UNTITLED

UNTITLED

Dark Rum early morning
haze in rainy city rivers
of thoughtless stares,
fatigue from the night
before. Before the sun
came up in the east,
before I came back,
crashed out in the living
room. Discussions on
history, literature, guerrilla
teatro trips to dramatize
the struggle. Visual meta-
lenguaje metaphors.
Revisiting a discussion we
originated in 2006 when
I was clueless, if only about
where I was going and
what I was writing. A
distant lifetime ago it seems.
Rainier beer random dialogue,
decidedly wiser, somewhat,
return to the original thought.
Sharing knowledge, conversing
with Frank about “El Movimiento”
UFW militant prose across the
Cascadian divide fusing rural
activist ethos with urban
Chicana/o student movement.
Back in the day of Brown Berets
barrio activity shadow-activist
presence, in solidarity with
Black Panther discourse. Need
for collecting the lost voices
of the moment. Porque we are
still ignored in the south y
historically marginalized en
el norte. Noting the words,
images I didn’t capture as a
young mocoso escritor, a
generation removed from the
original incarnation of ‘la causa.’
Sippin’ on some wine and
Tecate that Gonzo found on
the porch, his face lit up as
though he had discovered the
secrets of life. Chillaxed,
guitar strumming Frank singing
a movimiento song from the
early dias. Victor Jara and Inti
Illimani, embracing the complex
Inner vato loco-activist-intellectual-
nerd. Missing these discussions,
surprised that a project I wrote for
influenced others. Philosophically-
inclined, watching daylight turn
the sky brighter. Dark Rum
sleepless signs of a new day.



5 June 2009
O. Rosales Castañeda, C/S

Astro-Turf Right-Wing Fringe And Connections to Immigration Policy

As I noted in previous blogs, the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) has long been the face of the right-wing immigration control lobby. Similarly, we see offshoot organizations in Washington State that have paired with conservative groups to sponsor anti-immigrant state initiatives every year since at least 2005 (failing to gather the necessary signatures each year).

In Arizona, SB 1070 and SB 2281 (anti-Ethnic Studies Legislation) are two of the more recent concrete examples of draconian legislation at the state level that seeks to question nationality based on one's outward appearance (in other words, racial profiling). Likewise, both were promoted and backed by FAIR-organized sub-groups.

To get a better idea of FAIR's relevance and it's history, one need only look at the organization's founder, John Tanton and the subsequent anti-immigrant empire he's built since the late 1970s. Below are two videos that give a visual narrative of Tanton and FAIR.



Below is yet another video, courtesy of the Rachel Maddow Show.

"Frontiers of Racism" Video

As a change of pace (and to make the blog a little more user friendly) I will post a link to a video that makes the connection between institutional racism and hyper-nativism. More to come as time allows.