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In May the Council of the Americas held its 36th Washington Conference on the Americas. In June the Organization of American States held its 36th General Assembly.

“Our annual Washington Conference is the premier event in the nation’s capital focusing on the
Americas and has consistently brought together senior corporate executives with the highest level of
speakers,” says the report from the Council of the Americas, a David Rockfeller organization.

“In [this year’s] final declaration [of the OAS general assembly], the delegations of 34 OAS member states called on the Secretary General . . . to promote the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) to facilitate the participate of citizens in public life, thereby strengthening democratic governance.”

But remember, just because one event follows the other, we should never infer causality. Still, we like this paragraph from the Washington conference that has Wolfowitz and IBM collaborating on reasons to take poverty reduction seriously:

Working together with government, World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz stressed the role of the
private sector as an important engine for development. IBM Americas General Manager Marc
Lautenbach provided first-hand examples of a
corporation that prioritizes investment in people. In an
increasingly globalized, technology-oriented world,
companies such as IBM recognize their obligation to
bridge the digital divide and help create opportunities for those that otherwise would have been excluded. But, not only does poverty reduction help people it also makes plain business sense. According to the World Bank a 10% drop in poverty levels increases economic growth by 1%, so “growth and poverty reduction should be seen as part of the same problem, and, therefore, as part of the same solution.”

Blogged by Steven Clift at DoWire.Org

Of course, it’s a perfect two-step of decadence. Now that the Texas legislature has shuffled away from its historic chance to enact an educational renaissance, exactly at a moment in history when an important tide of children could be best served, here comes the Congress with boots and bullets. We’ll take our news from the horse’s mouth at the American Forces Information Services (AFIS) as posted at the Army National Guard website (–gm):

House Votes to Allow Military to Assist in Border Security

5/12/2006 – American Forces Information Service (AFIS)

By Kathleen T. Rhem

Army National Guard Offical Logo-Centered on a light blue disc edged red, a representation of the Minute Man Statute by Daniel French in bronze detailed black facing to the right, all enclosed by a blue border bearing the words ARMY NATIONAL GUARD at the top and five stars below all in white

WASHINGTON – The U.S. House of Representatives voted yesterday to allow military forces to be used in border-security operations under certain circumstances.

In a 252-171 vote, House members agreed on an amendment to the Sonny Montgomery National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007. Representatives also voted yesterday to name the bill after Montgomery, a retired congressman and tireless veterans advocate. Montgomery died today at age 85.

The act gives authority to the Defense Department to assign military members to assist Homeland Security organizations in preventing the entry of terrorists, drug traffickers and illegal aliens into the United States and in inspecting cargo, vehicles and aircraft entering the United States to prevent weapons of mass destruction or other terrorist or drug trafficking items from entering the country.

The act specifies that such a move must be made at the request of the secretary of Homeland Security, who must certify that the action “is necessary to respond to a threat to national security posed by the entry into the United States of terrorists, drug traffickers, or illegal aliens.”

Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman stressed that the military already has been helping other government agencies in some border-security functions, namely surveillance with unmanned aerial vehicles. “I think it’s important to understand that the United States military does provide some assistance to the states currently,” he said.

Governors in some border states use National Guard servicemembers in border-security missions, as well.

Whitman said it’s important to remember that governors have authority to mobilize their National Guard forces as they see fit as long as they pay for the mobilization from within state budgets.

The Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 largely forbids the U.S. military from becoming involved in domestic law-enforcement actions. The Coast Guard and National Guard troops under the control of state governors are excluded from the act, however.

“This country has always had a certain level of discomfort with military doing things that are law enforcement-type activities,” a senior official said on background.

Critics of such military use point to the case of 18-year-old Ezequiel Hernandez, who was shot and killed by a U.S. Marine patrol near the Rio Grande River at Redford, Texas, in 1997. The Marines said Hernandez fired at them, and the corporal who pulled the trigger was not charged with a crime. But the case brought about widespread attention to and debate on the role the U.S. military plays in border enforcement. Similar issues have been raised about the military’s role within the United States since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

The federal government also can pay for governors to mobilize their National Guard forces in the case of national emergencies. This mechanism was used during recovery efforts for Hurricane Katrina. Activated Guard forces remained under their governors’ operational control, but federal funds were used to pay for the operation.

In addition, National Guard forces can be federalized then used in the same manner as active-duty forces.

Press reports today state that Assistant Defense Secretary for Homeland Defense Paul McHale has asked defense leaders to devise options for use of military forces in border-enforcement activities. Defense officials today did not specifically confirm this, but said such a move would be consistent with contingency planning that goes on every day in the Pentagon.

“This is a building that develops options and potential courses of action,” the official said. “This is not a decision the Defense Department would make, though. Border security (and) policing are not the primary role or mission of the United States military.”

Language in the bill refers to allowing military members to assist Homeland Security assets in preventing terrorists from entering the United States. Officials have long recognized that illegal trafficking in people and weapons through Latin America poses a threat to the United States.

Rumsfeld and his Central American counterparts discussed this issue at a conference in Miami in October. All in attendance agreed that porous borders to the south can contribute to international terrorism.

“Drug traffickers, smugglers, hostage takers, terrorists, violent gangs: These are threats that are serious,” Rumsfeld said at the conference Oct. 12.

Whitman said today that the United States stresses to South and Central American neighbors the importance of border security. Ungoverned spaces and available funding for illicit activities certainly can have a relationship with terrorism, he said. “That’s why we should be concerned,” he said.

Whitman also said that today’s meeting between Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and Mexican National Defense Secretary Gen. Gerardo Ricardo Vega is “unrelated to any current speculation that I see in current press reporting.”

“This has been on the schedule for quite some time,” he said.

That’s what Jorge Bustamante says in the summary of his first annual report as U.N. Special Rapporteur on Human Rights of Migrants.

The Special Rapporteur also refers to the fact that reluctance to recognize the demand for the labour of migrant workers, which is a common factor among host countries, acquires heuristic importance when it becomes clear that there is some relationship between that reluctance and the appearance of anti-immigrant ideologies often tinged with xenophobia and racism. Denial of demand is an important issue as it is one of the main factors that leads to irregular migration, a situation at the core of much of the abuse and numerous human rights
violations suffered by migrants.

By the way, it is the charge of the Special Rapporteur, “To request and receive information from all relevant sources, including migrants themselves on violations of the human rights of migrants and their families;”

See Reports of the Special Rapporteur for Migrant Rights (2006)

THE ORIGINS OF THE “ELIMINATE THE GRINGO” QUOTE

By Jose Angel Gutierrez

Originally published en espanol in La Estrella newspaper of Fort Worth, reprinted by permission of author.

I was the head of the Mexican American Youth Organization (MAYO) in Texas in 1969 having just return from military duty during the Vietnam War. I held a press conference in San Antonio, Texas on April 11, 1969 to announce our organizational plans.

This is what I said:

“MAYO had found that both federal and religious programs aimed at social change do not meet the needs of the Mexicanos of this state.

“Further, we find that the vicious cultural genocide being inflicted upon La Raza by gringos and their institutions not only severely damage our human dignity but also make it impossible for La Raza to develop its right of self-determination.

“For these reasons, top priority is given to identifying and exposing the gringo. We also promote the social welfare of Mexicanos through education designed to enlarge the capabilities of indigenous leaders.

“We hope to secure our human and civil rights, to eliminate bigotry and racism, to lessen the tensions in our barrios and combat the deterioration of our communities.

“Our organization, largely comprised of youth, is committed to effecting meaningful social change. Social change that will enable La Raza to become masters of their destiny, owners of their resources, both human and natural, and a culturally and spiritually separate people from the gringo.

“Only through this program, we of MAYO, see the possibility of surviving this century as a free and complete family of Mexicanos. We will not try to assimilate into this gringo society in Texas, nor will we encourage anybody else to do so.

“Rather, MAYO once again asks of friends here and across the nation to assist us in our efforts. We intend to become free as a people in order to enjoy the abundance of our country and share it with those less fortunate.

“MAYO will not engage in controversy with fellow Mexicanos regardless of how unfounded and vindictive their accusations may be. We realize that the effects of cultural genocide takes many forms—some Mexicanos will become psychologically castrated, others will become demagogues and gringos as well and others will come together, resist and eliminate the gringo. We will be the latter.”

Questions followed the press statement, particularly from Kemper Diehl, a reporter with the San Antonio Express News. He wrote an article on the press conference and printed his version of an exchange:

Q: What do you mean by ‘eliminate the gringo?’

A: “You can eliminate an individual in various ways. You can certainly kill him but that is not our intent at this moment. You can remove the base of support that he operates from be it economic, political, social. That is what we intend to do.”

Kemper Diehl wrote more: “Gutierrez was again pressed as to intentions of killing gringos ‘if worst comes to worst.’ He replied ‘If worst comes to worst and we have to resort to that means, it would be self-defense.’ ” Gutierrez went on to be quoted as detailing attempts on his life and property just a few years before.

For the record, this was a press conference 38 years ago! It was not a press conference held yesterday much less statements made by me in my class room at the university. Since immigration and anti-Mexican attitudes are now the talk of the day particularly on national radio and television I have been resurrected.

Lastly, about 2 years ago Alan Wall that works and lives in Mexico put together words as if they were mine and posted them on VDARE.com claiming they were mine. Soon these quotes appeared in many extreme right wing websites. Two months ago David Horowitz included me in a list of the 101 Most Dangerous Professors in the United States and cited these Allan Wall quotes as his evidence. Reporters today are now citing them over and over again today.

Because of this the FBI came to see me and warn me that some people want to kill me. I cannot stop crazies from believing these lies. This will pass. In the meantime realize that the white hate aimed against me now is really the same white hate aimed at all of us of Mexican ancestry residing in the US.

Jose Angel Gutierrez is a home-grown civil rights hero of Texas history. We are honored to have his permission to post these selected writings. Special thanks to Roberto Calderon for forwarding these works.–gm

Oh, and while we have the attention of our Nazi readers, don’t forget to vote in our school funding poll. We like to keep track of how many you are.