Category Archives: Politics

PSA: The Fall of An Empire

The following was inspired by Harryette Mullen’s We Are Not Responsible

This is a public service announcement:

The revolution will not be televised on gunmetal screens. Pay close attention to the sanguine liquid left behind, by the God fearing martyrs as they plan to eliminate you. We cannot be held liable if we fail to protect you. Watch as the phallic powers collapse into obscurity. Observe a society that was built to last, crumble and fall. Be prepared to surrender your inalienable rights in lieu of The Patriot Act. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men
are created equal, except in Arizona. Life, liberty, and the pursuit
of happiness can only be found in books our youth cannot access. It is not our fault that you cannot read. War is expensive, education, the price. Single mothers start saving up bail money. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you. We are not responsible for what happens to you behind interrogation walls. Please sit quietly as we coerce you into a false confession. You are innocent, until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, except if you are Troy Davis. If we mistakenly execute you, please accept our sincerest apologies. We reserve the right to shoot first and ask questions last. In the event of an error, our officers will be put on desk duty. If you have been treated unfairly, you can request a hearing. Understand that it is not our duty to listen to you. Please proceed to the end of the line, even though you have an appointment. You will be seen in the order that we decide.
©2011 Nancy Arroyo Ruffin

When the Earth Trembles

On days like today, I remember you.
Tragedy does not remain localized.
It manifests outward, from the epicenter, heart and guts exposed;
Exploding out of chests, like limbs decapitated by land mines,
Earthquakes ravage, hurricanes savage and if you’re at the wrong place at the wrong time
Fall victim to anger that shoots first and asks questions last.

Pressurized water bursts through rotten aluminum pipes
You drown in the tsunami and beside the dead, are the wounded.
Beside the dead and the wounded, are the traumatized.
And then there are the friends and relatives of the dead, of the wounded, of the traumatized.
Each asking the same question: God why??
 
Spirits search for answers and
The combination of burning flesh, metal, and optimism pierce lungs.
The smell of death, Christopher Reeve paralyzing,
There is no superman left to save you.
The weight of bodies hangs on,
like hope at the sight of rescue crews that never seem to come.

I hear the cries today as I heard them 365 days ago.
The moans of death like an incision to the core,
Each one cuts deeper, each one stings more.
Nothing left but barbed notes in a soprano’s throat.
Aid can’t reach your shores, not even on boats.
Bodies hauled away to mass graves
Proper burials will never take place.
Piled up like trash, without a name or a face.

And so I say on days like today:
Haiti you are not forgotten.
9-11 you are not forgotten.
Innocent men sentenced to death simply because of the color
of your skin you are not forgotten.
Sean Bell, Amadou Diaollo, Patrick Dorismond
you are not forgotten.
Hurricane Katrina you are not forgotten.
You made Kanye say “George Bush doesn’t give a fuck about black people”.
And many felt the same
Now only hope and God remains

While the frail hands of sorrow struggle to pick up the pieces,
Trying to bandage wounds that require CPR
because we don’t know how to act we only know how to react.
Substituting a ton of cure for an ounce of prevention.

So I ask you:

What if more money had been invested in Haiti BEFORE the ‘quake?
What if we gave more than we take?
What if their infrastructure had been in tact?
What if the U.S. could have prevented the world trade center attacks?
What if the police actually listened when we spoke?
What if they’d improved the levies before they broke?
What if we had a government that actually cared?
Could all of the lost lives have been spared?

And today, today there is Egypt,
cursed by 30 years of tyrannical leadership.
Mubarak does not want to concede
so young people are dying for a small taste of democracy.

The pharaohs and gods have seemed to abandon its plight.
Protests take place from the dawn of day to the dusk of night.
Tahrir Square has now become the symbol for liberation
and when the earth trembles we must all stand up and pay attention. 

Photo Credit: Asmaa Waguih/Reuters

Obama Cements His Legacy as Health Care Reform Bill Becomes Law

A little over a year into his Presidency and Obama has managed to do what none of his predecessors were able to do, overhaul the nation’s health care system. Since the days of FDR to Truman to Clinton and almost every President in between all have attempted to improve the country’s health care system and all have failed, until now.

The desire to provide affordable coverage to all Americans has been on President Obama’s agenda since the very beginning of his campaign for the Presidency. In a dramatic Sunday vote, the House approved 219 to 213 a bill identical to one already passed in the Senate and cementing Obama’s legacy as the President who managed to get health care reform. The historical legislature, which was signed into law by the President today is meant to provide coverage for approximately 32 million of the nation’s uninsured.

It is no secret that health care costs have sky rocketed in the last decade with no apparent signs of slowing down. This was definitely the time for health care reform. With many Americans still out of work as a result of the poor economic times, many individuals forego health coverage because they cannot afford it. When having to choose between putting food on the table and having health insurance the latter takes a back seat. Yet, there are others who have been dropped by their carriers because of pre-existing conditions or because the treatment of the disease has reached its coverage cap. The new bill prevents insurance companies from such practices. On Sunday evening, the President sought to place the day in perspective.

“In the end what this day represents is another stone firmly laid in the foundation of the American dream,” the president said after the legislation passed. “Tonight, we answered the call of history as so many generations of Americans have before us. When faced with crisis, we did not shrink from our challenges. We overcame them. We did not avoid our responsibilities, we embraced it. We did not fear our future, we shaped it.”

With the passing of the Health Care Reform bill, President Obama did what he set out to do. He has ensured that health care for every American is a right and not just a privilege for those that can afford it. While he still faces critical backlash from many Republicans, it is important to remember that the number of uninsured individuals in the country does put a financial burden on the nation as a whole. Is the bill expensive? Yes. Will it take years before we start realizing any savings in health care? Yes. But to sit back and not do anything is the way of the cowardly. Sometimes one has to do what is necessary and not what is popular.

Puerto Rico Issued Birth Certificates Soon To Expire

Starting July 1, 2010 any one with a Puerto Rico issued birth certificate will have to apply for a new birth certificate. Puerto Rico’s governor, Luis Fortuño, recently signed a law making all old birth certificates processed prior to December 2009 not valid in any federal agency. It is the government’s effort to reduce and prevent all identity theft cases reported by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the past year.

According to the governmental agency, a Puerto Rican birth certificate can cost anywhere from $5,000 to $10,000 on the black market. Given that anyone born in Puerto Rico is also a United States citizen it is no wonder that there have been high incidences of fraud reported. Many Puerto Rico birth certificates have been stolen and sold to individuals seeking to obtain social security numbers, U.S. passports and other United States benefits.

MyFoxNY.com reports that the government admits that hundreds of thousands of original birth certificates were stored without adequate protection, making them easy targets for theft. About 40 percent of the passport fraud cases involve birth certificates of people born in Puerto Rico.

The Vital Statistics Record Office will begin issuing new birth certificates incorporating what it calls “state-of-the-art” technology to limit the possibility of forgery. The new birth certificates will cost $5. Citizens born in Puerto Rico but residing elsewhere may obtain a copy of the new birth certificate by filling out a Birth Certificate Application form from the Puerto Rico Vital Statistics Record office on or after July 1, 2010.

In my opinion, not much awareness has been given to this new change in law and considering that there are about 300,000 Puerto Ricans residing in New York alone this law may very well impact a great number of individuals. For those residing on the island this may not be a big issue for them as they may have been aware of the new law as soon as it took effect.

The thing that I’m curious to know is how will this new law prevent fraud? I took a look at the website of the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration to see what the requirements were and this was what was listed:

  1. Applicants residing outside of Puerto Rico may mail the completed application to the following address: Puerto Rico Vital Statistics Record Office (Registro Demográfico) P.O. Box 11854 San Juan, PR 00910  
  2. Include a photocopy of a valid government issued photo identification document. A passport or drivers license may be used; all other forms of government issued photo I.D. will be subject to approval.
  3. Include a $5.00 Money Order payable to the Secretary of the Treasury of Puerto Rico.
  4. Include a self-addressed envelope with paid postage.

So according to the requirements above, one would need to submit a copy of their photo i.d. (drivers license or passport may be used) in order to be issued a new birth certificate. Hmmmmm. If the passport copy that is submitted as proof of id was one that was previously obtained fraudulently and a “new” birth certificate is issued what will happen when the real person submits an application for a new copy of their birth certificate?

Will they be denied a birth certificate or will they be targeted as trying to commit fraud because a birth certificate would have been already issued? Will the real person be subjected to now having to “prove” that they are who they say they are just because some other individual slipped through the system again and beat them to getting the new birth certificate? There are a lot of things that need to be considered. Maybe the government has all of this worked out but it seems to me that it can create some bigger issues if not handled correctly. I can understand if the new birth certificate technology is used as of July 1, 2010 for all new births going forward but to make all birth certificates invalid as of that date doesn’t really deal with all of the fraudulently obtained passports that were issued prior to the new law taking effect.

In any case, if you want more information on the new birth certificate law, call (787) 767-9120 ext. 2402 or visit the Web site of the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration at www.prfaa.com

What are your thoughts on this?


The 2010 Census: Black, African-Am., or Negro???

Question No. 9 on this year's census form asks about race, with one of the answers listed as "black, African-Am. or Negro."Every 10 years, as required by the United States Constitution, the Census Bureau takes on the daunting but very important task of determining how many people reside in the country. The data collected aids in determining every states representation in the House of Representatives. Additionally, it helps determine how many federal dollars will be allocated to communities to spend on building and improving things such as roads, schools, parks, housing and public safety.

2010 is a census year and in March the Census Bureau will begin sending out census forms to each and every American household. Some of you may be surprised and even a little offended by question #9 on this year’s census form. Question # 9 relates to race, and asks:

“What is person 1’s race?” with one of the selections being “Black, African-Am., or Negro.

The word “Negro” when used in America, the melting pot of the world, seems, antiquated, offensive, and downright insulting. For some younger people, like myself, that were not part of the civil rights movement or that never experienced segregation and/or slavery, the term is almost a slap in the face especially when the leader of the free world is African-American.

For some older Americans, however, the word isn’t offensive but rather “inclusive”. According to Census Bureau spokesman, Jack Martin, “Many older African-Americans identified themselves that way, and many still do. Those who identify themselves as Negroes need to be included” (McFadden et al). While I can understand the reasoning behind including that term I don’t agree that it should be used.

We are a nation that has come a long way from the days of slavery, segregation, and Jim Crow and by allowing that term to appear on a formal government form it is giving the appearance that it is acceptable to use the term. The fact that a handful of Americans identify with the term “Negro”, does not make the use of it acceptable. It is a word much like the other “N” word that is rooted in hate and conjures up images of inferiority and inequality in most of our minds. To say that it is being used as an inclusive term seems spurious but if it is genuine then why stop at “Negro” and not add “Boy”, “Colored”, “Coon”, and all those other outdated and racists terms that some others may identify with.

I am in awe that some individuals in a country that has come so far feel that the use of that term is acceptable. What do you all think??

McFadden, K. & McShane, L. (2010).  Use of word Negro on 2010 census forms raises memories of Jim Crow. Retrieved from http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2010/01/06/2010-01-06_census_negro_issue_use_of_word_on_forms_raises_hackles_memories_of_jim_crow.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+nydnrss%2Fhome+%28Home%29#ixzz0brkJ7JNt

Bush on Obama: “This Guy Has No Clue”

Posted: September 15th, 2009 06:01 PM ET
 
Bush on Obama: 'This guy has no clue'.
WASHINGTON (CNN) – Former President George W. Bush “seemed to feel considerable unease” with John McCain as the Republican presidential nominee, according to ex-speechwriter Matt Latimer in his tell-all memoir on his days in the White House.

In Latimer’s new book, “Speech-less: Tales of a White House Survivor,” set to hit bookstores on September 22, he reveals Bush’s reactions to the economic collapse, the presidential campaign, and other memorable events. GQ published an excerpt from the memoir in its October issue.

Latimer said Bush liked Mitt Romney best and that he was “clearly not impressed with the McCain operation.” Latimer said the former president wanted to appear with McCain at a campaign event in Phoenix, but after he was told the then-Republican nominee couldn’t get enough people to show up, he called it a “cruel hoax.”

“‘He couldn’t get 500 people? I could get that many people to turn out in Crawford.’ He shook his head. ‘This is a five-spiral crash, boys.’”

Bush presumed Hillary Clinton would be the Democratic nominee, according to Latimer, and was extremely critical of Barack Obama. Latimer said Bush was “ticked off” after one of Obama’s speeches and he said the future president wasn’t “remotely qualified” for the challenges of the job.

“(Bush) came in one day to rehearse a speech, fuming. ‘This is a dangerous world,’ he said for no apparent reason, ‘and this cat isn’t remotely qualified to handle it. This guy has no clue, I promise you,’” Latimer said.

Latimer also made the controversial assertion that after Sarah Palin was tapped as McCain’s running mate, Bush reportedly asked whether she was “the governor of Guam” and said that she was “not even remotely prepared.” A former Bush and Palin aide has challenged the accuracy of the charge.

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I posted this article from CNN because I thought it was interesting how the “then” President Bush thought that Obama wasn’t  remotely qualified to be leader of the free world. While I may not agree with how Obama is handling some issues I would not say that he isn’t qualified. President Obama is a very smart man with degress from both Columbia and Harvard. While he may not be as experienced as others I do believe that he is capable of making decisions based on what he believes is in the best interest of this country. However, you have to keep in mind that not everyone will agree with some of the decisions the President makes. What do you all think? Do you agree with Bush? Why or why not?