THWARTING REPUBLICAN ADVANCES

That the Republican Party is busy recruiting Latinos is not surprising, http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifgiven the recent success of Marco Rubio in Florida and Raul Labrador, the first ever Hispanic elected to the senate from Idaho. The Republicans have to keep the momentum going if they plan to make a dent in the Latino, Democratic faction. According to the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, there are currently 158 Republican officeholders versus 1,380 Democratic officeholders. What this means is that Democratic officeholders outnumber Republican officeholders almost ten to one. But, does that mean those figures are going to hold? More importantly, in what ways will the conservative fringes of the Latino community attempt to bum rush our progressive, Democratic core?

Should Latinos be wary of the Republican Party's current desires to enhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.giftice them to the dark side? Well, according to N.A.L.E.O., "Roughly 22 million Hispanics are projected to be eligible to vote in 2012 — perhaps more — and...[turnout]... could reach...a record 12 million." And, according to NPR, "Last week, the Republican State Leadership Committee announced a plan to invest $3 million into the recruitment of 100 Hispanic candidates for state legislative seats across the nation in 2012." The Republican State Leadership Committee's "investment" is a smarmy attempt to elicit our votes without providing any assurances that our votes will benefit our communities.

So, what is to be done? How can the Democratic party cement its supremacy, and rejuvenate its scrappy creed? Well, the first thing the Democratic Party can do is use the bullhorn to extol its victories in the area of Labor and Legislation. Unions have taken most of the brunt of this economic meltdown; but, unions and the Democratic Party have been aligned since Roosevelt's New Deal; their hard work earned the working class several privileges we take for granted (the 40-hour work week, minimum wage, health insurance, paid leave, pensions, Social Security and Medicare, over-time pay, etc.). The Democrats have a reputation for being squeamish and mild-mannered, for apologizing for things that Republicans get away with all the time. If Democrats want to keep Latino votes they will need to get their elbows dirty, and start talking to people where they understand it most: in the pocketbook. And they will eventually have to address the Immigration Question, and come out strong on the side of naturalizing undocumented workers en masse because there are too many Latino families rent apart by our unfair immigration practices which allow our country to exploit undocumented workers and not provide for their basic, human needs.

I feel like I got hoodwinked by the concept of "Hope and Change," and that the Democratic party used me in the last election. It is well documented that two-thirds of Latino voters cast their ballots for Obama, which speaks leagues about how little race played a part in our decisions. The sad truth is Obama has had to make many concessions and has faced much resistance from the Republicans; I find it miraculous that he was able to get any legislation passed. But, at the same time, I would be remiss if I told you I wasn't nostalgic for a time when Democrats, like Johnson, envisioned what a Great Society might look like. I understand the Republican penchant for idolizing small government, but I look at something like Social Security, which used to stand as a guarantee that growing old didn't necessarily mean growing poor, and genuinely feel nostalgic and want to retain that image of my country.

COPA DE AMERICA: COLOMBIA VS. ARGENTINA

All the stress was on the Argentines as they came out to meet the Colombian Copa de Oro squad in Santa Fe, Argentina at the Estinaslao Lopez stadium. As the host nation, Argentina was going to have to show considerably more effervescence than it had recently shown. Mediocre showings are not Argentina's strong suite, and most of the time they come undone by themselves.

The Argentine dominated from early on, moving the ball laterally and keeping control. The Colombians buzzed around the midfield like curious bees, while the Argentine squad poked it's head in places where it doesn't belong. For example, Colombia's first foray into Argentine territory came almost five minutes into the match.

Aguilar was the first player to make it personal, sliding cleats first into Messi a little after the sixth minute. This only served to ignite the Argentines and makes it's potent naptha take flame. But, then the Argentines started throwing themselves on the floor and taking every evasive maneuver like some personal affront. And this dragged on for several minutes until in the 17th minute, Negron took a penalty shot that skimmed the pole.

And then in the 20th minutes Ramos take it to the front door of the goalie and was not more successful because of a miscalculation on his part, and the tide seemed to be shifting a little. By the 25th minute the sense of touch had returned to the match, but Argentina was showing signs of the Chilean stoppage exhibited yesterday in the match against Mexico.

The game was so physical that in certain spots the match seemed dragged down and muddled by the intense physical showing. In the 26th minute, Colombia's Moreno took it, again, to the front door and was stopped only by his inaccuracy. By the 40th minutes it was getting more and more customary for Colombia to be taking shots on goal.

The 60th minutes did not see much difference. If anything, on the Argentine side, Aguero was put in and La Velce was put on the bench. It got to the point that Cantor and his sidekick were already talking about the advantage for Colombia if it tied. And withing seconds of Aguero coming in, Argentina was already looking a little more lethal. It makes one wonder why Batista would have taken so long to put Aguero in.

In the 65th minute, Burdisso gets a bloody noes and Aguilar almost scores again, but no dice. The game ended in a 0-0 score which benefits Colombia which scored two against Costa Rica, while Argentina just had 1 goal from another tie with Bolivia. Lackluster, completely lackluster match.

FIRST LINE FROM EX-STUDENT HAKEEM, WHICH HE PROLLY STOLE FROM THE TELEVISION...

Anyone who says having a child was the best moment of their life never had two Kit Kats fall out of a vending machine at once.
Likewise, smoking spliffs with your daughter in Amsterdam might be an ill-advised venture or joint or whatever zanganos are calling it nowadays.
Sometimes, I even pass out for a minute from the monster toke like some somnambulant
Buju Banton, and I feel the CHiPs come after my Shiloh with dilated pupil charts.
Obviously, I am after apparent largesse randomly dolloped from the ether of boring,
dilapidated ouevres involving public dispensaries of chance and loot.
But vending machines hold special scrim with my maneuvers of faith, my rabid tautology
of disbelief when exceptional things absorb the surrounding gravity.
When spectacular decrees of hiccoughs herald the system, when nougat logs or diabetes lozenges rain from one of the floors of a vending machine to the pit below.
Listen, I've driven through terrain with my tendrils at bay; I’ve wished Tetanus
Armageddon on vending machines from Miami to Astoria to El Segundo.
And, the only thing I have to show for it is a crowbar in my heart, a boulder tome of a snow globe through the security glass, lead pipe surprise, intelligent brick.
Therefore, as they dropped their payload, I dropped pretense and waited for the register to manifest the seemingly impossible: twice the prison of vision, twice the mundane turned gloriously verboten.