn't take this lying down. 

If you want to voice your opinion, please plan on attending this meeting tomorrow but know that it's a done deal.  We have still yet to see the agenda, we don't know how this will be handled.  We DO KNOW that Commissioner Hayashi will NOT be there.  Maybe a needed vacation, maybe another, more important meeting.  But convenient absence if you ask me.  

The meeting was held at the Utah State Labor Commission ( laborcommission.utah.gov)  and Commissioner Hayashi was indeed present although she remained out of the discussion except to acknowledge that she is responsible for the decision and no, she couldn't articulate the "emergency". 

Please contact her and let her know how you feel about this decision.  She can be reached at:

Commissioner Sherrie Hayashi
160 E 300 S # 3
Salt Lake City, UT 84111

Tel: (801) 530-6800

Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

You might want to let the Governor's office know how you feel also.

Last Updated ( Wednesday, 23 July 2008 )
 
Congresswoman Linda Sanchez: Why Karl Rove Should Go To Jail
Sunday, 20 July 2008
A Democratic Latina vs a Republican Utahn.... and she has the law on her side.   I wonder where's the Utah "Rule of Law" chorus.  Let's hear it, folks!  All together now, "Rule of law!"

Again last week, we saw the arrogance of former White House advisor Karl Rove when an empty chair sat for him in front of the House Judiciary subcommittee where he was required by subpoena to testify. Not only did he refuse to appear before the committee -- let alone testify -- but he defiantly left the country thereby blatantly ignoring his obligations under the congressional subpoena served on him. When he did return to the country, Rove found the time to gab with TV reporters on a summer press tour in Beverly Hills, but failed to stop by the Judiciary Committee in Washington.

After my ruling that Mr. Rove's claims of immunity are not legally valid, Congressman Conyers and I gave him one last chance to comply with the law. He ignored us. As he let yet another deadline slip by this week, Mr. Rove's disregard for Congress has become intolerable. Mr. Rove needs to understand that he is not above the law and should obey a subpoena just like any other American is required to do.

Mr. Rove should not be able to hide behind the president to avoid the American public. Americans are fed up with this administration flouting the law. They expect Congress to hold people accountable and that is exactly what we intend to do. Letting Mr. Rove get away with this would set a dangerous precedent. I have recommended that we hold Mr. Rove in contempt of Congress. If we need to revive the inherent contempt procedure which gives Congress the authority to arrest those who defy Congressional subpoenas, then so be it.

The courts have made clear that no one, not even the president, is immune from compulsory process. Any person who scoffs at the law and who has committed an offense that is punishable by jail time should be put in jail. This includes Karl Rove.

Congresswoman Linda T. Sánchez is the Chairwoman of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law. She represents the 39th Congressional District of California.

SEE ALSO: Karl Rove Was On Paid Speaking Trip To Black Sea Resort When He Defied Congressional Subpoena

Last Updated ( Sunday, 20 July 2008 )
 
Weekend music video: Santana - Put Your Lights On
Sunday, 20 July 2008

It's Sunday morning and after reviewing the news and various other favorite blogs, I realize that I haven't shared weekend music for a while so I thought I would paste this for our readers to enjoy.  The Friday music series has gotten mixed reviews, admittedly, and it's a hard thing to gauge since everyone's taste in music is different.  Some Texas Chicano/Latino blogs regularly post Tejano music, other Latino blogs have Latin music in Spanish and well, we're just a plain, diverse community, something most gabachos don't comprehend.  Even for us who do, it's a challenge.  Nevertheless, who can argue with 'El Rey' of Chicano/Latino rock?   Enjoy what's left of your weekend, folks!   

 
Daily Show: Obama, McCain and the Dobbs-O-Meter
Friday, 18 July 2008

 Considering Lou Dobbs hates everything “foreign,” you know Obama and McCain’s respective speeches to The National Council of LaRaza would make his head explode. Obama’s appeal for multilingualism reached especially dangerous levels on the “Dobbs-O-Meter.”

Click here to see the vid, it's hillarious... and very fitting of #1 xenophobe.
 

 “Last week both candidates spent a lot of time wooing Latino Americans by speaking to various Hispanic interest groups. How did they fare? Well, the best way to measure success in wooing the Latino community is by using the ‘Dobbs-O-Meter.’ The angrier Lou Dobbs gets, the better you’re doing”

 

 
It's a sad, sad day!
Friday, 18 July 2008

Most in our community will recall at the end of SLC Mayor Deedee Corradini's administration when then Chief of Police Rueben Ortega attempted to develop his police force into INS agents.  The community came together like at no other time in recent history until the big march three years ago.  Both were like spiritual moments, defining who we were as a community.  We fully understood the consequences of allowing Ortega to do accomplish this. 

I was never more happy to see our community come out to fight something that had such a clear, negative impact in our community.  Well, we face another one of those and this time, we didn't even get a hearing.  Commissioner Hayashi who heretofore has been a friend and an ally to our community and other ethnic communities has apparently made a unilateral, "emergency" executive decision.  Admittedly, I haven't confirmed the details on how or why, but outside of profits and falling stocks - barely, if at all - I seriously doubt anyone can adequately articulate an "emergency" that would allow for such an executive decision which would avoid the public process. 

Rather than allowing the police to stop anyone that looks foreign to question among other things, their immigration status in this county, this measure will now allow insurance agents of the Workers Compensation Fund to require injured workers to prove 1) they are here legally and 2) whether they can legally obtain employment after rehabilitation for their on-the-job injury.  If they cannot, as I understand it at this point, they are cut off of medical and rehabilitation benefits, thus, allowing the insurance company to avoid large, costly payments to legitimate claimants, and that means more money in the pocket of the shareholders of WFC of Utah.  It's a sad, sad day.

A meeting will be held this morning at the Labor Commission at 10 am. It should be open to the public but since it was not publicly announced, no agenda has been published for public display, we don't know for sure whether the public will be allowed to attend, and if so, whether anyone will be allowed to speak to this issue.  For that matter, we don't even know whether it will be discussed or just pushed through in one of those quiet, all knowing moments of a packed vote.

Oh, say it ain't so, Sherrie, say it ain't so!  It's a sad, sad day and we got screwed by another ethnic executive who seems to be more intent on holding her high salaried position - ostensibly in the hopes of doing more 'good' in the future - than on doing good for the community now by fighting this where it was most logical.  It's a sad, sad day! 

Last Updated ( Friday, 18 July 2008 )
 
URGENT NOTICE: CALL TO ASSEMBLE
Thursday, 17 July 2008

Please be advised that there appears to be something underway at the Labor Commission that may need some quick, effective mobilization to counter.  This hasn't been confirmed so please stay tuned but people in the know are saying this is going down.   What's "this"?  

During last year's legislative session, there were attempts to pass a law that would give the insurance companies unprecedented powers to determine who is "illegal" and therefore, unworthy of workers' compensation benefits.  The Labor Commission in conjunction with the Workers Compensation Fund of Uah, and their allies - with Labor Commissioner Sherrie Hayashi at the lead - have apparently called for a special "expedited meeting" tomorrow morning at 10 AM at the Labor Commission in the Heber Wells building on 300 South in downtown Salt Lake City.  The reason this is still "uncomfirmed" is that there is not public notice, no information on their web page, no emails, no letters, no agenda. 

This move would allow the insurance companies to question an injured employees' legal status at an expedited hearing.  It would further allow the employer to avoid sanctions for having hired an 'undocumented' employee and allow the insurance company to avoid paying a legitimately injured employee, and further, puts the burden back onto the injured worker to prove he - or she - would have been employable before his injury.  Well, if he couldn't be employable BEFORE the injury, why was he allowed to work?  And where are the vaunted employer sanctions for hiring an undocumented worker?  

I guess employers can turn a blind eye, give a wink and a nod at faulty documents to benefit from their cheap, effective labor, but when it comes to having to pay out for their injuries, well... let's find a way to cut them out of this as they then become an expense to the companies.  We all know the Latinos are the largest and fastest growing sector of injured workers.  We all know that many Latinos are put to work without the necessary or adequate training - preferably in their own language - and are often not provided the requisite security or safety equipment.  And now, the Labor Commission wants to cut them off at the knees quite literally!! 

Please pass this word along as quickly as possible but stay tuned to have this meeting confirmed.  If so, we'll need you there... IN NUMBERS!

Last Updated ( Thursday, 17 July 2008 )
 
Candidates Talk Immigration, Economy with Latino Voters
Thursday, 17 July 2008
--by Jeff Robinson  

A Conversation with Congressional Quarterly's Bob Benenson

(KCPW News) Much attention has been drawn this week to Latino voters and their concerns and hopes for the next President of the United States, with both major candidates addressing the National Council of La Raza about the economy and immigration. Senator Barack Obama says his rival used to champion immigration reform with his McCain-Kennedy bill, but bowed to political pressure. Senator John McCain says the reality is that Americans want the borders secured before reforming the immigration process.

Every week, we talk with Congressional Quarterly columnist and online editor Bob Benenson about the 2008 election. This week, he tells KCPW's Jeff Robinson about the reception that both candidates are getting by Hispanic voters and why they would do well to focus their attention on issues other than immigration.

 

Follow all of KCPW's Election 2008 coverage on the elections page.

 
Score one for The Latinosphere
Thursday, 17 July 2008

Kety Esquivel, blogamiga, Sanctuary Editor and Crossleft.org Founder, was recently interviewed on CNN and here is the video clip of her interview where she addresses the political pandering and the poor outreach efforts to the Latina/o community by both presidential candidates.

Good job, Kety. YOU ROCK!!!!

CNN transcript below the fold (more…)

 

 
Arizona Sheriff Arpaio sued for bigotry and racial profiling
Wednesday, 16 July 2008

The Latino organization "Somos America" of Arizona filed a lawsuit against Maricopa County Sheriff Joseph Arpaio today, alleging the sheriff  utilizes racial profiling in police sweeps designed to ethnically cleanse the county of Mexicans and other Latinos. Arpaio began the sweeps in predominantly  Latino neighborhoods  in the Phoenix valley last year. His deputies stop brown people and arrest anyone who cannot prove legal U.S. residency.  Many US citizens  of Mexican descent have been stopped and harrased simply because of skin coloration.

Sheriff  Arpaio has earned the reputation of being "The Most Bigoted Sheriff in America."  The sheriff has also raised eyebrows because of his bizzare  fetish for "pink panties." Among his odd public behavior is forcing the county prisoners to wear "pink colored underwear." Arpaio is a Republican and a former campaign manager for the Mormon former presidential candidate Mitt Romney.  Dolores Huerta was right when she said in Tucson that Republicans are generally anti-Mexican. 

There's more . . .

Last Updated ( Thursday, 17 July 2008 )
 
Utah Has Lowest Voter Turnout in Nation
Wednesday, 16 July 2008

I found the news that Utah has the lowest voter turnout in the nation - only 36-percent of registered voters in Utah showed up at the polls in 2006- interesting on various levels.   See Utah Has Lowest Voter Turnout in NationIt seems that, nationally at last and I haven't seen any Utah figures to confirm the local picture, the Latino population is turning out in unprecedented numbers to vote.  The "sleeping giant" has awoken.  So what's happening to the gringos?

Then, I consider all the ways that some people (don't want to say who, but they're well represented within the Republican ranks) seem to want to make it more difficult for people to vote.  Something about it being a privilege that people will cherish more if it's more difficult, or that by making it more difficult, only the 'informed' will vote and not all the uninformed riff raff (or however the hell you spell that).  

Then I also consider all the ways that Sherrie Swensen has worked so hard to make it easier for folks to register and to vote, and am so thankful for vote by mail option.  I used to hate to go into the polls and hear all of the 'ward talk' or be greeted by 'Brother Martinez' when my mother doesn't look anything like their mothers - I'm pretty sure of that.  Still, the polling booths and voting process has also changed so much more for the good also so this kind of stuff doesn't happen as much either.. at least here on the west side of SLC.

There's more . . . 

Last Updated ( Wednesday, 16 July 2008 )
 
Blumner: Lords of the meatpacking manor busted for exploiting immigrants
Tuesday, 15 July 2008
--Robyn Blumner  

The list of allegations against the Postville, Iowa, slaughterhouse, recently raided by federal officials for its use of illegal immigrant workers, reads like a story collectively written by Upton Sinclair, Charles Dickens and Harriet Beecher Stowe.
    Agriprocessors, the nation's largest kosher meatpacking plant, is at the center of page after page of sickening accusations. These are contained in an affidavit for a search warrant filed by a federal agent with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE.
   
   * Undocumented workers from Guatemala and Mexico were paid as little as $5 per hour - below minimum wage.
    * A supervisor made a side business of selling the workers used vehicles, sometimes threatening them with loss of their job if they didn't purchase one.
    * A supervisor duct-taped the eyes of an employee, who was then hit with a meat hook. The employee declined to report the incident for fear of being fired.
    Then there are the safety issues that have dogged the operation. The Des Moines Register reviewed the latest available worker-injury reports. It found that in 2004 there were 120 injuries, such as workers suffering chemical burns and broken ribs. In 2005, there were 103 injuries, which included hearing losses.

There's more . . .

 
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