Barack Obama Speech at National Association of Latino Elected Officials (NALEO)

Transcript:
I'm proud to be here today not just as the Democratic nominee for President, but as the first African American nominee of my party, and I'm hoping that somewhere out in this audience sits the person who will become the first Latino nominee of a major party. You know, being here today is a reminder of why I'm in this race. Because the reason I'm running for President is to do what you do each day in your communities - help make a difference in the lives of ordinary Americans. And that's what I've been working with Latino leaders to do ever since I entered public service more than twenty years ago.

We stood together when I was an organizer, lifting up neighborhoods in Chicago that had been devastated when the local steel plants closed. We stood together when I was a civil rights attorney, working with MALDEF and local Latino electeds to ensure that Latinos were being well represented in Chicago. And we marched together in the streets of Chicago to fix our broken immigration system. That's why you can trust me when I say that I'll be your partner in the White House.

And that's what you need now more than ever. Because for eight long years, Washington hasn't been working for ordinary Americans. And few have been hit harder than Latinos and African Americans. You know what I'm talking about. You know folks like Felicitas and Fransisco, a couple I met in Las Vegas who were tricked into buying a home they couldn't afford. You know about the families all across this country who are out of work, or uninsured, or struggling to pay rising costs for everything from a tank of gas to a bag of groceries. And that's why you know that we need change in this country.

And while I respect John McCain, it's not change when he offers four more years of Bush economic policies that have failed to create jobs at a living wage, or insure our workers, or help Americans afford the skyrocketing cost of college. That isn't change.

Now, one place where Senator McCain used to offer change was on immigration. He was a champion of comprehensive reform, and I admired him for it. But when he was running for his party's nomination, he walked away from that commitment and he's said he wouldn't even support his own legislation if it came up for a vote.

If we are going to solve the challenges we face, you need a President who will pursue genuine solutions day in and day out. And that is my commitment to you.

We need immigration reform that will secure our borders, and punish employers who exploit immigrant labor; reform that finally brings the 12 million people who are here illegally out of the shadows by requiring them to take steps to become legal citizens. We must assert our values and reconcile our principles as a nation of immigrants and a nation of laws. That is a priority I will pursue from my very first day.

And we can do something more. We can tear town the barriers that keep the American dream out of reach for so many Americans. We can end the housing crisis and create millions of new jobs. We can make sure that the millions of Latinos who are uninsured get the same health care that I get as a member of Congress. We can improve our schools, recruit teachers to your communities, and make college affordable for anyone who wants to go. And we can finally start serving our brave Latino fighting men and women and all our soldiers as well as they are serving us. We can do all this. Si se puede.

But I can't do this on my own. I need your help. This election could well come down to how many Latinos turn out to vote. And I'm proud that my campaign is working hard to register more Latinos, and bring them into the political process. Because I truly believe that if we work together and fight together and stand together this fall, then you and I - together - will change this county and change this world. You know, a few years ago, I attended a naturalization workshop at St. Pius Church in Chicago. And as I walked down the aisle, I saw people clutching small American flags, waiting for their turn to be called up so they could begin the long process to become U.S. citizens.

And at one point, a young girl, seven or eight, came up to me with her parents, and asked for my autograph. She said she was studying government in school and wanted to show it to her third grade class. I asked her what her name was, and she said her name was Cristina. I told her parents they should be very proud of her.

And as I watched Cristina translate my words into Spanish for them, I was reminded that for all the noise and anger that too often surrounds the immigration debate, America has nothing to fear from today's immigrants. They have come here for the same reason that families have always come here, for the same reason my father came here - for the hope that in America, they could build a better life for themselves and their families. Like the waves of immigrants that came before them and the Hispanic Americans like Ken Salazar whose families have been here for generations, the recent arrival of Latino immigrants will only enrich our country.

Ultimately, then, the danger to the American way of life is not that we will be overrun by those who do not look like us or do not yet speak our language. The danger will come if we fail to recognize the humanity of Cristina and her family - if we withhold from them the opportunities we take for granted, and create a servant class in our midst.

More broadly, the danger will come if we continue to stand idly by as the gap between Wall Street and Main Street grows, as Washington grows more out of touch, and as America grows more unequal. Because America can only prosper when all Americans prosper - brown, black, white, Asian, and Native American. That's the idea that lies at the heart of my campaign, and that's the idea that will lie at the heart of my presidency. Because we are all Americans. Todos somos Americanos. And in this country, we rise and fall together.

Puerto Rican actress Rosie Perez and Puerto Rican singer Carlos Ponce go primetime

In case you have not heard, Rosie Perez and Carlos Ponce will appear in NBC's 'Lipstick Jungle' series in a romantic story line to span various episodes into the season beginning in late September.

While there are no details on how permanent these characters will be on the program, any exposure for Carlos Ponce into the mainstream American market will surely help his promising career even if it means that his fans will have to endure a crossover album later in the year. For Rosie, whom I could marry, this is another chance to see her shine in what I hope will be a well written role.

In all, this is shaping to be a very productive summer for Puerto Ricans on television. [See Hector Elizondo on 'Monk']

'Rodrigo y Gabriela' to perform at MileHigh Music Festival

Rodrigo y Grabriela are really great. If I were in Denver this weekend, I would not miss their performance at the Mile High Music Festival. I hope some fellow insurgents can send in a review.

From the Mile High Music Festival Website:

Rodrigo (Sanchez) and Gabriela (Quintero) are two fast-fingered, Dublin-based, Mexicans with a unique sound created on acoustic guitars. Their music is difficult to define, straddling both world and rock, and often imbued with timeless Hispano ñ classical influences. The fire in it comes from their life-long passion for metal music. This spring, "Rodrigo y Gabriela," beat both the Arctic Monkeys AND Johnny Cash to number one in the Irish charts.

Rodrigo is a deft finger-picker who can move from raging speed to sensual soul in the space of a fret, while Gabriela employs fast, rhythmic techniques. Her percussionist's thrashing of strings and drumming of the instrument's body inevitably raises comparisons with flamenco ñ which they acknowledge as an influence but swerve as a pigeonhole. The duo's repertoire flies beyond familiar Latin folk guitarists' styles because of the metal connection: their reworkings of Led Zep's "Stairway to Heaven" and Metallica's "Orion" are musts, and the presence, on "Ixtapa", of the fiery Hungarian gypsy violinist, Roby Lakatos, is inspirational.

Check out some of their music after the jump...




Check them out live at the Mile High Music Festival outside of Denver, Colorado

Puerto Rican actor Hector Elizondo to replace Stanley Kamel in 'Monk'

Hector Elizondo, better known for his role as Dr. Phillip Watters in the 90s medical drama Chicago Hope, will replace Stanley Kamel as Tony Shalhoub psychiatrist in the USA Network series 'Monk'. The role was awarded to Elizondo after Stanley Kamel's untimely death in April from a heart attack. (Stanley Kamel pictured below)

Hector Elizondo, born in New York City to Puerto Rican parents, has a career that very much mirrors the rise of Hispanic actors from outlaws to more mainstream roles.

From his wikipedia biography

* A Mexican bandit in Valdez is Coming (1971)
* A Puerto Rican janitor who, along with his pregnant wife and four others, got stuck on an elevator with Archie Bunker in a 1972 episode of All in the Family
* A psychopathic killer in The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974)
* Hassan Salah, a devious First Secretary of the embassy of fictional Arab country Swahari in Columbo: A Case of Immunity (1975)
* A dogged detective in The Fan (1981)
* A middle-class family man in The Flamingo Kid (1984)
* The agent of a struggling stand-up comic in the short-lived television series a.k.a. Pablo (1984)
* As Tom Hanks's boss in Nothing In Common (1986)
* As Bernard Thompson, manager of the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel, in Pretty Woman (1990)
* As defense attorney Sandy Stern in The Burden of Proof (1990)
* As Dr. Dio Gottlieb, a psychiatrist in Final Approach (1991)
* As Coach Ed Gennero in Necessary Roughness (1991)
* A Greek coffee shop owner in Frankie and Johnny (1991)
* Joe, The head of the queen's security service (and future husband of the Queen) in The Princess Diaries and The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement
* Twice in The Rockford Files, Once as former detective Frank Falcone, "Freeze Turkey" and earlier in the series as a Korean War buddy that hires Jim Rockford to find a love interest - he gets killed halfway through that episode. (1973–1980)
* As Chief of Staff Dr. Phillip Watters in Chicago Hope (1994–2000)
* As Javier Del Campo in the made-for-tv movie Borrowed Hearts
* As Wan Shi Tong on Avatar: The Last Airbender
* As Cardinal Sebastian on The Celestine Prophecy
* As Detective Jon Flint in Beverly Hills Cop III (1994)
* As Bill, the Harvard crew coach, in How High (2001)
* Martin Naranjo, the widowed father of the three girls in Tortilla Soup (2001)[4]
* As Izzy in Georgia Rule (2007)
* As Ben Padrow in Music Within (2007)
* As the dying patriarch, Pancho Duque, of a family-run sugar and rum company in Cane (2007)
* As Don Leo in Love in the Time of Cholera based on the Gabriel García Márquez book (2007)
* As Adrian Monk's new therapist Dr. Bell in Monk (2008)

Stanley Kamel's role was not explored much in the series, to have such a talented actor be underused is a real shame. I hope the show's writers will not make the same mistake with Hector Elizondo's role as Dr. Bell.

Stupidest Presidential Poll EVER!!!

Thanks to the hard-hitting journalists at the Associated Press and Yahoo News we get this headline: Poll: John McCain looks like best in show among pet owners. To be accompanied by the following analysis by reporter Randolph E. Schmid:

"[The poll] leaves McCain looking strong, since the majority of homes have a pet."

WHAT?!?

John McCain is at best 10 points behind against Barak Obama in most national polls, but hey pet owners like him, so he must win now.

What is the message here? Is Schmid making the argument that pet ownership is all that matters? or that pet owners are somehow too dumb to look into the issues? Is there an attempt here to create a backdoor issue that may resonate with some voters?

"Well, if voters identify with a guy who owns pets, it's easy to see why they'd like the Arizona senator.

He has a veritable menagerie, including Sam the English springer spaniel, Coco the mutt, turtles Cuff and Link, Oreo the black and white cat, a ferret, three parakeets and a bunch of saltwater fish."

Next AP-Yahoo News will begin polling for presidential preference based upon your favorite color in a bag of M&Ms, stay tuned.

Latino Insurgent Classic: Swedish Chef and Mexican Lobsters

Lobster desperados rescue one of their brethren from becoming dinner... I choose to see this as a statement against the death penalty... you are free to interpret it as you wish... Bork! Bork! Bork!

Total Eclipse on August 1st... Northern latitudes are so lucky

While I doubt anyone this day and age will be sacrificing any virgins or captured slaves as offerings to the gods, it is worth remembering that not long ago events such as this drove Europeans to burn witches, Mayans to mass decapitations, and convinced any number of Christians that the apocalypse was near. Nowadays we can just enjoy it for the spectacular natural event that it is...

However, I you were to take this opportunity to pickup some new hobbies like human sacrifice you might want to follow the exact path of the eclipse. And to help you in your decent from civilization NASA has just the right website to watch it live by webcast here: http://www.exploratorium.edu/eclipse

The Latino Comedy Project's "300" parody

I did find this funny.