A Spanish Version of ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’
A Spanish-language version of the U.S. National Anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner,” is getting huge airplay on Spanish-language radio stations across the nation ahead of pro-immigration rallies slated for Monday, May 1.
But the great-great grandson of the original songwriter, Francis Scott Key, is not pleased with the interpretation of the song, which features artists such as Wyclef Jean, hip-hop star Pitbull and Carlos Ponce and Olga Tanon from Puerto Rico. . .
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO “NUESTRO HIMNO” AND VIEW THE ENGLISH TRANSLATION
L.A. Authorities Brace for Huge Immigration Marches
Two immigrant rights demonstrations Monday in Los Angeles could each draw a half-million marchers or more, police said Thursday, as officials expressed concern about a major disruption of traffic, commerce and school.
LAPD Assistant Chief George Gascon said the estimates are based on street intelligence and what he described as a well-organized campaign involving radio stations, churches and community groups. Police do not expect trouble, he added.
Demonstrations are planned for downtown at noon and Mid-Wilshire at 4 p.m. Gascon said the LAPD is gearing up to deal with hundreds of thousands of demonstrators at each. . .
Executions Unlikely for Rest of Year
A legal challenge to California’s lethal injection executions has been delayed until mid-September, making it highly likely there will be no more inmates put to death by the state for the remainder of this year and possibly longer.
The immediate consequence of the delay, ordered Thursday by U.S. District Judge Jeremy Fogel in San Jose, is that Michael A. Morales, who originally was scheduled for execution in February for the 1981 murder of Lodi teenager Terri Winchell, has at least several more months to live. The hearing on Morales’ challenge to lethal injection originally had been set for next month. . .
UNITED 93
I’m not even sure how to review a movie like this. There was no doubt in mind I would see it and review it, but from the moment I stepped in the theatre lobby, questions arose. Such as – “do I really want to bring popcorn and nachos into this?” I mean we all know how this ends – it doesn’t seem “appropriate” (there I go hand wringing) to be munching away while about forty people contemplate their deaths.
That’s about as much as I got stuck in that gear – I was completely over the “is it too soon arguments” and was focused for the film to start. But I have to be honest, from beginning to end I had a knot in my stomach. (more…)
Thursday, April 27th, 2006
Spanish anthem adds fuel to debate
Spanish-language pop stars and artist-producer Wyclef Jean jumped into the immigration debate this week after recording their own bilingual version of “The Star-Spangled Banner” as a show of support for illegal immigrants in light of possible immigration changes in Congress.
The song, to be released to radio stations this afternoon and played Friday, has angered opponents of illegal immigration and some immigration advocates, who believe it is unpatriotic, divisive and ultimately damaging to their cause.
Others think the bilingual version will allow Hispanic immigrants who don’t speak English to take ownership of the national anthem after better understanding the country’s principles and values in their native language. . .
Prosecutors May Widen
Congressional-Bribe Case
Federal prosecutors are investigating whether two contractors implicated in the bribery of former Rep. Randall “Duke” Cunningham supplied him with prostitutes and free use of a limousine and hotel suites, pursuing evidence that could broaden their long-running inquiry.
Besides scrutinizing the prostitution scheme for evidence that might implicate contractor Brent Wilkes, investigators are focusing on whether any other members of Congress, or their staffs, may also have used the same free services, though it isn’t clear whether investigators have turned up anything to implicate others. . .
$100 rebates proposed to help pay for gas
WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans proposed a $100 rebate check for millions of taxpayers today to counter high gasoline costs, but linked the assistance to drilling in an Alaska wildlife refuge, assuring the measure would face stiff opposition from most Democrats.
Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee called the proposal “a bold package that will give consumers some relief” from gasoline prices that have passed $3 a gallon in many parts of the country.
“We are going to ease the burden,” added Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., at a GOP news conference unveiling the measures. Frist said he hoped for a Senate vote next Tuesday. . .
Talk of worker roundup baseless
Latina Salon in Oakland is usually packed on Mondays, Beatriz Ochoa said, but rumors of an immigration sweep late that afternoon on nearby International Boulevard at 105th Street kept customers away.
The girl at the fruit cart out front ran away when she heard about the van on the corner picking people up, Ochoa said, and the automotive rim shop next door closed.
Other shopkeepers in the area reported hearing about sweeps, though they, like Ochoa, said they had not witnessed anything themselves.
The reason they did not see anything, immigration officials said Wednesday, is because the sweeps never happened. . .
Wednesday, April 26th, 2006
Bush, senators agree on alien citizenship, shut out critics
President Bush and a group of senators yesterday reached general agreement on an immigration bill that includes a pathway to citizenship for many illegal aliens.
But left out of the closed-door White House meeting were senators who oppose a path to citizenship. The meeting even snubbed two men who had been considered allies of Mr. Bush on immigration—Sen. John Cornyn, Texas Republican and chairman of the immigration subcommittee, and Sen. Jon Kyl, Arizona Republican.
Mr. Bush in brief remarks to the press said there was agreement to get “a bill that does not grant automatic amnesty to people, but a bill that says, somebody who is working here on a legal basis has the right to get in line to become a citizen.” But senators, speaking afterward, said Mr. Bush was far more specific in the meeting. . .
Immigration sweep rumors spark fear
Rumors of immigration sweeps and deportations happening across the East Bay kept illegal residents away from work, school, markets and even doctor’s appointments Tuesday.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said no enforcement operations were held in the Bay Area this week, a spokeswoman said.
The frenzy of false information, fueled by talk shows on Spanish-language radio and television news, hit the Latino community a week before a nationwide boycott to protest renewed talks on a failed immigration reform bill. . .
Tuesday, April 25th, 2006
Bush to Attempt Gas Price Relief
WASHINGTON —President Bush, responding to political pressure over the high price of gasoline, ordered the Justice Department today to investigate price gouging, halted deposits to the nation’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve over the summer, eased environmental rules and urged Congress to roll back tax incentives to energy companies.
“The first thing to do is to make sure Americans are treated fairly at the gas pump,” said Bush. “This administration is not going to tolerate manipulation. . .
Wife: Charlie Sheen No Dreamboat
In court papers, actress Denise Richards claims Charlie Sheen popped pills, gambled and surfed the Web for porn sites during their marriage. She also said Sheen threatened to kill her if she made his behavior public.
As a result, a judge has ordered Sheen to stay at least 300 feet away from Richards and their two young daughters.
Sheen denied his wife’s charges in an interview with “Entertainment Tonight”: “I’m deeply saddened because this is clearly demonstrating a wanting and willful attempt at what I describe as a radical and transparent smear campaign and, clearly, a departure from sound, sane, responsible co-parenting. . .
Oil `Windfall’ Tax Gains Momentum
SACRAMENTO — As the statewide average price for regular gasoline passed $3 a gallon Monday, politicians and grass-roots activists pumped up their calls for new taxes on companies that produce or refine oil in California.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger ordered the California Energy Commission to investigate possible gouging by gasoline refiners, wholesalers and retailers. . .
Mess of hurt for Maury
A lawsuit teeming with tawdry details you definitely won’t be seeing on the next “Maury” accuses talk-show host Maury Povich of cheating on his TV newswoman wife Connie Chung with an underling.
The bombshell legal filing claims Povich, 67, has been tangled in a “long time, intimate and sexual relationship” with 47-year-old producer Donna Ingber – and calls the talk show set a “Peyton Place” rife with porn and booze.
The alleged affair “was common knowledge to all,” and Ingber was known as “Maury’s girl,” claims the $100 million suit, filed yesterday in Manhattan Supreme Court. . .
Monday, April 24th, 2006
Bush Says Massive Deportation Is Not Realistic
President Bush in Irvine today called for a rational, temporary guest worker program and said that attempting to deport as many as 12 million undocumented workers illegally in the United States was a policy that was not going to work.
Bush capped a four-day trip to California with a visit to the Orange County Business Council, made up of 300 businesses, where he gave his most detailed comments on immigration since a bipartisan compromise in the Senate fell apart more than two weeks ago. . .
Immigration Forum Gets Intense
Reflecting intense passions over illegal immigration, a Los Angeles outdoor forum about its impact on blacks quickly became a screaming match Sunday between those urging a crackdown on undocumented migrants and others counseling tolerance.
The gathering at Leimert Park in South Los Angeles, which eventually involved about 100 people, was aimed at publicizing what some blacks believe has been illegal immigration’s negative effect on their neighborhoods, housing, schools and jobs, said Ted Hayes, founder of the Crispus Attucks Brigade, an African American group newly organized to fight the influx of undocumented migrants.
“Illegal immigration is the greatest threat to African Americans since slavery,” Hayes said, before stepping onto a park bench and leading about 30 people in chants: “We’re fired up! We can’t take it no more . . .Friday, April 21st, 2006
DID CHENEY AND CONDI FALL ASLEEP DURING HU VISIT? 
Bush to speak in Irvine Monday
President Bush is extending his weekend trip to California to speak Monday in Irvine on the volatile issue of immigration reform.
Bush will speak to the Orange County Business Council between 8 and 9 a.m. at the Hyatt Regency Irvine, according to Myal Greene, spokesman for Rep. John Campbell, R-Irvine.
The president has repeatedly said he favors a comprehensive approach to immigration reform, one that strengthens borders and includes a guest-worker program that matches “willing workers with jobs that Americans won’t do.” That position puts him at odds with many Republicans in Orange County, including Campbell, who plans to attend the event in his district. . .
Boycott if You Must but Get OK, County Tells Employees
Los Angeles County employees are being warned that they must obtain prior approval to participate in a May 1 nationwide boycott being organized by immigrant rights groups or face possible disciplinary action.
“While we respect employees’ free speech rights, it is important that we be able to maintain public services,” read a memo sent this week to human resources administrators in all county departments. “Any employee who is absent on May 1, 2006, without prior approval may be considered Absent Without Pay (AWOP) and subject to disciplinary action. . .
MEXICAN FARMERS STAGE NUDE PROTEST
A man snaps a photo from his cellphone of a protest of nude farmers in downtown Mexico City, Mexico, Friday, April 21, 2006. In recent years, the protests from the group 400 Pueblos – who fight for land rights for poor farmers – have become an anual event for city residents, as the men and women from rural southern Mexico stand naked or nearly-naked along the city’s busy avenues. . .
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