Efrain:
A few comments in italics regarding Morales' column in your blog:
Puerto Rico's government wants its people to believe that they are the cause of an identity fraud crisis, and to correct the problem it is treating them like second-class citizens.
It isn't our government but the US State Department that has expressed that nearly 40 percent of ID fraud cases they've investigated relating to birth certificates involve birth certificates from PR.
Last December, Puerto Rico's governor, Luis Fortuno, signed a law that invalidates all copies of certified Puerto Rican birth certificates. As a result, everyone born in Puerto Rico before this coming July will have to request a new copy. The reason: It's a matter of U.S. national security.
Most Puerto Rico-born residents of PR and the states will eventually need to request a new birth certificate, but only when they anticipate the need for one when a passport or drivers license will not suffice. No need to rush.
Or at least that's what the State Department of Puerto Rico would have their own people believe.
More than national security, it's a matter of personal security, of securing protection for the identity of 5.2 million Puerto Rico-born residents of Puertro Rico and the states who are at greater risk of having their identity stolen than other Americans.. Just last evening I ran into a Puerto Rican who thanked me for the law since her identity was stolen by an Ecuadoran undocumented immigrant, putting her Social Security and other benefits at risk.
In a press release, Puerto Rico's Secretary of State Kenneth McClintock-Hernandez asserted that there was an identity fraud crisis in the United States that was set off by thousands of copies of Puerto Rican birth certificates that are just floating around. McClintock went on to say that 40 percent of all identity theft cases in the United States are caused by fraudulent use of Puerto Rican birth certificates.
The problem is that in Puerto Rico, birth certificates were required and filed away for everything in life, every school you registered in, every summer camp, ballet school, little league and other activities. Up until last December schools were broken into, not to steal computers, but old school records. There are probably millions of birth certificates unsecurely filed in cardboard bozes in schools, the trunk of your little league coach, and so forth, each worth, until last December, $5-10,000 in the black market.
In fact, it was reported by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Diplomatic Security that Puerto Rican birth certificates have been used in about 40 percent of passport fraud incidents it has recently investigated. Not 40 percent of all U.S. identity fraud cases.
And while it is true that there is a problem involving the use of Puerto Rican birth certificates, this hardly constitutes a threat large enough to invalidate the identity proof of an entire island of 4 million U.S. citizens. Plus, the minimum cost of $5 per birth certificate imposed by the government comes off as a desperate move to raise money for an economy racked by high unemployment and recession.
On the contrary, the average Puerto Rican purchases at least 15-20 certificates over their lifetime. With the new law, which prohibits anyone keeping your birth certificate, you'll probably need one or two over your lifetime. The Registro Demográfico stands to lose over 90% of its birth certificate revenue, but so be it if we can cut the number of Puerto Ricans who become victims of identity theft.
The law is an unnecessary burden on Puerto Ricans on the island, as well as those born there and currently living in the United States. Would a similar-sized U.S. state, such as Kentucky (population also 4 million), be treated this way? A recommitment to immigration reform would do a lot more to combat the problem of identity fraud than punishing millions of American citizens.
Most of the people seeking stolen birth certificates that will prove birth and citizenship probably are not seeking one stolen from a Kentuckyan, but are more interested in one of a Puertro Rican. While the Fortuño administration is committed to immigration reform, thousands of Puerto Ricans will fall victim to identity theft if we waited for that to happen.
Puerto Ricans don't deserve being a scapegoat for a much larger problem.
For decades our society needlessly demanded birth certificates for everything, stored them unsecurely and exposed our people to the huge headache of identity fraud. Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.
Finally, in a nutshell, the law prohibits keeping someone else's birth certificate in Puerto Rico, requires the issuance of more secure birth certificates after July 1, keeps the price at $5, maintains the current payment exemptions (over 60 and veterans), and does not change the methods for requesting them (mail and in person).
Kenneth D. McClintock
Secretary of State
United States Commonwealth of Puerto Rico
P.O. Box 9066291
San Juan PR 00906-6291
787-722-4010 ofc
787-722-2684 fax
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Kenneth D. McClintock Rebuttal of: Ed Morales on Puerto Rico Birth Certificates
Ed Morales on Puerto Rico Birth Certificates
By Ed Morales
Puerto Rico's government wants its people to believe that they are the cause of an identity fraud crisis, and to correct the problem it is treating them like second-class citizens.
Last December, Puerto Rico's governor, Luis Fortuno, signed a law that invalidates all copies of certified Puerto Rican birth certificates. As a result, everyone born in Puerto Rico before this coming July will have to request a new copy. The reason: It's a matter of U.S. national security.
Or at least that's what the State Department of Puerto Rico would have their own people believe.
In a press release, Puerto Rico's Secretary of State Kenneth McClintock-Hernandez asserted that there was an identity fraud crisis in the United States that was set off by thousands of copies of Puerto Rican birth certificates that are just floating around. McClintock went on to say that 40 percent of all identity theft cases in the United States are caused by fraudulent use of Puerto Rican birth certificates.
In fact, it was reported by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Diplomatic Security that Puerto Rican birth certificates have been used in about 40 percent of passport fraud incidents it has recently investigated. Not 40 percent of all U.S. identity fraud cases.
And while it is true that there is a problem involving the use of Puerto Rican birth certificates, this hardly constitutes a threat large enough to invalidate the identity proof of an entire island of 4 million U.S. citizens. Plus, the minimum cost of $5 per birth certificate imposed by the government comes off as a desperate move to raise money for an economy racked by high unemployment and recession.
The law is an unnecessary burden on Puerto Ricans on the island, as well as those born there and currently living in the United States. Would a similar-sized U.S. state, such as Kentucky (population also 4 million), be treated this way? A recommitment to immigration reform would do a lot more to combat the problem of identity fraud than punishing millions of American citizens.
Puerto Ricans don't deserve being a scapegoat for a much larger problem.
ABOUT THE WRITER
Ed Morales is the author of "Living in Spanglish." He wrote this for Progressive Media Project, a source of liberal commentary on domestic and international issues; it is affiliated with The Progressive magazine.
Friday, February 26, 2010
ChivoLoco: The Lil’ Wild Goat
ChivoLoco continua el legado establecido por YERBABUENA, re-arraigándose a las raices musicales puertorriqueñas con un sabor contemporaneo y moderno, sin limitarse a los parametros generales del "folklor" y adoptando orgánicamente todas las corrientes musicales de la experiencia diaspórica boricua.
ChivoLoco está compuesto por músicos y cantantes del area sur de Puerto Rico, unidos bajo la dirección artística del canta-autor y músico Tato Torres. Se enfocan en los ritmos de la bomba, la plena, la música jíbara, así como otros ritmos y géneros boricuas y del Caribe con infusiones del géneros urbanos como el Hip Hop, el Reggae, el Rock, la Bachata, etc.
ChivoLoco (lit. 'CrazyGoat') is a musical project founded in 2008 by and under the artistic direction of musician-song-writer Tato Torres, who is also creator of the renown New York City based Boricua Roots Music group, "YERBABUENA" and a production of the company by the same name YERBABUENA, INC.
ChivoLoco continues the legacy already established by YERBABUENA, re-rooting itself to the musical traditions of Puerto Rico with a contemporary and modern flavor, without limiting itself to the parameters of "folklore" and organically adopting all of the musical currents of the diasporic Boricua experience.
ChivoLoco is composed of musicians and singers from the south western part of Puerto Rico, united under the musical direction of Tato Torres. It focuses on the rhythms of Bomba, Plena and Jíbaro Music, as well as in other rhythms and genres from Puerto Rico and the Caribbean with infusions of urban and contemporary popular musical styles such as Hip Hop, Reggae, Rock, Bachata, etc.
The name of the band "ChivoLoco" comes from the traditional expression "haciendose el chivo loco" ('pretending to be a crazy/wild goat'), which refers to someone who pretends to be oblivious to a particular situation, which he or she does not wish to recognize or be affected by. The reason behind this is that the project refuses to submit and accept pre-established forms of stagnant norms within what is considered 'traditional music' and intentionally challenges and breaks outdated and impractical patterns and rules, which in my own opinion limit the growth, development and necessary evolution of all cultural currents and byproducts. ChivoLoco remains firmly rooted in history and tradition, but refuses to remain stuck in academic or institutional definitions of culture.
The expression "¡po' encima 'e loj' alambrej' 'e púa'!" which means "over the barbed wire" makes allusion to the "lil' wild goat's" ability to jump over the obstacles placed before him...
The Lil’ Wild Goat
A very special thank you to Tato Torres for providing all the information for this post.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
ATAQUE AL CONGRESO DE E. U. 1954
Partido Nacionalista de Puerto Rico - Junta de Nueva York
pnpr.org
Date: Saturday, February 27, 2010
Time: 6:30pm - 9:00pm
Location: El Maestro
1029 EAST 167TH STREET
Bronx, NY
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
'Broken Pledge' On P.R. Health Care Reform
Fortuño, Pierluisi upset by Obama’s ‘broken pledge’ on health care reform
Washington is so far sending a clear but indefensible message that Puerto Rico is separate and unequal when it comes to health care reform. In the final rounds of negotiations, Congress must deliver a bill that ends the unfair treatment of Americans living in U.S. territories.
As we learned earlier this week, the Obama administration is pushing for the Senate's version of health care reform, with some adjustments. But in doing so, the White House is failing 4.4 million Americans living in Puerto Rico. This backtracks from earlier assurances that it would protect the territories.....cont.--->
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Román Baldorioty de Castro
His career began as a teacher in Botany and Maritime Sciences and then in Physics and Chemistry. At the same time his political career began to form, he was unanimously named the Secretary of the Studies Commission by the island's Economic Society. He also represented Puerto Rico as a delegate in the Spanish Parliament.
In 1870, he was elected to be a deputy to the Spanish Cortes, where he supported the abolition of slavery and autonomist causes for Puerto Rico. There he was involved in presenting a proposal for the abolition of slavery, a proposal the Spanish Government would approve in 1873.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Julia de Burgos
As an advocate for the independence of Puerto Rico she would join the Daughters of Freedom, the women's branch of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party (Partido Nacionalista de Puerto Rico). She was also a civil rights activist for women and African/Afro-Caribbean writers.
Burgos died on July 6, 1953 at an early age, 39, of pneumonia. She would be posthumously granted a doctorate in Human Letters and Arts from the University of Puerto Rico. Schools, streets and buldings have been named in her honor from Puerto Rico to New York, Pennsylvania and Chicago.
A stamp honoring Julia de Burgos goes on sale in September.
Julia de Burgos
¡Rio Grande de Loíza!... Alárgate en mi espíritu
y deja que mi alma se- pierda en- tus riachuelos
para buscar la fuente que te robó de niño
y en un ímpetu loco te devolvió al sendero.
Enróscate en mis labios y deja que te beba,
para sentirte mío por un breve momento,
y esconderte del mundo y en ti mismo esconderte,
y oír voces de asombro en la boca del viento.
Apéate un instante del lomo de la tierra,
y busca de mis ansias el íntimo secreto;
confúndete en el vuelo de mi ave fantasía,
y déjame una rosa de agua en mis ensueños.
¡Río Grande de Loíza!... Mi manantial, mi río,
desde que alzome al mundo el pétalo materno;
contigo se bajaron desde las rudas cuestas,
a buscar nuevos surcos, mis pálidos anhelos;
y mi niñez fue toda un poema en el río,
y un río en el poema de mis primeros sueños.
Llegó la adolescencia. Me sorprendió la vida
prendida en lo más ancho de tu viajar eterno;
y fui tuya mil veces, y en un bello romance
me despertaste el alma y me besaste el cuerpo.
¿A dónde te llevaste las aguas que bañaron
mis formas, en espiga de sol recién abierto?
¡Quién sabe en qué remoto país mediterráneo
algún fauno en la playa me estará poseyendo!
¡Quién sabe en qué aguacero de qué tierra lejana
me estaré derramando para abrir surcos nuevos;
o si acaso, cansada de morder corazones,
me estaré congelando en cristales de hielo!
¡Río Grande de Loíza!... Azul. Moreno. Rojo.
Espejo azul, caído pedazo azul de cielo;
desnuda carne blanca que se te vuelve negra
cada vez que la noche se te mete en el lecho;
roja franja de sangre, cuando bajo la lluvia
a torrentes su barro te vomitan los cerros.
Río hombre, pero hombre con pureza de río,
porque das tu azul alma cuando das tu azul beso.
Muy señor río mío. Río hombre. Unico hombre
que ha besado mi alma al besar en mi cuerpo.
¡Río Grande de Loíza!... Río grande. Llanto grande.
El más grande de todos nuestros llantos isleños,
si no fuera más grande el que de mí se sale
por los ojos del alma para mi esclavo pueblo.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Spanish Requirement of 1513
While my travels have taken me to quite a few places, the internet allows me to travel the world daily. This travel allows me to pick up a good amount of information. The following is one of those things that is of interest ....
The Spanish Requirement of 1513 ("El Requerimiento") was a declaration by the Spanish monarchy of its divinely ordained right to take possession of the territories of the New World and to subjugate, exploit and, when necessary, to kill the native inhabitants. The Requirement was read in Spanish to Native Americans to inform them of Spain’s rights to conquest. Those who subsequently resisted conquest were considered to harbor evil intentions. The Spaniards thus considered those who resisted as defying God’s plan, and so used Catholic theology to justify their killing. -Source: Wikipedia- The free encyclopedia
Dig deep and there are things that can be unearthed that will unsettle you; history has shown the brutality by which many have claimed as their own what rightfully belonged to others....
credit is due to the poetry at Morena's Bohio: The Requerimiento (Revised).
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Untold Story of Hector Lavoe "THE SINGER"
The first biographical film, "El Cantante", didn't do much to tell the story of this legendary singer. Can the film "The Singer" do better or will it be just another attempt at capturing his story? The trailers seem promising thus far but as trailers go one must really see the film in order to see if it captures the true essence of his life. Nonetheless, his music is his life and no movie can ever replace that.
Untold Story of Hector Lavoe "THE SINGER"
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Hispanic by Popular Demand
Written by: Alice Gomez and Lucia Matthews, DiálogoPR, San Diego, CA
Driven by its growing population and pervasive cultural attributes, the Hispanic community will continue to influence U.S. mainstream. Hispanic heritage is already extremely visible in business, political and social contexts. As Hispanic presence becomes even more embedded within US norms and rituals, the nation’s collective public opinion is likely to become friendlier.
Public opinion is a powerful political and social force. It represents a synthesis of individual views, attitudes and beliefs within a nation. These collective perspectives determine political outcomes and shape social realities. The Hispanic segment is expanding and thus playing a larger role in the process.
The U.S. was founded on the democratic ideal expressed by Lincoln as a “Government of the people, by the people and for the people.” This notion of self-governance allows public opinion to elect public officials and to sway political decisions.
The number of Hispanic Americans and non-Hispanic Americans exposed to Latino culture is quite substantial. The U.S. society has welcomed and is adopting Hispanic perspectives. The logical result will be increased Hispanic decisive power in future U.S. politics.
Texas, California and New Mexico are “Hispanic majority-minority” states, meaning various ethnic minority populations now outnumber Whites.
Leading California Gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman commended about the contribution of the segment’s presence during National Hispanic Heritage Month this past September. She says she includes Latinos in her campaign outreach, which is crucial to understanding what Californians face every day at home, at school and at work and helping her forge solutions.
Friday, February 12, 2010
¿Que pasa en Bushwick, Brooklyn?
That neighborhood is Bushwick, Brooklyn, a neighborhood that was predominantly Puerto Rican and ignored during the latter part of the 20th century. The 21st century brought many changes in an attempt to address deteriorated housing conditions, increase economic development opportunities, reduce drug dealing activities, and enhance the quality of life. Bushwick today is a neighborhood with a heavily concentrated Latino population, much more diversified than when I was a kid there. It is still a place I can easily visit and feel very much at home.
While many were able to buy homes in the neighborhood and maintain residence there,the fact that many have been devastated by the mortgage and foreclosure crisis is saddening. The neighborhood has suffered its own share of gentrification in recent years, while the scammers and leeches in the mortgage industry continue to defraud people.
A three-part series by Eva Sanchis in El Diario-La Prensa:
- Bushwick se muere/Bushwick is dying
- Obama llega a Bushwick... tras los buitres/Obama comes to Bushwick, but the vultures arrive sooner
- ¿Dónde está el estímulo de Obama?/Where did the stimulus funds go?
El Diario - An SOS for Bushwick
New York’s housing market is largely rentals, but neighborhoods such as Bushwick, Brooklyn have been devastated by the foreclosure crisis. And they need more help—now. Cont-->
Saturday, February 6, 2010
I had a dream...and so did many other Puerto Ricans
Puzzled yet? Well, I had a dream that all the powers that be in Puerto Rico finally came to their senses, sat at a big round table, put all differences aside and really discussed Puerto Rico's century old status of colonialism. That real decisions were made, hands were shaken and a unified movement, to end the real nightmare, had been born. Finally with fists up in the air (some with middle fingers raised at Washington **a little anger**), the Puerto Rican people would finally have leaders that stand as true patriots of the motherland and represent all that is Puerto Rican.
Now I awaken and realize that my dream is only an extension of another dream and that colonialism, economic dependency, economic meltdown, sell-offs, sell-outs and crime continue to be the current reality.
Read the other dream here>>
Basta Ya!
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Vieques....a thought to consider
Consider this, the U.S. Navy purchased the western and eastern ends of the island between 1941 and 1950. The Navy used the training range about 180 days per year of which roughly 120 days consisted of live-fire exercises. That amounts to six months every year, for over 50 years, until training operations were ceased in May 2003. Given the amount of time, equipment and manpower used for such military exercises one can only imagine the cost. While I can fully understand the need for a highly trained and prepared military, what I can't understand is at what cost must these exercises be conducted. If only a drop of the expenses used for all the training, operations and exercises was used to help fund for research and treatment, it would be a step in the right direction. In the midst of discussions on health care reform which continue in Washington, the people of Vieques (American citizens!) suffer through their own health crisis.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Vieques Island....Ignored.
Much has been said and reported on the health issues, the agricultural affects and the clean-up required. While the closure of neighboring Roosevelt Roads on the mainland followed in 2004, major changes in the unemployment rate during those time frames are not evident.
A lawsuit remains and the need for help continues. Again, the plight of over 9,000 Americans is ignored and one is left to wonder why.
Island residents sue U.S., saying military made them sick
"Vieques, in my experience of studying toxic substances, is probably one of the most highly contaminated sites in the world," -Dr. John Wargo, a Yale professor who studies the effects of toxic exposures on human health.
History of the Navy in Vieques
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
The Dire Crime Situation en La Isla....
PR Governor calls on Nat'l Guard to fight crime
Labor Statistics
Unemployment rate: 1/99-12/09
Cibolero...A Novel by Kermit Lopez
Book Summary:Cibolero, the new novel by Kermit Lopez, is a tale of sorrow and terror, hope and triumph, set in 1800’s New Mexico. Antonio Baca, a former “Cibolero” or buffalo hunter, pursues his daughter’s kidnappers in Post-Civil War era New Mexico and Texas. “Cibolero” is a fictionalized account of the Hispanic experience before and after the conquest of the Southwest by the United States.
On one level, Cibolero is an action-oriented adventure tale as Antonio Baca sets out to rescue his daughter from an invading band of Texas Rangers using his skills as a Cibolero hunter.
On another level, Cibolero deals with racism, ethnicity and society in the “old West” and the historical ties of large parts of the present western United States to Mexico and Spain. Cibolero is a fictionalized account of a true but overlooked part of U.S. history
Full reviews and interviews can be found throughout this Latino Virtual Book Tour...
- Mon Jan 25th: Sandra's Book Club
- Tues Jan 26th: Musings
- Wed Jan 27th: Latino Book Examiner
- Thurs Jan 28th: Mama XXI
- Fri Jan 29th: Latino Musings on Literature & More
- Mon Feb 1st: Heidenkind's Hideaway
- Wed Feb 3rd: BronzeWord Latino Authors
- Thurs Feb 4th: TBA
- Fri Feb 5th: Regular Rumination
Author Bio:
Kermit Lopez wrote “Cibolero” after researching his family ancestry, which spans four hundred years of New Mexico history. He received electrical engineering and law degrees from the University of New Mexico and lives with his wife and son in Albuquerque. Mr. Lopez is also the author of the novel The Prodigy.
Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances, I was unable to get an article from or an interview with the author. I was, however, able to read the book and can provide a quick review....
As the story unfolds one is taken back to a time in history of American intrusion in the west. There are no hero cowboys as the real hero is retired Cibolero (buffalo hunter), Antonia Baca. The author takes one on a fictionalized journey incorporating action and suspense into American history as told through the eyes of Antonio. A story of a man who is forced to once again revisit his past, to hunt not for the buffalo he once did but for the kidnappers of his daughter.This is a book giveaway tour so anyone who leaves a message or comment today will be entered to win a copy of Cibolero or you can purchase the book now at amazon.com.
Also visit:
BronzeWord Latino Virtual Book Tours
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