The United States has the highest teen pregnancy rate of any country in the industrialized world; Texas has the highest teen pregnancy rate (63 births per 1,000 females ages 15-19) of any state in the nation, according to a newly released study of children’s health, KIDS COUNT Data Book, issued by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

Texas achieved this title in 2003 and it seems nothing really changed in 2004. More concerning, Texas surpasses the national average of 41 births per 1,000 teens by nearly 20 points. According to the National Vital Statistics Reports, in 2003 the number of teen births in Texas was 51,091. Full story »

If you recall, David Ritcheson was the Latino teen who was brutally beaten, tortured, and sodomized with a plastic pole by two white racist teenagers, David Henry Tuck and Keith Robert Turner. This all occurred one year ago and sadly David could no longer conceal his pain because on the morning of July 1 he leaped to his death by jumping off from an upper deck of a Carnival Cruise ship.

We really were not told much about him by the media except that he was a Mexican-American who was running back on the Klein Collins High School football team and was the homecoming prince as a freshman. Most notably people remember him as the victim of a hate crime that took place on April 22, 2006 at the home of Gus Sons that was triggered by an accusation that David tried to kiss Danielle Sons, Gus’ underage sister. Full story »

When it comes to immigration reform, one of the biggest fears many have is that Congress might pass some type of domestic policy that is intended to hurt not only the best interest of the nation, but the interest of immigrants – legal and undocumented – who are trying to navigate through this country. Members of Congress have proposed heightened border security, increased enforcement of immigration laws, and even the criminalization of undocumented immigrants and those who help them.

Widely discussed throughout the media and the blogs is how the current immigration reform bill being debated in the Senate would create a permanent underclass of indentured slave labor by allowing multinational corporations and independent contractors to hire thousands of “guest” workers a year outside the US. However, what is not often discussed or reported is how one of the provisions tucked inside the bill would also benefit the military. Full story »

In the midst of a polarized debate on immigration, politicians and the media continue to paint conflicting pictures of the influence of immigrants on our communities and the economy. Every year, hundreds of thousands of people cross the border between Mexico and the US without documentation. According to the Department of Homeland Security Office of Immigration Statistics, in 2005, over 1,171,428 immigrants were apprehended trying to cross the border into the US from Mexico. Although some people assume that all undocumented came here without papers, this is not the case. Many immigrants enter the US with visas but have stayed longer than their visas authorized. Our current immigration policies leave millions of immigrants in the shadows, vulnerable to abuse and hardship because they lack legal documentation.

In an effort to address these problems, the Senate previously hit a roadblock on June 7, when the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Bill that was being considered in the Senate was defeated. Senators failed to close off the debate and move toward a final vote. Just when you thought that immigration was over for the year, President George Bush would have none of that. However, George Bush and the Senate backers of the bill are pushing really hard to resurrect it.

A new immigration bill Senate Bill 1639 was introduced by Senators Ted Kennedy and Arlen Specter earlier this week. Full story »

I am really shocked at the resources which are clearly being devoted to cover the whole Paris Hilton affair. Even though there are people calling for government accountability among the public and by a few politicians, American media continues to be guilty of negligence when it comes to delivering critical news. The first question I have is why does America continue to consider Pair Hilton’s escapades newsworthy? How is it possible that a socialite’s fate is considered more important than issues like immigration, the G8 summit, global warming, or other world affecting news???

Instead of adding to the endless junk reporting that continues to dumb down America, I will use this opportunity to reflect Full story »

After breaking ranks with with other civil rights organizations two years ago, it looks like Latino civil rights groups have finally swallowed their pride and admitted that their beloved Al “Torture Guy” Gonzales is not the person they thought he was, according to a New York Times article.

Two years ago, major Hispanic groups broke with other civil rights organizations and supported Alberto R. Gonzales’s nomination for attorney general, primarily because he would become the highest-ranking Latino ever in a presidential Cabinet.
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“I have to say we were in error when we supported him to begin with,” said Brent Wilkes, executive director of the League of United Latin American Citizens. Full story »

America is an idea, a set of beliefs about people and their relationships and the kind of society which holds the best hope of satisfying the needs each of us brings as an individual. The global mobility of human resources between countries is a key driving force of the currently ongoing economic and regional development all over the world. In reality, immigration exerts many positive and important impacts on a country’s economic, cultural and social structure. It will be hard to find any country in the world where immigrants never contribute to the development of a country. However, here in the US, immigration is being called into question by immigration critics who are compelled to exaggerate how the large influx in immigration has contributed to the increase in unemployment and other serious social problems. Some critics even go so far to argue that this country is losing its cultural heritage. And like clockwork, each year, the politicos in DC try to cater to their demands by addressing the problem by trying to create a comprehensive immigration reform bill.

x-posted on Para Justicia y Libertad
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Freedom of speech is one of the most basic rights that individuals enjoy and one that is taken granted. It is vital to the existence of democracy and the respect of human dignity. It is also one of the most vulnerable rights, because freedom of expression means the freedom to express one’s discontent with the status quo with the desire to change it. In our post-9/11 world, it is one of the most threatened rights; where the government is relying on fear and demonization to curtail this right and to pacify a nervous, poorly informed, and confused citizenry at home. Academic free speech and the First Amendment once are under intense fire in the midst of a political and mass media witch hunt on Ward Churchill, Professor of Ethnic Studies at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Full story »

Three swastikas and an anti-Semitic manifesto were found outside Los Angeles City Councilman Jack Weiss’ Sherman Oaks office. The three swastikas were printed on 8½ by 11 paper and were taped to the front door of the building. On a separate piece of paper there was a short manifesto. According to the Los Angeles Times the manifesto read:

“We have no time to listen to Jewish American children!!! If you don’t believe us, just try talking to us.” Then there is an obscene reference to “a homoerotic cop” and what that cop should do to Weiss. It concludes “Heil Weiss!”

x-posted on Para Justicia y Libertad
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On March 26, Ramiro Gamez Acosta was fatally shot in the chest by a Border Patrol agent with a M-4 carbine. Acosta of Mexicali was hit once in the chest and was taken to an El Centro hospital, where he died about 20 minutes later. The autopsy report that was released today revealed that Acosta died from a single gunshot wound to the chest. The incident is being reported as a case of “self defense.”

The shooting was captured on surveillance video and according to the Union-Tribune, the video of that incident was leaked onto the Internet. Full story »

I don’t know about you, but it feels like the Virginia Tech massacre that took place on the campus of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, VA has left people emotionally drained. I know that I am. This is now being considered the deadliest mass shooting in modern US history and as it stands, Cho Seung-hui killed 32 people and injuring at least 30 others before turning the gun on himself.

It was also reported that the Virginia Tech massacre resembles another campus shooting that occurred in Austin, TX, where Charles Joseph Whitman, the Texas Tower sniper, fired 150 high-powered rounds of ammunition from the University of Texas Tower killing 16 people and wounding nearly 50 people. Until now, UT shooting was considered the deadliest campus shooting in US history. It has even surpassed the Luby’s massacre of 1991, in which twenty-four people were killed.

x-posted on Para Justicia y Libertad

All this news can be found on almost any blog and news website. As more and more news emerges, there are several disturbing facts that happen to be over looked, but reveal a lot about how this country handles a crisis. Full story »