In Pursuit of Serendipity » Current Events

The New Immigrants: Why U.S./Mexico Tensions Are How They Are

Oscar — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 06:25:04 +0000

The United States of America and Mexico have never had the most cordial of friendships. Mexico entered political turmoil after achieving its independence from Spain in 1821; unfortunately, political corruption still plagues the country today. It is estimated that there are 111 million Mexicans in a land area of over 760,000 sq. miles. This places Mexico as the 11th most populous country and the 14th largest by total area in the world, respectively. The United States, on the other hand, declared its independence on July 4, 1776 from the British Empire and was recognized as independent in 1783. Its remarkable Constitution led to a stable government, which the former British colonies and new American States all ratified in 1788 and amended with the Bill of Rights in 1791. Currently, there is an estimated 309 million Americans in about 3.8 million sq. miles, the 3rd largest by both population and land area, with only Russia and China being larger. Maintaining unity at the end of the US Civil War, securing the Louisiana Purchase from Napoleon, and winning the Mexican-American War in 1848 and the Spanish-American War in 1898– all helped make the United States one of the strongest countries in the world and defined its present day boundaries. After World War II and the subsequent collapse of the Soviet Union, America eventually became the sole super power in the world.

The reason Mexico and the USA aren’t warm friends goes a long way back. In 1821, the American, Stephen F. Austin, carried his father’s vision of buying 307 parcels of land in Texas, a province belonging to Mexico after attaining their Spanish independence, and bringing 300 colonists to the area. The settlers had to eventually become Mexican Citizens and upon receiving their land titles became known as the Old Three Hundred, the first approved Anglo-American immigrants in Texas, along the Brazos River. Mexican law required the new immigrants to be Catholic and prohibited the possession of slaves, but the settlers didn’t pay much attention to that, since they were settling where no Spanish or Mexican settlements existed; consequently, most were Protestant and about 25% of them brought slaves with them. This would eventually become a problem with Mexico, as more and more Anglos continued to settle in Mexican land, as illegal immigrants. By 1834, Texas had a population of approximately 37,800 with only about 7,800 of Mexican origin. With this in mind, the Anglo immigrants started to think of independent statehood. This ties in beautifully with something Sun Tzu describes in his treatise, The Art of War, which I completely agree with:

Mo Tun of the Hsiung Nu established his power near the end of the Ch’in dynasty. His neighbors, the Eastern Hu were mightier and constantly sent ambassadors, making demands. “They said: ‘We wish to obtain T’ou Ma’s thousand-li horse.’ Mo Tun consulted his advisors, who all exclaimed: ‘The thousand-li horse! The most precious thing in this country! Do not give them that!’ Mo Tun replied: ‘Why begrudge a horse to a neighbour?’ So he sent the horse. Shortly after, the Eastern Hu sent envoys who said: ‘We wish one of the Khan’s princesses.’ Mo Tun asked advice of his ministers who all angrily said: ‘The Eastern Hu are unrighteous! Now they even ask for a princess! We implore you to attack them!’ Mo Tun said: ‘How can one begrudge his neighbour a young woman?’ So he gave the woman. A short time later, the Eastern Hu returned and said: ‘You have a thousand li of unused land which we want.’ Mo Tun consulted his advisers. Some said it would be reasonable to cede the land, others that it would not. Mo Tun was enraged and said: ‘Land is the foundation of the State. How could one give it away?’ All those who advised doing so were beheaded.” Mo Tun then sprang to his horse and made a surprise attack on the Eastern Hu, swiftly decimating them.

The point I’m trying to make is precisely that, the importance of land to a country. All those centuries ago, Chinese generals understood the importance of land to the State and General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna knew this. The white colonizers couldn’t just keep land that wasn’t theirs, simple as that. It is analogous to owning land, inviting people to live for a while and those same people wanting to keep your lands afterwards. Thus, Santa Anna marched from Mexico City to keep the Texas colonists in order. We all know the subsequent battle at The Alamo and the Texans’ victory at San Jacinto, which led to Texas independence in 1836. Mexico always planned to take it back, an effort hindered by the United States’ annexation of Texas into the Union on December 29, 1845. This led to further discontent between the two countries. The 19th century American belief of Manifest Destiny was crucial to the countries falling out with one another. Americans arrogantly believed that it was the United States’ “destiny” of expanding from the Atlantic to Pacific Ocean by any means possible. This precipitated the Mexican-American War, a ruse to take land from Mexico. At the time, Mexico was weak and America saw a juicy opportunity in 1846-48, under President Polk’s administration, declaring open war on its southern neighbor. Many Americans protested and disapproved of the war. One of my heroes, Henry David Thoreau was one of them. He refused to pay his poll tax, money used to fund the Mexican-American War and was imprisoned for it. Thoreau’s famous Civil Disobedience essay emerged from that experience:

“…The standing army is only an arm of the standing government. The government itself, which is only the mode which the people have chosen to execute their will, is equally liable to be abused and perverted before the people can act through it. Witness the present Mexican war, the work of comparatively a few individuals using the standing government as their tool; for, in the outset, the people would not have consented to this measure.”

Here, one can easily discern that Thoreau saw the Mexican War for what it was, a scheme by a small group of men to take land from Mexico. However, Thoreau rebukes his fellow countrymen for not being more honest and protesting the war and slave trade in a proper fashion. The war was a disaster for Mexico, as it lost approximately half its territory, in the end only receiving 15 million dollars and an external debt to America cleared. The United States, in turn, had total control of Texas, the Rio Grande River became the official U.S.-Mexico border, and it obtained the present-day states of Utah, Nevada, and California and parts of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Wyoming. Gold was almost immediately found in California afterwards, spurring the Gold Rush.

I don’t know about you, but the way I see it, Mexico has reason to be upset, wouldn’t you agree?

If we now shift focus to the present day, we can see the current problems between the two countries. Namely, drug trafficking and immigration. Let’s keep it with immigration. America is the melting pot of the world, everyone knows that. Immigrants, either illegally or legally, come here in search of prosperity, of the “American Dream”– a better life for each person and their family. That is nothing new. Mexico is a third-world country, which means people will migrate to the nearest country with the best economy, and that happens to be their northern neighbor, the USA. It isn’t rocket science that people will be prone to leave their country in search of a better way of life. America exports much pop culture to the rest of the world, making it all the more attractive. Today, most immigrants come from Mexico, Central and South America, and Asia. The largest flow of illegal immigrants, of course, comes from Mexico. Are they breaking the law? Yes. Are they harming the country? I do not think so, and I can debate anyone, any day of the week, on this issue. I think the common American is truly misinformed of what it means to be an “illegal” immigrant. This so, because they do not directly experience the day to day struggle these people go through. It’s easy to label someone a “wetback” and to use them as scapegoats for our dilemmas, but people air their opinions without once putting themselves in their shoes. People are so naive that they think, “people should come here legally”. Trust me, if people could, they would. It isn’t easy for the new waves of immigrants to get here and survive here. Millions upon millions of immigrants from all over Europe used to arrive at Ellis Island in New York, with a much easier pathway to citizenship than the one illegal immigrants face today.

What is an illegal immigrant, by the way? Is it the name of a second or third rate citizen? Is it someone below human level? More than anything, an illegal immigrant is someone who fights for a better life. Did not God endow us with a visa to the whole world, from the moment we are born? Are people to stop at man-made boundaries, because elite people say so? Modern illegal immigrants come to work, the grand majority anyways. There is always that small fraction that come to commit crimes, but we shouldn’t form a judgment by such a small group alone. Most do come to work, doing the jobs hardly anybody wants to do. People who do dry cleaning, house keeping, construction, restaurant servers, lawn people, and all types of handymen are often illegal immigrants, for example. It is a rare sight indeed to see an illegal immigrant of not only Mexico, but any country, to be asking for handouts at a traffic intersections–like many white and black American citizens do everyday. These immigrants come to work. They have the guts to leave home and country behind, facing uncertainty– all in search of a better life for themselves and their loved ones. They start from zero. Can you do that? Would you risk death by crossing the desert or swimming the Rio Grande if that was the means to prosperity? For it is necessity not pleasure that spurs people to leave their homeland. Think of it this way, if your family needs prescription medication but you cannot afford it, and there’s a pharmacy on your street corner, what would you do? Let your family die for not having the money to buy the medication or break into the pharmacy and take the medication? If you had no other choice, what would you do? I would break into the pharmacy. FYI, the pharmacy is the United States.

Not to offend anyone, but what type of illegal immigrant is worse? The illegal white immigrant who came to America and eradicated the Native American population and subjugated African slaves, or people that come here to make an honest living by doing the toughest, often most physical of jobs?

I know which one Thoreau would deem as worse. So, what is the big deal with providing a pathway to citizenship for 11 millions illegal immigrants and passing the DREAM Act, so illegal students can have financial aid for college and a way to get a job when they graduate? Let us not forget that by being an illegal immigrant, you are denied of many things that can best be summed up as crimes against humanity. Even after being in America for years, illegal immigrants cannot obtain a social security card, a driver license, a passport, financial aid from FAFSA, and many other things. People are prohibited from reaching their true potential and their dreams. What is the point of having a grade-A brain and not being able to find a job worthy of you capabilities? That is a shrewd waste of talent, if you ask me. Now, some people who are anti-immigrant would always point out that illegal immigrants create a strain in our economy. Namely, that such people abuse welfare and medical treatment, that billions of dollars go to waste, money that comes from American tax payers. While that is true, people fail to grasp the larger part of the picture. Illegal immigrants help the economy by paying 8 cents on every taxable dollar for goods and services. They eventually purchase houses and vehicles, thus, helping the economy move. Moreover, many illegal immigrants resort to using fake social security numbers, hence, they never get reimbursed on federal taxes, allowing Uncle Sam to keep billions of dollars every year. Most people don’t even know that, or just plain don’t accept it. One must also note that more and more Hispanic immigrants establish their own businesses, with revenue accumulating in the billions of dollars. Therefore, when people come my way arguing how illegals are ruining the country, I return them stupefied. And If you think I am just airing my opinions, think again.

From Wikipedia:

“According to James Smith, a senior economist at Santa Monica-based RAND Corporation and lead author of the study “The New Americans: Economic, Demographic, and Fiscal Effects of Immigration”, immigrants contribute as much as $10 billion to the American economy each year. Separate research by both George Borjas, Robert W. Scrivner Professor of Economics and Social Policy at Harvard University and Paul Samuelson, Nobel Prize-winning economist from MIT has shown that illegal immigration had a substantial effect on reducing the economic status of U.S. poor while benefiting middle class individuals and wealthier Americans.”

Immigrants, be them illegal or legal, are what makes our country strong. If America wants to curtail the flow of immigration, it should build a wall all along the border and add more border patrol and aerial surveillance as well… but to the people that have been living in the shadows for many years– those 11 millions immigrants– they should receive a pathway to permanent residency and citizenship… now. You simply cannot deport 11 million people. What’s more, people become Americans by being exposed to the American way of life. A paper shouldn’t dictate if you are an American or not, it is our values and morals that make us Americans in the end.

The way things are right now, with the current Arizona law passed by governor Jan Brewer (another reason I dislike conservative republicans), things are beginning to get ugly. If the federal government doesn’t do something soon, the problem will escalate. It is my hope that the Latino community rises up from its slumber and demands its due. There is a feeling of hatred bubbling up among people on opposite sides of the issue. The fact that U.S. Border Agents shot and killed a 15 year old boy in Ciudad Juarez for reportedly throwing rocks and the murder of a man, Anastasio Hernandez Rojas, who was applied taser 4 times and beaten on the head with a baton for resisting deportation, have no doubt exasperated the Hispanic community this month.

I, for one, know where I stand on the issue. Where do you stand?

Share this Blog

On Homosexuals

Oscar — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 19:45:07 +0000

I have always wondered if homosexuals are born as such, or if through life experiences and choice… they become gay. Perhaps, both? I do not know, but I would like to share with you my view on the subject. It has been known throughout centuries that homosexuals have always been around, maybe since the beginning of man. Boy lovers in ancient Athens ran rampant, even Socrates himself was accused of being homosexual and was charged for perverting youths. Heck, homosexual behavior has been observed in several mammals, primates being no exception. Some of those chimps really go at it! Male to male attraction or female to female attraction has always perplexed me. We were designed by God (or evolution, depending your taste) to be a plug (man) and socket (female) combination. Anatomically, you have no need to look any further, men are designed for women and vice-versa, it isn’t as complicated as the Dirac Equation or Lev Landau’s superfluidity work (don’t ask)! Structurally, our sex organs and reproductive systems guarantee the propagation of the human race only in a male-to-female pairing. This is, to me, how nature always intended it. When push comes to shove, be it a successful life or a mediocre one, the one thing we share with most other humans is the ability to reproduce and to leave progeny on earth. Of course, it is not always this way but that is usually how it is and the main idea… wether we realize it or not is irrelevant. We just fuse DNA (egg+sperm) and out comes the next generation.

If we analyze a male-to-male pairing or a female-to-female pairing, we would arrive to the conclusion that these combinations do not function in the reproduction, propagation, and survival of the human species. It sounds harsh, but a two plug combination or a two socket combination… is not what nature intended. If all the peoples of the world became homosexual, our species would be in big trouble. There is a possibility that we would cease to exist, or reproduction would become a “burden”. Just to be clear, I am not implying that homosexuals contribute nothing to humanity. There are many great people with great hearts and charisma, who help and contribute to society in countless ways. I do believe everyone is entitled to live life as they want, personal lives are private and to each his own. Most of the time, I care not for how people decide to live, as long as they do not affect or interfere in my own life.

However, one can always be curious as to why people adopt a homosexual lifestyle. Perhaps, a gene sequence in people’s genome is faulty, implying a genetic disease. It is a possibility that we cannot rule out and it kind of makes sense, especially with cases when the child exhibits homosexual characteristics from early on. There is a lot of controversy regarding this theory as correlated twin studies (one twin being homo and the other hetero) discredit this approach. Still, I believe that even twin DNA can vary ever so slightly, expressing different genes. We still have so much to learn about our 3 billion base pairs in our DNA, full of genes and “junk”. Another approach to answer why people adopt a homosexual lifestyle involves choice. It is a much easier concept, people of the same sex find each other attractive and choose to be together. Maybe they were not ‘born’ gay but they, at some point in their lives, feel an inexorable attraction to the same sex. Sexual activity between said individuals only adds to their attraction and feeling of love. For instance, a male gay couple will get addicted to stimulation of their prostate and so on. We all can get addicted to some sort of physical stimulation but in my view, as a man, nothing can replace the pleasure a woman can give you. Most men (and women) out there will agree with me, but not gay couples, and that is understandable. Lesbians, I regard in a different light, this being so because no man can truly understand the female anatomy as well as another woman. Lately, the world has become more liberal and the gay community has risen to get things like gay marriage laws to be passed. I know I said that everyone is entitled to whatever life they want, but I am divided on this issue. If all the states allow gay marriage, it would fuel an upsurge and many will come out of the closet… gay numbers may increase. This is just one scenario, mind you, I am no expert on such things. Gay people on the same terms as heterosexual couples is not something I agree in, to tell you the truth. Moreover, in the decades to come, if more and more gay couples are seen in public holding hands and/or kissing, what are little children to think? Would they assume that homosexual behavior is normal? Would those children be inclined to follow such lifestyle if they see it all over? We function on a monkey-see/monkey-do basis much of the time, and I can almost be sure that precisely that will happen. In the end, it is a deviation from our intended design, giving over to physical lust. Allowing gay couples to adopt is also something I do not agree with, but that is just me. I know there are gay couples with great honesty and integrity that should be able to adopt, but as it is in this world, some ruin it for the rest. Mine is only but a mere view on such topic. What do you guys think on these topics?

Share this Blog

Girls… just want to have fun!

Oscar — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 19:47:38 +0000

There is a particular song by Cindy Lauper called Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, that pretty much summarizes what most girls want. You could be the sweetest, most sincere nice guy out there, but if you do not know how to have fun or live like a hermit—guys, you are screwed. Women are special individuals with special needs; they love to have fun and love to be loved. It isn’t rocket science! I will be the first to admit, that I used to be an introverted lout lost in his own little world, reading books and doing outlandishly nerdy things, until it hit me… it sucks to be alone, it really does. Thankfully, I learned of a way to balance my interests and be more outreaching and extroverted.

Girls love to have fun, to go out and drink at a nice bar or a club and just unplug from work and/or school routine. Heck, not just girls, but guys as well. To tell you the truth, if we are single, we go to a bar and hope to find someone. We all yearn to find someone that we can love and be loved in return. For a guy, that is no problem, we drink and can hold our liquor (most of us anyway). If we find someone, fine, if we don’t… then there’s next week. Personally, I do not think like this, but for the sake of simplicity I will write how guys are in general. Guys are dogs, women! Never let your guard down or let yourself be deceived. I know what you are thinking, “heck, Oscar, you ARE a guy”. True, but I am not like those guys… neither am I a saint, of course.

Guys generally go to clubs to hook up for one night stands, contrary to what you believe, most are not looking for a serious relationship. How do I know? One, I’m a guy, and a lot of friends were like that, and two, I can observe guys at any club I show up and predict what they are going to do. I know, I know, still a nerdy thing to do, but bear with me. A girl drinking in a club is like a sheep entering a wolf’s lair, especially, if she is alone or only accompanied by girlfriends. I know the thinking patterns of guys; they will soon approach such a girl (especially if she is gorgeous) and will start getting their game on, smooth talking like Joel Osteen or Barack Obama, and sporting their tight douchebag clothes. If you start conversation with them and they aren’t cheap, they will gladly intoxicate you further. After all, that is what they want, to get you drunk and turn into an octopus before you know it (you girls know what I mean). That is why, if I were a girl, I wouldn’t trust any stranger at the club. All they want is sex, not the person within you. A true man waits.

Trust the guys at the library or Barnes and Noble. The mathematical probability of them being more honest and having integrity is much more elevated than some random stranger at a bar. Game theory attempts to mathematically capture behavior in strategic situations, in which an individual’s success in making choices depends on the choices of others. Therefore, the choices you make as a girl directly equate to the success the guy obtains. At the bar, women can make choices that will make the douchebag win. As for the nerd at the library, don’t take him for granted. Despite his uncombed hair, his badly need for a haircut, and crappy t-shirt, he could very well be a party animal if you give him the chance. The douche, sporting the appealing bad boy image and silver tongue will always be beaten by the nerd in the long run. Nerds go places. The other guys get stuck with child support and/or working like mules the rest of their lives, consequently, girls cease having fun.

Share this Blog

Emily the Strange and Rosamond

Oscar — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 22:51:08 +0000

There were several books I read as a child that eventually were forgotten but, somehow, life inexplicably spurred me to remember them. Files lost in my hard drive were not lost at all, my mind just needed some shaking to remember things from my childhood. I remembered The Giving Tree, Amelia Bedelia, Where the Wild Things Are, The Stinky Cheese Man, and of course, Nate the Great. All these children books helped make the Mickey-Oscar I am today. The Giving Tree was one of the first books that introduced me to the human condition of growing up and how we eventually cease liking things which used to thrill us. Amelia Bedelia was a riot to read because of her goof nature, she was the maid that did all the chores wrong but could never be fired because she was a tremendous pastry cook! Max from Where the Wild Things Are fed my imagination as to how I would rule the world but eventually needed to compromise and obey my parents. And Nate the Great, wow, the kid detective who would always solve any tough crime or (case) after eating some pancakes! Nate thrilled me to no end. If I ever have kids, I would want them to be smarter than me, I will sit with them and read all the books I loved as a child with classical music in the background. The Nate the Great series invented by Marjorie Sharmat and Marc Simont is truly a work that has touched the lives of many kids everywhere. I remember how Nate would follow the clues alongside his dog, Sludge to solve crimes, the actions of Nate were very memorable, and the pancakes he ate always made me hungry!

As an adult, I had all those books in the back of my mind. I love rock, both in Spanish and in English, classic and alternative. I ran into a character that thrilled me for being dark, moody, and strange (she is also a rocker). The character’s name is Emily the Strange. The character is owned by Cosmic Debris, a company founded by Rob Eger, a skate boarder, and Matt Reed, a race car driver. I am not going to lie, I am a big fan of counterculture characters such as Chococat, Pochacco, Snoopy, and Emily. As a guy, I don’t wear such girly things, of course, but I do like the cool designs that, like Hello Kitty, look cute on girls . Emily is a strange girl accompanied by 4 black cats, she has long black hair, always wears black, and wears white Mary Jane shoes. She has a strong fascination of dark themes and her attitude is very interesting and appealing. However, surfing through the internet, I found that Cosmic Debris and Sharmat and Simont had tangled in court! In 1991, Emily the Strange made her appearance, but in 1978, in Nate the Great and the Lost List, Sharmat and Simont introduced a girl named Rosamond that loved dark themes, was always attended by 4 black cats, and even wore the white Mary Jane shoes! In short, Emily is based on Rosamond! Perhaps… that is another reason I like Emily the Strange! My mind subconsciously connected Emily to a character I HAD read about in a book series all those years ago.

Cosmic Debris sued first, Sharmat and Simont counter-sued, but both reached a civilized agreement and agreed that both were original creations. Personally, I think Cosmic Debris should pay a small percentage to the creators of Nate the Great, their profits allow for it. As for me, I am a winner, I am a fan of both Emily and Nate the Great (including Rosamond).

Share this Blog

A Day in the Life of Joe Republican

Oscar — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 16:05:13 +0000

“A Day in the Life of Joe Republican”

Joe gets up at 6 a.m. and fills his coffeepot with water to prepare his morning coffee. The water is clean and good because a liberal fought for minimum water-quality standards. With his first swallow of coffee, he takes his daily medication. His medications are safe to take because a liberal fought to insure their safety and that they work as advertised.

All but $10 of his medications are paid for by his employer’s medical plan because liberal union workers fought their employers for paid medical insurance – now Joe gets it too. He prepares his morning breakfast, bacon and eggs. Joe’s bacon is safe to eat because a liberal fought for laws to regulate the meat packing industry. In the morning shower, Joe reaches for his shampoo. His bottle is properly labeled with each ingredient and its amount in the total contents because a liberal fought for his right to know what he was putting on his body and how much it contained. Joe dresses, walks outside and takes a deep breath. The air he breathes is clean because a liberal fought for laws to stop industries from polluting our air. He walks to the subway station for his government-subsidized ride to work. It saves him considerable money in parking and transportation fees because a liberal fought for affordable public transportation, which gives everyone the opportunity to be a contributor.

Joe begins his work day. He has a good job with excellent pay, medical benefits, retirement, paid holidays and vacation because liberal union members fought and died for these working standards. Joe’s employer pays these standards because Joe’s employer doesn’t want his employees to call the union. If Joe is hurt on the job or becomes unemployed, he’ll get a worker compensation or unemployment check because a liberal didn’t think he should lose his home because of his temporary misfortune. Its noontime and Joe needs to make a bank deposit so he can pay some bills. Joe’s deposit is federally insured by the FSLIC because a liberal wanted to protect Joe’s money from unscrupulous bankers who ruined the banking system before the Great Depression.

Joe has to pay his Fannie Mae-underwritten mortgage and his below-market federal student loan because a liberal decided that Joe and the government would be better off if he was educated and earned more money over his lifetime. Joe is home from work. He plans to visit his father this evening at his farm home in the country. He gets in his car for the drive. His car is among the safest in the world because a liberal fought for car safety standards. He arrives at his boyhood home. His was the third generation to live in the house financed by Farmers’ Home Administration because bankers didn’t want to make rural loans. The house didn’t have electricity until some big-government liberal stuck his nose where it didn’t belong and demanded rural electrification.

He is happy to see his father, who is now retired. His father lives on Social Security and a union pension because a liberal made sure he could take care of himself so Joe wouldn’t have to. Joe gets back in his car for the ride home, and turns on a radio talk show. The radio host keeps saying that liberals are bad and conservatives are good. He doesn’t mention that the beloved Republicans have fought against every protection and benefit Joe enjoys throughout his day. Joe agrees: “We don’t need those big-government liberals ruining our lives! After all, I’m a self-made man who believes everyone should take care of themselves, just like I have.”

And finally, a quote by Senator Ted Kennedy while speaking to the New York Liberal Party in Sept 1960:

“What do our opponents mean when they apply to us the label ‘liberal’? If by ‘liberal’ they mean, as they want people to believe, someone who is soft in his policies abroad, who is against local government and who is unconcerned with the taxpayer’s dollar, then…we are not that kind of ‘liberal.’ But if by a ‘liberal’ they mean someone who looks ahead and not behind, someone who welcomes new ideas without rigid reactions, someone who cares about the welfare of the people–their health, their housing, their schools, their jobs, their civil rights and their civil liberties–someone who believes we can break through the stalemate and suspicions that grip us in our policies abroad, if that is what they mean by a ‘liberal’ then I’m proud to say I’m a liberal.”

The above is something an acquaintance of mine, Caleb Cadis, wrote on a Facebook link. I give him all the credit. Also, this article is not our intellectual property. All rights belong to the original author.

Share this Blog

X-Men Origins: Wolverine= FAIL

Oscar — Sat, 02 May 2009 04:18:58 +0000

As a former comic book collector, I am very angry and disappointed with the film, X-Men Origins: Wolverine. The movie is horrible in many aspects. What is so bothersome is that despite the talented cast and cameos of other X-Men characters, 20th Century Fox was able to rape facts from the real X-Men Universe and change things to whatever they like. None of the X-Men films have convinced me, because the Hollywood neanderthals CHANGE almost everything. I am sorry, but I refuse to see another X-Men movie under the direction of 20th Century Fox.

You remember the first X-Men movie? Well, it broke box office records at the time, but its was utterly retarded. At least, for someone that knows the characters from the mainstream comics. All the X-Men movies have had Wolverine as the protagonist…please, all Wolvie is, is a weapon for the X-Men. He is no leader in the comics, but since he is so popular, media companies try to make it as if he is a brilliant thinker and strategist. I like Wolverine, but he is no leader of the X-Men, just someone who will help the battle be won. They even have cartoons now, Wolverine and the X-Men. In these cartoons, it seems the roles of Cyclops and Wolvie are reversed, Wolverine is the squad leader and Cyclops has attitude problems..ridiculous. Back to the movies. Magneto…Ian McKellen? He was great as Gandalf, but as Magneto? In the comic books, Magneto looks as if he is in his forties and has a perfectly chiseled body, six pack and everything. He is depicted as an old and fragile senior citizen in the movies. Rogue? She has the powers of Ms. Marvel and is superstrong and invulnerable in the comics but in the movie she is a fragile teenager. Ugh.

In this new film, they have Sabretooth (a.k.a. Victor Creed) and Wolverine (Logan) as brothers! Not at all like the comics. I do remember there was comicdom speculation that Sabretooth was Wolverine’s father, but it was discarded many years ago. The Weapon X program was what trained Wolverine to be a killing machine and the source of his unbreakable adamantium skeleton; here, he doesn’t even get trained, they just give him the metal. The plot revolves around Colonel Stryker experimenting on mutants and using Sabretooth to kill former Weapon X members and capturing young mutants for other experiments. According to this ridiculous movie, Wolverine cannot beat Sabretooth if he doesn’t have adamantium skeleton and claws. Whatever. Wolverine can easily defeat Sabretooth without the metal any day of the week, I have the comics. X-Men Origins: Wolverine also seemed promising as the trailers showed the awesome merc-with-a-mouth, Deadpool (a.k.a. Wade Wilson), played by Ryan Reynolds and the character Remy Lebeau, or Gambit. More disappointment. Wade only appears briefly and then Stryker experiments on him and imbues him with not only a healing factor (as it is in the comics), but the abilities of many captured young mutants, like the teen Cyclops (a.k.a Scott Summers). Deadpool is the villain of the movie! Whoever wrote this movie has no love or knowledge of these characters, they were just interested in making money. Gambit didnt even have a cajun accent, and his powers? He charges cards with explosive kinetic energy and throws them at enemies but in this movie he appears to levitate the cards! Moreover, his steel fighting rod? Well, he taps the ground with it and the ground explodes. Those are not Gambit’s powers! Who are they trying to fool? This film’s Deadpool is an insult to the real Deadpool. In fact, I wish Deadpool was real and that he paid a visit to the people that made this film.

I give this movie an F-.

There are some that are unfamiliar of how characters truly are in the comics and may, thus, like this movie. Mind you, that is the only way you will like this movie, if you know nothing about the X-Men universe and never read comic books. I have hundreds of comic books and thousands of comic cards, I KNOW my superheroes. If you were or are a comic book aficionado, evade this movie like the plague H1N1.

Share this Blog

Swine Flu (H1N1)-A New Threat

Oscar — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 19:18:40 +0000

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are monitoring the progress of the swine flu outbreak in Mexico which already has 20 confirmed cases in the United States. Mexican officials have claimed that the H1N1 swine virus has claimed the death of over 60 people, 71 according to BBC News as of April 26, 2009. Over 1,000 people are suspected of being infected in Mexico. A few days ago, 6 people were confirmed to have the swine virus in California and 2 in Texas. As of today, 20 cases are confirmed, notably in students returning from a trip from Mexico to New York City. Four cases were confirmed in Canada. The outbreak and most of the cases originated in Mexico City, one of the largest cities in the world with a population of 20 million inhabitants. What worries most scientists is that the affected are mainly young, healthy adults which should have the capacity to fight off the virus. Cases of elderly or children being infected are not common and thus, rare.

With the threat of avian flu a couple of years ago, the world is better prepared with stock piled antiviral drugs for a possible global influenza pandemic. The pandemic alert has not been raised as the CDC and WHO are still monitoring events unfold. Mexico has approximately 1 million doses of anti-viral drugs, such as Tamiflu, which has shown to be effective in treating the virus. The WHO believe Mexico to be capable of handling the outbreak, which started in mid-March and have pledged support to work with Mexican health authorities. The World Bank has also loaned $25 million dollars in immediate aid to help treat the outbreak and will provide $180 million dollars in the long term. Expert teams have already been deployed to the hotzone to investigate the virus. Makers of the antiviral drugs are on standby to mass produce the medication if the virus spreads worldwide. Authorities in Mexico City have encouraged its citizens to stay at home and not assist public venues such as soccer stadiums, nightclubs, and even church to help slow the spread of the virus. This was followed by suspension of massive public events. Mexican military personnel have passed out 6 million surgical face masks and seeing people with these precautionary face masks has become a common sight in Mexico City.

The CDC and the WHO are urging all world governments to stay informed and prepare defense plans in case the virus goes global, which seems to be the case. Despite this, tourists are currently not being advised to halt travel to Mexico. The White House stated that it is not time to panic, and that all proper precautions are being taken. The H1N1 swine virus is a new strain of influenza type A according to WHO. It is a respiratory disease that constantly changes, much like the human flu. It usually affects herds of swine, and transmission to humans was not common. The swines appear to serve as a “mixing vessel” in which the genetic material of avian, swine, and human influenza strains are combined (antigen shift), resulting in something never seen before. The CDC are initiating work to produce a vaccine from a “seed strain” of the swine flu, but nobody knows how quickly this may be done. People that have contracted the virus spread the virus like any common human influenza, mainly by coughing and sneezing.

Details will change by the minute. It may appear that a “local virus”, behind the scenes, mixing with the swine virus strain is what is enabling the disease in Mexico to be much more lethal than what has been found in the US cases, despite both being confirmed to be swine virus H1N1. Make sure you get your Tamiflu from greedy Roche today, just to be safe.

Share this Blog

On Lou Dobbs

Oscar — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 21:05:18 +0000

A certain aspect of my personality that has been congratulated by some and chided by others is my ability to put people that are out of line in their place. I can be laid back and nice most of the time, but when I see someone getting out of line and making others feel bad, I step in and leave that person in ridicule. I can do it as an automatic reflex, sometimes without them even knowing that I put them down and with the need of a dictionary to know what I said. I have no inhibitions in telling someone that their mentality is severely flawed, and point where they are wrong. I could care less if the person is rich, poor, Ivy League educated, or even famous. It is something that I do not do often, as I can very patient most of the time. Besides, whenever I feel like criticizing someone, I remember that not all people have been given the advantages I have had. Nevertheless, I speak my mind to people that deserve it at times. I have a strong sense of justice. I fight for what my mind and heart tells me is right.

If you watch the news, I am sure you have inevitably seen Lou Dobbs, the anchor of Lou Dobbs Tonight on CNN. He is an overly arrogant, biased, and stupid racist snake. Dobbs is a Texan, and was born in September 24, 1945. He received a bachelor’s in economics from Harvard University, whoopee fucking doo. The man lands a job as a news anchor in Phoenix and then Seattle. He was invited by Ted Turner’s people in 1979, when Ted (another idiot, a billionaire, but an idiot nonetheless) was in the process of forming CNN. Lou began his career with CNN in 1980 and held various important positions. However, he quit in 1999, due to conflict with then CNN President, Rick Kaplan. After Kaplan left, Lou was invited back to CNN by his BFF Ted Turner in 2001. He was given the helm of Loud Dobbs Moneyline which became Lou Dobbs Tonight. Aside from his evening show, he also works as a radio host.

Lou Dobbs is a person that was endowed with much power by CNN; he expresses his opinions very crudely. Now, everyone is entitled to their opinions, but nobody is entitled to play God and insult millions of people because of personal dislike. If he doesn’t like Hispanic immigrants, then that is a personal problem, don’t stereotype or insult the masses of Hispanic immigrants that come looking for the American Dream. America is a nation of immigrants, it doesn’t matter if you arrived 200 years ago or yesterday, it is the melting pot of the world. The reason America is great is because minds from all over the world come and live here. We have the best of every culture. Plus, I daresay had it not been due to European Jewish physicists that immigrated here, America would not have become the world’s most powerful country. Johnny Von Neumann, Edward Teller, Leó Szilárd, Stanislaw Ulam, Hans Bethe and others were all immigrants of Jewish descent that were key people at Los Alamos, during the Manhattan Project. Robert Oppenheimer and Richard Feynman were not immigrants but their Jewish parents were.

So, please, Mr. Dobbs, don’t be so harsh on immigrants. True, Hispanic immigrants are not building nuclear bombs, but most do come to better themselves and the country, just give them a chance. Don’t use them as the scapegoat for America’s problems. Leave the bitchy-ness to the Native Americans whom experienced your ancestors invading America and caused their subsequent eradication. I must, however, thank Lou Dobbs for doing something right. You see, he has an inbox on his website where you can leave comments about his show. His secretary helps him pick the best comments and he airs them at the end of his broadcast. I left one a little over a year ago. The following is what I left:

“Jesus Christ, Lou Dobbs. You are still alive? You are nothing but an insecure racist with friends in high places that enable you to keep your job plaguing immigrants on television. Hope you die soon. This coming from all the immigrants you hate.”

So, what do you know? He aired my comment! I must thank him in person. As my comment was chosen, I also received his book, War on the Middle Class, as a gift. Not that I have read it, of course. Lou doesn’t stop at bashing illegal immigrants; he even called former secretary of state Condoleezza Rice a cotton picker! The man is a racist, he is a racist that tries to cover up by saying an occasional good statement that he later employs as a defense for not being racist. I wish I could sit down with him one day, until then I have a message for Lou, and the message is “Screw You.” We do not need racism in this world. What do you think of Lou Dobbs?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Y0W19-N3Ik

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEe18ECiQh4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HU7bsefBAmQ

Share this Blog

Watchmen

Oscar — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 22:29:19 +0000

I sort of feel obligated to write a review on the film, Watchmen. Unless you have no TV or access to the internet, you well know that Watchmen was going to be a pretty big release when it came out March 7. The film is an adaptation of a 12-issue comic book series of the same title, created by the ever so talented Alan Moore and artist Dave Gibbons for DC comics in 1986-87. It is the only comic to receive a Hugo Award, and as a comic book fan, I highly recommend it to anyone that knows how to read.

The film is directed by the same director of the film 300, Zack Snyder. Remember, 300 is also based on a comic book by Frank Miller, who based it on an actual event described by the Greek Historian, Herodotus, this being the Battle of Thermopylae. Once again, Snyder stays true to the comic and produces a movie worthy of the comic’s greatness. Though not as powerful or good as 300, Watchmen is sure to have a place in any nerd’s DVD or Blue Ray library. The special effects are amazing, and the plot is very different from what you may expect in a “super hero” movie.

Watchmen are a team of super heroes that have been working in the United States fighting crime. The movie starts out in alternate 1980’s America in which President Nixon is in term for the third time, and the government has passed a law in the years prior which outlawed superheroes. The Watchmen are a team of 6 superheroes:

The Comedian (Edward Blake)- A government-sanctioned superhero that is fascinating because he does horrible things, yet you still do not hate him. His assassination starts Rorschach’s investigation and the whole story.
Dr. Manhattan (Jon Osterman)- An American physicist who gets caught in an accident with an Intrinsic Field Subtractor. He gets destroyed but is able to come back as the massively superpowered man dubbed Dr. Manhattan by the government. He is the only character to have superpowers but he is so powerful, he loses his humanity.
Rorschach (Walter Kovacs)- A masked vigilante who narrates the movie and investigates the death of The Comedian. His mask shows continuously changing inkblots, hence his name. The protagonist of the movie, Rorschach hates society for the crimes they commit and his sense of justice is well placed, although his tactics and actions are extreme. He alone is worthy to watch, as he shows the duality of man. After the Keene Act is passed, he is the only vigilante active. He is a very good fighter and very astute.
Nite Owl (Dan Deriberg)- A superhero a la Batman. Nite Owl dons a costume similar to Batman and fights crime with gadgets and pure fighting prowess. He is the typical nice guy in the story, but he is sort of impotent. Rorschach and Nite Owl are good friends.
Silk Spectre (Laurie Juspeczyk)- The heroine of the story. Laurie is in a relationship with Dr. Manhattan, but she begins to fall out of love with Jon as he loses more and more his touch with humanity. She begins a relationship with Nite Owl, but Dr. Manhattan and her first need to have a chat in Mars as a form of closure. Silk just relies on her acrobatic and fighting skills.
Ozymandias (Adrian Veidt)- The smartest man in the world, who is a self-made billionaire and just revealed his real identity to the world, as the retired hero, Ozymandias. Adrian is also interesting to watch, at the end, you will be like…ok, he is smart.

The Comedian is the key to the movie. The movie is rated R, so try not to take kids or little siblings. One thing I may say to prepare you is that the blue, strong, Dr. Manhattan is completely naked most of the time. Also, there are a couple of sex scenes. Nothing too scary, just not for the little kids. Oh, and I do recommend you read the comic so you can understand the film better. I give it a B++

Share this Blog

War and Peace, Politics and History

Oscar — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 22:39:25 +0000

A couple of days ago I was flipping through HBO channels and I was inclined to watch a special show produced by James Gandolfini. You might know him better as the protagonist of The Sopranos, the award-winning mafia drama. The show was about various American soldiers who have returned home from battlefields in Iraq. They were privates and colonels and lieutenants. They looked ordinary enough, and the cameras would roll on a particular soldier and he or she would answer questions about the war and how it had affected their lives. What captivated me to watch the show was that the soldiers being interviewed were missing limbs, usually legs and showed other ghastly war wounds. I am talking about soldiers around our age up to their mid to late twenties. Ordinary people like you and me.

I see the war in Iraq as another Vietnam. A useless and inept war wastefully pouring out the blood of not only young Americans, but innocent Iraqis in these last years. After the 9/11 attacks, the United States was desperate to counter-attack. Afghanistan was the first to feel the Tomahawk missiles in the so-far-not successful attempt to catch Osama bin Laden and his Al-Qaeda. So, what happened? Bin Laden cannot be found and America still wants to pound on a country. What better country to war with than Saddam Hussein’s Iraq? They “had” weapons of mass destruction, so it was justifiable to go in there, kill the dictator, and instill democracy on people not ready for democracy. The war was won fairly quickly, but occupations never work. Guerilla warfare and suicidal Muslim extremists began picking American and coalition troops with Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). Iraq should have been left alone, in my opinion. It was better off with Saddam in place. There was less death and destruction than now. He ruled with an iron fist because he had to keep control, otherwise it would have been eternal civil war among the tribes. It is also despicable to capture a country’s leader and have him killed. What was wrong with life in prison? How would we feel if Mahmoud Ahmadinejad or Ali Khamenei captured Bush and the American population see his decapitation on Youtube? If you really wanted to stop a country that abhors the USA, it should have been Iran, as it was and IS more dangerous. Islamic terrorist will never stop their so-called Jihad against the west. This has been going on for centuries and Christianity, Judaism and Islam are religions that have always been at odds. Perhaps the world would be a better place with only agnostics. The resentment of strict Muslims towards America reached new pinnacles, when, in 1947, America and the United Nations decided on the partition of Palestine into a Jewish and Arab state. I can see both sides of the coin. Imagine your country divided by the whims of stronger nations, and half of it to be given to your enemy. Palestine has the right to be angry, but they do not have the right to kill Jews. Likewise, according to scripture, the Kingdom of Judah belongs to God’s chosen: Israel. It is a very sensitive topic, because it is religious prophecy mixed with politics. I think that the Jewish people deserve to have their home, as they suffered much atrocity during the Holocaust, the compensation is somewhat fair. At any rate, that is my opinion. I am a Jew sympathizer, but I have more Muslim friends. They are freaking smart…

Seeing the HBO special, I could see the physical and psychological damage the soldiers that survived explosive attacks had. It was depressing, if you want to know the truth. One was a father missing his legs and still trying to ice skate with his children, via prosthetics. Another was afraid that his wife might leave him, due to his horrendous scars on his body, I didn’t see the whole show, but I could see the faces on these victims of war. I felt pity for those soldiers, and enraged at their being in a war initiated by George W. Bush and his goddamn cabinet. Was it worth it? As of September 2007, over 27,000 Americans had been injured, and over 3,700 killed. I have not been able to find the new stats, but I am sure they have gone up. That is the worst part of being a soldier. A soldier must obey high command. It is sad to be at the hands of an imbecile. People are dying and losing arms and legs and getting disfigured but Bush still has his martinis, dressed in Armani, eating gourmet food at the White House or playing golf. I wish he would be in the front lines with an M-16, to see if he would like it. I bet you anything that most of the people serving in the armed forces voted for Obama, so they could return home. I would have. My friends in the military did. And I am glad that the underdog won. I am GLAD Obama won, and I am willing to give the man a chance. Instead of just hating, crying, and yelling about the unfair redistribution of wealth, there is more to these next four years than just that. People’s irrational hate for Obama is something I find amusing. I never heard conservatives whine about the butcheries and incompetent character of Bush. I guess as long as some conservatives are making money, the lives of soldiers getting killed in war becomes trivial or something. Eyes that do not see, are hearts that do not feel. I remember conservative Republicans calling for the resignation of Bill Clinton. It turns out Clinton wasn’t so bad, huh? How about Hoover? “Prosperity is just around the corner”. Yeah, right. FDR, a Democrat, had to come out and fix the economy. Also, for those of you who don’t know, the Great Depression wasn’t caused by the stock market crash, it was a series of unfortunate events (no pun on the books); the crash was just the “last straw”. I, for one, await our troops to return as soon as possible.

Black September back then, and Al-Qaeda today, and several other violent factions have emerged and will continue to emerge; the newer more violent than its predecessor. Terrorism is not a country, and it is difficult to fight. Islam does not have warrior-leaders like the great Saladin or Salahuddin, one of the most honorable men that have ever walked the earth, who respected his enemy and their religion. After his capture of Jerusalem during the Crusades, he kindly invited Jews to resettle in the city. It takes a lot for a man to command my respect and admiration, and Saladin is in my “group” of legendary men. Today, I am sure even he would be disgusted by Islamic terrorists.

Out of high-school, I contemplated joining the US Marine Corps. Several of my friends decided to join the armed forces, as the recruiters constantly called them at home, almost harassing them and they were able to convince most of them. Most told me that they had joined because they wanted the Montgomery GI Bill and help for college, plus they were going to travel the world and “grow” with the military. Nonetheless, I was of a divided mind. I wanted the experience, but I also wanted to be close to home and I had a brand-new Camaro to pay. So, I decided to stay at home and learn about life as it may, not knowing what to expect. There was a particular friend, who joined the Army. As months went by, he would call me, I guess he missed Houston a bit and was desperate for someone to share his woes with. He hated the Army. He hated the system. He was truly sorry that he had joined them in the first place. At first I thought it was just his personal experience but he also kept in touch with the other students who had graduated and joined the military. They were also disappointed and regretful that they had joined. Part of me was grateful that I had not joined, the other made me have pity on my former schoolmates. I see now how close I was to signing away my life to be at the hands of retarded drill sergeants and captains. Having a person of inferior intellect screaming at me for no good reason wasn’t very appealing. I do not like being yelled at. In fact, I would probably be inclined to elbow the drill sergeant in the face. Currently, people in the military aren’t exactly known for being geniuses, at least the privates, anyway. Like Senator Kerry said, the armed forces tend be for people who weren’t that great in school. The late Dr. DeBakey was an exception, as was Erwin Rommel, Robert E. Lee, Douglas McArthur, Nimitz, Patton, Napoleon, Hannibal, Genghis Khan, Alexander the Great, etc.. As Brad pointed out, many smart people have shined in the military and made history, but I see nobody of that caliber in these times. Of course, there are brilliant men serving in there, but that is a handful. I doubt the majority has what it takes. Do I respect them any less? No. God bless the job they do, we will always need them and their patriotism; their sacrifice commands the respect from all.

Share this Blog