I countered:

I don’t know if you know it but I’ve got a BA in economics which means I’ve got an extra piece of paper with which to wipe my ass.
Anyway, I agree that protectionism and subsidizing of some goods when trying to create free trade goes against how free trade SHOULD function, and how it would be great if people didn’t try to protect things like sugar, beets, steal, bras. However, economists tend to do a crappy job at looking at not just fiscial costs but social costs. To me this is where the real problem lies. What are the social costs of having McDonalds in Mexico? What are the social costs of having maquiladroas along the border? What are the social costs of moving away from agricultual based society?

However, wankers (commenters) started to argue that prehaps I was just trying to hold people back to make myself feel better. Here is a paper I wrote back in 2000 for an intro-geography course, about the economic impact of the Rio Grande Region.

Paper removed so that people won’t copy my work. Comments now closed.

Both Holla at a Scholar and Planet Grenada seem to have political/musical hard-ons for Immortal Technique (understandably so). Holla at a Scholar recently pointed his readers to this disturbing article about how artists like KRS-One, and Immortal Technique are leading us listeners to a Jihad.

…if somebody teetering on the edge of Islamic radicalism has the jihadist message thrust upon him even in the music that he listens to, that may make him far more susceptible to the jihadist worldview. This is doubly true when even No. 1 Billboard singles and acknowledged hip-hop icons like KRS-One echo essential parts of the jihadi message. Thus, jihadi rap could eventually prove to be a real asset for the Islamists.

My recommendation support political underground Hip Hop artists like:

All Natural
Dead Prez (not exactly underground but still good)
Immortal Technique
Native Deen

I volunteered today for the Hackett for Congress campaign. We left Columbus in Bill Clinton’s ‘96 Campaign bus. So I got in the seat that was rumored to be his favorite (up front next to the driver) and sat in it and rubbed my ass into that plastic pleather. I rubbed my ass on the place Bill Clinton put his ass which kind-of means I rubbed all over him. Right? Maybe I am even carrying Bill Clinton’s love child?

Some people get crushes on movie stars or musicians or athletes…oh wait I get crushes on all of those too… plus I get crushes on politicians! You know Bill Clinton, Barak Obama, Bill Richardson, John Glenn, Mike Coleman, oh and did I mention Barak “I want you to father my children” Obama?

On almost of an equally disturbing thought, I found out today that people take bloggers way too seriously. Multiple times today I heard politically active people talking about how “The Blogs” had been writing about Hackett, or how “hopefully the blogs will pick this up”, or “did you see the blogs have been writing about Hackett?” Some even argued that the DCCC was waiting for blog interest before investing in the Hackett campaign. First off I doubt that is true. Secondly, if it were true that would be sad. Thirdly, why do people put so much on bloggers?
I’ve been in commutation via email with a lot of Ohio-Political bloggers they put their pants on one leg at a time. Canvassers were talking about bloggers as if they were this powerful and mystical form of journalists who are the driving force behind GOTV and money. I find it all absurd.

(The political Ohio blogs I read.)

I regret my previous post. And would like to say not only do I disagree with my own post, I disagreed with most of the comments (excluding Gustavo and Xolo).

I want to tell you about a young Chicano I had a crush on. He is progressive, politically aware and active. I meet him when he was helping run a congressional campaign. He is sweet, intelligent, educated and articulate. Another adjective I would use to describe him is Cholo. He wears the stereotypical clothing. He does not speak Spanish. He has tattoos with gothic lettering written across his abdomen. He blasts really bad Hip-Hop from his car so that if you were to pull up next to him your car would be bouncing too. And I am proud to be identified as a Xicana while stading next to a Xicano like him.

What I am trying to say is that Cholos aren’t uneducated, ignorant, violent ass holes. They can be the “best of” the Xicano world just as much a punk-Pocho-Ramone listening law student, or a young queer Xicano activist, or a Xicano Professor.

I like Chicanos, I like Cholos, and I like Pochos. All three of these terms and people need to be embraced.

“Whenever the US played a Latin American team in the US, for it to be a “home” game they would have to play in some obscure place (like Columbus, Ohio – sorry Elenamary) or else it would really be an away game. If it were played in Miami, LA, or NY, there would be more fans cheering the Latin American team…”

Let me just say that September 3rd, it is USA vs. Mexico here in Columbus. I bet good money we Latinos will outnumber Gringo fans.

For more on the discussion check out Xoloitzquintle’s comment section.

Futbol!

This post will mean little to those of you who do not like/watch soccer. I watched the US play Panama last Sunday in the Gold Cup final. The Panamanians did very well – tying the US and eventually losing in penalty kicks. A few thoughts/observations:

* Whenever the US played a Latin American team in the US, for it to be a “home” game they would have to play in some obscure place (like Columbus, Ohio – sorry Elenamary) or else it would really be an away game. If it were played in Miami, LA, or NY, there would be more fans cheering the Latin American team. There are probably two reasons for this:

1. There is an unwritten rule in Latin America – root for your national team first and then for any other Latin American team.
2. Given that the US seems to dominate almost everything in sports and otherwise, it was good to see them humbled on the soccer field.

* In Sunday’s game, however, which was played in NY, there were many L/H/H cheering for the US. This was something new. Are L/H/H finally transitioning from immigrants to Americans? Do they feel that the US is their home and worth supporting?
* Soccer tournaments use the penalty kicks to decide the winner should the final game end in a tie. I hate seeing this. My solution – if no one wins the game, then declare that there was no winner for that year. Why must there always be a winner? Same goes for any other sport…

:: posted by Xoloitzquintle 3:31 PM