Author: mopress

Prophesy not deliverance for Texas Democrats sez Tejano Politico. No, it is time to prophesy doom.

"Although the last three state party leaders and some of their former
consultants have long ignored the growing Hispanic community and
African American communities, Republican interests have slowly been
cutting into the Democratic numbers."

At this website, we have endeavored to stay out of party politics, but
the Civil Rights diagnosis of the Tejano Politico makes sad but true
sense from where we sit. We wish good luck to Howard Dean in his
rumored visit to South Texas, although we suspect — based on the
pure structure of the symptoms — that he should place a thermometer on
the tongues of so-called white progressives if he is in a mood to make house calls.

Of course, prophets of doom have always preferred deliverance, but
which words are more likely to be heard? In the end, deliverance
rests in the hands of the people themselves.

We have had very little passion for the education legislation this year
in Texas. So we are pleased to see someone try to work up an
emotion over this disaster. Read Rep. Mike Villarreal‘s letter to his 18-month-old daughter, clipped and posted at Latinos for Texas.

"This bill is like a spare tire, undersized and useful only for a
short stretch of road. It will help the governor and lawmakers get
beyond their next re-election. But in two years, our school finance
system will fail again and we will be the worse for having driven on a
spare tire so long."

Makes me think of those re-treads that you see curled up on the highway. A new metaphor for Texas ed.

For Texas Monthly’s Paul Burka, the Governor’s summer leadership
is likewise nothing but a political retread that need only last until
election day 2006. But Burka works up a kind of admiration for
the ploy when viewed as a survival plan for one of the state’s 22
million residents — the one who lives in the Governor’s mansion.
For Burka’s Governor the game is all about being Governor period.
Well, subscribers to Texas Monthly know very well what they are paying for, as voters for Perry also know their own low expectations.

For our part here, we view with growling suspicion the "tax cut" plan
that will do one thing and one thing only. No, it won’t cut
taxes, but it will reduce the status of arguments now before the Texas
Supreme Court that seek to lift the cap on local property taxes.
And with the status of those arguments reduced, the Supremes may very
well be able to also punt the whole school funding question past November 2006.

And while we have Latinos for Texas on the mind, here’s link to Latinos for America, more evidence of the Dean wing in flight (up, we hope, not away).

Note: Paragraphs on Burka and ‘growling suspcion’ added July 17.

See ‘Flyer Archive’ under ‘Downloads’ to get a pdf flyer.

On Wednesday, July 27th, 2005 at 10PM, there will be a rally to condemn
acts of racism, sexism, and homophobia in the Northgate region of
College Station, Texas and encourage Texas A&M University and the local
community to make Northgate and all of Aggieland a safer place.

The
event is titled "Make Aggieland Safe for Everyone," and Faculty and
Staff Committed to an Inclusive Campus (an organization of teachers and
staff members at TAMU) is one of the various groups that are part of
the
MASE Rally Coalition.

Rally participants will meet in front of the campus post office just
off
University Drive and then demonstrate along the campus side of that
street. The recent racist assault on Ravi Mallipeddi, a TAMU graduate
student, spurred the organizers into holding this rally.
On June 1 of
this year, Mallipeddi was assaulted by unknown individuals in a white
van at the corner of Church and College Main Streets in College
Station,
Texas. The individuals struck him with a baseball bat and shouted
racist epithets at him.

That assault, however, was not an isolated
incident. There is a long history of assaults and harassment in
Northgate directed against visible minorities, women, and gay, lesbian,
bisexual and transgender people.

Please get the word out about this rally. Forward this message to your
networks, post the attached flier, and bring a friend to the rally on
July 27th. We need everyone to get involved to Make Aggieland Safe for
Everyone.

Email from Harris Berger
Faculty and Staff Committed to an Inclusive Campus

Note: Articles linked below suggests that College Station police were slow to respond,
that they also failed to notify Texas A&M authorities, and that
when A&M authorities were made aware of the incident, they were
reluctant to denounce it in public.-gm

Officials Respond to Assault By Victoria White, The Battalion, June 21, 2005.

Police, University review procedures after June 1 assault By Matthew Watkins, The Battalion, June 22, 2005.

In the enclosed writings, Ramsey Muñiz speaks of
regaining the spiritual enlightenment that was
taken from our hearts and minds. Please distribute.–Irma L Muñiz

"Only in the heart of the Mexicano cosmos man
can look for spiritual strength. And if he can
keep his soul in touch with the heart of the world,
then from the heart of the world new blood will beat
strength and stillness into him, fulfilling his
destiny of creation."–Tezcatlipoca

In studying the different religions on this earth
I have come to the conclusion that if we as a race and as
a nation are to become a spiritual power on this earth,
we must return to our ancient spiritual creation. We
were here on this earth long before the Pope, Billy Graham,
or any other spiritual leader. We were so connected
to nature, Mother Earth, heaven, Mictlan, and the
Creator, that it totally amazes me how we have
survived the worst, because the best is yet to come.

I still remember during my youth when everything that
was white was alright, while we, the brown race, were
wrong from the time of our birth. Now after all these
years of suffering and sacrificing, we will become
proud to be brown. It is our duty and responsibility
as Mexicanos to share with the youth of today and
tomorrow our ancient spiritual and cultural creation.
It is written that if we fail to do this, we will
become slaves once again. As humans on this earth we
must accept our Mexicano spiritual enlightenment. We can structure the path of spirituality within
ourselves and become that shining star that our
people will follow.

Yes, I’m a proud Mexicano!
I am so proud that happiness overcomes all this
cruel darkness of America. Who am I?
That is the title of one of our cultural/spiritual
books that will soon be written. In fact, it is
already written in my heart and mind, without data
or notes.

There is much conflict in the world today.
This conflict always comes upon the masses of the
poor, the uneducated, the unemployed, the brown,
black, or yellow man.
Nuestra raza has always demonstrated valor and
courage in defending one’s country. We will witness
many more Mexicanos/Mexicanas fighting the wars and
conflicts of America. It is in our blood!

We have
such a unique sense of respect and honor that even
America has come to understand the true warriors
that we are. Yet we witness the deaths of our
sisters and brothers at the borders of America. We
also witness the highest dropout rate of students
in the educational system of this country. We witness
the population of Mexicano inmates in the federal
and state prisons of America. The saddest thing is
hearing our own Mexicano/Hispanic/Latino politicians
tell us that all is alright. It is not alright, and
it never will be until we return to our beginning
– our spiritual creation, our beliefs in the Creator
of all life on this earth.

Remember that they (different oppressors) took
enlightenment away from our hearts and minds. I was
destined to bring our spiritual enlightenment back
to the masses of our people. Remember that spirituality,
regardless of your religion, comes back to cultura!
Eleven years in these dungeons have been a long
time. Without you and your love I cannot even think
of how I would have survived. It was your love and
spirituality.

Con amor,

Ramsey – Tezcatlipoca

"Only the strong survive."
http://www.freeramsey.com

Received via email from Irma L. Muñiz, 15 July 2005.