Free Republic

In 1998, Californians voted to pass Proposition 227, the “English for the Children Act,” and dismantle the state’s bilingual-education industry. The results, according to California’s education establishment, were not supposed to look like this: button-cute Hispanic pupils at a Santa Ana elementary school boasting about their English skills to a visitor. Those same pupils cheerfully calling out to their principal on their way to lunch: “Hi, Miss Champion!” A statewide increase in English proficiency among all Hispanic students. Instead, warned legions of educrats, eliminating bilingual education in California would demoralize Hispanic students and widen the achievement gap. Unless Hispanic children...

Now that the holidays are upon us, it’s time to get annoyed with the consumerism, secularism and political correctness that continue to whittle away at the meaning of the holiday season. The secular and consumption-driven nature of the season has become so routine that one has to work hard to remember to take time for the traditions and religious observances that once defined the season. I thought I had seen every example of how religious meaning has been stripped out of Christmas until a friend showed me the label on a festive seasonal bottle of Coca Cola the other day....

TAOS, N.M. – Larry Whitten marched into this northern New Mexico town in late July on a mission: resurrect a failing hotel. The tough-talking former Marine immediately laid down some new rules. Among them, he forbade the Hispanic workers at the run-down, Southwestern adobe-style hotel from speaking Spanish in his presence

Geraldo Rivera on Thursday lambasted Lou Dobbs for the outspoken CNN host's views concerning illegal immigration. Speaking at a luncheon sponsored by El Diario La Prensa NY, Rivera disgracefully said, "Lou Dobbs is almost single-handedly responsible for creating, for being the architect of the young-Latino-as-scapegoat for everything that ails this country." Rivera also told the audience that he had spoken to his boss, and was assured Dobbs was not coming to Fox (video embedded below the fold with partial transcript): CLICK ABOVE LINK FOR THE VIDEO "One of the aspects of our reality in the United States now is the...

Last week was Columbus Day, once considered a major event, the holiday has been undergoing a decline in recent years. Columbus Day parades have met with protests and some have been deemphasized or outright eliminated. In California, Columbus Day become Indigenous People’s Day, which sounds vaguely like a Marxist terrorist group’s holiday. But while it’s tempting to put that down to California’s political correctness, in South Dakota, Columbus Day became Native American Day, and that is a trend that other states are likely to follow, as protests mounted under the aegis of La Raza (The Race- the Hispanic KKK) continue...

In Texas and across the Southwest, Hispanic farmers have been fighting the Agriculture Department for close to a decade. The farmers say the department's Farm Services Agency discriminated against them — denying or delaying loans, and refusing to investigate when they cried foul. The government settled a similar complaint brought by African-American farmers for $1 billion. And while the claims of discrimination and other factors are almost identical, the Hispanic farmers have gotten nothing. ..."I would go and apply, and it would take about two to three weeks," says Obregon. "Then they would turn me down, say it was a...

The Use of "Illegals" as a Noun and "Illegal Alien" Distorts Coverage, Dehumanizes the Subjects in This Important Public Policy Debate WASHINGTON, DC -- (Marketwire) -- 09/15/09 -- As the heated debates over health care and immigration reform collide, the National Association of Hispanic Journalists calls on our nation's news media to stop using the dehumanizing term "illegals" as a noun to refer to undocumented immigrants. NAHJ has long advocated for accurate terminology in news coverage of immigration. NAHJ is concerned with the increasing use of pejorative terms like "illegals" -- which is shorthand for "illegal aliens," another term NAHJ...

In a FOXNews.com story on September 21, a member of the Rhode Island Republican Hispanic Assembly, Ivan Marte, quit the party after Wilson called out the president. Wilson’s now-famous cry of “You lie!” was directed at the Barack Obama had claimed that his health plan would not give benefits to illegal aliens. While Wilson has been excoriated, very little journalistic research has been done on the Democrat bill, which makes no provision to prohibit benefits for illegals. Marte, whose input and contributions to the GOP were valued, according to state chairman Giovanni Cicione, called Wilson’s comment “shameful” and “uncivilized.” The...

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15TH, 2009 AT 7:15 PM Celebrando la herencia hispana Posted by Luis Miranda El presidente Barack Obama proclamó hoy el Mes de la Herencia Hispana a celebrarse del 15 de septiembre al 15 de octubre. Celebramos la cultura, las contribuciones y el triunfo de nuestros hermanos hispanos en los Estados Unidos. MES NACIONAL DE LA HERENCIA HISPANA, 2009 - - - - - - - PROCLAMA HECHA POR EL PRESIDENTE DE ESTADOS UNIDOS DE NORTEAMÉRICA La historia de los hispanos en Estados Unidos es la historia del propio Estados Unidos. Los valores de la comunidad hispana —el amor...

DENVER (AP) -- The U.S. Forest Service has apologized for suggesting that campers who eat tortillas, drink Tecate beer and play Spanish music may be armed marijuana growers, calling it "regrettable" and "insensitive

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. — Four men were arrested and a fifth is being sought in connection with the campus gang rape of an 18-year-old female Hofstra University student. The four suspects — only one of whom is a student at the school — were arrested on Long Island, N.Y., on Monday; a fifth is still at large. ... Police say 19-year-old Jesus Ortiz and 21-year-old Rondell Bedward, both of the Bronx, were arraigned on rape charges Monday. The other two, 19-year-old Stalin Felipe, of the Bronx, and 20-year-old Kevin Taveras, of Brentwood, are to be arraigned Tuesday in Hempstead. Police didn't...

Area Hispanics are observing a milestone with the arrival of National Hispanic Heritage Week next week: Luzerne County tops the nation for Hispanic population growth over the past year. Among counties with Hispanic populations higher than 10,000, Luzerne County saw the greatest percentage increase in Hispanics between July 1, 2007 and July 1, 2008, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The Hispanic population here leapt 15 percent – from 12,083 to 13,912. As for actual growth in population size, the county ranks in the nation’s top 6 percent with an increase of 1,829 Hispanics. Los Angeles County saw the largest...

On September 3, Vice President Joe Biden said: "The Recovery Act is doing more, faster and more efficiently and more effectively than most people expected." In July, U.S. President Barack Obama told CNN that his $787 billion stimulus package is "working exactly as we had anticipated…" Well then, perhaps they anticipated driving legal Hispanic immigrants out of the workforce because this group, along with the lesser-educated in general, is very clearly the hardest hit. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) unemployment among (legal or counted) Hispanics in August was 13.0%. That is up 60.5% from August 2008 and...

The national unemployment rate as reported Friday stands at 9.7%, about 15 million people or is it? In August, the total civilian workforce as calculated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) was estimated to be 154.6 million. However, that is down 0.16% from 154.8 million in August 2008. The decline of approximately 256,000 (rounding error) is highly unusual since the workforce population is ever increasing thanks to immigration and other factors (graduation, divorce or other catastrophe (e.g., Bernie Maddoff)). In August alone,1.09 million people entered the workforce according to the BLS. Population growth in the U.S. is a given....

A federal warning to beware of campers in national forests who eat tortillas, drink Tecate beer and play Spanish music because they could be armed marijuana growers is racial profiling, an advocate for Hispanic rights said Friday. The warnings were issued Wednesday by the U.S. Forest Service, which is investigating how much marijuana is being illegally cultivated in Colorado's national forests following the recent discovery of more than 14,000 plants in Pike National Forest. "That's discriminatory, and it puts Hispanic campers in danger," said Polly Baca, co-chairwoman of the Colorado Latino Forum. A spokesman for the U.S. Forest Service had...

They came from across the Rio Grande Valley. Citizens of every stripe, Democrats, Republicans, Independents and even non-voting youth from three counties were there. They gathered at a Town Hall meeting in Harlingen, Texas last night. A meeting room in the city library was filled to capacity with a standing-room-only crowd of more than 150 people. Speakers were also placed in an outside patio area next to the meeting room, where another hundred taxpayers assembled to hear information on healthcare reform and other Administration proposals. Everyone showed up, except the two individuals elected to represent those same voters in Washington...

The liberal wing of the House Democratic caucus is launching a counter-offensive to efforts by the White House and Senate Democrats to back away from a health care reform bill that includes a strong public option. Rep. Lynn Woolsey, D-Calif., who heads the 84-member House Progressive Caucus, said she sent a letter to Heath and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius telling her that her faction will not support a bill that does not include a "robust" government-run plan. If most of the Progressives stick with Woolsey on the threat, the House would be unable to pass a final health care...

The complaints against Broward County Deputy Jonathan Bleiweiss began more than a year before he was arrested on sexual assault charges. An Oakland Park priest sent an email to the mayor, city commissioners and sheriff officials, informing them of a deputy that was abusing the homeless people who attended his church’s soup kitchen. Father Bob Daudill had even posted a flier inside the All Saints Catholic Mission soup kitchen with Bleiweiss’ picture on it, warning the homeless to avoid that deputy, according to The Miami Herald. Daudill sent his email in June 2008. Apparently nothing was done about it. Not...

NEW YORK (CNN) -- It's a question I never thought I would ask my daughter. But I loved being able to ask it. "Yurema?" "Yes, Mom," my 11-year-old daughter said. "Tell me what T-shirt you would most like to wear: one that says 'I am a Wise Latina,' 'My Mother is a Wise Latina' or 'Sonia is a Wise Latina'?" She cocked her head slightly and then quickly said, "I am a Wise Latina." Eleven years old, and this is the vision she already has of herself. It's a pretty wonderful thing to watch that certain something blossom in a...

Firefighter Ben Vargas, who is Hispanic, told the Senate Judiciary Committee that Judge Sonia Sotomayor played “racial identity” politics instead of judging him and his fellow firefighters “on their qualifications and the content of their character" in a reverse discrimination case he brought against the city of New Haven, Conn. “I became not Ben Vargas, the fire lieutenant who proved themselves qualified to be captain--but a racial statistic,” testified Vargas, a lieutenant in the New Haven Fire Department. “I had to make decisions whether to join those who wanted promotions to be based on race and ethnicity, or join those...

The firing of more than two dozen Hispanic employees from Taco Bell outlets in Madison and Sun Prairie has sparked a protest by 16 local members of the clergy. "It troubles us on a moral level if hard-working people are being treated with such a lack of respect and dignity," states a letter to Greg Creed, president of Taco Bell Corp. of Irvine, Calif. • Government rules for “no-match” employees • MarketWatch page on Yum! Brands Inc. • Interfaith Coalition for Worker Justice • Workers Rights Center A company spokesman denied wrongdoing. "The federal government notified us that the Social...

The percentage of Hispanic Catholics in America has dropped, while the proportion of born-again Hispanics has increased, a new survey by the Barna Group found. Over the past 15 years, the proportion of Hispanics in America that is aligned with the Catholic Church has fallen by 25 percent. By comparison, the proportion of born-again Christians for this ethnic group has increased by 17 percent. “You cannot help but notice the changing relationship between Hispanics and the Catholic Church,” commented George Barna, whose company conducted the research. “While many Hispanic immigrants come to the United States with ties to Catholicism, the...

Sonia Sotomayor is a member of La Raza and has clearly made inflammatory racist statements.

NEW HAVEN — The two dozen firefighters who packed into Humphrey’s East Restaurant were celebrating a coming marriage, drinking and jawboning in the boisterous style of large men with risky jobs, but Lt. Ben Vargas spent the evening trying to escape the tension surrounding his presence. During a trip to the bathroom, he found himself facing another man. Without warning, the first punch landed. When Lieutenant Vargas awoke, bloodied and splayed on the grimy floor, he was taken to the hospital. Lieutenant Vargas believes the attack, five years ago, was orchestrated by a black firefighter in retaliation for his having...

I oppose affirmative action in all its forms but why is it given to non-african american minority groups? I understand the general idea for why the Left supports it is allegedly diversity (although they hate ideological diversity) but how can they claim that, for instance, with hispanic groups who comprise such a large population in the US now? Arguably you could support it (although I disagree with this) for African Americans as a form of reparations of sorts but how does that apply to any other group? I don't remember Hispanics being enslaved and it was the Irish, not Hispanics...

<p>Hispanic style cheese known as Queso Fresco or "fresh cheese" may contribute to preventing and fighting obesity and other related health problems.</p> <p>Several studies have demonstrated that eating dairy foods while consuming a low-calorie diet can work together to speed up metabolism and as a result help reduce fat and body weight.</p>

A recent study on racial preferences of online daters provides some interesting findings. Based on profile-searching criteria set by singles using Yahoo! Personals, the UCI case study reveals that gender plays an important role in interracial preferences: “Asian American men are the least preferred mate for Caucasian women” Asian American men are the least preferred mate for Caucasian women, and African American women bear the brunt of discrimination from Caucasian men. UCI researchers say that "the stereotypical images of masculinity and femininity shape dating choices" and are a contributing factor. The cross-cultural revolution is not going to be launched on...

WASHINGTON – Multiracial Americans have become the fastest growing demographic group, wielding an impact on minority growth that challenges traditional notions of race. The number of multiracial people rose 3.4 percent last year to about 5.2 million, according to the latest census estimates. First given the option in 2000, Americans who check more than one box for race on census surveys have jumped by 33 percent and now make up 5 percent of the minority population — with millions more believed to be uncounted. Demographers attributed the recent population growth to more social acceptance and slowing immigration. They cited in...

Adesperate — and ridiculous — claim that Sonia Sotomayor would not be the first Hispanic justice to take the U.S. Supreme Court bench is very revealing. There are actually people claiming with a straight face that Benjamin Cardozo, appointed to the court by Herbert Hoover in 1932, was the first Hispanic justice.

Tancredo has enough of the Democratic talking points spewed out by David Shuster and calls him on it..

MIDI - MRS. BROWN YOU'VE GOT A LOVELY DAUGHTER

Imagine it of you will: a Hispanic, Supreme Court hopeful, with humble beginnings. With a father, a poor laborer who passed away while this person was still young, and with only the support of a mother this person persevered to receive the highest educational honors (a J.D. from a top Ivy League school), and appointments to high office from a U.S. President. It’s compelling, isn’t it, the life story of Alberto Gonzalez? But in Sonia Sotomayor the left finally has an actual compelling life story. A Hispanic Supreme Court hopeful from humble beginnings, whose father dies young, but was raised...

WASHINGTON – Benjamin Cardozo was indisputably the second Jewish justice on the Supreme Court. Was he also the first Hispanic? There is no conclusive answer. The Federal Judicial Center, on its Web site, says he was not. Some readers, objecting to the description of Judge Sonia Sotomayor as the first Hispanic nominee to the high court, say Cardozo was Hispanic.

At Daily Kos, there is a blog today on how to repeal Prop 8 in the future. LINK BELOW. Keep black and Hispanic turnout low, and counter Mormon Money... The title of the blog is "To Repeal Prop 8, Keep Black and Hispanic Turnout Low, And Counter Mormon Money." Does this sound to you like libs/Dems cherish black and hispanic votes? Does this sound to you like libs/Dems are against suppressing the minority vote? Don't libs/Dems want every vote to count? Could it be that libs/Dems only care about advancing liberalism and socialism and really don't care what they have...

November 7, 2001/To: Senator Durbin"The groups singled out three--Jeffrey Sutton (6th Circuit); Priscilla Owen (5th Circuit); and Caroline [sic] Kuhl (9th Circuit)--as a potential nominee for a contentious hearing early next year, with a [sic] eye to voting him or her down in Committee. They also identified Miguel Estrada (D.C. Circuit) as especially dangerous, because he has a minimal paper trail, he is Latino, and the White House seems to be grooming him for a Supreme Court appointment. They want to hold Estrada off as long as possible."

Maybe the Republicans can sit back and watch this one flame-out on its own.

One of the first Internet memes floating out there since the official nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court is the one where Republicans would risk offending Hispanics if they opposed her nomination. (snip) My response, and message to Senate Republicans, is don’t be intimidated about her ethnic identity and attack her with her “erroneous” ruling on copyright law where she stuck it to free-lance writers (which was overturned at the appellate and Supreme courts) and her belief that policy is made in appellate court. If the actual facts still don’t embolden you to...

They have enough problems already, but a poll released Monday is sure to give anti-immigration extremists and Republican leaders plenty more to fret about.

Unmarried mothers gave birth to 4 out of every 10 babies born in the United States in 2007, a share that is increasing rapidly both here and abroad, according to government figures released Wednesday. Before 1970, most unmarried mothers were teenagers. But in recent years the birthrate among unmarried women in their 20s and 30s has soared — rising 34 percent since 2002, for example, in women ages 30 to 34. In 2007, women in their 20s had 60 percent of all babies born out of wedlock, teenagers had 23 percent and women 30 and older had 17 percent. Much...

<p>Today's march for immigrants' rights stepped off from Union Park with a much smaller crowd than in years past.</p> <p>About 2,000 people banged drums, blew trumpets, chanted and carried signs calling for the legalization of immigrants as the march began about 11:30 a.m.</p>

Hispanic Democrats are furious and demanding an apology over an image wedged in a new GOP web video on terrorism that shows members of the Hispanic Caucus sitting at a table with President Obama. “On behalf of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), we write to demand an apology for the inclusion of the picture of the CHC meeting with President Obama in the video on your official website entitled “Do You Feel Safer?,’” the CHC wrote in a letter being sent to Republican Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio), whose office created the video. Earlier Thursday Boehner and Intelligence Committee Ranking Republican...

PEÑITAS — What does a Hispanic-friendly Wal-Mart look like? Pretty much like any other Wal-Mart, it turns out. The first big-box store in western Hidalgo County opens today in Peñitas, a year after the retail giant delayed completion of the building to redesign the store, reconfigure departments and modify the product mix to try to boost the appeal to a Mexican-American population. The decision caused a stir among those curious to see what Wal-Mart would do to better accommodate its South Texas customer base. The results: Wider aisles uncluttered by extraneous product displays and sale racks; freshly made tortillas and...

Several Hispanic organizations, including some Christian groups, spoke out this week about whether illegal immigrants should participate in the 2010 U.S. census. The debate intensified when leaders of the National Coalition of Latino Clergy and Christian (CONLAMIC) urged illegal immigrants to boycott the census unless Congress passes immigration reform legislation. The leaders claim information obtained by the census will be used by “anti-immigrant forces” to the disadvantage of undocumented Latinos in the country. “Our church leaders have witnessed misuse of otherwise benign Census population data by state and local public officials in their efforts to pass and enact laws that...

April 19, 2009— For the first time in a quarter century, the number of African-Americans incarcerated for drug offenses in state prisons has declined more than 20 percent while the number of white imprisoned drug offenders has increased more than 40 percent. The decline took place over a six year period from 1999 to 2005 and reflects fundamental changes in the so-called "war on drugs" -- how it's targeted and prosecuted -- as well as the waning of the crack epidemic in predominantly minority urban areas and the increase in methamphetamine abuse in largely white rural neighborhoods. The trends were...

I really went on a rant today about the number of out of wedlock pregnancies in the U.S. It's too long to post here but I'd love some feedback on it. K3nn3th aka Angry Black Man. HA!

The White House switchboard is barely holding on. Fax machines there and in congressional offices are churning out Americans' protest in peak mode. Pres. Obama and House Speaker Pelosi have started a grassroots rebellion with their new statements of prioritizing illegal foreign workers over unemployed Americans. How angry are you? Let me count the ways . . . Dear Roy: I can’t get through to the White House to protest the Hispanic Caucus plans. Maybe that’s a good sign. -- Lyneil Vandermolen, Oregonians for Immigration Reform Lyneil, we're hearing this all day. You are jamming the White House phones with...

(CNSNews.com) – Journalist and TV personality Geraldo Rivera summed up the optimism of pro-immigrant activists and mostly Democrat politicians at the 13th annual U.S.-Mexico Congressional Border Issues Conference by saying he is confident President Barack Obama will keep his campaign promise to sign “comprehensive immigration reform” into law. “Barack Obama is the first Hispanic president the same way Bill Clinton was the first black” president, Rivera said at the conference, which took place Thursday at the U.S. Capitol. Rivera also said the Hispanic community should “give the president some slack” in keeping that promise on immigration reform, given the pressing...

Exclusive: Has Illegal Immigration’s Effect on Education Become the ‘Third Rail’ of Politics? Vincent Gioia Traditionally, Social Security has been the “third rail” of politics but we now have another third rail – illegal immigration and education. Politicians step all over themselves asking for more and more money to be spent on education; ignoring the fact that money alone does not make for a good public education. Another thing we are not allowed to mention in a discussion about public education quality and costs is the impact of illegal immigration; otherwise we are labeled “racists.” The United States has the...

13 Million Illegal Immigrants Living in the United States March 8, 2009 FAIRUS.org How Many Illegal Immigrants? Illegal Immigrant Problems & Statistics FAIR estimates that in 2007 the illegal immigrant population is above 13 million persons. Government and academic estimates indicate that as of 2006 there were 11 to 12 million illegal immigrants living in the United States. The Center for Immigration Studies estimated the illegal immigrant population at 10 million as of November 2004. It is difficult to have an exact figure because the illegal nature of their presence prevents any enumeration, but the U.S. Census Bureau estimated 8.7...

Tuesday, March 10th, 2009 at 10:32 am Taking on Education In the opening of his speech today at the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the President met critics head on who complain of too much change, too fast:Every so often, throughout our history, a generation of Americans bears the responsibility of seeing this country through difficult times and protecting the dream of its founding for posterity. This is a responsibility that has fallen to our generation. Meeting it will require steering our nation’s economy through a crisis unlike any we have seen in our time. In the short-term, that means jumpstarting job creation, re-starting lending,...