On Red and Red Lights

As I hit about six red lights in a row the other day, it occurred to me that I hit one about 85% of the time I drive up to an intersection. Why is it? One would think the odds would be 50-50.

Have you ever noticed that red lights seem last forever? That they are twice as long as green lights?

Red lights strike terror in us. Holy Frijoley, a $250 ticket! The camera on the light posts is forever vigilant.

Did you hear that California's illustrious Governor wants to attach a device to the camera that can also record the speed at which you cross the intersection? That means not just a possible ticket for crossing a red light, but another for speeding through an intersection! Got to make up that 80 billion dollar budget deficit somehow.

We race through yellow lights just to avoid one. Sometimes, during commute hours we have to endure two or three red lights in a row, just to get across an interersection!!

The color red seems to have a historical connotation to things of terror: war, blood (The red in the Mexican flag symbolizes the bloodshed of wars and revolutions), violence, passion, love and jealousy. We send a red rose to signify love. Mars is red. Commies were "reds." Then, there are the red-necks, people go "red-in-the-face". E-gads, I used to have red hair!!

Then there is the red of "red-light districts" of old, houses of ill-repute.

Have you ever noticed how when you drive up to an intersection and you see one of those "will-work-for-money" guys standing there, and no matter how much you speed up, the light always turns red? His sign looms in your window, rattling your self-importance. You fidget, toss and squirm knowing you have a wad in your wallet, or you just cashed your check.

Those red lights are far longer. Maybe it's Karma. You console yourself with the usual moral justifications for not giving of "well, the guy probably has a Mercedes parked around the corner", or "why don't they get a job, like me?"

I am just asking for justice, for equality. That some Cosmic-Power-That-Be see to it that we get equal time, a balanced amount of green vs. red lights. Would that asking too much?

Young Latinos: It's The Same Old Cancion

The latest Pew Hispanic Center study, based on a survey of 1200 Latinos, aged 16-25, found something new, and something old. Did you know, for example that young Latinos comprise 18% of all young people in the U.S.? And 42% of all youth in Califas? Orale, I mean wow. How will this affect the future culture, economy and politics of Californa and the U.S.? Qien sabe. More salsa maybe?

1/3 of young Latinos are immigrants, but the other 2/3 are born in the U.S. Many are children of parents who immigrated into the country since 1965. In contrast, lots of my amigos are U.S. born of parents who immigrated in the early 1900's, during and after the Mexican Revolution (1910-1920). Some of us still speak Spanish, imagine that.

One quarter of these "mocosos" will have (you guessed it) at least one more "mocosito" by age 19, more than Whites, Asians or Blacks. I just love kids, don't you?

More interesting findings are that 17% of these young Latinos will drop out of school, almost double the the rates of Blacks, while those Pochos born in the U.S will be less likely to drop out of high school. 23% will live in poverty, higher than Whites but lower than Blacks. But in the long run 2nd generation Latinos will gain more education.

I loved school. High school was a blast. My predecessors in the 40's and 50's dropped out of high school to get married or get a job. Some to help support the family. College for us was unheard of. Like Frank Zappa puts it from Ruben & The Jets, "I dropped out of high school to work on my car."

U.S. borns will be less likely to work in construction, food preparation or other low-skilled jobs, more proficient in "speeki di Inglich" and less likely to live in poverty. I always liked my buenas garras, tu sabes. When in America do as the Americans do, buy, buy, buy, and charge it on your Visa. In my day we had "layaway".

These will have less gang ties and less likely to visit the can, the Pinta or prison.

More than 50% will identify first with their family's native country, "puro Mexicano y que?" In contrast, 33 % of those born in the U.S. believe they are "Americans first"; ride on Joe, Sara, Sean and Briana! 41% will identify themselves by their parents' native land.

So, what does all of this mean? Don't ask me. All I know is that the Browning of America is at hand, and we'd better brush up on our manners, Spanish, and stock up on Chipotle and Guacamole, and "cheeps."

Water Rights: The New Salt Wars?

For as long as anybody remembers, indians and Mexicans near the town of San Elizario, Texas had been openly sharing the salt from local mines. It was considered "communal property", sort of.

However, when the Anglos (and Capitalists) arrived in Texas in the early 1800's, they saw the real value of these mines.

Indians had never been really keen on fences, and in their minds, no one could own a rock, or a chunk of land, or a mountain for that matter. For these things belonged to all. The idea of a fence amazed them.

However, when the Anglos began to take "ownership" establish claims, fence off areas, and charge fees for the salt, the Mexicans and Indians revolted, and so began The San Elizario Salt War, The Salinero Revolt, or the El Paso Salt War, in 1866 which lasted for about 12 years.

The armed struggle between local politicians who were supported by none other than the Texas Rangers, and a few hundred Mexicans, climaxed in 1877 when the mines were seized, and 20 Texas Rangers surrendered.

But the victory for the Mexicans and Indians was short-lived. The arrival of the 9th U.S. Cavalry, and a Sheriff's posse from New Mexico reclaimed the mines, and Mexicans fled to Mexico, some never to return. About 20-30 men died in the conflict, numerous others were wounded, and the episode caused some $31,050 in property damage, big bucks in those days!

I read in Stockton's The Record the other day, another article concerning the dire water shortages in the San Joaquin Valley, the prolonged drought we are in, and the ever growing conflict between water conservationists and farmers whose crops rely on it.

I think most of us sympathize with the farmers' need for water and their oppositions to increasing water rationing by the powers that be. After all, farmers grow our food! I have done my small part by recyling dish and waste water for my plants, flushing less (no fun), and my lawn looks like crap from frequent watering.

You can imagine the shock I felt when I first visited my wife's home in Mexico City to discover that daily by 2-3 PM, they had no water in their faucets! Most houses and apartments had a Tinaco on the roof, a large tub of 100 gallons or so, which held the day's allotment.

Thus, the family rationed their water use, filling a extra buckets, especially for the toilet. You could hear the next day's ration trickling into the tinacos late at night in bed.

One local rancher, according to a recent article in The Record, angered by the whole idea of water rationing, claimed that the water from wells or aquifers directly underneath his acreage ought to belong solely to him to use when and how he wanted!

But wouldn't this be like me owning all the air and space directly above my property, straight up, all the way to the moon, to use when and as I see fit? Maybe I could shoot down all the birds that cross my space or even charge airplanes to fly through it?

We can imagine our underground wells and aquifers as deep, gigantic caverns extending for miles in all directions, brimming with water that took eons to fill. Yet, repeated warnings and recent scientific data shows we are depleting these aquifers at an alarming rate and irreplaceable rate.

According to The Record measurements taken from outer space show that the San Joaquin and Sacramento River basins up to six years ago "could almost fill the nation's largest reservoir, Lake Mead."

The most recent data, says the article, collected from 2003 to March 2009, shows this water has been nearly all sucked dry. By all of us.

But the earth is not warming either is it? Hope it rains. Hard.

Yin and Yang: World of Opposites

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A much maligned and misunderstood symbol is that of the Yin and Yang. You see it on posters, buttons, T-shirts and dangling from the necks of obscure, long-haired youth.

Before I ever understood it, I saw it from an artist's perspective. a beautiful and powerful design, stunning in its simplicity.

To learn that it symbolizes two fish, one white and one black and that each form defined the other was eye-opening.

That it represented a view that life is created of opposites, night and day, up and down, love and hate, right and wrong, good and evil, Satan and God, justice and injustice, negative and the positive and that one could not exist without the other was dumbfounding.

The Western view of life is that we must suppress the negative forces in favor of the positive ones, that they are mistakes and have no place in our lives. How can we re-learn that to completely know love, we must also embrace hatred, that these opposing forces are inextricably bound to one another, each with equal value?

Dualism is embraced by many cultures in the world. There is no place for the Third Eye, I would suppose.

Greater Love Hath No Man: Martyr or Coward?

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The word Martyr conjures in me images of fear, ecstasy, faith and terror. The Christian stories of the martyred saints, Peter, Paul, Stephen, and Joan of Arc are both inspiring and chilling.

Especially the supreme sacrifice of Jesus.

I have never really had the courage to stand for anything I believe in and the thought of dying for a principle frightens me to death (no pun).

However, it seems to me that the crux of Martyrdom is the giving of one's life for one's belief.

Perhaps the most ominous example is that of the early Christians who chose to face Lions rather than denounce their faith in Christ.

In all religions, faiths, cultures there are probably stories of people who have died for causes. They have killed and been killed "In the name of God."

Legions have given their lives for causes worthy and unworthy, just and unjust.

Witness the recent debate over whether Jihadists who strap bombs on themselves killing dozens of infidels, including women and children, for the sake of their Deity, presumably assuring themselves a special place in heaven, are martyr or terrorist.

But we have a new ingredient in the mix. The martyr is supposed to die!! What if he screws up and lives after killing others in the name of God? Shouldn't he ask for a tighter noose, a sharper axe or sword, a second bullet, a hungrier lion and submit to dying?

Or will he say "Ooopps, God, I'm sorry I really didn't mean it!? Epecially, after he has taken the lives of a dozen poor souls?

Point in question: the recent massacre at Fort Hood, Texas. While no one knows for sure, the media talk is that the act for Nidal Malik Hasan was one of Jihad. If it was, he should have died, yet he lived. He should therefore request immediate death, and not accept another breath of life.

Yet today on CNN, his lawyer is saying Hasan is considering a plea of not guilty for reason on insanity!

Doesn't that automatically negate the act as one of Martyrdom? You can't have it both ways! Unless, of course, he means that Jihad is insanity.

I wonder where failed Martyrs go, Heaven or Hell? Or Limbo? Or whether they even go at all?

747: Join Your Local Campus Atheist Club

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Just read about a girl in a campus Atheist club who said "very few people know we exist."

Funny, that's exactly what God says.

I wonder what they do at their meetings? Convince one another of their non beliefs?

If they fund raise, what do they do with "In God We Trust" engraved on bills?

I hope they give them back.

I wonder if they proselytize? Pass out flyers on corners? Baptize? Preach? Take up collections at their meetings.

Have they ever read Camus, Sartre?

There's still the old argument that the chances that life is just one big accident are as good as tossing a boxful of nuts and bolts into the air and having them fall to the ground as a 747.

I Read a billboard once that read: "I'd rather believe in Hell and be wrong than not believe in Hell and be wrong."

We really don't have much to lose if we lived our life believing in a God that doesn't exist. We just might have lived better lives, who knows?

But we would have missed a lot of parties....

I've always wondered if there is any difference is in asking "Do you believe in God?" or "Do you believe in a God?"

The Winds of Change Are Blowing: Adios, Senior Dobbs

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The announcement of Lou Dobbs' retirement from CNN comes really as no big surprise. For some, it was long overdue.

His reasons for leaving are indeed noble: "to seek a more activist role" because "the strong winds of change have been buffeting our country", which must be engaged with "constructive problem solving". I like the "buffeting" part. Whew, the Vato waxes almost poetic here.

Dobbs is well known to Latinos and Hispanics for his tirades against the menace "immigrants" and illegal aliens pose to the American middle class ideal. His mockery of Mexico's government would be downright insulting if one were to ignore our own government and its shenanigans as the supposed role model.

If he would have had his way he would round up the whole bunch (12 million), and ship them back to their own country. Trouble is we tried this in the 30's and "Operation Wetback" became an embarrassment to the U.S. exacerbating racial profiling, as "legal" Mexicans were deported right along with the illegals! Oops. Rousting of bars and restaurants was common, harassing dozens of "legals" to net only one "illegal". It wasn't wise to eat at a Mexican restaurant.

The U.S. even paid Mexicans, legal or not, to go back "to where they came from". Problem was some of them came from "here", and their lineages could be traced back to before the arrival of the Mayflower!! Another problem was once illegals were deposited on the other side, they just swam back. The U.S. then tried dumping them off way down around Mexico City. This just made it a little harder for them to come back.

I suspect this is the probably "independent" "constructive problem solving" he refers to. Yeah, but we've heard it all before.

He tried to demonstrate his wit and rhetorical skills in a televised "debate" with Univision's "Noticiero" anchor woman Maria Elena Salinas. At worst, it was like a bully picking on a neighborhood pest. At best it was a draw.

His "no holds barred... acerbic... tough... relentless... independent" style sounded pretty much like just another right winged Republican to me. But it did catch the ire and attention of Latinos and Hispanics. So much so that groups across the country have recently united in calling for Sr. Lou's resignation (or firing) from CNN.

Of course, his retirement was not in the least, prompted by these protests. When one feels "the winds of change", he must of course, change. But isn't this a darned coincidence?

Bob Dylan said it best in the 60's: "The Times They Are A'Changin".... Si, they are changin'.