Ice Chatter

Cody Gifford Reviewing Movies For 'Today' Show

2010-06-21T06:34:00.001-07:00

Another example of the Nepotism Networks. I find it a bit upsetting with all the hard-working, highly skilled, yet still unemployed journalists out there, that networks continue to create a chattering class system and employ inexperienced sons and daughters and skip them to the front of the line. We have already created our own caste where politics is ruled by a set group of families, are the airwaves to be the same? You know, conservatives talk about how they don't want the US to look like Latin America because of bottom up immigration, but in reality, if the US is going to go the way of a "banana republic" (to use a term of the right), it will most likely do so in a top-down fashion where a small group of families run everything, and everyone else just works for them.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

5 Reasons Why This Boricua From The Bronx Actually Enjoys The World Cup.

2010-06-15T11:03:00.000-07:00

There is no reason for me to be enthusiastic about the World Cup. I'm not a sports geek (I was officially the last kid to be picked for grade school kick ball events), and If I can relate to any sport, it would be baseball, for both it's high percentage of Puerto Rican players, and my being raised in the vicinity of (the old) Yankee Stadium. As far as world tournaments go, the WBC is the one I follow and can speak to the best. For most US Citizens, Soccer is so far removed from their identity that we made up a completely different name for it than the rest of the world.

But the World Cup is undeniably fun. You don't really need to know the players, just root for the your favorite country. Unlike some of the stat snobs who won't look at you unless you have memorized the career ERAs and batting averages of every team in the MLB, you don't have to minor in accounting to have a decent conversation about the game.

The People at LATISM (Latinos in Social Media) Asked me to share my views on this tournament. So, for a light hearted change from my usual posts, here are 5 Reasons why I Like the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, AKA La Copa Mundial. Feel free to enjoy and/or comment.

1 - The Colors
My sincerest apologies to the colorblind, because they are missing out at some serious visual stimulation. It's amazing to see how many different ways people can wear the colors of their country's flags, from face and body paint, to wigs, to all types of barely appropriate attire. Only at the annual Puerto Rican day parade in NYC can I see the same type of creativity in mixing national pride and practical (or not so practical) garments.

2 - The Fans
Which brings me to my next point. While I am not big fan of soccer or La Mundial, I love watching those who are. They scream. They laugh, they cry. I mean, literally, they cry. You don't see crying at the end of games like this outside the neighborhood pee wee league. Some get so distraught, you'd think a bookie was waiting for them outside the stadium. The emotional connection to the game is something we as Americans experience very rarely, and only under limited, historic situations, or during Hollywood movies.

3 - The Simplicity
Unlike football's special teams, or baseball's fielding protocols, the soccer novice can pick up on the game as easy as they can say "GOL!" That's great to know because with all the different languages spoken on the field, having to call out plays or use complicated gesturing for game strategy can cause embarrassing or potentially violent misunderstandings.

4 - The Latinos are GOOD!
Unlike the Olympics, where the games are dominated by the global superpowers of China, US, Russia, etc, the Mundial is all about the scrappy, "3rd world" teams with a lot of heart and leg muscle. Sure, the Beckhams and Ronaldos of the world are uber rich superstars, but it's great to see a team from Honduras or Cameroon get into it with the French or the Germans and have a decent chance of winning. On a personal note it's great to see Latin America dominate in representation at a global tournament such as this. I mean, do you remember any athlete from Latin American even placing during the Winter Games?

5 - Shakira
I'm sorry. I meant to write the entertainment. La Mundial is known for making global hits out of their theme song music, because music is as much a part of the game as the balls and cleats. Ricky Martin's The Cup of Life is still heard at every wedding and karaoke bar I've ever been to (mostly because I request it), and Shakira's Waka Waka (Esto es Africa/This Time for
Africa) song may also stand the test of time. So much so, Univision has made it their official summer theme music, and are playing her video is movie theaters nationwide. Shakira will be everywhere. Think I'm joking? Sorry, these hips don't lie.

So while the rest of the Mundial-crazed world is not working, we American's have an opportunity to join in the fun by picking a team (perhaps our own?) and catching the games on TV or online (rare plug for Univision here - they have the best stream at http://www.futbolunivision.com) or at least set up that DVR to catch the games at home. Mundial fever is catching on, and I am feeling a little hot!

"Waka Waka," baby!

Rand Paul Not Board Certified: Kentucky Senate Hopeful Faces Challenge From Medical Panel

2010-06-15T07:11:00.001-07:00

I'm actually glad Rand Paul is up and about, shining a light on the real views of the anti-government Tea Party and their enablers.

It is so clear that what these people want is a government so weak that a person can make money doing gosh knows what to gosh knows who, and have very little repercussions in doing so. Who needs regulation? The free market of supply and demand will fix everything! Right, BP? Right, Bernie Madoff? Right, Dr. Conrad Murray?

Oh but wait, we didn't mean the common man, we only mean the free market for the already rich classes who can best take advantage of the system. Everyone else needs to wait their turn and fight over the crumbs left on the table. Know your place, peasants! You will work to death to make me rich, and enjoy it! Long live the Tea Party/GOP!

Jeebus Save Us.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Deportation Nightmare: Eduardo Caraballo, US Citizen Born In Puerto Rico, Detained As Illegal Immigrant

2010-05-26T11:04:00.001-07:00

I remember saying to a friend recently - "This whole anti-immigrant era will blow up as soon as they try to deport a Puerto Rican to some Latin American country."

By trying to deport a Puerto Rican, who are all natural born citizens of the US and have been for almost 100 years, we expose the incredible flaws of the immigration system, and provide concrete evidence that these laws encourage profiling, intimidation and discrimination.

The only thing this gentleman had in common with an illegal immigrant was his brown skin and Spanish sounding name. That he even be suspected for being illegal is to admit profiling, that he be detained after providing legitimate "papers" is an obscene violation of civil liberties.

This flies in the face of those stubbornly naive or purposefully negligent arguments that enforcement-only policies only target the undocumented, and the rest of us should have nothing to fear. He WAS 3 DAYS INCARCERATED. Even 10 minutes is too long for any citizen, especially after producing evidence of citizenship. His "papers" were questioned because of his suspected ethnic makeup. A non-hispanic would not have been subject to the same scrutiny of verification. Luckily he had the foresight to call his congressman, but what of others who don't?

Every American should be appalled. This is a shame. A shame on those who pretend to defend freedom but allow a system to strip away the civil liberties of fellow citizens.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Fingering Illegal Immigrants for Black Jobless Crisis

2010-05-09T06:03:00.001-07:00

You have a lot of valid points here. We agree that this country's immigration system needs to be reformed. We also agree that in the current system, some employers exploit people's status to pay them below fair wages, and force them to work under conditions that a citizen would not tolerate. What we must do is work together to ensure that all companies, regardless of who they employ, are following labor and wage laws. This should provide a level playing field for all people who want to work to compete in a fair, capitalist system.

I also agree that people, of all colors and ethnicities, should not tolerate discrimination in the workplace. Sometimes discrimination is not intentional, but can be a complete LACK of awareness as to the realities surrounding them. I once directly challenged a boss of mine as to why there were no African Americans working in our department. I doubt that my boss was actively excluding any one from working, but they were not taking an proactive role in looking for representative talent. It's that kind of awareness and courage to challenge decision makers that can help all of us.

We must guard against scapegoating each other for the lack of opportunity in the workplace. The Right would like nothing more than for Blacks and Latinos to be at each other's throats on this issue, and have us fight each other over the crumbs left on the table while they run away with the whole pie.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Somebody Close the Door: Reactions to Arizona Immigration Law Misses the Big Picture

2010-04-27T18:35:00.001-07:00

Mr. Jones,

I respect your experience and opinion, your arguments here is flimsy and quite short sighted. Due to word constraint I will address only a few here:

1 - No one is pro-illegal immigration. That label was created xenophobes to demean those asking for comprehensive immigration reform. I am disappointed that you would adopt that terminology.

2 - There is growing evidence that origins of this law come from the white power and eugenics movements. See the following breakdown:

http://trueslant.com/charlesjohnson/2010/04/27/video-the-white-supremacist-roots-of-arizonas-immigration-law/

I hope no person, of any color, would support a law that comes from such a place.

3 - Criminalizing and pushing people deeper into the shadows empowers the real criminals, including smugglers, kidnappers and gang members, who can now victimize with little chance of justice. New Yorkers remember the difficulties of fighting crime when the communities did not trust law enforcement. It will also escalate misdemeanors. A traffic violator facing deportation can quickly become a fight or flight risk, putting cops and bystanders in unnecessary danger.

4 -Mexico has a responsibilities to its citizens, but Mexico represents the limited, weak government that American right wingers crave, with few social programs and an inability to collect taxes. How can they then expect Mexico's government to do anything?
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Unarmed, and Unafraid

2010-03-24T19:22:00.000-07:00

With apologies to "The Matrix" this is what came into my head when I started seeing all the hysteria coming out of the right after they lost the battle over health care reform. Their threats of violence and mob mentality are meant to intimidate progressives. Knowing now that the current administration and congress can actually get an agenda passed despite road blocks and delay tactics, the far right are now left to show their true selves.

Being a big Matrix fan, I immediately went to the speech by the character "Morpheus" who spoke to his people ahead of a major battle with the machines who were coming to invade their home: Below is the video of the speech:

I've re-written it to make it more relevant to what's going on now...

"(Progressives) hear me! It is true what many of you have heard. The (right wing) have gathered an army (of Teabaggers) and as I speak that army is drawing nearer to our home.

Believe me when I say we have a difficult time ahead of us but if we are to be prepared for it we must first shed our fear of it.

I stand here before you now truthfully unafraid!
Why?!

Because I believe something you do not?
No!

I stand here without fear because I remember.

I remember that I am here not because of the path that lies before me.. but because of the path that lies behind me!

I remember that for one hundred years we have fought these (right wingers)!

I remember that for one-hundred years they have sent their (mobs) to destroy us and after a century of (struggling for civil and human rights), I remember that which matters most! We are still here!

Tonight let us send a message to those (Teabaggers)! Let us shake this cave! Tonight let us tremble these walls of earth, steel and stone! Let us be heard from red core to black sky!

Tonight let us make them remember this is (America), and we are not afraid!

America is not afraid of the right or the Teabag mob because history tells us progress is continual and inevitable. The end to slavery, the suffrage movements, civil rights, medicare - all the major movements toward political, economic or health equality have been met with strong opposition and threats, if not acts of violence. These movements are now part of what makes this country great.

And while the right brandish their guns, throw bricks, send threatening faxes and try to intimidate us into compliance with the status quo, they show how deep they have swallowed the lies and misinformation of those in power, who are using them to defend their interests.

There will be no similar reaction from progressives. We shall remain unarmed, and unafraid. And we will keep working for change. Health care reform, immigration reform, the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't tell, financial reform, and environmental protection. Because that is what a government of the people, for the people does. And it is why the majority of Americans voted for the current president and gave him majorities in both houses. This is democracy in action.

As for those who would try to stop progress through violence or threats of violence, I leave with the following Chinese proverb:

"He who strikes the first blow admits he's lost the argument."

Mainstream Media Turns Blind Eye as Reporter Survives Assasination Attempt and Another Dies

2010-03-05T13:46:00.000-08:00

Two nights ago, Mega News Nocturno, Spanish language Mega TV's nightly newscast, (where I fully disclose my wife works), reported a shocking story that stopped me in my tracks. On Monday, March 1st, Honduran reporter Karol Cabrera, host of various TV and radio news and commentary programs, was shot at close range numerous times by assassins who succeeded in murdering her driving companion and fellow journalist Joseph Ochoa. Amazingly, the whole event was recorded because Cabrera had been calling into a live radio show at the time.

The audio is bone chilling as the sounds of over 30 gunshots are heard while Cabrera's gasps and pleas for help are broadcast for all to hear.

According to reports, Ms. Cabrera had been claiming for some time to be the victim of numerous threats because of her comments against the leftist ex-president Manuel Zelaya who was forcefully removed from office in 2009. She is a supporter of Roberto Micheletti, the former national council president who was given control after the coup. On December 15th of 2009, Ms. Cabrera's 16 yr old pregnant daughter was murdered on the very same street the reporter was shot. Luckily, the unborn child survived.

What's even more incredible is that this type of violence against journalists has become all too common in Honduras. Reporters without Borders states that three journalists were murdered in 2009, and two others were kidnapped and tortured just this January after an arson attack on a community radio station.

Hearing this story, I quickly turned to the other networks to see their angle. I was deeply disappointed by the the complete lack of coverage of this tragic story in any of the American mainstream media channels.

Reporter's deaths are usually big news, and as we saw with the deaths of Daniel Pearl and David Bloom who were both killed in war zones, the media takes special care to tell stories of their fellow fallen.

So why didn't the attempted assassination of a reporter, captured in graphic detail, with a back story of murder and harassment not even make the international sections? Searching for "Karol Cabrera" on the web pages of The New York Times, MSNBC, CNN, Foxnews, and The Huffington Post returned no articles written by staff or the Associated Press. Regardless of Ms. Cabrera's political stance, the attempted silencing of her voice by violent means is unconscionable, and it is equally reprehensible that the American main stream media seems uninterested.

Filling the information gap has been American Spanish language and Latino media. See below as the anchor Fernando Del Rincon interviews the reporter via phone as she recovers in the hospital just two days after the shooting. Here she states that she will have to flee the country to save her life. You can also hear the recorded audio of the assassination attempt:

MegaNews Nocturno 03.03.2010 Seg 1

Mega TV | MySpace Music Videos

While Journalism advocacy sites like Reporters without Borders and Committee to Protect Journalists have written about this incident, it is not enough. Main stream media needs to step up to the plate and expose these injustices. When journalists of any country are murdered or harassed into silence, it is a threat to freedom and democracy everywhere.

Hiram Monserrate's Expulsion Upheld By Judge

2010-02-19T13:59:00.001-08:00

He's a disgrace to more than just his constituents. When d-bags like Monseratte try pulling the "man of the people" crap and parade poor clueless individuals he shames his district, his city, and perhaps most tragic, he shames positive Latinos who are trying to do well by the comunity. He is of the same school as these machista cowards who think that their public face is all that matters, and forget what attrocities he's committing to his family behind closed doors. In the quest for power, they resort to violence at the first sign of a real challenge, and if that challenge comes from "his" family, even worse the reaction. Latinos should NOT defend this piece of garbage. Kick him out and keep our politicians honest. It's time for a new model for Latino Masculinity. The time of defending this bull in the name of "culture" is over.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Obama Takes GOP to School

2010-02-01T08:07:00.000-08:00

I love this video. It shines a bright light on the ridiculousness that has been coming from the GOP over the last year. A room full of republicans try their best to get out their talking points and "act tough" with the President, and Obama, in true law professor form - takes his class to task.

The butt-kicking was clear and complete. Comments on the events included one person who wrote "What do you call 178 Republicans debating 1 Barack Obama? Answer: A Fair fight." SNL's 'Weekend Update' said it best: "That's like saying 'Let's see how tough Aquaman is when we get him in the water'..."

Here's the actual Q&A session - everyone needs to see this:

Here's Seth Meyers on SNL commenting:

If you ever thought Obama may be a bit out of touch now that he is in the ivory tower of The White House, or that he may be a little rusty, this removes all doubt (including mine.) Bravo Mr. President. Bravo. We need to see more of this, sir. Please.

GDP, Economic Growth is just Noise on Fox

2010-01-29T12:28:00.000-08:00

I thought I’d point out the stark difference in headlines regarding today’s news about GDP growth.

Most people would agree that economic statistics are not a complete reflection of the economy, especially because most are lagging indicators. However, they are the best window into how we are doing as a country, and in general, data is data, and should be absent of political spin.

So when there is good news, like GDP growth, it would seem logical that most news organization would highlight that information for what it is, a data point that the economy might be coming from it’s lows.

But, knowing that Fox noise is not a real news organization, I wanted to see how their headline on their front page would differ than say, the rest of the reputable news media world. Here is what I found:

MSNBC Economy soars at fastest rate in six years
CNN Economy growing again
ABCNews Coming Back? Economy Grows at 5.7% Pace
NYTimes U.S. Economy Grew at Fastest Pace in 6 Years Last Quarter
NPR Economy Grows At Fastest Pace In 6 Years
WSJ U.S. GDP Expands At 5.7% Rate

Finally, I painfully typed the URL for Fox’s front page…

FoxNews Economy Grows, But...

What’s so stark about the headlines is the fact that Fox refused to let the data speak for itself, and felt the need to editorially put a cloud over the headline. One can only assume the reason was to take away whatever positive effect this seemingly a-political data might have on the administration – after all, if the economy was showing signs of recovery, wouldn’t that mean that the stimulus bill, and the decision to continue the bailouts was actually working? God forbid Fox would give the current administration that type of even factual acknowledgement, even in a headline.

It’s like Fox news is the head cheerleader who hates the new girl, and despite the team winning the state qualifying competition, decides to put a gloom over the whole win by criticizing the new girl’s ponytail. “Nice ‘Bow and Arrow’ sweetie, but your hair was like, totally off center.”

If the analogy seems a bit juvenile, it’s meant to. The regular pettiness and purposeful misinformation that comes out of the Fox noise channel and web site is completely childish on a normal basis, and down right bitchy on others, on par with feuding “mean girls” spreading false rumors and planning diabolical schemes simply to gain popularity over each other. Take Fox’s coverage of the Scott Brown win – Jon Stuart of The Daily Show best described the childish giddiness by which they covered that event:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

Fox News Covers Scott Brown's Victory

http://www.thedailyshow.com/

Daily Show
Full Episodes

Political Humor

Health Care Crisis

I know this is an exercise in the obvious, but I think it’s important we continuously document and expose Fox Noise for what it is – not a real news network.

Reading the Pictures: Stop Anderson, CNN. Just STOP.

2010-01-21T13:33:00.001-08:00

Mr. Shaw: While I understand your reasoning, I disagree that CNN & Anderson Cooper are simply exploiting the Haitian people. I've been watching CNN and other networks and how they cover this tragedy and I believe CNN is doing a decent job of documenting the realities of this event. American media typically sanitize pictures and block gory images of death, unlike much of the international press. This gives Americans a false sense of what is going on, and the true pain of the people. I encourage CNN and the other networks to show more of the devastation and suffering, so that the world cannot ignore what's happening. When you can't see the truth, it's easier to think it's not real, or overstated, and therefore easier to do nothing. Only showing the truth through honest imagery will compel people to help. Sometimes that means showing images that makes people uncomfortable. That is a good thing. The world is a dark, painful place. To ignore this is to live in a cocoon of ones own ignorance. My hearts and prayers are with the Haitian people, and more importantly, I will be adding whatever I can to help with aid. In the end, it's not about CNN, Anderson Cooper, or even you, Mr. Shaw. It's about what moves the people to act.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Urban Umbrella Etiquette

2009-12-09T12:05:00.001-08:00

The Following came to me while commuting in this morning. I hope you enjoyed it.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

A Tale Of Two MSNBCs

2009-12-03T07:07:00.001-08:00

Do the ratings consider the fact that MSNBC is actually not available on a couple of cable providers? I moved over to Verizon FIOS and they said because of execlusivity agreements with Cablevision & Time Warner, MSNBC isn't available in our area

Fox also apparently (Not confirmed) has a policy of paying public places like bars, etc, to show programming. Do all networks do this?

I do think that despite the ratings bonanza for Fox, that doesn't reflect some kind of conservative ideological victory. If 25% of the population (estimates of the conservative right wing base) watches 1 channel while 75% of the rest of the population is spread across all the others - doesn't that just mean people get their information from multiple sources as opposed to depending on 1?

More telling are the surveys that show Fox viewers are woefully misinformed on confirmed factual issues, like the existance of WMD in iraq, Obama's Birth origin, etc. Fox may get a lot of eyeballs, but all they are doing is keeping that population in ignorance. I almost feel bad for them.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Tonight

2009-11-04T07:25:00.001-08:00

Tonight's big lesson

From the Daily Kos -

Tonight's big lesson
by kos

Tue Nov 03, 2009 at 09:32:52 PM PST
There will be much number-crunching tomorrow, but preliminary numbers (at least in Virginia) show that GOP turnout remained the same as last year, but Democratic turnout collapsed. This is a base problem, and this is what Democrats better take from tonight:

If you abandon Democratic principles in a bid for unnecessary "bipartisanship", you will lose votes.

If you water down reform in favor of Blue Dogs and their corporate benefactors, you will lose votes.

If you forget why you were elected -- health care, financial services, energy policy and immigration reform -- you will lose votes.

Tonight proved conclusively that we're not going to turn out just because you have a (D) next to your name, or because Obama tells us to. We'll turn out if we feel it's worth our time and effort to vote, and we'll work hard to make sure others turn out if you inspire us with bold and decisive action.

The choice is yours. Give us a reason to vote for you, or we sit home. And you aren't going to make up the margins with conservative voters. They already know exactly who they're voting for, and it ain't you.

Posted using ShareThis

The Census and the GOP Latino Strategy: If You Can't Beat 'Em, Don't Count 'Em

2009-10-23T10:38:00.001-07:00

Hi WilliamL Couple of Things:

The US Looses more tax revenue from tax shelters for the rich and corporations offshoring jobs than the few undocumented and the pittence they get paid. And YES they pay taxes. sales, property, tolls, etc, typically a greater % of their income then any income tax. Those taxes are helping to pay for the roads and services we all enjoy.

I'm all for insuring and licensing all drivers. You should advocate in your state for non-resident driver's licenses. That would solve your problem.

The idea that illegals make up large % or the violent crime in this country is a lie. Our jails are 95+% filled with US citizens. International gangs make for good TV and flashy headlines, but don't reflect the real drug or violence problem in this country among the citizenry.

No immigrant expects you to learn their language, but that skill can only be to your advantage. Most countries speak mulitple languages, including the G8. Also - I hope you don't assume that just because people don't speak English in your presence that they are not citizens or that they don't know English. People are free to communicate however they wish...they can speak "Klingon" if they wanted to.

Bottom line - there would be no reason to circumvent the immigration process if the process was fair, just, and worked. Reform is about trying to make it work for everyone in this great nation.
About GOP
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

The Census & The GOP Latino Strategy: If You Can't Beat 'Em, Don't Count 'Em.

2009-10-16T08:16:00.000-07:00

The amendment to the fiscal 2010 Commerce-Justice-Science spending bill (HR 2847) being proposed in the senate right now to stop funding the 2010 Census until they change their survey to include questions about citizenship may be the final nail in the coffin of the GOP/Latino relationship.

Fresh from their successful assault on ACORN, who incurred the wrath of the GOP not because members gave bad advice to pretend pimps, but because of their ability to register millions of poor people ahead of the 2008 elections, the radical right now turns on the revered and a-political institution of the Census Bureau, in the hopes of intimidating future generations from the most basic of social participation - being counted.

Specifically, Republican Sens. David Vitter of Louisiana and Bob Bennett of Utah have proposed to require all those who fill out the surveys to affirm their citizenship status, and then attempt to discount millions of people who peacefully live, work and contribute to America. The justification is that the undocumented should not be counted because they can't vote. However, there is no question of whether people are ex-cons, another population of people who do not have voting rights in many states, but are counted within the census numbers. The amendment gets even narrower as they consider making the choice "citizen" or "non-citizen" seeking to discount even further those who are "legal" residents or have visas but haven't yet become full citizens.

What they hope of course, is not only that this new requirement will "out" the undocumented, but that it will also intimidate Latinos nationally, including citizens and residents, from filling out the surveys for fear of having to out a family member, house guest, employee, or friend. They hope to not only push the undocumented further into the shadows, but erase from the rolls a whole community of people, immigrant or otherwise, who are shaping the largest population shift this country has ever seen.

Removing Acorn from the picture was essential to this strategy. The republicans knew that ACORN had the drive and motivation, and the thousands of workers who knew the streets better than any bureaucrat or well intentioned bourgeois volunteer, and could efficiently uncover previously undercounted households, especially in poor and of color communities.

The next step in their playbook to attempt to slow down the "The Great Progression" as author and journalist Geraldo Rivera calls it, would be to intimidate those who may be motivated to be counted by forcing the citizenship declaration. The proposed amendment to require resident affirmation seeks to subtly imply that the government wants to not only know where you are, but kick you or your loved ones out. The irony of the situation is that the undocumented rarely fill out the survey, mostly because of their mistrust on how the information will be used, and because the surveys are sent to households, not to individuals with no permanent address. It is one of the reasons to suspect that the target is not actually the undocumented, but a community commonly associated with them.

While sinister, the short term gain of this strategy has the bigger potential of being a long term loss for the Republican party, and those who support this measure. The Republicans are not seeing past the idea that these people are "other" or that they are "foriegners" because if they did, they would realize they have the potential for attracting scores of first generation immigrants, who typically have conservative, Christian ideals and come from center-right countries. For every immigrant with or without documentation that they intimidate or provide additional barriers for them to become integrated, positive members of American society, there are many more in the younger generations, citizens all, with the very clear memories of the experience of their families and communities, and how they are being treated. These current and future citizens are making choices as to where to place their money and their allegiances politically. A lack of representation in the census numbers will not hide the very real fact that the future of Latinos and the future of The United States of America are irreversibly connected. By continuing to use every opportunity to discount the fastest growing population of Americans, the GOP may be the ones counting themselves into oblivion.

Rachel Maddow: I'd Be A Bad Senator (VIDEO)

2009-10-05T10:59:00.001-07:00

Hello ddDinah. I guess what I meant by that is not that poorly educated people are more likely to use guns, but that a dumb populace - one that celebrates intellectual mediocrity over educated leadership (for example, a President you'd like to have a "beer with"), can be easily dupped into acting or voting against their own self interests. I find it amazing that poor people of any race or geography would support republican corporatist economics, but they do this because economics is hard to grasp, but "us vs. them" is easy to figure out. Wrap yourself in the flag, talk with a twang, and claim yourself a "Real American," identifiying all others as a threat to the status quo, and you can make the under-informed carry you into town to watch their own economic village burning.

The guns thing was simply referencing how many Americans value their guns, justifying it as a check against government hedgemony. But it does not mean they can't be controlled. Only education insures that a people will be free of tyrannical government. "The one who first resorts to violence shows that he has no more arguments." Sorry if I typed too much.
About Rachel Maddow
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

A warning to the rest of us – You think this health care debate is bad? We ain’t seen nothin’ yet

2009-09-14T08:59:00.000-07:00

Congressmen heckle the President of the United States. Thousands converge on Washington DC for organized hate-fests. Birthers, deathers, and conspiracy theorists feed rumor and misinformation via biased “news” channels.

Looking at the national health care debate, one may begin to think that the United States has lost its collective mind. As implausible as it may sound, this is jut the beginning. I fear that we have yet to see the worst of what the far right has in store for the rest of America.

What could possibly be more polarizing than the current health care debate? Immigration reform. Immigration will open the hornet’s nest that is the conservative right and their rabid minions like nothing we have seen before, save maybe after the 14th and 15th amendments.

In some fashion it’s already buzzing. Hate mongers like Lou Dobbs, Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh blame immigrants for almost every ill plaguing America. If you ask a protestor at one of these circus town halls or tea bag parties, you will hear the putrid regurgitation of lies as if they were psalms. To paraphrase one such child of God:

“…Illegals ... send on the first bus one way back to wherever they came from…send 'em home with a bullet in the head the second time.”

The template is clear. Conservatives will claim that America is going into chaos and that this President is the harbinger of death to liberty and democracy. While wrapping themselves in the flag representing freedom for all, they will dehumanize men, women and children whose only crime is not being able to wait on line while their families starved to death before trying and find work and a better life in America.

The right will focus on so-called “amnesty.” They will say the President is caving to criminals, that he is giving the country away. They will make people fear that “illegals” are at every turn, a danger to society. Those who don’t look like their version of “America” will be suspect, even if they have been here for generations. They will say they are doing this to “take their country back.” The question is again – take it back from whom?

The “moderate” voices will mask the same arguments under “fighting terrorism.” They will bring up 9/11, forgetting that many immigrants, some undocumented, died horribly in that tragedy, and many have died or are dying of health complications from participating in the subsequent clean up efforts.

Perhaps most disturbing, the rhetoric that will come from the right will begin a bonfire of violence against those perceived to be immigrants. Already, we are seeing such violence across the country.

How can the rest of America protect itself from this new wave of vitriol coming our way? Preparing ourselves will be crucial, for a nation unprepared for this tsunami will be too late to protect innocents who fall victim to its wrath.

We must strengthen the enforcement of hate crime laws, and make it clear that violence to others based on the victim’s supposed group will not be tolerated.

We must make sure that rumors and misinformation are confronted head on and early by the media, community groups and politicians.

The media must stop giving fringe elements “equal time” for debate in order to appear balanced.

We must strengthen the resolve of our representatives who we elected on a change and reform platform, and let them know they have the support of a majority of Americans, and that we will hold them accountable should they cower under the heavy hammer of the regressionist movement.

Above all, we must all prepare to support reform. Support by talking to friends, relatives, colleagues about why it is crucial to keep families united, to allow for a transition from undocumented to documented status, and allow families to come out of the shadows.

We changed the policy makers through the ballot box, but changing minds happens across the dinner table and at local public forums. This may mean squaring off against red-faced hecklers at a town meeting. If so, supporters should defend their rights to be heard with poise and dignity.

The good news is the right has played their hand early in the “change game.” By pulling out most of the stops against healthcare, we now have an idea of how they will attack immigration reform. The real grass roots movement must rise again and not only defend reform, but protect the people most affected. It will be hard, it will difficult, but change is always difficult, and those who would "conserve" the status quo are not going to give it up without waging the fight of their lives. Neither will we.

Obama's Rookie Mistake - Negotiating Against Himself

2009-09-08T20:09:00.000-07:00

The stakes for Obama's speech on health care reform could not be higher. It will determine if his promise of real change will actually happen, or if reform will be watered down to appease a population of people with an extraordinary inability to decipher misinformation from fact.
Obama, who came in with a mandate for change, now faces an unapproachable right, an insecure center, and an inconsolable left when it comes to the subject of health care. The reason? He made an easy rookie mistake - he negotiated against himself ahead of the deal.

I work in sales for a start up company. My clients are usually financial institutions, who use my company's research engine to find information from the web that enhances their qualitative research. Before that I worked for mid-market institutional sales for a major brokerage firm (or rather, formerly major...)

I've done a fair share of negotiations during my few years in the workforce, and one of the things you learn with negotiating trades or contracts is to not negotiate yourself into a hole. If you know you will have to negotiate, give yourself room for a counter offer. If you don't allow for that, your counterpart will force you to give up something anyway because that's his job, and you will end up loosing money on the deal, or loosing the deal completely.

Obama , like many sales rookies, began to negotiate before he even came to the table. Before the bill was in the various congressional chambers, his team was meeting with the key players; Republicans, drug companies, insurance companies, etc, with the assumption that if they showed them a plan that was fair from the start, they could be trusted to get this done quickly and without much opposition. They volunteered to give up the most liberal components of reform like single payer because they thought the good faith gesture would be rewarded. Sure, details would need to be worked out, but the principles were all there and all the players seemed reasonable enough.

This assumption that the smiling faces looking back from across the table would actually play ball can only be described as a major slap-yourself-on-the-forehead moment. The insurance companies played both sides, the Republicans played to their town hall crazies, and the lobbyists went out in force with a misinformation campaign so intense and brutal, people actually believe Obama is trying to kill their grandparents.

In sales, negotiations can be complicated, but are often very simple - once you get a client to agree to buy, you then have to negotiate price. Now, my clients are usually people who value things for a living, so negotiations happen often. I know of two approaches - One is to simply start with a high number, knowing it's ridiculous, and hope the client is not offended and comes back with a number close enough to your end target.

The other, which is what I usually subscribe to, is to come up with a highly defensible number, that considers cost, margin, service levels, usage, etc, and that also gives you some room to negotiate - for example a cheaper per user price for a higher number of users. If you go that route, you have to be ready to fight for that price tooth and nail, and you have to be willing to walk away.

Obama could have done either. He could have started out all the way on the left -universal health care for all, or a some type of single payer option. This would have of course angered the conservatives but it would have had lead to a more centrist final version. Alternatively, they could have come up with a concrete campaign to defend the prenegotiated plan by using the machine that got him elected to garner support for the measure.
His team did neither until way after it became evident the conversation was getting away from them, and the cable news networks were filled with death-panel and government take-over crazies and their congressional enablers.

To give another analogy, Obama "opened his Kimono" too early to show he had nothing to hide, thinking they'd open up too, and instead, the Right took that opportunity to kick him right up the middle.

The Republicans have a better idea of the game they are playing. They know they don't need to come up with a plan, just attack the one on the table. They aren't thinking of the merits of reform, but how much they can represent themselves as the anti-Obama in the hopes of votes in 2010 or 2012. Their motivations do not match the President's in the slightest.
This mismatch allows them to start negotiations from an extreme position, so that Obama and the Democrats would welcome a center/right compromise and think they got something done. Those town halls crazies weren't organized to shut the bill down, it was to push the conversation so far to the right that the left would feel they were negotiating from a position of weakness. Because of this, we may lose the centerpiece of reform, the "public option." Most analysis seem to indicate that a public option will never make it to the final bill.

Obama must now rely on his oratory skills to get him out of this hole. Even if he does so, there are still quite a few levels of negotiations left, and the right is expecting Obama and the Democrats to give up something at each turn in exchange for support. What's even more amazing is that after these negotiations, the majority of Republicans may vote against the bill anyway.

How do you get a deal done when the person who pretends to be negotiating continues to low ball their counteroffer or doesn't present one, who either doesn't understand or pretends to not understand your product, and who is trying to block your way towards close? You stop negotiating with them and get to a different decision maker and sell around them. Obama can do this by strengthening the Dems and getting this passed, even without Republican votes. His efforts are probably best used in getting the Dems what they want, than continueing to believe the Republicans are going to give anything up.

So Obama, rookie mistake learned. You tried to play nice, but you need to stop negotiating with those who are doing so in bad faith. Keep that kimono closed, with a protective cup underneath. It is time to show some teeth, and save this deal. Too many people's lives are in the balance.

Latin Music is Having a “Dixie Chicks” Moment

2009-08-28T08:16:00.000-07:00

"Just so you know, we're ashamed the President of the United States is from Texas." Those words by Natalie Maines at the Dixie Chicks’ 2003 London concert created a firestorm within the center of the country music world. The women were blacklisted on radio, their CDs were destroyed, and they became pariahs within Nashville and their own home state of Texas.

A similar situation is brewing within Latin music. Juanes (Juan Esteban Aristizábal Vásquez) is a Colombian multi-platinum selling artist considered by Time Magazine as one of the “100 Most Influential in the World.” His songs have themes of love and peace, from his early 2000 title “Fíjate Bien” which addressed the problem with land mines in his native country – to the most recent album which talks about change and peace globally.

Juanes’s problems began after his announcement this month of a second "Peace Without Borders" concert to be held at Havana's Plaza de la Revolución on September 20, 2009. His first concert was at the Colombian/Venezuelan border. This immediately was met with sharp criticism from the Cuban American anti-Castro establishment, especially in the exile epicenter of South Florida. Protests have been orchestrated where people destroyed copies of his CDs, and Juanes has had round the clock police presence at his Miami home where he lives with his wife and children because of numerous death threats. Critics are calling him a communist and an enabler of the Castro regime. A recent poll by the DC based Cuba Study Group found 47% of Cuban Americans opposed the concert, with just 27% in support.

Miami is the “Nashville” of Latin Music, and many of the powers that be want Juanes to denounce the Castro regime as a condition to getting community support. So far he has resisted making any political statements. The pressure has also spread to artists who have confirmed to perform with Juanes, including Latin music superstars Olga Tanon of Puerto Rico, Spain’s Alejandro Sanz and Dominican Republic’s Juan Luis Guerra. Cuban-Americans artists like singer Willy Chirino and actress María Conchita Alonso have come out to criticize the concert. The Cuban Government doesn’t help matters by not allowing Cuban-American artists to organize their own concerts on the Island.

While the initial backlash against Juanes is similar to the one The Dixie Chick’s experienced, Ms. Maines woes began because of a political statement about a current president while Juanes is simply holding a music concert. His situation is more like Bruce Springsteen’s 1988 concert at the Berlin Wall. Some have attributed that concert as one of the catalysts to the wall coming down. Springsteen’s goal for the event was not to make a statement but to play his music for people who did not have access to it before. According to Juanes, that is also his motivation for playing in Cuba.

There was no backlash against “The Boss” for his Berlin concert, so why are segments of the Cuban-American community so up in arms? One reason may be that hard-liners are struggling against a generational and political shift within South Florida and the rest of the country and are finding themselves on the loosing side of the long debate on US-Cuba relations.

This shift is palpable in the blogosphere and on the streets. Younger generations of Cuban Americans are more willing to discuss engagement with Cuba as a path toward Democracy. There is an understanding that the current isolation and embargo policies haven’t worked. Castro has seen 10 American Presidents during his 50+ year reign.

Additionally, the hard-line exile community has lost influence politically. They supported the Republicans during the 2008 presidential election because they opposed Obama’s engagement policies. Democrats owe little to this special interest group, and are focusing on things like healthcare and immigration which affect more segments of Latinos throughout the country.

This hasn’t stopped the hard-liners from engaging in their version of book burning. The death threats to Juanes are particularly disturbing, especially as it seems antithetical to the general argument that the Castro government shouldn’t be supported because of their treatment of political dissenters.

Despite the initial uproar, there is evidence that the Cuban/Miami “Cold War” is melting. Juanes has gotten support from prominent Miamians, like Latin music crossover pioneer and Cuban American Gloria Estefan. The artist himself talks about the support he’s gotten from fans on his twitter page.

After the concert, we will see how strong the backlash becomes. Will it be on the level of the Dixie Chicks, where sales began to plummet and they had to deal with bans on country radio? To date no major radio station has said they were banning Juanes from their play lists. Perhaps Juanes’ story will read less like “The Chicks” and more like Springsteen’s in the end. Let’s hope so.

A Bronx group's battle with the Yankees reminds us about REAL community organizing

2009-08-24T17:24:00.000-07:00

In an era where conservative lobby groups can muster dozens of misinformed citizens to disrupt congressional town halls and claim they are engaging in “grass roots” campaigns, we all need a reminder of what real community organizing is about.

Community activism is an important part of American culture. The ability to raise awareness and bring people together to right an injustice, or to have their voices heard by the rich and powerful is a right cherished by few countries. Community organizers provide a vehicle for real change. Unlike the current lobby-supported “astroturf” organizing, most community activists and organizers don’t stand to win millions of dollars, or stop legislation that would hurt an industry paying their salaries. Most are simply trying to give a voice to the voiceless.

One example is a little known non-partisan group made up of various local community groups and activists in the South Bronx, NY, where I grew up. They call themselves the “4DSBx Coalition.” The name sounds complicated (it stands for “For the South Bronx,”), but their mission is simple – to make sure the Yankees organization live up to promises they made while getting community support to build their new stadium in the Bronx.

According to the coalition, the Yankees are on record as having promised to:

Award 25% of construction contracts to local Bronx based business for the building of the new stadium and demolition of the old stadium
Demolish the old stadium by 2010
Construct a new public park to replace the one they took over to build the new stadium by 2010
Hire Bronx residents (at least 25%) to work in the construction and in the finished stadium.
Contribute $800,000.00 a year to local community organizations from the start date of construction.

Now that the stadium is up, the Coalition states very few of these promises have been kept.

The local political elite has been very quiet, mostly because many of them came out in early support of the stadium, or are tied themselves to Yankee management. The borough is also in a state of flux as the past borough president was called to D.C. by the Obama administration and his replacement was elected in a recent special election which drew less than 35,000 votes.

With a lack of political help, and having to go against a goliath of a corporate organization like the New York Yankees, the coalition has gone to the streets for support. They’ve gotten residents to attend city council meetings and have organized protests in front of Yankee stadium, which has gotten some media attention. They are forcing the Yankees to answer questions and defend their current position. They keep concerned people abreast of the situation via social networking sites likeFacebook and Twitter, and have gotten a modest online following, especially among college students and grads who currently live or come from the area.

To be fair, The Yankees participate in a whole host of community programs and no one is against the players themselves. The Coalition states they are loyal Yankee fans. But whether the Yankees organization will make good on their promises regarding the new stadium is yet to be seen. Under the Coalition, the community is holding the Yankees accountable. They are informed, and perhaps more importantly, they are an example of civil community empowerment. The protests, while small, are organized and professional, the meetings they attend are passionate but respectful, and those who speak for the organization are talking from factual points and concrete proposals for resolution. They have a long way to go, but are headed in the right direction toward real change.

So when we see red-faced zealots screaming at their representatives, or media types giving credence to rumor and speculation intended to muddy the debate, let’s remember that real community organizing is a civilized, noble calling. Often the work is local, and rarely makes the main story of the major news networks. The purpose is ultimately to serve as the last check on power of corporate interests and a weak or compromised political elite. It is not about stopping progress, or spreading lies and misinformation for political gain. We should continue to support legitimate community organizing as an important American tradition, and say no to "astroturfing." Good luck to the 4DSBx Coalition.

Hey, Obamanation: WTH R U?? or Why Young People MUST Enter the HealthCare Debate

2009-08-17T13:32:00.000-07:00

I'm 33. Wife, Kid, house, and (thank god) job. During the presidential election I was impressed with the level of activity of those my age and of those (just slightly) younger than me. The Obama Nation. A new generation of activists fighting for change. I dug it.

Now President Obama is in the fight of his life over health care reform, and the nay-sayers are drowning out reason. While these detractors seem to come from a very small percentage of American society, they are screaming their red-faced heads off while everyone else is trying to behave - thereby making YouTube and the major news networks, amplify their message. The conservative elite are stoking the fires, and our representatives are starting to doubt their own logic and conviction. The idea that Obama may remove the public option speaks to how the loud minority is having an impact over the majority.

So where are the masses of young folk that powered the Obama machine? Why was my town hall full of scared retirees and nut jobs, and not recent grads and young employees? The few rational comments i heard there came from a young teacher and a nurse. Everyone else sounded like they were reading Glenn Beck's talking points.

This health care issue affects young people too. Recent grads and college kids may be considered "immortals" but they still get sick. Accidents are common, and the cost of treating them is astronomical, especially when doctors engage in "defensive" care, screening for everything under the sun so they won't get sued.

But beyond the obvious, there are many reasons for young people to feel equal ownership of this debate. Unlike our parents, our generations (X, Y, Millennials, etc) are more likely to change jobs and careers multiple times. Because of this economy, we are more likely to experience a lay off or downsizing. Long gone is the time when you could count on staying with a company for 30 years through thick and thin. Most of the time, if you are laid off, you are offered a really expensive individual health care option (COBRA) that most people can't afford, especially if they no longer have a steady paycheck. If you quit, go back to school or move, you don't even get that.

These changes can happen just as young adults are in their most vulnerable positions financially: new marriages, first homes, young children, etc. The idea of health care portability is serious progress from what is currently available to young people starting out.

And let's be direct for a second here. Young people DO need to see doctors. Even if it's just for birth control, or check ups, or to treat carpal tunnel. The ailments may not be the same as our older compatriots, but nevertheless, many young people put themselves in more danger by not going if they think they can't afford the bill.

I know a colleague of mine who was laid off and had a chronic condition despite being in her 20s. I've seen young men get laid off whose wives are pregnant with their first babies.

I know a young mother who stays at a job she absolutely hates simply to have health care while her and her husband run a family business. As entrepreneurs, they are stuck because they can't commit fully to their dreams due to the need of being covered.

I know a freelance cameraman who doesn't qualify for company benefits or any government program, who must pay $45,000.00 for his wife's high risk pregnancy.

Having corporate coverage as the only way young people can get health care is as much an injustice as it is to deny coverage to older folks. but to change this injustice, they must make their voices to be heard.

From a different perspective, having young people enter the debate livens things up a bit. Right now both sides are all doom and gloom, and it's a contest of who can scare the other side into submission. One of the best things about having more young people in the debate is the level of creativity they bring, the energy and the boldness to confront ignorance without being confrontational. Rather than the dangerous gun-totting lunatics who are stealing focus, young people can lighten up the mood while making serious points. Best example I've seen is the gentleman in the picture .

Young people - you helped changed the course of history by electing President Obama. You have the power to also change this debate. Take ownership of your future and get involved.

Why This Health Care Debate is So Personal

2009-08-13T18:09:00.000-07:00

I am mentally exhausted. I am horrified by what I see on TV and by what I witnessed at my own Town hall meeting - rabid detractors of Health care reform who have been led to believe that covering 47 million people is somehow a threat to the American way of life.

To start, the information they have is just wrong. The "death panels," the "forced single payer" the "taxpayer money going to illegals," the "secret plot for socialism" are all farcical falsehoods introduced to muddy the debate so that our elected officials waiver in making perhaps the most meaningful civil rights advancement since the 14th amendment.

Reform of the health care system was a priority for me when deciding who to support in the US primaries, and during the national presidential elections. I supported Hillary not only for her "more realistic" view of Washington (sorry to say I told you so, Barack) but also because of her work on Universal Health care. When Obama won and I understood that he too would work toward closing the coverage gap, I supported his campaign as well.

This is a very personal issue for me because my mother, who is now 57 yrs old, doesn't have health care. She is too young for Medicare, and does not qualify for social programs like medicaid because she is self employed. She runs her own business caring for children of working parents, airmen, soldiers, and reservists stationed at the nearby bases in Homestead FL.

Her business is home based, and while it provides enough money to pay the bills, her clients are mostly low income, so she charges low fees despite providing high quality services and having excellent qualifications. The revenue from her business is not consistent, especially as parents lose their jobs, travel for vacation, move, or have other life changes. When she closes or goes on vacation or gets sick, she doesn't get paid. This is her passion, but in terms of money, very little is left over to pay the ever increasing price of private insurance for a single person.

While I am employed and have insurance, I cannot help her because A - I live in another state, B - I cannot claim her as a dependent since she files taxes herself and C - My insurance company doesn't cover parents. I also work for a start up company, which, while we are doing OK in this economy, means there is a very real risk of losing my insurance myself. We also struggle with our own costs of mortgage, childcare, insurance, etc.

My mother is a cancer survivor, and has arthritis. She requires regular screenings, and at times, pain medication. She must go into debt every time she needs to get a checkup. Should she need a major procedure, or treatment, the only option would be for her to go into serious debt to pay her medical bills. She could lose her business, her credit, her home. Often to avoid costs, she'll postpone checkups, or choose to live in pain rather than buy medication.

My mother is not illegal. She was born and bred in New York and has worked all her life helping others, first as a social worker, than caring for children. She put me through college, sometimes working two jobs to do so. She raised a half dozen of my cousins as her own.

There are others who have coverage with much less effort due to public assistance and medicaid, or because they claim federal benefits due to disability. My mother, despite her real physical ailments, has never stopped working because she believes in contributing to society and working for her money.

Yet these health care reform detractors would deny her the chance of getting affordable health care. They would include her in false statistics that those without care are either "immortals" or "illegals" or that her being able to see a doctor on a regular basis will somehow take away their freedoms. They callously claim to be Christians and concerned citizens while ignoring the real people who die everyday because they can't access what these detractors have and only want the choices most of America enjoys.

I understand the frustration with the recent happenings in this country. Specifically, I understand the frustration with the amount of money spent during the financial crisis, how the banks gave up nothing while getting our money to save their over-leveraged hides. I understand the frustration with the amount of money spent on the stimulus package which has been slow to be realized, let alone all the money already spent on two seemingly endless wars, one of which was totally unnecessary.

But what I also understand, is that this is not about health care. This is about a population of people who are still sore about losing the presidential election, of losing power in Congress, and of seeing "other people" rising to power. The statements I hear have little to do with details of health care reform but about their general displeasure of not being in power, of feeling "their way of life" is somehow under attack.

In venting their rabid frustration, they are hijacking the lives of people like my mother, for the selfish purpose of trying to snatch some shallow victory vs. the current President and Democratic congress. I am disgusted that there are people willing to do this, to deny life and the right to health to make their political points.

The ugly underbelly of this country shows itself again, but I have faith that change will come. Change is always hard, and what we are seeing is the quintessential example of the last throes of a dying animal. While still dangerous, it thrashes with vigor before taking it's final breath.

HealthCare Town Halls - A Revolution of the Misinformed?

2009-08-11T19:30:00.000-07:00

I had seen the images on TV, town halls being taken over by anti-health reform zealots shouting down their local representatives, and shouting a mix of personal scepticism, misinterpreted facts, and regurgitated lies.

So I decided I would go to my own Congressman's town hall, New Jersey Congressional Representative Steve Rothman. He's been holding a series of "Listening Tour" events throughout Bergen and Hudson Counties, and I figured I'd see for myself if there was really a groundswell of opposition as conservatives would have us believe...

The place was full, about 150+ people in Palisades Park. Rothman and his team organized the town hall well, getting questions on paper in advance and calling on individuals to ask their questions. For the most part the town hall was civil, and people were not very tolerant of people who spoke out of turn. There was a general consensus that everyone was going to behave. It lasted from 7pm till 9:30pm, afterwards Rothman met people in the street and listened to their questions. What I found there was really interesting.

The issues that came up were numerous, but the take aways from the people attending were such:

A deep distrust of politicians, and apparently, of the Obama administration. There were many times that people mentioned a distrust of Congress and that there was something that was being hidden in the bill, or that parts of the bill were being mis represented to appease the crowd. There was a mention of patient's personal information being abused by the government, despite the fact that the govt currently protects personal information from being abused by insurance companies now. One person's comment "The real problem is that there is one person up there who wants to take over the world..." Who might this be????

Continued anger over stimulus and TARP. Whenever these topics were brought up the detractors in the meeting would go ape. At one point Rothman tried to make the case that the stimulus was showing signs of working, and that was when there was very loud jeering and drowning him out. They did not want to hear that TARP was neccesary, or that the stimulus was anything but a waste of their money.

A belief that at some level, illegal immigration is behind this. There was a man who tried to make the case that up to 30 Million of the 47 million of uninsured were either illegals or families of illegals (and therefore apparently not deserving). The loudest applause came after a commenter demanded Rothman take a hard stance on immigration. To his credit, Rothman stated his stance was clear - prevention, enforcement, and a path to citizenship.

The impression that health care reform is a zero-sum game, that if other people get it, what they have will somehow disappear, or that their insurance companies will not be able to compete and eventually die out, leaving the only choice to be the government option.

That abortion will be paid for with government dollars

That doctors will be incentivized into talking people into having living wills (AKA the "kill your grandma/death panel theory")

I scanned the room and many of the people there had what looked like print outs of talking points from the internet. One man tried to read what he claimed was actual verbage from the bill illustrating his point that the bill was socialist "On page so-and-so it says..." but wasn't allowed to speak out of turn. When I looked at his paper from a few feet away, it wasn't the bill at all, it was a 3 page bullet pointed sheet of apparent "excerpts" from the bill with commentary.

When I hear descriptions of the other town halls, I hear the same questions, fears, and scenarios.
The fear of the people seemed real, the sceptism definitely did, but the information which seem to be fueling this fear and sceptism was suspect at least, and I couldn't shake the feeling that some it it was purposely misleading to incite the negative reaction from apparently normally rational and understanding people.

Those who were close to the front lines within healthcare also got to speak. A couple of nurses, a woman trying to get approval for her medical procedures, a young teacher who never had healthcare until recently. They all seemed to come to the meeting with personal stories, and personal questions, and basic support for the initiative. But those who seemed to spend their time fear mongering, all had the same points, the same type of disaster scenarios, even some of the same rebuttal arguments you've been hearing at other places, so much so it was very hard to believe that the info they were getting wasn't from the same place.

A bit disturbing was the lack of real voice from those who wanted healthcare reform. There were a few people there, some with shirts, buttons, a woman with a sign she printed from an Obama website. But for some reason they didn't get to the mike as much. Now I assume that this was an exercise in "squeaky wheel," but it seemed as though the supporters were quietly waiting their turn while the detractors spent a lot of time reiterating each other's points. The longest speeches were diatribes about government takeover, illegal aliens, and leaving "my coverage alone..." while those who were asking about clarification points, or showing support had short turns. Again, no overtalking, no booing (well except for at Rothman), but the loudest applause lines went to those who were making points that seemed to come from a set of "facts" they all had read beforehand.

Even more disturbing was a conversation I heard between two people after the town hall was over. They had both expressed their opinions earlier at the meeting. They were just outside when I was walking towards them and I stopped to wait and see what would happen when Rothman joined the crowd outside. They quickly stopped talking, though I never spoke in the meeting and no one knew my political affiliation. But before they did, the woman told this to her comrade:

"We need to take this country back....They made have had a coup, but this is a revolution..."

Being Truly Pro-Life

2009-06-01T15:06:00.000-07:00

I find it incredibly ironic the conservative right's and their sanctimonious ownership of being, as they claim, "pro-life."

It is a label that (for them) is riddled with obvious irony. For if you ask a typical conservative regarding other issues pertaining to "life" you will easily find their answers contradictory.

Do you believe in the death penalty?
Are you a pacifist?
Do you believe in the right to own an automatic weapon?
Are you a vegetarian?
Do you believe in DNR?
Do you believe in neutering animals? What about euthanizing them?

I'll ask these questions of any self-proclaimed "right to lifer." I will respect the opinion of those who's answers show consistency with their position. If all life is sacred to you, than life of criminals, soldiers, strangers, and animals are also sacred.

No? Does your opinion on saving "lives" stop after feti and embryos? Than you are not pro-life. You are simply anti-choice.

I have a lot of respect and admiration for religion and for those who would not choose abortion for themselves, a position many have here in the US.

A TRUE right to life believe believes that all Life is sacred.

However, when a man who can claim a life with a gun proposes and does so in the name of saving lives, the argument goes the pieces. Hypocrisy at it's clearest.

Nuff said today.

Separating individuals from the issues

2009-04-01T15:42:00.000-07:00

Just to go on record saying that while I support healthy peaceful protest and satire, I do not support anyone singling out individuals and in any way threatening them or even remotely exposing them to harm.

For example I thought it hilarious that protesters placed a huge inflatable Bush in DC during the inaugural do people could throw shoes at it. I do not support the Iraqi guy who threw his shoe at the actual man. Would one have been meaningful without the link to the first, perhaps not, but my point is this, be loud, be heard, but be civil at all times.

The anarchists at the G20 and other protests are undermining the legitimate protests against our flawed underegulated system by destroying property and striking terror in persons. This is not protest it is a mad mob.

My good friend works at AIG and has nothing to do with the CDS crisis. He should not fear for his safety.

I support the healthy expression of general frustration and anger. That is only effective when people see the frustration displayed by rational law abiding people, not by those who try to hide their violent tendencies within the crowd.

Testing Mobile Blogging

2009-04-01T14:33:00.001-07:00

Thought I'd try mobile blogging, since most of my thought come to me on the bus and pulling out my laptop is a bit much. Let's see if this works.

Bancos = Ladrones, and the Latin way of showing public emotion

2009-03-17T12:08:00.001-07:00

When I was working at Merrill my clients included some of the largest pension funds in Argentina. They didn’t produce much revenue as they could only trade a certain percentage of their holdings in the US, but they were important clients and it was a good experience for the junior sales guy within my middle markets international group.

I’d visit them about once a quarter, and at the time, the country was just recovering from a major default, a freezing of banks, and a peso devaluation. The government had instituted tight controls of foreign exchange, among other things, as they battled the global investment community who wanted to recoup their losses.

Whenever I went to Buenos Aires, I’d take in the beautiful architecture and scenery of one of the grandest cities of South America. I’d also notice the barely hidden hatred of the financial community by its population. There was nary a bank who didn’t have graffiti scrolled on its façade indicating some type of negative assessment; “Bancos = Ladrones” was the common slogan, indicating to all who understood that the impression of the local citizenry was that the financial industry robbed its people.

I’d have lunch with clients and hear in the streets below the roars of street protests. Lunch time protests were common place in Buenos Aires according to my client. Basically, people would stop work (those who worked), they’d join the students from the university, march down the streets with placards and whistles bemoaning the issue of the day, then quietly go back to work/school/home. I remember walking for 2 miles and getting to my last meeting two hours late due to a transit strike during the evening rush hour, which was over by the time we finished our after-meeting dinner. I was impressed with the efficiency and peacefulness of these displays of populism as I was taken aback by its passion and audibility.

I believe we may be headed in the same direction here in the states. I’ve always felt that US citizenry, despite our history of struggle for civil rights, the Vietnam & Iraq war protests, etc, are a relatively docile bunch. We are very content to assume that someone else is fighting our battles, be they politicians, university students, or bloggers over the web. We focus our attention on a handful of iconic “trouble makers” like Al Sharpton and Cindy Shehaan, watching them do most of the rabble rousing from the comfort of our couches. These days, most popular sentiment is expressed through editorials and national “polls” and people make good livings trying to pretend they speak for the “average Joe” on the 24 hour news networks. It’s very civilized, if perhaps a bit bland for a population writhing in suppressed frustration. I guess our puritan heritage shines through in these times, as we commonly think that passionate discourse is, while entertaining to watch, a disdainful practice for the average person.

The problem of course, is all that suppressed frustration manifests itself in less healthy ways. Gun sales are up, violent crimes seem to be making more headlines, and xenophobic sentiment is steadily increasing.

Compare our current sentiment versus 2006 in Puerto Rico in the midst of their fiscal crisis. Citizens took to the streets to protest their frustration with their government's mishandling of the situation and forced law makers from opposing parties to work together to get a solution.

Perhaps we should do some venting of all that suppressed American anger at the banks and our government in a cathartic and positive way. This may actually be very healthy for us as a nation. People need to feel that they are participating in change, a notion the Obama Campaign capitalized on well. We have proven that the people control the political climate and we feel secure in that power. But what about the corporate climate? The problem is that we see banks like Merrill Lynch/Bank of America, AIG, CitiGroup, etc, doing things with our money that in many minds amounts to stealing. Our politicians seem impotent, relegated to admonishing CEOs at hearings and bloviating on Sunday Morning talk shows. CEOs and GOP lawmakers often scoff at populist sentiment, as if unless you own majority shares or large donor cards, you should just stay shut and let them settle this mess.

Perhaps what’s needed is some old fashioned taking to the streets in peaceful venting, so that people feel they have made themselves heard in the ivory towers of these corporate boardrooms, and so these titans of industry understand that they answer to more than just their shareholders, especially when their adventures in “side street” investing has been financed for decades by the pensions and 401Ks of laymen investors, and these same people are now paying double by giving them their tax dollars with the intention of keeping these banks afloat and “loosen credit.” They must know that using this money to shore up balance sheets and pay for bonuses for top managers who either actively or passively created our current crisis, while legal, will not be taken lightly by the people. If that isn’t deserving of a “Bancos = Ladrones” sticker on the side of a building, I wonder what would?

Of Guns, Monkeys and Letters

2009-02-18T12:20:00.000-08:00

Below is a letter to the editor I wrote to the New York Post today. I've been getting emails all day from friends about a cartoon by Sean Delonas in today's NY Post linking the recent killing of a pet Chimpanzee with the "writer of the stimulus bill." Any follower of History or someone with social sensitivity can see in the image too many disturbing references to violence and racial undertones. Anyway a lot of people have written to the editors over this. I won't recreate the picture, but if you do find it and want to write a letter yourself, send it to: letters@nypost.com

Dear Editor,

The cartoon where an artist connected the shooting of a troubled monkey with the economic stimulus plan, and specifically to the author of that plan (most commonly being attributed to Pres. Obama) is callous humor at best, violence inciting racism at worst, and a poor reflection of your newspaper, company, and management.

In a country where violence towards our political leaders is a common occurrence in our history (hopefully Lincoln's 200th birthday reminded us of that) , and where there has been a dehumanizing tradition of racist cartoonists making connections between African Americans and primates, I find it glaring that you would publish a cartoon which reflects both these shameful attributes.

It is bad enough that our President must endure the extra measures of security because of his race, and because of the times we live in. We do not need newspapers bringing up violent imagery in connection to our political leaders.

That being said, I understand the 1st amendment allows cartoonists to reflect their views via their art. But the 1st amendment does not force editors to publish such submissions.

Therefore it is more a reflection of the flaws in your decision making abilities that such a cartoon graced your pages and website.

Your cartoonist should apologize to the people and more specifically to the "writer of the stimulus package." Your editorial staff should also apologize for allowing this image to enter our common discourse.

Remove this stain from your paper and company.

Respectfully Submitted,
Miguel Guadalupe
New Jersey

The Plumber is dead, long live the Pilot

2009-02-09T13:15:00.000-08:00

On the day Capt. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger III is to receive the keys to New York City, I think it appropriate to note that while His daring actions saved 155 people, one person was indeed left at the bottom of the Hudson river.

Well, not a person exactly, but an icon, horrifically thrust on the American stage by a desperate presidential campaign in its last throes. That icon now in a watery grave is “Joe the Plumber.” Yes that’s right. Sully killed Joe the plumber. The citizen who challenged Obama on a campaign stop name Joe, who isn’t really named Joe (it’s Samel), who said he was a plumber but really wasn’t (no license), who was going to buy a business but had neither the means, skills, nor opportunity to do so. “Joe” relished his position in the spotlight, so much so that he still clings to whatever will get him in front of a camera, from “reporting” in Gaza to showing up at Republican strategy meetings (really?).

This man, who offered nothing but his claim of being average, with no real skills or training, but with a willingness to be exploited for the sake of ratings and campaigns, was being presented as some sort of nightmarish symbolism for America. This image of mediocrity was somehow supposed to inspire some mythical “base” of people to a point where they would vote against their economic interests in favor a party who’s lead them astray. We all know the outcome of that gamble.

Thankfully, with a new year, a new image emerges to kill the era of “the plumber” and lift American iconography from the sewer to the sky. This all came about as a seasoned commercial pilot and his crew do the miraculous – land a plane full of passengers without engines, power, or even land. At the center of this is Captain Sullenberger, AKA “Sully the Pilot.” With over 30 years flight experience, safety expertise (he even coauthored papers with NASA), additional skills as a glider (which is what saved that plane), and a focus and professionalism that kept him in control during the most uncontrollable of situations, He represents everything Joe the Plumber does not; skill, education, focus, altruism, professionalism, and true leadership in crisis. He showed additional merit by taking a slow approach to addressing the throngs of media, of doing his job first, and of spreading credit to his passengers and crew members.

America has a new love. The reluctant hero is the ultimate icon, a man doing his job well under special circumstances resulting in extraordinary success, and avoiding unspeakable tragedy (unless you count the geese). But more than anything, this would not have been possible without his training, education, and his striving to be more than “just average.” That is the image that America needs, and the image that best represents our future.

Thank you “Captain Sully,” and long live the Pilot.

Another picture worth a thousand words.

2009-01-29T09:17:00.001-08:00

This is great. This image is amazing. Man-sized cue-cards of a curse-riddled quote of a corrupt governor attempting to sell the vacated senate seat formerly held by the President of these United States of America. You can't make this stuff up.

Sprint's Woes Are Well Deserved - Why I left after 10 yrs.

2009-01-27T07:04:00.001-08:00

So the news of Sprints recents lay offs are being talked about far and wide. What's funny is that days before the rest of the world started talking about Sprint, I posted the below on a Sprint User's Forum. I think it's self explanatory, but explains why Sprint may never recover from its current situation without a major overhaul in innovation and customer service and retention.

Now, I've had problems with Sprint before, like not giving me proper phone rebates, over billing my account, fake "phone insurance" where you pay a ridiculously high deductables despite your monthly insurance premium. But I stayed, mostly because of their lock-in contracts.

I remember pitching to an asset manager just last week in his office and showing him my company's application on my former Sprint BBRY. He says "What service do you have?" I say "Sprint." "Wow, so you are the one guy who's still with Sprint, huh."

That gave me something to consider, because I honestly couldn't remember who of my friends were on Sprint. It used to be everyone I knew was on, and They had a great - in network feature where your calls didn't count towards minutes. Now, nobody is on the network so the cost of the in network feature wasn't worth it. Then I had the most aweful customer servicer experience of my life. Below is what I wrote days before Sprints Announcement.

Why Spint Lost me as a customer after 10 yrs, and why you may want to leave too.
posted on 01-21-2009

Dear Sprint Fans,

After 10 years, I decided to leave Sprint. Which is sad because I used to defend Sprint to those who use to ask why I haven't joined AT&T or Verizon, besides having better phones, and better customer service.

In September, I had 2 phone numbers but decided to split my account. Over the next 3 months, my overages went through the roof. Many of the calls were mine, but many of the calls were foriegn to me and I asked for an investigation.

Here is where it gets crazy.I got an alert that the fraud dept said they were valid calls. Really? I don't remember calling Jersey City 20 times in one day for a minute each. I wanted to speak to someone about the methodology of the review, or maybe simply reasess how I was using the phone...I was speaking to an Operator by the name of " LAKESHA." She then says that she can offer me 50% off the overage charges. I said, sounds good, but what other options are there? She responded that I could speak to a supervisor if I wanted more off. OK, sounds good, lets do that...

I am then forwarded to "Supervisor KENDRA." She says what I already heard, that the fraud dept said the calls were legit. I said, OK, now what?

Now nothing.

What about the 50% offer?

Supposedly it was now "OFF THE TABLE.

"What?"

She "explains" that because I "refused" LAKESHA's offer, that I was no longer offered the discount and I had to pay the full amount. I asked to be escalated to a manager.

Manager NICOLE gets on the phone. She says only 2 things. 1 - That the calls were deems legit (which I dispute) and 2 - that they are no longer offering the discount. I try to explain I was never told that if I escalated further that I'd be denied the discount. She doesn't care. She says operators are not obliged to explain that....WHAT? We go back and forth for 20 minutes and SHE HANGS UP ON ME!

I call again, and get Operator JOSHUA. I'm thinking, let me start from scratch. Again, Joshua offers to discount about $191 from my bill. Knowing the previous conversation, I say - OK, let's do it....

He then asks that I hold. I hold, for 10 minutes.

He gets back on - Says "I need to forward you to a manager." Great, should be resolved then.

NICOLE gets back on -Then says to me - NO OFFER.

WHY? Your operator just offered it to me - AGAIN!

She says that JOSHUA put in the notes that I refused the discount for a 2nd time...

THIS IS CRAZY! I tell her, in no way did I refuse a second time. I even challenge her to pull the voice recording tapes so we can check the conversation. She then slips that they all sit by each other, and that she even mentioned all their names.

OK, I say, please give me their operator numbers as well. She refuses, saying that the operators will only volunteer those #s when I speak to them directly.

I said - well, give me those operators again.

No.

OK, can you please ask them their numbers please.

I don't sit by them - She says.

Wait, you JUST SAID you sit by them, so you are lying. I ask her - so you are saying, that after offering me the discount, 2 times, you are reneging?

Manager NICOLE, # 45751 (I asked her this time) said that is correct, gave her "thank you for calling sprint" and hung up on me.

I signed on to Verizon's service within the hour, and got a great phone as well, the Blackberry Storm.

If this was my experience, as a 10 yr customer, multiple phone buyer, and former supporter, I can only imagine what other's have gone through. And for what? Dead zones, second rate phones, and bad phone applications? It is no wonder why AT&T and Verizon are poaching all their customers. They must move from a "how much can we get from our customers" to a more "how can we service our customers" mentality - and that whole service discount "deal or no deal" scheme...that has got to go.

The Facebook War (on Racists)

2008-11-14T19:50:00.000-08:00

A negative, racially tinged backlash regarding Obama’s win was bound to happen. But in the era of social networking and web-based instant information, we are seeing it in its rawest form, and with an interesting new twist.

I recently saw a post on a friend’s page on Facebook titled “Racism is so played out.” It was an online photo album put together by a Facebook member listed as J.W.JAVIS, which according to his account:

“WAS CREATED WHEN TWO OF J.W. JAVIS' FRIENDS POSTED RACIALLY OFFENSIVE COMMENTS ON FACEBOOK FOLLOWING THE ELECTION OF BARACK OBAMA. RATHER THAN REPRIMAND THEM DIRECTLY, J.W. DECIDED TO POST THEIR PROFILE PICTURES IN ALBUM ALONG WITH THE STATEMENTS THEY HAD MADE. HIS POINT WAS TO "NAME-AND-SHAME" THEM. FOLLOWING J.W.'S EXAMPLE, FRIENDS STARTED SUBMITTING THE NAMES AND PHOTOS OF PEOPLE THEY KNEW WHO HAD MADE RACIALLY OFFENSIVE STATEMENTS TO J.W. AND HE ADDED THEM TO HIS ALBUM.”

The album contains about 40 pictures (at last count) with screen shots of various Facebook members with their full names as displayed on their profile, their profile pictures, and their apparently offending posts, most written in the personal status section, where people are encouraged to write a comment on their status, physically, emotionally or otherwise. The posts range from benignly ignorant to deeply disturbing.

Examples include a post from someone listed as Jaime Sherman saying “Ninety-six percent of blacks voted for Obama for handouts” to someone listed as Linsdey Boggs, whose status was shown as “Lindsey is going to shoot herself before all the (n-word) s get a chance…” One person featured in the online album was Zane A Kerney who supposedly writes: “Nobody likes racists, its against our constitution. that why we must kill all the black people. thats right i said it, every black person who voted for barack should be hung”

The types of people featured in this album seem to be from all over the country. The profile pictures show athletes in game gear including Texas Longhorn lineman Buck Burnette and soldiers, in uniform, including one photo listed as Taylor West who supposedly posts “What do we do!?! The antichrist is in Office now!!! KILL OBAMA!!”

The album has spread virally over Facebook and has crossed over to other social network sites such as MySpace. As is common with Facebook, people can post comments on the pictures, and hundreds of members have added their comments repudiating the people being featured.

What is interesting is that other Facebook members are now addressing them directly. One of those featured in the album is Landon Mccart, quoted as writing in his status page “(N-word)...It's the WHITE House. " He found the album where he was being feature and attempted to defend himself in the comments section (spelling and grammar as posted):

im getting liek 50 millino messages of black people calling me a racist..which i am not..we will get to the status story later..

people have been messaging me RUDE, DIRTY, HATEFUL, RACIST, messages and calling me "cracker"....."white boy".......people have just been very vulgar and obscene...its definitely not neccesary.

the story about the status: (which is NOT racist...)

im always messing with one of my BLACK friends about future prez. obama..which is okay...because hes half white, so i can say stuff about him just as much as the next guy..its not a race thing..hes more white than black..anyway, im not ignorant of race or anything else, i cant even joke with a friend about something without half
of facebook jumping down my throat?? thats not right...how did you even know
my status said that anyway?

Landon touches upon the bigger question – for the most part, status updates are for the eyes of friends only. A Facebook friend can only become so with the permission of the user. However, in these social networking sites, one’s “friends” can easily grow into the multiple of hundreds, not all of whom are especially close or share the same views. What is happening is that as people are seeing their “friends” post potentially racist or damaging comments, they are print-screening the commentary and posting it for the general public to see, thereby exposing the people to the world in a manner they perhaps would not otherwise have wanted to be seen.

The impact of this exposure is real. The Texas Longhorn lineman Buck Burnette was dismissed from his team after these comments were made public and people started to contact UT. According to comments under her picture, Linsdey Boggs was supposedly kicked out of her school though that hasn’t been confirmed. Taylor West’s comments will most likely be investigated by authorities. This doesn’t include the hundreds of hate mail messages people like Landon Mccart must be getting, now that a simple Google search can get anyone within a virtual arm’s distance of communicating with anyone else. JW Javis makes a point to include in each post the following (spelling and grammar as posted):

People DO NOT THINK FOR ONE SECOND ALL WHITE PEOPLE ARE LIKE THIS..DON"T LET A FEW IGNORANT FOOLS HAVE YOU THINK EVERYONE IS LIKE THAT ..THERE ARE ALL GREAT PEOPLE IN THIS WORLD..BLACK OR WHITE IT DOESN"T MATTER..THERE ARE RACIST PEOPLE IN ALL RACES

And he does admonish those who respond to these people with their own racially based attacks.

What is fascinating is how viral the album and the reactions are getting, and how there are thousands of people who are getting involved in discussions around this subject. This is all happening in the plain site of the social networking community, where their comments and views are public along with names and pictures. They debate in sunlight what people have kept quietly hidden in the dark for centuries.

Winner: The Community Organizer

2008-11-05T08:47:00.000-08:00

I wonder if Rudy Giuliani now understands what a Community Organizer means.

Our soon to be 44th President won, in no small part, because of his ability to organize all types of communities across the country. Biggest Voter Turnout In 90 Years, record number of new registered voters, a record get out the vote campaign, and the best ground game ever.

Now that Giuliani has seen the results of community organizing, I wonder if he will give it the respect it deserves.

Congrats President Elect Obama.

The "Wassup" Guys Keep it Real

2008-10-31T10:05:00.000-07:00

This Youtube video is going seriously viral over the web. It's the original guys from the "Wassup" Commercial for Budweiser in 1999. Here is the original version for your reference.

Well, the guys are back with a political version of the same commercial titled "Wassup 2008" in it the guys are in various states of distress: Jobless, needing prescription drugs, stationed in Iraq, stuck in a hurricane (apparently referencing Katrina), and loosing their shirts in the stockmarket. The end is a plug for Obama, and a plea to vote.

Great Job guys. Way to keep it real.

My "Endorsement" of Barack Obama on thefatherlife.com

2008-10-27T09:58:00.001-07:00

I wrote the below for thefatherlife. com, a pretty cool website for dads. They asked that I write one of two guest editorials which they are featuring this week, one in favor of Barack Obama and one in favor John McCain. It will be launched this week. I hope you check it out, and also read the John McCain piece. Hopefully it should help you with your decision making come November. It's not quite an "endorsement" since, after all, who the you-know-what am I? But I am honored the editors asked that I write to represent my views on their site. Check it out!

Why I'm voting for Obama:

With all the speeches, debates, ads, and robo-calls, John McCain and Barack Obama are asking for one thing - to get our vote. It is all we have but it is invaluable because with each vote, one of these men gets closer to being the leader of the free world. That is why who we give our vote to becomes such a personal decision. Here are my own reasons why I will be giving my vote to Barack Obama.

I vote for my mother. She has been self employed for more than 10 years, is a cancer survivor, and struggles with arthritis. Still, she has no health insurance. It is too expensive for her to get, even though she runs a business, and yet, she does not qualify for federal or state assistance, because get this – she runs a business. I cannot include her on my insurance because she isn't a dependant, she's out of state, and my job's health insurance doesn't cover parents. It is my daily nightmare that one day she will turn ill and the cost of her care may well doom her, and then us, financially. The system we have now is broken because it caters to the extremities of the economic classes, and ignores people like my mother, who at 56 still has too much pride to accept a handout and works every day, even on days when she can barely walk without feeling pain. Obama's healthcare plan not only helps the already insured, but also finally helps people like my mother who have fallen through the cracks, offering her the healthcare she needs and deserves.

I vote for me and my wife. Thankfully because of our hard work and our ability to get good educations, my wife and I have accomplished what our parents had hoped we would, a better life for us and our child. But like many people in the middle class, we are worried about this economy and whether the start-up technology company I work for or the media company she works for will make it through this storm. We are responsible financially, but like many, are in danger of being a layoff away from potential hardship. We look at the 700 billion dollars being "invested" to shore up Wall Street, and while we understand it to be necessary, this investment cannot stop there. This country needs to invest in its workforce and small businesses, in start ups and companies that don't offshore jobs. It must invest in the next generation of manufacturing and alternative energy. It must do more than cut taxes for large companies and socialize their losses after decades of privatized gain. It must look out for the consumers who hold up this economy on their shoulders. Confidence must be returned not just to creditors, but to those who are most affected by them. Obama's plan to reward job creators and help incubate businesses, invest in infrastructure, extend transition support to service employees, and engage in fair global trade so that our workers can compete on a level playing field, will bring back the confidence Americans need to continue to strengthen this economy. I understand Obama's tax plan and it does work for the middle class, especially for small businesses, including plumbers. Despite the best efforts of others to confuse the conversation, Obama has the best plan to steer the economy in the right direction.

I vote for my daughter. She will need to grow up in a country that values her education as the means to maintain greatness. She will need access the best there is to offer, and she will need an educational system that promotes all types of learning. When she heads to college, she should not have to graduate with the equivalent of a mortgage in student loans as her parents did, keeping her at a disadvantage vs. her peers. Most of all, she will need to have equal access to everything the world has to offer, and to not have glass ceilings placed above her because of her gender. Obama's plan to invest in education from grades 0-12 and to create better ways to keep college affordable answers her needs and the needs of this country's children.

I vote for my cousin, who is starting to make it on her own. Should she one day be faced with the tough decision of becoming a mother, the choice must be hers, knowing that she has the support of her family in whatever choice she makes. I applaud Obama's position on Roe vs. Wade and for his stance that family planning is best left to individuals based on their own morality and conscious. No one should be forced into a decision either by the government or by lack of options. Instead, they should be provided with real alternatives and support to make a sound choice.

I vote for my friend, who lost his father on September 11th, 2001. For 7 years we have bungled the war on terror by being distracted in Iraq and not capturing the man responsible for this atrocious act. In that time, we have eroded our global reputation and have squandered the opportunity to make the world a more unified, safer place. Cowboy diplomacy has failed, and a new direction of true engagement and cooperation must begin. Our commander in chief cannot simply be a good soldier. A good soldier is needed in the field. A good leader is needed in the Whitehouse. An effective leader must have an unflappable temperament and must foster real cooperation within the global community to fight for peace and security. I believe Obama has the temperament, understanding, and steady hand necessary to meet the global challenges that await him. I am confident that Obama will both draw the Iraqi war to a peaceful and successful close, and mend our position as leader of the free world.

I vote for my generation, who is ready to lead. We are more connected, unified, and diverse than ever. We are ready to fulfill the ideals of our forefathers, and we understand the issues that affect the different kinds of people in this country – Asians, Blacks, Latinos, Whites, Women, etc, are not singular issues, but American issues. We are ready for a candidate that is not judged by race or gender but by his or her merits. We are ready to break from the idea that only a certain type of candidate should lead our country. This election is my generation's coming of age, and Obama is the transforming force that inspires us.

I vote for the future of this great nation. I vote for one America, not division between "real" vs. "not real." I vote in defense of intellectualism. I vote for a true separation of powers and of church and state. I vote for good VP choices. I vote for an end to false populism, litmus-testing and wedge issues. I vote for a President who will use The Constitution to protect rights, not limit them. I vote for the idea that loyalty to country does not require sycophantic acquiescence, because I too am pro-America. I vote because we have nothing to fear but fear, itself, and I won't let my vote be manipulated or clouded by fear. I vote for the American dream, the belief that has made this country great - that with hard work and a thirst for knowledge, even if you have a funny sounding name, you can achieve anything, including becoming the President of the United States. I vote for hope. Therefore, I will vote for Barack Obama.

Palindora's Box

2008-10-12T19:22:00.000-07:00

The great Conquistador John McCain and his explorers were lost in the jungle. They had thought they would have found their final destination by now, but the Obama expedition was outpacing them. He could not understand how this previously unknown explorer, new to the jungle and untested in the harsh realities of the conquest, could have made so much ground so quickly. All looked grim until a member of his trusted advisors brought before him Palindora’s box. It was beautiful- like nothing he had ever seen. He knew the legend was that this box would give whoever possessed it the power they seek, but to get this power, they would have to open the box. Once opened, it could never be closed, and the possessor of this box would be stuck with whatever came out of it. The potential seemed promising, but there were those who questioned the motives of the locals who presented the box to McCain. They seem to have done so a bit too eagerly, almost as if to be rid of it themselves. Doubters asked McCain to be careful with this gift and inspect it closely, but McCain knew of only one thing – he must use anything he could to get to get to the lost city before Obama. He was a maverick explorer, and he was used to taking these risks.

McCain presented this new box to his expedition to the jubilation of his faithful. Tired from the trail so far, the explorers had new energy, and it filled them with joy. Without even opening the box, McCain could feel his expedition edging closer to the place they sought. “I need only to show this powerful box, “McCain thought, “I don’t need to open it just yet.” And so he travelled with it close to him in full view of his followers in order to remind them of the power they possessed and inspire them.

But the jungle began to grow dark. The brush got thicker with news of economic woe, and their path became muddy with bankruptcies and bailouts. He lost followers as they began to doubt McCain really knew the path toward the promise land, and Obama, according to his spies, passed him yet again and seemed closer than ever to the fabled destination. Try as he might, McCain could not get himself heard over the calls of the creatures of the jungle, hungry for change and starving for new direction.

Desperate for an edge, he opens Palindora’s box. “Just a crack,” he thinks, “just to quicken up our travel…” but as he lifts the lid, it blows open and from the box spews the ugliest of spirit creatures. They fly like ghosts around him and his entourage screaming wretched things like “Terrorist!” “Arab!” “Traitor!” “Kill Him!” and before he knew it these spirit forces had covered his campaign with a dark mist. He saw his people turn angry and vengeful. Their hatred began to show like boils on their skin. They howled in the darkness as the spirits transformed them into something McCain could no longer recognize. The power of Palindora’s box was now in his possession, but he was no longer in possession of his people. The evil had taken a life of its own. It could not be controlled or contained.

The transformed members of his expedition now lurched forth into the brush, grotesque and spewing all types of wretchedness, chasing after the footprints left behind by Obama’s camp. They where no longer motivated to win, but to destroy. He called to them to regain their civil nature but they no longer heard or heeded his words.

As he looked at the unrecognizable world he created, McCain could not help but wonder if it was worth it. In his quest for power, he had unleashed a contaminated and diseased spirit onto his campaign. And despite this sacrifice, he knew in his heart that he was still no closer to his destination. Perhaps now even further from it.

An appeal to single-issue voters – Get over it. Please.

2008-10-09T10:53:00.000-07:00

I wanted to take a break from the minutia of the every day mudslinging and talk directly to those who are basing their votes on single issue politics. This is especially prevalent among Latinos who often find local politics or issues relating to their home countries to be equally, if not more important, than issues in the U.S. The best example of this is in Florida, where many people decide to give their votes to the candidate who they feel will be harshest against the dictators who reside in their former countries.

Politics is always local. I have an issue dear to my heart, being a Jersey resident - tort reform. Would I vote for a President based on this? No. With the thousands of single issue items, it is impossible to find any candidate who agrees with everyone, or has even come up with a position regarding every single issue that’s out there.

In the meantime, there are shifts that will impact all of us in this country for the next generation. Our economy needs serious mending, our international policies for protection and diplomacy needs refocusing, our education system needs expanding, and our health care needs to be reformed. How we handle these issues will shape the United States and our position in the world for the next hundred years. The American experiment is at risk, less than 250 years after it began.

The decision as to who we select to lead us through these challenges needs to be decided based on qualities like temperament, intellect, and compassion. These qualities have been tragically lacking in our President for the last eight years, with obvious consequences.

For these reasons, this is the most important election many of us have ever been involved in. It cannot be decided by single issue litmus testing or personality politics. And for that reason, I implore voters, and especially Latinos, to “get over” the politics of the past and help usher in a new way of thinking about what we expect from our leaders.

Would a voter give up a better health care system for a president who publicly bashes the Castros or Chavez? The fact is that despite the saber rattling during the campaigns, the Republicans have never been able to address any Latin American issues decisively. The Republicans have perfected the art of remaining in power by getting people to vote against their economic and social best interests by pandering to personal interests. They have successfully practiced political parlor magic – look into my eyes (or at the pretty pit bull on stage), and ignore what my hands are doing (or more often, not doing)…

But there is hope that more people are starting to see this election differently. A prominent Miami based pundit Jaime Bayly, who in the past has said that he would support McCain simply to “stick it” to Chavez, this week says he is more likely to support Obama because he understands that this country needs a change of direction. Below is my translation of his statement made during his show "Bayly"on Wednesday October 8th:

“I used to be with McCain to frustrate Chavez…I was always with McCain, not for the good reasons, but for the bad reasons. They were “Who does Chavez hate more?McCain, then we must vote McCain.” But no longer. We have to vote thinking about the future of this country, for the love we have for this country, of which we have become citizens. And I truly believe that Obama is more intelligent than McCain and Biden is immeasurably more intelligent than Sarah Palin just as a polar bear is more intelligent than Sarah Palin…”

Like Mr. Bayly, we must get over single issue voting traditions and think about the larger picture. When you see things from that perspective, one clearly sees the continuation of Republican leadership becoming less and less attractive.

Tina Fey - wow.

2008-10-06T09:33:00.000-07:00

Just want to say - Tina Fey is amazing and Emmy worthy for her Palin impression. I always liked her as a writer and for 30 Rock. But this is unbelievable.

Obama’s '08 Mile – How to neutralize the upcoming onslaught by the McCain campaign

2008-10-05T12:13:00.000-07:00

The failing economy, new voter registration in the hundreds of thousands, the erratic behavior of the GOP VP candidate, and the disaster of McCain’s campaign suspension have all worked to Obama’s favor. As the polls show, his lead continues to climb even in states that were not considered to be in play.

So what’s left in the GOP arsenal? I agree with what most of the pundits have been observing on the Sunday shows – McCain’s next surge is to go negative. Deeply negative, and to try to question the integrity of the opposing candidate, and bring up an onslaught of accusations (true or not) of associations, records, etc, in the hopes to muddying the conversation just enough that the public will be too scared to vote for Obama.

The efficacy of this tactic (not to be confused with a strategy, apologies to McCain) will soon be evident. The fact that McCain even has this as an option does speak to the Obama campaign’s continuing challenge of convincing skeptical voters that he is truly like them. Part of it is this country’s obsession with personality politics, and how mediocrity in our leaders is celebrated over intelligence as seen by Palin’s popularity and her Joe-six-pack tag lines.

A storm is coming. McCain has nothing to lose, and in these 30 days to the election, McCain will unleash a flurry of negativity unlike anything we have seen. It is almost certain they will take the low road in the upcoming weeks because it seems to be the only thing that makes traction against Obama. The lipsticked pit bull has already begun, trying to re-link Obama with former domestic terrorists and corrupt local Chicago politicians. Most of these accusations were debunked during the primaries, but can still do reputation damage among voters in crucial states. The Democrats must be prepared to not only weather this storm but come up with a real plan to neutralize it so that voters focus on the issues which McCain has not be able to dominate in – the economy, health care, education and alternative energy.

For a defense strategy that I believe will work, Obama has but to look toward a movie released in 2002 set in Michigan, the state Obama just recently forced McCain to concede. 8 Mile is a movie about working class youth in Detroit struggling to make it and still pursue their dreams. The main character participates in “rap debates” where he matches wits vs. area hip hop hopefuls in front of live crowds, not too dissimilar to the presidential version in that style often trumps substance, the candidates play to crowds, and the battle often gets extremely personal. In the final match, the main character walks onto the stage knowing that the opposing team will surface some potentially damaging events in his life that might sway the crowd in their direction. Rather than allow them to control the tone, he preempts everything that might be said against him, leaving nothing for the opposing party to address. His final line challenges his speechless opponent to trump his own words saying, “ Here, tell these people something they don’t know about me.”

If you can ignore the more vulgar parts of the performance, the brilliance of preempting the opposing side's arguments is the best way for Obama to protect himself and at the same time go on the offensive. He needs to walk into the debates next week, and while on the stump, telling the crowd what McCain is going to do and let them know the desperation from which these tactics come. Additionally, he needs to keep on message and not seem to be reactive, and finally, he needs to not constrain himself by “the rules.” In the movie, the main character runs out of time and the music is shut off, but continues his turn acappella. If in the coming debates McCain starts to attack trying to squeeze in accusations, wether Obama's turn is over or not, Obama needs to respond and respond strongly. If he does this, McCain will have nowhere to go, and his attacks will seem petty and juvenile. The politics of fear have no place in this election, and if handled correctly, Obama can cause McCain's tactics to backfire on him.

How the widower won vs. the Wasilla winker

2008-10-03T07:04:00.000-07:00

I’ll make one brief comment on last night’s debate, as most people will be up to their moose antlers in punditry.

Last night one could argue over which candidate best met or beat expectations, saved or hurt their party etc. The spin doctors will earn their money in that respect, though I’m confident the public will make up their own mind after a day or two digesting what they saw.

What I took from the debate was simply this – Joe Biden produced the most personal moment of the entire campaign, of all the candidates, including the primaries.

This moment came after Palin recited her “mantra of the hockey mom,” and made the case that her way of life and her experiences raising a family was a reflection of this country in a way her opponent could not measure.

And in a split second, Biden neutralized that argument and the whole Palin-six-pack mystique, in an unscripted moment that cut Palin’s target audience from under her – women.

The hurt on his face was obvious as he said he doesn’t understand how just because he is a man doesn’t mean he doesn’t understand the hardship of parenting and loss. And the pause to compose himself, the flood of emotion which you could see welling up in his face, and the half sentence he spoke of his hardship after the loss of his wife and child, connected with America in a way Palin’s cutesy antics and rehearsed tag lines never could.

“Look, I understand what it's like to be a single parent. When my wife and daughter died and my two sons were gravely injured, I understand what it's like as a parent to wonder what it's like if your kid's going to make it.

I understand what it's like to sit around the kitchen table with a father who says, "I've got to leave, champ, because there's no jobs here. I got to head down to Wilmington. And when we get enough money, honey, we'll bring you down."

I understand what it's like. I'm much better off than almost all Americans now. I get a good salary with the United States Senate. I live in a beautiful house that's my total investment that I have. So I -- I am much better off now.

But the notion that somehow, because I'm a man, I don't know what it's like to raise two kids alone, I don't know what it's like to have a child you're not sure is going to -- is going to make it -- I understand.

I understand, as well as, with all due respect, the governor or anybody else, what it's like for those people sitting around that kitchen table. And guess what? They're looking for help. They're looking for help. They're not looking for more of the same.”

Add to that Palin’s lack of a humane response of any kind, as she continued down her cheat sheet of talking points, and America finally saw Palin for what she was at that moment – a caricature, concocted by a desperate campaign of a dying party.

Of the two images on stage, despite the wonky catch phrases and the “shout outs” to her crew back in the hood, it was Joe who truly “kept it real.” Up until now he’s been overshadowed by the new kid on the block, but after last night, I believe voters, and women in particular, will be curious to know more about his story, and finally understand his remarkable love for family and for the ideals supposedly trademarked by red-state Americans. For independents who want to vote for change but don’t want to be lopped into the “elitist” camp, this is what they needed to come on board.

On a personal note, as a father and husband, I am glad that Joe allowed the world to see that side of him. Too often men of power feel that letting people see their devotion to their families is a sign of weakness. Joe showed America that a Dad in the Senate is just as much a parent as any hockey mom. And with that, McCain has lost the Palin advantage.

McCain’s Quagmire – His war with the media.

2008-09-20T19:02:00.000-07:00

Despite all the speeches and promises, most voters have very little to go on in terms of predicting the type of president the nominees might be. However, their relationship with the public, and the media in particular, can reveal telling methodologies and personality traits that have a high probability of translating to the oval office. After all, most of what the public sees of the POTUS is what the media captures and delivers to our homes and computer screens. The free press as is an integral part of the democratic system. This is the same press that McCain has dec ided to wage war against. Below are a few reasons why he is losing this war.

Going to war for the wrong reasons:

McCain’s declaration of war with the media was an attempt to connect to “everyday” people at home. McCain could have doubled up his interviews, gotten people to see his “softer side,” or even done more work to appear more approachable. Instead, he decided he needed a war because in his opinion the best defense is offense.

Lack of diplomacy or restraint:

A lack of diplomacy got McCain to this position in the first place, but rather than “talk to the enemy,” McCain (and his VP choice) decided to use cowboy diplomacy filled with bravado and spite. The RNC’s main theme was “Bring it on!” to the media, a rally for the crusade of the conservative right. The overall message: “If you aren’t with us, you are against us – U-S-A!” Rather than inspire fear in the enemy, he rallied them, as indicated by the mone y raised for Obama that very week.

No understanding of the enemy:

McCain’s war focuses on the networks and the editors of the major newspapers. What he doesn’t understand is that the definition of media has completely changed over the last decade. The people are getting their information from both 24 hour cable news shows to Comedy Central’s “The D aily Show” and “The Colbert Report.”

Even the radio waves are no longer a safe heaven, as Talk Radio programs like Air America are increasingly popular with the disaffected public.

Perhaps more importantly, he has underestimated the power of the blogsphere and of social networking. McCain was not prepared for the onslaught from the underground online masses. Never in history has the common person had the ability to easily express individual beliefs and information and share them with thousands of people instantly. When people like Perez Hilton can become political commentators, McCain’s enemy is no longer clearly defined. The enemy becomes endless, faceless and ever growing.

A weak coalition:

McCains best allies in this war are those who most hurt him. When his top economic adviser Phil Graham calls people struggling in this economy a n ation of whiners, Carly Fiorina says he and his running mate aren’t qualified to run a public company, when a spokesman insists McCain invented the Canadian-made Blackberry, when Karl Rove criticizes the “truthiness” of McCain commercials, when his own VP candidate places herself on the top of the ticket, it shows the lack of cohesiveness of his own coalition.

No Exit plan:

Perhaps the greatest shortcoming of McCain’s war is he has no strategy for peace. He needs the media and he knows it. Without them, McCain must spend his money promoting his own message via commercial channels, which will cost him much more than the 85 Million he has in his campaign to use. This is probably why the Campaign is looking to test to limits of fundrais ing under the rule limits. Should he win, he will need the media to recapture the hearts and minds of half of America, and have at least the semblance of a honeymoon period in the White House.

Instead, McCain accuses commentators (wrongfully) of being Obama supporters, shows visible testiness on air, and even limits their access to his VP, only allowing interviews at their discretion and when Palin is practiced in her talking points.

This is no way to plan for an end to his war. The last thing McCain needs is to delve into a perpetual battle with the Media, or whatever gains he achieves, even that includes the White House, will be short lived at best.

Best hope – a surge.

His only chance at winning this war is with the surge he gained by picking the moose hunting hockey mom who calls herself various types of aggressive animals. The Surge, at first glance seemed to be working. His polls went up, his based was energized, and for a while, he seemed to have an upper hand. But he has squandered this surge with lies and questionable tactics.

McCain is looking for another surge, a way to keep the media on defense so he can push his agenda through. He tried with the “lipsticked pig” controversy, which backfired. McCain’s best chance to victory is to claim victim and get his people to be angry at supposed unfair accusations. His strategy is to pick a fight, a reason to be angry because he hopes it produces the attention he needs.

His war continues to expand:

McCain is now expanding his war from the media to wall street, first by calling for resignations of the SEC chair (of which he has no jurisdiction), than trying to connect his opponents any way he can to the fall out. People have begun to see the pattern emerging – rather than find a solution to a problem, McCain looks for an enemy to destroy.

There can be no victory without the people:

Eventually, McCain will need to end his campaign against the media, in victory or defeat, he will move on. While he is busy battling the media, the people continue to struggle. As was evident this week, he can distract people with his surges for some time, but the reality on the ground will keep taking forefront.

By continuing to fight, he risks not only his chance at the presidency but his legacy. McCain risks being seen not as a maverick but as a marauder, and may very well go down in history as a man who, in order to win an election, lead himself into his own personal quagmire.

On The Wall Street Meltdown

2008-09-17T20:23:00.001-07:00

In 2006, around the middle of November, I was working at a one of the largest brokerage houses on Wall Street, which shall remain, for this exercise, nameless. I had been working there for close to 8 years in various functions, the latest of which was as a junior middle market institutional sales guy.

I was at a party for my friend’s birthday, and at that party after a few drinks, we were talking about what normal Latino educated “elitists” talk about after a few drinks – politics and the economy. During that conversation I said to my friends “CDOs. That is going to bring this market down.”

To be sure I knew very little of what I was talking about at the time. CDOs were all the rage, and at my firms, they were THE premier product to sell, due to it’s high margin and apparent ability to return high yield with little risk. My friends asked me why, and I didn’t have a real answer, but I did say – “No one knows what these things are. But they are being sold like hotcakes. Clients have no clue, the banks don’t really have a clue, but as my boss made it clear to my team, “if you aren’t selling structured product, you ain’t sellin’”

It wasn’t till a year later, after I had left my firm and had attended that year’s version of the same event, did one of my friends bring up my apparent premonition. Now, I am no Miss Cleo, so this isn’t about that conversation. But this is about the last two years and how this crisis was waiting to happen.

There are going to be a lot of smart people, economists, politicians (except the ones running for president apparently) who will dissect this event and attribute it to a lot of causes. Regulation or deregulation, greed, the housing crisis, lax credit, etc. I will let them battle that out because most of this is “above my pay grade.”

There isn’t much I can say in terms of specifics of my experience during my last years in Wall Street, mostly because I’m sure I signed something that limits what I can say. But I will say that in general, the banks were ravenously competitive and struggling to maintain quarter over quarter and year of year growth, while the fees they could charge for most of their basic products, selling equities, bonds, mutual funds, etc, were in a perpetual free fall. Sell side research was, to put it mildly, difficult to value, and more clients could transact for next to nothing with online or prime brokers. In order to stay competitive and in the black, brokerages across wall street became more and more dependent on selling exotic securities, structured products like CDOs, credit swaps, etc, because they were high margin products (meaning lots of hidden fees) and couldn’t be bought and sold in the general market.

In a seemingly separate observation, Wall Street is generally known for its high turnover, but post millennium, that turnover became the standard. Entire sales/trading teams from other firms were poached along with their client lists, and restructuring of middle management seemed a constant. Loyalty to firm seemed a useless value, as most senior management came from other firms. There was a general joke that it was easier to move out than up, and I was given advice multiple times that if I wanted a significant pay raise at my firm, I’d be wise to leave, spend some time at a competitor, and than come back.

Another thing to mention was the business unit structure. For many at large brokerage firms, competition was heaviest not with other firms, but with other desks within their own team. To drive margin, P&L (profits and losses) were measured on a desk-by-desk, day-by-day, team-by-team basis. Any business coming from clients where credited to the desk. This often caused units to fight over clients especially when firms began to silo teams by product group rather than client. In my opinion, this produced a situation where short term wins and profitability overshadowed long term risk of a product or the market. It was about that day’s wins, and that team’s revenue. Not much else mattered.

To me, the combination of a virtually illiquid product understood by too few, sold by people with little institutional memory, who’s goals were about short term profitability over long term risk, spelled trouble. I think that was what drove me to start thinking that the future looked bleak.

A year later, the mortgage crisis is in full swing, and it was a matter of time before the underlying components of most of the structured products started to unravel. Most of the firms who did well selling these products did so in part by saying to clients they would always make a market in a security. Which usually implies (though not overtly due to regulation) “if you need to sell it, we’ll buy it back.” No one intended to actually HAVE to make a market during a crisis on everything they had previous sold to customers. But lo and behold, that happened. The structured desk who had produced superstars where now dragging the profitability of the entire firm, and with the amount of product that was in the market, it was a matter of time before these banks were crushed under the weight of their own making.

How this will play out is anyone’s guess. If I had to make a guess, stand-alone brokerages will be a thing of the past, gobbled up by mega banks and if they are lucky, able to function as subsidiaries. But for me, this is very personal. I had drinks with a former colleague in a crowded bar filled with distressed looking suits. She told me how international clients were frantically removing all their exposure to US counterparts. She wondered if her function would survive in this post merger world, just as she was preparing to plan for children. A cousin who now lives in Miami told me she worked at one of these firms for almost 10 years and the money she set aside in her 401K was now all but gone. Another family member is sure to be unemployed. None of these people are the 335K salaried Wall Street royalty the newspapers like to portray. While that number may be the average salary, just like in the US, that number is heavily skewed by a decimal-percentage of people at the top, with the vast majority of people making much, much less a year.

Where do we go from here? We will see, however, I find it interesting how in a crisis many of the Wall Street leadership begs for government intervention, while they vote and lobby for Republican ideals of deregulation and tax breaks. It’s like the atheist who, now on a raft in the middle of the ocean surrounded by sharks, decides he had better begin to pray.

Those who vote with the conservative right talk about how they don’t want their tax dollars to pay for other people’s health care, yet here our tax dollars are paying hundreds of billions of dollars to bail out firms who’s demise was caused by their own risk/reward miscalculations.

Despite all this, no party can claim that they have a full grasp of these events or their ramifications. This is a tragic event on all accounts, as one of the pillars of America's service based economy is in the middle of a very public unravel. We are truly in a precarious position when one of the foundations of our global strength can no longer hold its own.

Obama's Brass?

2008-09-09T21:00:00.001-07:00

In March, during the primaries, I wrote: “So it’s a good thing to see that Obama's got some teeth as well. And I think the masses need to see that as a good thing as well, and not be all dejected and "oh my god, Clinton ruined the race ‘cause now Obama's got to be negative..." Pllleeeaaaasssseeee.”

In that note, I was commending Obama for showing some teeth and fighting back on some of the things the Clinton’s were doing during the campaign. At the time I supported Hillary, mostly because I thought she was the better fighter. I called her a “Mongoose” ready to take on the snakes of the Republican Party.

Obama of course won that contest and like I promised, I am supporting him 110%. I’ve donated, I’ve signed up to make calls and even travel to a battle ground state, as long as the state is Florida ;-).

But now with the nomination behind him, Obama seems to have sort of chilled out – And with McPalin gaining steam I ask again – Obama, let’s see some teeth man!

One of my favorite movies is Glengarry Glen Ross, and in particular, the monolog by Alec Baldwin as Blake, the superstar salesman who opens up the movie with sound advice to the main characters.

“You want to know what it takes to sell real estate? It takes BRASS BALLS to sell real estate.”

So it does to become the POTUS, and go toe to toe with the Rove machine. Nobody campaigns like the Republicans. Their whole mantra is play to the crowd, keep it simple, and attack, attack, attack. This is not a “ten paces turn and shoot gentlemen’s duel he’s having. This is backyard UFC type of stuff, complete with folding chairs and ladders, meaning quite frankly, there ‘aint no rules.

The Clintons know this very well and have the scars to prove it. They are after all, the only team since 1992 that’s beaten the GOP machine. Obama can do well to learn some tricks. Perhaps that will be the subject of discussion during his lunch with Bill on Thursday.

Obama’s got some spunk when he wants to show it. Coincidentally enough, he used the lipsticked pig reference (are you reading my blog, sir?) just today, which brought the Republicans to an uproar. That’s what I’m talking about. Make ‘em mad, because when they are mad, they make mistakes. For example, as they try to twist the pig reference to claim victim, the only thing they do is show their own hypocrisy and penchant for whining.

We need more. We need to see some podium pounding, brow wrinkling declarations like “We will not let the Republican’s trick us again!” “McCain and Palin are two sides of George Bush!” “Palin is a liar and a cheat!” Obama needs to release his own pit bulls from their pens and on the talk shows including “Fox” to raise the necessary objections. He can’t rely on Keith Oberman to do all the work – I love that big guy, but he’s starting to sound silly.

Also, Obamaniacs everywhere (myself included) need to see energy and emotion coming from Obama/Biden. They don’t need to see thoughtful and civil responses on the Sunday talk shows. We need some “bring it, busters!” to get people fired up and motivated. He can’t laugh this off as I’ve seen him do when a talking head describes to him the latest junk from the GOP. The dismissive laughter at the crazy McPalin tactics can come across as condescending, which is an arrow in the wrong quiver. He needs to take them to task.

Start with Obama’s stump. He needs to get the energy up during the attacks because that’s what makes the news. He needs to defend his policy on the war with a backdrop of veterans. He needs to challenge McPalin to come up with actual details of their tax plan. Most of all, he needs to remind everyone that McPalin is anti-choice, anti gay and anti-environment every chance he and his crew get. As for the interviews, he needs to show that he’s upset at the smears, and it’s got to stop.

In the very near future, Obama needs to step it up a notch. People are looking for him to show that he’s got “the brass” to get the job done.

Putting Lipstick on the Pig

2008-09-08T17:28:00.000-07:00

Before my current job, I spent close to 10 years at a major brokerage house on Wall Street. My early years were during the dot.com bubble and the subsequent fall out.

Around 2002, there was a commercial that hit the airwaves that alluded to unethical practices by many of the top brokerage firms during the IPO craze, selling companies with little or no fundamentals in order to fill the ravenous need by investors to catch the next internet superstar.

The commercial was by direct online broker Schwab and it focused on a room full of brokers preparing for the next selling campaign. In it they admit the lack of fundamentals of the subject of their sale, but are more motivated by selling incentives etc. The rallying cry to the "pretend" sales force was “Let’s put some lipstick on this pig!” and it became an instant classic. Publically, brokerages were outraged at what the commercial did to ridicule investment professionals and how it eroded investor trust. Privately the line became the inside joke of almost every campaign in the foreseeable future. You know when I started hearing that joke again used regularly? When CDOs became the product du jour. I kid you not.

Palin’s “Pitbull vs. Hockey Mom” brought back memories of this line, as it should have any person who was on or dealt with Wall Street during the turn of the century. I wondered how quickly the comparison would come up. But it didn’t. Strange. It seemed so very obvious – animals with lipstick? Com’on guys…nobody? Not even the great John Stuart? Wow.

The media is still licking it's wounds from the "pitbull's" attacks and her handler's accusations. They are being overly careful with their comparison so as not to appear sexist or unfair, even if that means not stating the obvious.

Thank goodness for bloggers, eh? Before I go on, for P.C.'s sake, let me state early on that this is not about Palin the woman. This is about the McCain/Palin the ticket, and the new “Maverick” mantra. Is this newly re jiggered campaign of McCain/Palin simply more lipstick on the pig of a campaign being run by the Republicans? From what I can gather, nothing has changed. Why has the campaign gotten such a bump? "Service" was boring and "Country First" was pretty dull, but the "Maverick" team? Now there is some smart marketing. Change the packaging to sell the product that didn’t sell before – the essence of the "lipsticked pig."

Even the new team seems like more of the old team. The Vice Presidential nominee is a former governor with no national or international experience, who comes from oil country, is a disciple of the Christian conservative right and has a great smirk and “awe shucks” demeanor. Doesn’t this sound a lot like George W circa 2000? What’s the difference here? Lipstick?

And the platform – has that changed at all? There seems to be no change of policy concerning Iraq, taxes, choice, immigration, healthcare or the economy, other than maybe to go more towards the right. This is the same platform that this country is now trying to dig itself out from. How has this escaped the minds of so many people who are now so eager to support the people in power who are responsible for the last 8 years?

But just like during the tech bubble, most people are not paying attention to fundamentals. The fault of the overexuberance of the internet bubble lies with both the stock peddlers as well as the greed of the individual investor. I remember brokers telling me that despite clients having a low risk tolerance assessment when opening accounts, if their portfolios didn’t perform in the double digits, the clients would transfer their money to brokers who promised he/she would. It was impossible to convince clients that fundamentals were more important than comparing returns at the country club.

Republicans are good history students. That, and they expect very little of people. They believe, rather, they are relying on the belief that people don’t listen to fundamentals, that they would rather “feel connected” to a candidate than pay attention to policy. Based on the recent bump in poll numbers - could they be right?

Before the convention, McCain was the keeper of a lonely and unwanted pig. Now with this new, lipsticked GOP ticket, it seems the Republicans have gotten more people to ignore the smell.

How Not to be an "Elitist"

2008-09-04T18:54:00.000-07:00

I’ve learned something very valuable from the RNC these last few days. For many years, I never truly knew what an elitist was. Thank you RNC for clearing it up for me. I don’t want to be an “elitist,” so by watching your convention and what you define as elitists, I’ve written the following steps to avoid for myself and others like me.

Don’t come from a major metropolitan area
Don’t work for NBC, CNN, the BBC or any other media network except FOX News
Don’t loose your regional accent
Be educated, but not too educated. One degree’s enough for you
Don’t show you’re well read unless you can do so in a regional accent
If you volunteer for something, it has to be connected to something that directly benefits you and/or your family. Helping strangers is verbotem
Speaking of foreigners, don’t know any foreign languages. Speak American, because you are in America. And don’t let any foreigners think you are cool, especially the French or Germans.
Don’t write a book, or if you write one, don’t get rich off it.
Marry up. If not, she had better be a teacher, nurse, or some other expected profession, and not someone you met at your haughty-taughty job
Make sure you have sons, and that they go to the military. Otherwise, what’s the point
Don’t be seen with other successful friends that look like you if you don’t look like the rest of America. One “elitist” is enough for any picture thank you very much
Don’t mention you can understand someone else’s point of view. Fair discussions are for elitists
Never change your mind even when you change your mind
Don’t move up too quickly from your born economic status. If you do so within your own lifetime you are an elitist
Don't give pretty speeches. Unless you are attacking someone.
Most of all, have a gun. Be sure you have pictures with dead animals.

I hope I can do these rules justice in order to gain your "good opinion."

;-)

Sorry guys, I couldn't resist...

On Palin and the Real Republicans

2008-09-04T07:29:00.000-07:00

We have much to thank Governor Sarah Palin for this morning. What we have seen is the soul of the Republican Party. Her speech, riddled with ridicule, sarcasm, condescension and spite (and they have the nerve to call us the “angry left”?) has let the cat out of the bag in terms of what is hiding behind McCain’s party.

The ultimate wolf in sheep’s clothing, Palin’s “awe shucks” accent and diminutive stature did little to hide the ferocity of her demeanor. For the unbelievably homogenous crowd at the RNC, her speech was the proverbial “red meat” they desired. That meat was bloody Alaskan game, and the frenzy it produced was worthy of a discovery channel shark week special.

But the rest of us have something to thank her for as well. Because for some time, the Republican Party (the REAL Republican Party) had been uncharacteristically and reluctantly hiding behind the not so extremist views of their standard bearer McCain. For the most part, it was difficult to argue that McCain was a typical Republican, because he isn’t. It’s the reason he was getting luke warm support from his own party. Over the last few years, he’s been paddling his way back to the right-wing to get their support, and Palin is that guiding light to their shore.

Her personal family issues aside, Palin should scare this country out of its complacency in this election. Palin is a Buchannan disciple, and she has brought the culture war back into this race. She will try to bring back the old favorites to wrestle away the discourse from change – Democrats will raise your taxes, take away your guns, steal children from your wombs and have gays getting married in your living rooms. She attacked Obama with the glee of a high school cheer leading captain berating the chess club kid, favoring style over substance and going for crowd reaction over reality. The fact that she pounded on Obama so hard on being a “mere” community organizer in his 20’s (while she was doing what, PTA?) shows the callousness she and her party have of the efforts of others to help the very same people they try to say they identify with.

This is the Republican Party we’ve come to know and hate. To start, it reminds us of the hypocrisy of their cultural snobbery – the reason Palin’s daughter is of such interest to the media is not because they want to attack her kids, but because her pregnancy is such a glaring antithesis of Palin’s “abstinence only” stance of sexual education. It reminds me of Marcia Cross’s character in "Desperate housewives," who’s culturally conservative rigidity forced her to banish her gay son and "fake" a pregnancy to cover for her teenage daughter. I am not saying Palin did the same, but it shows how ironic and uncontrollable life can be to those who wish to control life so much.

The other reason Palin best reflects the Real Republicans, is because of their ability to confuse the debate with their cultural demagoguery so that voters will vote against their economic and social best interests in order to adhere to the fundamentalist code of right wing morality. They laud “service” as if no other party has ever served or died for this country. They shout “USA! USA!” not out of pride, but out of defiance, both to the world and to those who disagree with their beliefs, hijacking patriotism to conform to their limited view of what it means to be an American. They belittle the masses of people who are suffering under their watch and try to equate change in leadership with some type of apocalyptic scenario where people no longer “know their place” and “the good people of America” will be overrun. They are the first to wrap themselves in the flag as if the appropriation of those colors shields them from criticism or debate. They do the same with the military, hiding behind “supporting our troops” to assail those who would criticize them for placing these troops in harms way.

Best reflecting what is behind the horned-rimmed glasses are the speakers who warmed up the crowd, Huckabee, Romney, and my favorite hypocrite and political opportunist – Rudy Giuliani. Along with Palin, they now constitute the four horse men of the Republicans leading this new charge.

The problem is that many will not see past the mommy machine and the cute kids to what lies underneath. A work colleague of mind who I don’t consider overly conservative said his wife cried during her speech because she could relate to her as a mom. What? Being a mom is universal and all parties have them. The Nazis had moms. The fact that the Republicans flaunt this part of Palin but protect her from criticism by pulling the sexism card is typical hypocrisy, but may work in their favor. The media is scared and doesn’t know how to proceed, a position they were bullied into by the cadres of conservatives who last night openly mocked the only thing in this country that continues to keep the powerful in check in both parties. It is because of the press that the Republicans struggle, not because of bias, but because they shed light on the scandals, cronyism and ineptitude that came to characterize this administration and era of Republican leadership.

The challenge for the Democrats is that they must realize they no longer fight for the presidency but for the soul of this country. This is a tougher fight then they can imagine, one the Clintons (I feel) had anticipated all along. Now that Obama is the leader, those who support him need to show their true worth by not loosing focus and maintaining the energy and drive that brought him this far. Those who support Hillary must join the fray as equals, because they can best combat the Republican’s anti-intellectual, anti-media war. Hillary needs to join the fray – Obama needs her more than ever or he WILL lose Middle America. Biden will do his part no doubt, but Hillary is best suited to battle Palin for the hearts of the “working class,” (AKA "White folks").

As far as McCain is concerned, he has in essence, made himself irrelevant with his “maverick pick.” His party is no longer thinking of 2008, but of 2012, when they can promote their star cheer leader to the top spot. They can now truly ignore him (poor man) and focus on their moose hunter. Palin is the true reflection of their party, and we want to thank her for reminding us.

To Watch or Not To Watch

2008-08-06T19:38:00.000-07:00

For a few weeks now, I've been writing for a site http://www.thefatherlife.com. It's a site written by and for dads.

Lately I've been writing movie reviews for them. Here is my latest on WALL-E and the new MUMMY movie. I feel lucky because most of what I've written for them has made the cover of the site. This time the editor of the site referenced my review in his own note.

I created a rating system for the movies I review that's a bit different than what's out there. Besides the typical 4 star rating, I give it a WORTH IT! or WASTED! rating.

Here's the criteria:

The rating system is for dads who need to know one thing- Is this movie WORTH IT to:

* Pack up the kids, bags, etc and trek to the theater - or
* Find a babysitter so Dad can have a date night - or
* Cash in brownie points with the Mrs. so he can go with his buddies

If it doesn’t fit these simple criteria, the movie gets the WASTED rating, which means - don’t waste the precious time you have, wait for video/cable when you can squeeze it between chores, work and sleep.

I thought that would be pretty unique for a site focusing on fatherhood, because for many parents, it doesn't matter as much if the movie is good or not, but is it worth the time and or/energy to actually go?

Single/childless people may not understand what that means, but when you have to worry about babysitting, make sure the kids are fed, changed and clothed before you leave, making sure the cell is charged in case there's an emergency, that you have the cash to pay the babysitter and/or are willing to return the favor to the person giving you the free night pass, a night out becomes a very conscious and purposeful decision. On the flip side, if you decide to take the kids with you, a whole other series of complications arise - is the theater kid friendly, do the bags have diapers/wipes/juice boxes? What if the kid freaks out at the movie? How close are the bathrooms? Do we eat before or after the movie?

For some parents, no movie is worth all this effort or worry, at least not for the first couple of years. My brother in law for example, once "marveled" at how his sister and I can still go out at all because they haven't seen a movie in two years...You can imagine my facial expression when I heard that.

Babies do change everything. However, a baby need not make you a prisoner in your own home. For one's own mental health and the health of the relationship, parents NEED to find time to simply go out - both together and separate from each other.

Movies may not be the escape of choice - it could be dinners, pick up games in the park, or even a spa visit for a message. Couples need to support each other by taking turns taking care of the kids so the other person can have some "alone time" and more importantly, work hard to find time together.

The challenge is finding something that is worth the time it takes to responsibly make the decision to go. Hence my new rating. It's an awful feeling for a parent to go through all that effort to try and enjoy something as an adult, and realize you've wasted your time because the movie/play/restaurant was either bad, just OK, or could have easily been replaced by something you could have done at home.

Still, the effort needs to be made, and hopefully my reviews and my WORTH IT/WASTED ratings will help some dads decide how to spend the few moments they have to enjoy something for themselves.

Wesleyan Does it Again...

2008-07-31T11:11:00.000-07:00

Man, I have to say, I am so proud of my alma mater!

Today's big political headline is over a federal judges ruling that White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten and former legal counsel, Harriet Miers can in fact be subpoenaed before congress to testify about the politicization of hirings and firings within the justice department.

For those not in the know, this scandal is pretty huge despite the little media coverage, as it implies our own Department of Justice were actively descriminating in their hirings and firings of US Attorneys based on political views and connections, with the intention of influencing investigations in key battleground states in order to favor Republican candidates. It lead to the shameful resignation of this country's first Latino US Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez, and a constitutional battle between the executive and legistlative branches of our federal government.

If true, this could be a bigger scandal than Nixon's Watergate. It is no surprise then, that the Bush-led Whitehouse has tried to block any and all investigations into this event, claiming "executive priviledge" so that the president's aides don't have to testify under oath.

As a passive observer, one might say - wow! How in the world are they getting away with this? Doesn't this fly in the face of the freedom and democracy we claim to protect? How would the US ever recover as the moral leader of the world if this were indeed true, and who has to power to make sure we get to the bottom of it?

It seems that person is U.S. District Judge John Bates. Who, if you read his bio, is a Wesleyan University grad ('68). That's right, folks. Wes grads are everywhere, as recently observed by my boss where I work. And they are indeed making the world a better place. If you want to know a bit about his decision and it's impact, check out analysis from another Wes grad, David Lindoff who knows much more about this than me.

I just thought I'd bring this up because while Wesleyan often shines with it's famous entertainers and athletes in a celeb obsessed world, it's cool to give "props" to a different kind of influential alumnus who is making a difference. Way to go Judge Bates.

Optimum's Triple Play and the Sneakiness of Advance Billing

2008-07-29T09:23:00.000-07:00

Just a warning to all those who like me, thought they were getting a good deal with Optimum Online's Triple Play voice, Internet and cable plan.

The deal is as short as the 7th inning stretch, and will cost you a lot more once your 12 months is up. But more than that is a questionable billing technique that had me reeling at the end of the call. - Advance billing.

The plan starts out as described, 29.95 for each service, plus all taxes, fees, surcharges etc...add premium services and it ranges from $112 to about $125 a month. Still not bad math wise if one would pay for it separately.

Then the "deal" ended. My next bill was for $245. WHAT?

I called Optimum and their service center rep sounded like she was at a crisis hot line. She knew what was coming.

"Now that the promotion is over, you are being billed a month in advance for your service."

"What? Why?"

"That's how we bill."

"Wait a minute. I was a client of Optimum before the promotion, I joined your promotion for 12 months, and NOW you are deciding to send me a bill for 2 months for me to prepay? That's not fair."

"I understand sir. That is our billing practice. Were you to cancel your service, we would credit you back any unused portion of your bill."

Now my Wall Street/Bronx Boy monster kicked in.

"And what are you doing with that cash in the meantime? Do I get interest on that money"

"N0."

"So you are saying that I'm to give you $140 in advance of any services rendered, you are going to sit on that money until I cancel, and then simply "credit" it back to me, without any interest? I know you guys are getting interest on that money - what are you doing with it? What happens if the prices change? Do you understand that doubling a bill on someone without warning is not good customer service?

"the prepayment was indicated in your .....(blah blah read fine print told ya so blah blah)"

I stopped listening.

"I'm going to have to make some decisions here. I can understand the prices going up at the end of this promotion, but if I've spent a year paying for services rendered, then all of a sudden I am being billed a month in advance for services not yet provided, this is dramatic shift and I don't think I want to do this."

"That's for you to decide sir."

And decide I will.

The iPhone Swap

2008-07-24T14:12:00.000-07:00

So an interesting development, I've come to be witness in the world of Apple iPhone. 2G iPhone owners are doing an cost-less "swap" into the 3G phone, selling their 2G devices overseas, making up the cost of their new phones. In a surprising trend, 3 of my work colleagues who were 2G owners sold their phones - 2 via eBay, 1 via Craigslist Europe, for about $300 USD + postage. That money more than makes up for the cost of upgrading to the 3G version. One of my colleagues actually got $400 USD for a second iPhone, which was kept in very good condition.

Surprisingly, the $300 USD sales were completed within a few hours, the $400 USD sale within 24 hours of posting, and the money was sent lightening fast from Germany, Miami and Texas. I suspect that the buyers were moving the 2G phone's abroad, where the 3G version is less used and the 2G versions can be overridden to work with other international cell phone providers. I also suspect that the $300 price is a bit low as it looks like whoever is gobbling up the phones so quickly is probably also making a bit of margin.

So for those who bought the 2G phone and are looking for way to get the new version - this looks like a cost-less swap for upgrade. Good Luck.

Why "West Side" revival is not a good "Story".

2008-07-22T14:05:00.000-07:00

I was very surprised by my initial reaction to the recent NYT article “Jets? Yes! Sharks? ¡Sí! in Bilingual ‘West Side’ “ To describe it quickly, I responded to my friend who forwarded it to me – “Oh No. This is awful...”

I felt this knot in my gut. Not unlike that cringing sensation I got a few months back when a relative of mine made a very "conservative" and slightly racist statement while dining with me and my liberal-leaning friends.

I would suspect that many people would wonder why I reacted that way. After all, “West Side Story” is a classic! A masterpiece of music and dance, extremely successful and has stood the test of time. It is part of the musical canon studied by artists across America. I myself sang “Something’s Coming” as a solo for my high school graduation. What gives?

Nostalgia aside, there are so many things wrong with the idea of a “West Side Story” revival that may not be obvious to the general person. When I think about what it has done and what it could do again to the image of Latinos, and Puerto Ricans specifically, I all but wish the new production never makes the live stage.

Let me first acknowledge that “West Side Story” introduced to many the actual existence of Puerto Ricans on the American landscape. Before the 1957 Broadway production, most of America didn’t even know what or who Puerto Ricans were. “West Side Story” correctly reflected a phenomenon that would shape the US over the next century– Latino immigration. It also launched the career of Rita Moreno – a record breaking actor who was the first female and Latino to win all four major entertainment awards, a feat very few have accomplished of any nationality. “West Side Story” was indeed groundbreaking for its time in its remake of the Romeo and Juliet story and for its ability to keep audiences singing its score for decades.

Cut 50 years, and now Arthur Laurents wants to bring back the musical, this time with a “grittier” motif and having the actors speak Spanish with each other, apparently during some highly passionate, “bilingual sexual spats” and some translated changes to the songs.

It is obvious to most anyone I know that this revival is in response to the great success of today’s Latino-themed Broadway musical whose title is also derived from a New York neighborhood, “In the Heights.” Less anyone make any further connections between the two shows, let’s be very clear - These two musicals couldn’t be more different from each other. One is a story of battles between “natives” and “new comers” to the US, the other a story of an established community adjusting to gentrification and changing economic times.

“West Side Story” has themes within it that in today’s world are tired and cliché. The images of knife-toting youth, loud and over-sexed women, and dark-skinned aliens on US soil are depictions many modern day Latinos would rather not have revived on stage. These archetypes have shaped and limited the scope of Latino characters in American entertainment for decades. While the love story in it tries to transcend race and culture and speak of tolerance, the songs and supporting scenes have been a thorn in the side of Latinos for years. For example, I know of many Latina women named Maria who have had to endure listening to men crone “Maria…I met a girl named…Maria…” when being introduced, even in professional settings like the office and in academia. The song “America” is littered with stereotypes, and while they are uttered by the Puerto Rican characters among themselves, the images they project of life as Latinos create lasting negative impressions on audiences that then shape their biases and interactions. It’s also an inaccurate depiction of the immigrant experience – very few Puerto Ricans, or other immigrants, despite economic hardship or any other reason for immigrating to the US, would ever describe their birth country as “You ugly island . . . Island of tropic diseases.” “West Side Story” did for Latinos what mob movies did for Italians. While creating great entertainment, it limited the possibility that certain types of people could be anything other than certain types of characters.

The Spanish translations will not bring credibility or authenticity to the story. The New York Times article mentions that Mr. Laurents went through much effort to consult with Latin American writers from Argentina and Colombia but fail to note that Argentine and Colombian Spanish is distinctly different from the Spanish spoken by Puerto Ricans. This is a weak and poorly researched attempt at authenticity. In the 1950s and 60s, the New York Puerto Rican community were already into its 2nd generation, and it’s those children that are reflected in this musical. For the majority of youth during this period, Spanish was not their first language, it was their parent’s. If anything, Mr. Laurents should be integrating local urban slang for that generation of youth. I had conversations with my parents who grew up in NY during this time and while Spanish was spoken with elders and at home, the language of the street was as English as it is today, minus the horrible accents represented by the non-Latino actors in “Brown-face” who played in both the original Broadway show and its movie adaptations.

Mr. Laurents promises to diversify the cast, but Latino actors playing these roles will do very little to modernize the play unless he does work to change the image of the characters they would play. There is some hint in the article that Mr. Laurent’s intends to equalize the two gangs in the story. However that leads me to my other point. There were gangs in New York in the 50s and 60s. We get it. Do we need to create harsher portrayals of these gangs, adding more violence to “modernize” the story? Doesn’t the musical “Grease” show us that suburbia also had gangs? Do we need grittier, more violent portrayals of the T-Birds, Scorpions and Pink Ladies to make these characters more authentic?

“West Side Story”, while ground breaking in it’s time, needs to allow for more modern musicals like “In the Heights” to take the mantle and help shape a more positive and uplifting image of Latinos in entertainment. Broadway enthusiasts and movie buffs will forever acknowledge the foundation Mr. Laurents and the creators of “West Side Story” laid for future generations to build upon, but unless the characters, songs, and message are entirely rewritten to better fit modern times, I can only see this revival damaging the progress that’s been made to date.

Life is for the Living

2008-07-10T06:29:00.000-07:00

I had a very intense July 4th Weekend. My daughter had her 2nd Birthday which we had at our house and did our best to accomodate about 10 toddlers and their parents as they came to share the event. My mother came from Florida to join us as well. We had a great time and it was great to see my family together and happy.

That same weekend my father passed. He had been bed ridden for some time from a series of strokes, Parkinsons and Alzheimers, and recently was no longer able to take in food. The hospital transfered him to a hospice where they kept him comfortable. I got the 4AM call on the 4th and then waited for details from one of my half sisters as to next steps.

I wasn't very close to my dad. He was the personification of a rolling stone, and was afraid that responsibility would one day catch up with him. He was a satellite figure in my life who would show up from time to time (graduations, weddings, etc) and who never did me any harm in the literal sense. He had correctly assessed that he was not the fathering type, and while that put extra burdens on my mother, I've grown up to accept that decision vs. the alternative.

His illness and death brought together his other children, my half-siblings, all of us adults and with families of our own. During his life we were all isolated from each other and depended on him to bring us together, a task he failed at miserably. We now know that it is up to us to maintain a close relationship with each other, and to bring our children and spouses to know each other and stitch together these seperate pieces of cloth into a patchwork of a family that previously existed in DNA only.

The death of one's father is always traumatic. In my particular case it was surreal, as I share his name and have the greatest physical resemblance of any of my siblings. I had to endure seeing that name on hospital beds and funeral signs and hear it over and over during the prayer ceremonies. I had to look at a face that was in essence an older version of mine lying in bed and then in a coffin, and remind myself that this was indeed a seperate person. I'm sure this experience will have a lasting impact on me, but I feel that psychologically I am in a good place. For some time, I've known and been proud of the fact that while our names and features are similar, I am nothing like my father, and thankfully so.

Life is for the living. I cannot go back and change the past, but I can make sure I am the best father I can be, and I can build a solid relationship with these former strangers who are my siblings. I will do these things not neccesarily to honor my father, but ultimately for myself, and for the next generation of "Guadalupes" growing in this ever complicated world and can use guidance and positive influence in their lives so that they know that responsibility is not something to run from, but to take on with pride and purpose. I hope I can provide some of that guidance.

I am thankful for the life I have and for the people in it. I could not imagine myself without my wife, my daughter, my family or friends. They are what motivate me to keep going. I mean what is life without a child's smile, a loved one's touch, or a friend's voice? To me life is one big series of events, shared with people you care about. I wouldn't miss any of it for the world.

Gabby's Birthday

2008-07-01T13:54:00.000-07:00

Today is my daughter's birthday. She's two. But if you ask her, she'll tell you "FOUR!" and insist on that no matter how much I say two. It's become a game she plays with me. I say: "Gabby how old are you?" "FOUR!" "No Baby, say 'two..'" "FOUR!...giggle."

I guess it's not a big deal, except there I am talking to my daughter who is claiming to be twice her real age. Oh boy. Does it start this soon?

I'm reading a book by Meg Meeker MD," Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters - 10 Secrets Every Father Should Know. " I am now officially freaked out. I have but 18 years to influence this impressionable young creature into becoming a well adjusted, independent and confident young lady. 2 years down, 16 to go. Just how quick is 16 years....Well, I just went to my 10th year college reunion, and I swear I feel like I just graduated.

Good news is, so far so good. She's "wicked smart" and a total music fanatic, a requirement in our house. Today we brought her to look at her new preschool she'll start next week. She loved it and didn't want to leave. She won't be one of those kids who cries a whole lot when daddy drops her off. She'll say bye, turn around, and start commanding the play room.

I can't believe two years ago she was this cherub that I could hold with just my hand and forearm. So much happiness packaged in such a small body, it just grows and grows exponentially every year. I can't imagine what the future holds, but whatever happens, I know that the love will continue to grow.

Happy Birthday to my little Gabriela. I love you.

My Review of The Incredible Hulk

2008-06-17T07:58:00.001-07:00

Here's a review I wrote for http://www.thefatherlife.com/ on the new movie "The Incredible Hulk."

Review: The Incredible Hulk

By: Miguel Guadalupe

June 16, 2008

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5.

Just landing from the highs of their recent release Iron Man, Marvel did not disappoint with The Incredible Hulk. Ed Norton plays the cursed Bruce Banner, whose initial oversight in basic scientific safety precautions condemned him to a life on the run and made him afraid of his own blood pressure. Similar to his role in Fight Club, Ed's character is in essence two – one mild mannered, one extremely dangerous. The difference of course, is that the Hulk is a physical incarnation of Banner's animalistic id, as opposed to simply a schizophrenic break.

Anger Management might have been the other title of this movie, as the theme repeats itself consistently, from Banner's clumsy Portuguese warning in Brazil ("You won't like me if I'm hungry..."), to Banner and Betty Ross's ride in a New York taxi. The reflection of the very different people we become when we are angry will make anyone question themselves the next time they are tempted to yell at the slow car in the passing lane.

As with Marvel's previous hit Iron Man, the supporting cast of characters are a small galaxy of stars, with Liv Tyler as Elizabeth (Betty) Ross, who is the only thing or person that can calm the beast in Banner, William Hurt as General Ross, the overprotective father who's ability to unleash the resources of the US Army makes for one very dangerous family feud, and Tim Roth as Emil Blonsky, an aging elite soldier who wants a bit more than to simply turn back the clock on his physical self.

Interesting plants for classic Marvel fans that show signs of paying off in the future:

- General Ross refers to "The Super Soldier Serum" developed during the World Wars, and how that was a precursor to his work. This is an obvious reference to Captain America's origins, which we may get the pleasure of knowing more about soon.

- Banner's initially helpful university professor Sam Sterns, AKA Mr. Blue, will become The Hulk's nemesis "Leader," as you saw his cerebellum grotesquely enlarge as he absorbed Banner's blood into an open head wound.

- And of course, the team referred to by the special guest at the end of the movie is none other than the Avengers.

The Marvel formula is showing signs of working: keep true to the comic character, get a VERY good actor as the central figure, and keep the supporting cast strong and engaging. The Incredible Hulk commanded the ground just as Iron Man controlled the skies, and their eventual meeting in a future episode promises to be an action-packed, star-studded blockbuster that will change the way we see comic based action movies in much the same way the Matrix series changed the way we saw science fiction.

Marvel has thankfully revived The Hulk brand from the dead, where Ang Lee and his most awful version had placed it not five years ago. Louis Leterrier does a good job in keeping true to the genre and keeping the characters real and likable. The special effects maintained the humanity of the title character, a far cry from the dark and un-seeable CGI heavy Ang Lee version. Notable mentions include the fantastic way they captured the Brazilian favelas, and the very detailed way the Hulk fight scenes where put together. Both the Hulk vs. Blonsky and the Hulk vs. The Abomination scenes were pretty technical and well choreographed.

What's missing might be some of the "believability" that captured audiences for Iron Man. In that movie, one could almost imagine oneself in a high tech suit flying the skies, less so a gamma ray poisoned green behemoth with anger issues. That is not a flaw in the movie itself, but just a reminder of the diversity of stories and characters that is the Marvel universe. Another issue may be that this Hulk movie is almost portrayed as the sequel to Iron Man, almost a sub-plot that is leading up to something bigger. We all know Marvel has big plans for it's universe, but they may have sacrificed some of The Hulk's individuality because of it. Despite this, The Incredible Hulk makes the audience hungry for more of Stan Lee's creations on the big screen.

In Puerto Rico on Primary Day

2008-06-01T19:05:00.000-07:00

This is our first full day in Puerto Rico, on a much needed vacation with my wife and daughter and my favorite cousin/sister "de crianza" (meaning she grew up as my sister, under the same roof).

I'll have much more to say about the actual trip later, but I thought it would be remiss for me not to address that today was the Democratic Primary in Puerto Rico, and as the polls closed, we all know the outcome. 400K voting and an overwhelming majority for Clinton.

We are staying in the tourist bubble of the Embassy Suites Hotel in Carolina, but I was craving some local opinion of what this election meant. I got that chance when I visited some second cousins in Bayamon this afternoon, and caught up on old times - old times meaning I hadn't seen some of them in eight years, and others since I was actually 8 years old.

What I gathered was while everyone appreciates the attention of this primary (see my older note about how this race is good for democracy BECAUSE it's going so long) but was in essence a non event.

Part of that reason is logistical - due to Puerto Rico's "common wealth" status, no one who claims primary residence on the Island can vote in the actual Presidential Election. So, even though Hillary won by the widest margin yet and can now claim a "lock" on the country's Latino vote (after her wins in NY,NJ, CA, TX, by similar 2 to 1 margins), she can't quite translate this particular victory to the general election unless she can find apartments on the mainland for about 300K of her faithful.

The other part of this is that many Puerto Ricans (or at least the small group I spoke to today) just don't see this as "their" fight. They just want a Democrat to win the main race and stop the country's tailspin. Puerto Rico continues to struggle as the rest of the country struggles, with over $4 a gallon gasoline (or $1 per liter as measured locally) and a crumbling credit consumer culture. People have received their stimulus checks and have begun to tighten the proverbial belt. Puerto Rico also is effected by the Iraq war and most want an end. My own cousin is stationed at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Despite the lack of representation, Puerto Ricans on the island continue to serve their country proudly and readily.

There are opinions and preferences of having the potential for an interracial (in PR, there is a better understanding of mixed race and what that means, as many Puerto Ricans of mixed race do not consider themselves simply Black or white) or a Female President. But I didn't get a sense of any anti-candidate sentiment based on sex or race. Refreshing.

Even so, the focus of the political discourse for almost all Puerto Ricans on the Island still centers around Statehood vs. Commonwealth. No one considers themselves a "Democrat" or "Republican", they are "PNP" or "Popular." And from what I could gather, no one candidate was able to communicate their position on the most important issue on the island. Perhaps that is why the local parties did not raise too much of a fuss to bring out the vote, resulting in about 13% of potential.

In the end from what I can gather is that Clinton was given the primary win as a symbolic "thank you" for her work as NY Senator on various things that had relevance to Puerto Ricans in her tri-state area and on the island, for her visits to the island as First Lady during the devastating Hurricane George in 1998, and for her household name. Obama to many, is a great guy (in the small poll I took, all liked Obama, but still voted Hillary), but he is a new face to the island, and here, as is in many other places in Latin America, loyalty to party and to political families is ingrained in the psyche. It is why Hillary continues to win the Latino votes by a large margin despite many people's admitted leanings toward the Obama "story."

Of course, one can look at math and know Hillary's done as a top ticket candidate, and probably should concede, but I do believe it would do Obama and the Democrats well to not ignore her power to overwhelmingly attract the Latino vote. Younger college educated Latinos of my generation and more recent may disagree, but these examples (NY, CA, NJ, TX, FL, and now PR) are too consistent to dismiss casually. Obama will need Latinos to win vs. McCain. What can be done to get more to come over?

Mega TV's Best Reporter...

2008-05-30T07:56:00.000-07:00

My wife works for Mega TV, a new network being pushed by Raul Alarcon and the folks at SBS (Spanish Broadcasting System). These are the guys who also do La Mega Radio (97.9 FM) and Amor (93.1 FM) in NY, and a ton other Spanish language radio stations across the country.

I'm very proud of her as she is running the NY operations of the channel, providing content to Miami where the main studios are. She is also the NY correspondent and reports on events happening in NY. She interviews all kinds of cool people (yes, that picture is with Chayanne) and is really making a name for herself. I am of course completely biased but I think she's awesome. I'll post her stuff here from time to time because I love showing off what she does. My job is WAY boring in comparison, & I think I do some pretty interesting stuff, if your interested in the selling of Software as Service (SAS) technology and enterprise web applications (yawn..).

Here is her covering the Sex in the City Premier and the SITC theme tours people are doing in honor of the movie. Enjoy. I plan to make a site just for her work to update any future "fans." If your interested in getting updates, let me know.

http://www.mega.tv/EkEkpAylukgKNXQsfy.shtml

A Wesleyan Weekend

2008-05-28T13:28:00.000-07:00

After a week of client visits, I was looking forward to taking a road trip free of pitches and power points, and went with my soul and class mate to our 10th year reunion at Wesleyan University. In tow, an almost-two year old who seemed a lot less nervous about the two hour trip than her parents did. The worries were unwarranted, for we had a wonderful time. I thought it would be a good idea to share with you snippets of the weekend, which exemplifies the spirit of perhaps one of the most dynamic and progressive universities in the country.Saturday morning we watched as members of previous classes (as far back as the 1930’s) participated in the annual all campus parade, which winded past the new," environmentally sustainable" dormitories and into the remodeled campus gymnasium. There each class sat together for the all alumni annual meeting, where new executives were voted on, and prestigious awards were given to a writer and former Tuskeegee airman, a South Bronx community organizer and developer, a financial wiz, and one of the founders of the Blue Man Group.We visited professors at the foreign language and Latin American departments. We skipped the Alumni of Color reception because by then my toddler was nap ready. We went back to the hotel and prepared for the Class of 1998 dinner. There we reconnected with some of our friends from our year, and some “crashers” from some of the surrounding years. For entertainment, two of our classmates bravely hit the stage to perform some show tunes and original compositions. I am still in awe at their nerves of steel.We had four party invitations after dinner, one near the center of campus, one at the tomb of the secret society I belonged to, another at the Latino-themed house I lived in sophomore year, and another at a dorm being used by alumni for housing during the weekend. I saw pictures of all these parties. They looked like a ton of fun.We took the early shift back because the next day was a big one. Senator Barack Obama was speaking at commencement and it was said the crowds would be huge. We had to be on the hill to reserve our patch of grass as early as possible. Sunday morning we sat on the hill and drank our organic, fair-trade coffee while we waited till commencement began with the graduates walking past the clapping cadre of professors congratulating them on their new stage of life. The music was not “pomp and circumstance” or “chariots of fire” but Korean drumming, lest you think that unique, the alumni on the hill recalled their respective procession soundtracks, including Javanese gamalan and Irish bagpipes. Students walked in with various signs on their hats and gowns, most paying some reference to the guest of honor, including the new Wesleyan standard – “Wes, We Can.”Our new University President, himself an alumnus, spoke about the responsibility of each class to question the powers that be, to not accept the arguments that surveillance or preemptive violence will make the world safer. I remember mentioning to my wife that those were strong words coming from a university president.The crowd steadily grew larger, and our group was visited by Alumni from the class of 1978, and we exchanged pleasantries and the excitement of the day. There we were, classmates again, waiting for what we felt was a crystallizing moment in our Wesleyan experience. Later, over a late lunch at the town’s Greek diner, our friends and we commented on how so, well, “Wesleyan” this weekend all was. From the offers to buy carbon credits at registration to the compost barrels outside each dorm, Wesleyan's progressive atmosphere was visible to the observant. Where else would a ten year reunion have this much excitement and different kinds of experiences all rolled into a few days? Where else would an educator publicly talk politics, and where a politician would be treated like a rock star?