Editoriales

No to War in Iraq
Please join me in signing an online petition asking President Bush to let the weapons inspections work, rather than rushing to war. If we don't act now, we could be at war by the end of the month.
Inspections in Iraq have started. Most of us breathed a sigh of relief. Unfortunately, it's become clear that the ultra-hawks in the Bush administration -- Cheney, Wolfowitz, Perle -- will not take yes for an answer. While the rest of the world thinks Iraq has backed down, these men are pursuing a massive public relations blitz for war.
With the possibility of a peaceful resolution to this crisis at hand, we cannot allow a few men to push the world to war. Send a message to President Bush and Congress to let the inspections work at:
http://www.moveon.org/winwithoutwar/
MoveOn.org will compile our messages and present them to the administration, including Secretary of State Colin Powell, to U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, and to members of Congress.
The good news is that the ultra-hawks face some serious opposition. Secretary of State Colin Powell and other members of the Bush Administration are willing to give diplomacy a chance, and the State Department's interpretation of the U.N. resolution is a lot more reasonable than the White House's interpretation.
President Bush has agreed that war should be the very last resort. Let's hold him and his Administration to those words:
http://www.moveon.org/winwithoutwar/
Please join me and sign on today. We must support policy makers who will oppose these few extremists in the Bush White House who have been looking for an excuse for war from the very beginning.

Bigotry, ignorance and xenophobia are alive and well in America. (Glen Burnie, in this case)

The letter below was published in the Sun last month. It was brought to our attention by Jose Herrera, a retired Cuban gentleman who found it repugnant. We did too. Here's why:

1. Mr. Scherr says: "...Politicians of both parties... are afraid to take action or debate the issue because they fear offending the legal immigrants who are registered to vote."
Well, yes, politicians are afraid of alienating the legal immigrants who vote -as well they should just like any other constituents- but illegal immigration is not encouraged nor supported by either politicians or legal immigrants.

2. He continues: "Illegal aliens are in America due to Washington's failure to enforce our borders and its failure to keep track of those who are granted visas."
First, no one is "illegal." Undocumented immigrants are in the US because there is plenty of work for them to do and their incredibly strong work ethic endears them to their employers who want them at all costs and who find no alternative workers.

3. He follows with: "Every few years, our elected officials from the president on down talk about granting amnesty. Illegal aliens know that if they can get here and hide for a few years, we'll make them legal eventually."
The reason why there is talk of amnesty is because undocumented workers lead a life of fear in hiding, and decent people in this country understand this terrible injustice and want to correct it. Mr. Bush's "compassionate conservatism" no doubt includes amnesty for undocumented workers.

4. "With the Cubans, illegal entry has become a sport. If the Cubans can make it to shore and touch home plate without getting stopped, we'll let them in."
It is this callous attitude that we find so reprehensible. Cubans are braving the straits of Florida, dying of exposure, dehydration and shark attacks and Mr. Scherr thinks it is a sport!

5. Mr. Scherr speaks of driver licenses, in-state colege tuition and bilingual education for undocumented workers in California. He also opposes Mexican Embassy's ID cards and and their acceptance by banks, libraries and other institutions.
Again, Mr. Scherr in his incredible callouness fails to see that, if an undocumented worker has been here for a good while it is because he has found work, it is steadily making a living for himself and his family back home, and deserves a break. Those who risked it all to come here deserve to be here -and are the ones who make this country great. Cubans, who had been accepted faster than others because of their refugee status, deserve to be included in that group.

"Undocumented immigrants are in the US because there is plenty of work for them to do and their incredibly strong work ethic endears them to their employers..."

6. Finally, Mr. Scherr exhorts: "We must take our country back. Hopefully, the president and members of Congress will do something before there is another 9/11."
After having made all the accusations and imply that Hispanics (Mexicans, Cubans, etc.) are the bulk of undocumented workers, Mr. Scherr a clearly "uncompassionate conservative", issues the final insult by implying that Hispanics were implicated in the 9/11 events.

Mr. Scherr sees the world through his shortsighted, uncompromising views and his ignorance, bigotry and xenophobia prevents him from seeing the tremendous social, economic and human benefits ALL immigrants (legal or undocumented) -including his ancestors- have brought to this country.

For more information on the value of immigrants to this country and the difficult conditions under which they labor, see this article.
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Embrace of illegals puts us in danger
By Bob Scherr
Originally published December 19, 2002

ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION is the biggest threat to America today, and the politicians of both parties don't seem to care. They're afraid to take action or debate the issue because they fear offending the legal immigrants who are registered to vote. In fact, the politicians of both parties see this undocumented group of people as a pool of potential Democrat or Republican voters. They want to grant them amnesty and sign them up. This current attitude among our elected officials is seriously hindering our national security.

The Immigration and Naturalization Service estimates that there are about 6 million or more illegal aliens living in this country, a number that increases by more than 200,000 a year. The INS also estimates that 60 percent of illegal aliens enter the United States by sneaking across the border and the remaining 40 percent arrive legally but overstay their visas. Illegal aliens are in America due to Washington's failure to enforce our borders and its failure to keep track of those who are granted visas. Not only do we not stop the illegal entry of these people at the borders, we actually encourage them to break the law and come here.

Every few years, our elected officials from the president on down talk about granting amnesty. Illegal aliens know that if they can get here and hide for a few years, we'll make them legal eventually. With the Cubans, illegal entry has become a sport. If the Cubans can make it to shore and touch home plate without getting stopped, we'll let them in. If they get caught before getting off the boat and touching home plate, we'll send them back.

California and some other states want to give them driver's licenses and in-state college tuition breaks. In fact, it would cost me more to send my child to a California state college than it would cost an illegal alien who has chosen to sneak into California. They can even attend public schools and not have to learn English. We'll teach them in their own language. Is there something wrong here? If you're an illegal immigrant from Mexico, you can buy a small plastic photo ID card called the "matricula consular" at the Mexican Embassy in Washington. More than a million illegal Mexican immigrants are using these ID cards in the United States as a form of identification so that they can open bank accounts and obtain library cards. Any Mexican using this card at a bank or library is silently announcing that he is an illegal immigrant because he cannot produce any other form of identification. Because no one takes illegal immigration seriously despite 9/11, these people are not turned in. The bank, instead of calling the INS, opens an account for the illegal immigrant. The librarian, instead of calling INS, issues a library card.

Americans must demand that their elected officials stop this insanity. We must take our country back. Hopefully, the president and members of Congress will do something beforethere is another 9/11.

Bob Scherr is an attorney in Glen Burnie and a talk show host with WCBM radio.
Copyright © 2002, The Baltimore Sun

Nuestro Alcalde, una de las mejores y más brillantes estrellas del firmamento socio-político norteamericano
La revista Esquire, en su número de diciembre del 2002 ha publicado un artículo sobre los jóvenes más prometedores de varias áreas de la vida de este país. Entre ellos, en un lugar prominente, se encuentra Martin O’Malley, alcalde de Baltimore.
El artículo, escrito por Robert Kurson, es una excelente versión de los últimos tres años de la administración de este alcalde que, desde cualquier punto de vista, es el mejor que la ciudad de Baltimore ha tenido en muchos, muchos años.
Desde su valor, al correr contra dos candidatos negros muy conocidos, hasta sus disputas públicas con el sistema judicial que deja escapar a los malhechores que la policía continúa arrestando, Kurson alaba el fino instinto político de O’Malley que siente verdaderamente un profundo interés por sus conciudadanos. Y ese interés comenzó con su familia, en su casa de Bethesda, donde su padre y toda la familia eran grandes demócratas que siempre creyeron que un hombre bueno y decente podía hacer grandes cosas por la sociedad. Desde pequeño, Martin participó activamente en las campañas políticas de los candidatos locales, repartiendo folletos de casa en casa desde los siete años de edad.
En una reunión con un grupo de hombres de negocios en la alcaldía, O’Malley les espeta: “Es totalmente inaceptable que ustedes se sienten aquí tan tranquilos, ganen su dinero aquí en la ciudad y luego se marchen a los suburbios, y les importen un pepino estos muchachos, nuestros muchachos, que mueren cada día...” “Señores, cuando un niño de diez años recibe un disparo en la cara y todos nos encojemos de hombros como si hubiera sido algo no más importante que un gato arrollado por un coche, no es lógico que sea yo el único al que le importe que el sospechoso esté de vuelta en la calle en un par de días. Estamos en medio de una batalla para salvar a esta ciudad. Los necesito a ustedes más que a su dinero. Necesito que crean.”
La campaña “Crean” (Believe) que se ha extendido por toda la ciudad, está dedicada a hacer creer a todos que Baltimore está en camino de la recuperación. La recuperación de la normalidad, el orden, la salud, la educación, la erradicación de las drogas y la civilidad general. Y todos tenemos que contribuie, en una forma u otra, con nuestro interés, nuestra dedicación y nuestro tiempo.
Y el alcalde continúa trabajando sin descanso, llevando cuentas muy directas de todo a través del Citistat, un sistema de estadísticas donde se mide todo, a diario; cuantos coches hay abandonados y cuanto tiempo lleva el retirarlos de las calles; cuantos crímenes se han cometido esta semana y como se comparan con el año pasado; cuantos agujeros hay en las calles y cuanto se ha tardado en rellenarlos. Y así, prácticamente hasta los más mínimos detalles, haciendo la vida difícil a los burócratas que tienen que responderle al alcalde que no se anda con chiquitas.
En las últimas elecciones O’Malley estuvo a punto de correr para gobernador. El expresidente Bill Clinton le mandó una nota felicitándolo por su decisión: “Usted va a hacer grandes cosas en su carrera, No me sorprendería que llegase a la cima, pero por el resto de su vida puede usted estar orgulloso de lo que está haciendo de alcalde y de su decisión de continuar con esa tarea.”
“No hay lucha más ardua ni causa más noble que la recuperación de una gran ciudad americana...Veo en el futuro una ciudad donde nuestros chicos se sienten seguros, queridos y, al mismo tiempo crecen para ser capaces de querer. No hemos llegado a eso todavía, pero estamos en el buen camino y llegaremos.” Así piensa nuestro alcalde Martin O’Malley y es nuestra suerte tenerlo como alcalde para dirigir el renacimiento de nuestra querida Baltimore.

Y lo que Esquire no mencionó pero nosotros queremos mencionar es la gran diferencia que O'Malley ha hecho en nuestra comunidad hispana. Desde que llegó a la alcaldía, los oficiales de la policía hispanos han aumentado de 7 a 112! Más de una docena de individuos están sirviendo en la ciudad en comités y directivas importantes -incluyéndome a mí, personalmente, como Comisionado de Planificación. Todos los folletos de la ciudad están ahora disponibles en español; el alcalde, personalmente, ha hecho un video, en español, para atraer a hispanos de Washington a vivir y comerciar en Baltimore. La alcaldía de Baltimore está abierta a los hispanos gracias a José Ruiz, el Enlace del Alcalde con la comunidad hispana y Lorena Beltrán, su ayudante, que están haciendo una gran labor. Más y más organizaciones hispanas continúan apareciendo - la más reciente siendo la Asociación Hispana de Deportes que dirige Felix Pichardo y la Cámara de Comercio Hispana de Baltimore, así como la Mesa Redonda Hispana de Negocios. Spanish Town se está desarrollando en la Broadway donde más y más negocios hispanos están abriendo sus puertas - ya son más de 100! Y, así seguimos, adelante, siendo ya parte del renacimiento de esta ciudad que, no hace mucho, parecía estar en coma y a punto de fallecer. Los hispanos, reconocidos por nuestro alcalde como parte integrante de la ciudad, vamos a ayudar a salvarla.