Bakotopia

All > Rants & Raves > Stories
N.L. writes politicized poem, gets crowd of thousands interacting on Day of Action for Immigration Rights
Topics:
Posted by thenovelist Tue Nov 30, 1999 00:00:00 PST
Viewed 582 times
0 responses 4 comments

I don’t get writer’s block like other people claim to get. I believe such mental blocks are people admitting to themselves they have given up on a goal of completing a writing project. With that said, for about a week I had the words “Immigration! Interrogation!” in my head. The words played like a constant chant. I had visions of marchers, people screaming from 9-11 style Guantanamo interrogation, and of flashlights from interrogators shining on eyes like the flash of media cameras; there were visions of snakes and bugs. But what could such imagery and possible symbolism mean? The non-poem views of a poem? The serpent would not be evil then, but a symbol of goodness, of rebelliousness. Why not? America has done it before with the flag “Don’t Tread On Me”. Don’t tell me you don’t know. You studied the good serpent in grade school.

People who know me well know I have distinct dreams and visions that often make its way into literature. Maybe that’s why I write. I see visions in my head that I want to capture as poetry or prose. My Chicano novel,  Thick White Crust explores the 9-11 dreams I had in fiction form: planes crashing, the Osama Bin Laden scene written the summer before 9-11 as “The martyr who never died.” Why did I write such terrorist images before the attacks? The title itself is a take on World Trade Center: Thick White Crust (WTC=TWC) with thick white crust being the alkaline soil of the Central Valley and the dusty film cast by crumbling New York towers. Why did I write about the possibility of a Latino American-borne terrorist and the transformation of my own life during and after 9-11? Why today is there such polarization in America, even among Latinos and Chicanos over issues that affect every ethnicity of immigrants? When I saw United 93 on Sunday, the dreams came back to me of why I wrote Thick White Crust. I relived part of the book in my head. I shook in the theatre after the surreal spiraling death scene of hopeless descent forged by freedom. I tried not to cry.

Too late.

United 93 was filled with fellow Americans; strangers united despite their backgrounds, ethnic or otherwise. A black pilot was killed. A white pilot was killed. A white woman, dead, and in the end, everyone murdered except for the idea of freedom in rebellious hands. And of the statistics of 9-ll planes crashing like bombs, or towers falling and smashing people and dreams, never do we hear how many illegal immigrants may have died in the restaurant on top of the world, or in the building itself. A cook, a janitor or illegal immigrant sightseer. For the sake of such tragedy, all 9-11 deceased except for the Arab terrorists who gave illegal immigration a bad name, are viewed as American casualties. And not all of them were illegal. Only three. The problem is much broader: why were some of them allowed to go to flight school? Why didn’t the government pursue possible suicide missions in the U.S. more firmly. You better believe that if the Cole bombing happened off the coast of Mexico, Latinos would be racially profiled, kept from ships and boats and planes. Police the questionable actions of people. Yes, even the illegals can be tracked.

Don’t be so paranoid about foreigners. Timothy McVeigh was an American and last I checked, the Civil War wasn’t sparked by terrorists. The Civil War had plenty of terrorist type of acts and that was American attacking American where hundreds of thousands died (around 500,000 in an America with much less population than today's America).

Be diligent. Don’t scapegoat all foreigners when America is guilty of attacking itself to the point of huge cemeteries of mass graves. Grant amnesty after background checks.

And don’t listen to those who cry about all illegal immigrants as potential terrorists. That’s just not a true statement. There are far more American-on-American violent acts in the U.S. every day. Don’t you read the papers? Even our own armed forces have criminals.

When I had my poetic visions I could see a crowd yelling the words “Immigration! Interrogation!” But why? What did such words really mean to me?

I had to explore.

Poet Tim Z. Hernandez recently said to poets in Merced, California</a> that writing a poem is about exploring space in unique ways, that instead of discovering what you might think is the poem surrounding you, often such explorations should explore the exact opposite of space, the negative space, the non-poem (listen to Buck City #34: Valley Writers Unite!).

What was the non-poem about in the Day of Action for Immigration Rights? I asked myself after hearing the chants in my head. I realized that the poem of the event was what Bo Caballero ended up giving, an endearing poem about immigrants as ghosts in America, who are there but not there. His poem asked what Americans would do without such people.

After all, that is what the day meant: what would a day be like without immigrants.

(read full article)

Send to a Friend

Report a Violation

Comment From: matt

Right on!!! I'm linking this to all the coverage here, and I look forward to your CINCO poem! Represent...... Comment From: danrathernot

amen.....heyy why dont you do a story on the FACTS about the U.S. so called "just us" system...in "family law".the barratry, perjury, treason,kid napping and extortion practiced daily under the color of law. i got ALL the facts.would be very timely! 623 1617 "DAN" Comment From: kookoonauts

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the "United States of America" and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God, indivisible, with "liberty and justice for all." Have a good day. Comment From: regulators

I thought you would like to read this. I had learned much more in Mexico. I told him I learned that the problem of illegal immigration stems mostly from the fact that Mexico has conveniently decided to use the U.S. as its dump for those Mexicans it rejects as -in the words of a cynical Mexican politician- “social refuse”, and then uses them not only to generate national revenue from remittances, but also to attempt to cause menacing disruptions in the American fabric. (Mexican president Vicente Fox has publicly boasted “…I am the President of 100 million Mexicans in Mexico and 20 millions Mexicans in the U.S.”. Then Mexico uses LULAC, La Raza, MEChA, the Mexica Movement and other racist and irredentist entities operating within the Chicano community to in effect control those of Mexican descent in the U.S.) There is an enormous number of Americans who have been harmed by the criminals who pass through the nation's open borders. For that reason, this section can only provide a symbolic tribute to the many unnamed victims who have been killed, raped, robbed, crippled and otherwise personally violated. It is particularly shocking that even in post-911 America, the government still refuses to protect the people in the most basic ways from the world's terrorists and criminals who enter at will to do as they please. The borders remain a sieve while the human carnage from crime perpetrated from illegal aliens continues to mount. This is long, but you need to read it. "You old white people. It is your duty to die." HISPANIC LEADERS SPEAK OUT! Augustin Cebada, Brown Berets; "Go back to Boston! Go back to Plymouth Rock, Pilgrims! Get out! We are the future. You are old and tired. Go on. We have beaten you. Leave like beaten rats. You old white people. It is your duty to die . . . Through love of having children, we are going to take over. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Richard Alatorre, Los Angeles City Council. "They're afraid we're going to take over the governmental institutions and other institutions. They're right. We will take them over . . . We are here to stay." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Excelsior, the national newspaper of Mexico, "The American Southwest seems to be slowly returning to the jurisdiction of Mexico without firing a single shot." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Professor Jose Angel Gutierrez, University of Texas; "We have an aging white America. They are not making babies. They are dying. The explosion is in our population . . . I love it. They are shitting in their pants with fear. I love it." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Art Torres, Chairman of the California Democratic Party, "Remember 187--proposition to deny taxpayer funds for services to non-citizens--was the last gasp of white America in California." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Gloria Molina, Los Angeles County Supervisor, "We are politicizing every single one of these new citizens that are becoming citizens of this country . . . I gotta tell you that a lot of people are saying, "I'm going to go out there and vote because I want to pay them back." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mario Obledo, California Coalition of Hispanic Organizations and California State Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare under Governor Jerry Brown, also awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Bill Clinton, "California is going to be a Hispanic state. Anyone who doesn't like it should leave." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Jose Pescador Osuna, Mexican Consul General , "We are practicing 'La Reconquista' in California." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Professor Fernando Guerra, Loyola Marymount University; "We need to avoid a white backlash by using codes understood by Latinos . . . " ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Are these just the words of a few extremists? Consider that we could fill up many pages with such quotes. Also, consider that these are mainstream Mexican leaders. THE U.S. VS MEXICO: On February 15, 1998, the U.S. and Mexican soccer teams met at the Los Angeles Coliseum. The crowd was overwhelmingly pro-Mexican even though most lived in this country. They booed during the National Anthem and U.S. flags were held upside down. As the match progressed, supporters of the U.S. team were insulted, pelted with projectiles, punched and spat upon. Beer and trash were thrown at the U.S. players before and after the match. The coach of the U.S. team, Steve Sampson said, "This was the most painful experience I have ever had in this profession." Did you know that immigrants from Mexico and other non-European countries can come to this country and get preferences in jobs, education, and government contracts? It's called affirmative action or racial privilege. The Emperor of Japan or the President of Mexico could migrate here and immediately be eligible for special rights unavailable for Americans of European descent. Recently, a vote was taken in the U.S. Congress to end this practice. It was defeated. Every single Democratic senator except Ernest Hollings voted to maintain special privileges for Hispanic, Asian and African immigrants. They were joined by thirteen Republicans. Bill Clinton and Al Gore have repeatedly stated that they believe that massive immigration from countries like Mexico is good. They have also backed special privileges for these immigrants. Corporate A merica has signed on to the idea that minorities and third world immigrants should get special, privileged status. Some examples are Exxon, Texaco, Merrill Lynch, Boeing, Paine Weber, Starbucks and many more. DID YOU KNOW?: Did you know that Mexico regularly intercedes on the side of the defense in criminal cases involving Mexican nationals? Did you know that Mexico has NEVER extradited a Mexican national accused of murder in the U.S. in spite of agreements to do so? According to the L.A. Times, Orange County, California is home to 275 gangs with 17,000 members; 98% of which are Mexican and Asian. How's your county doing? According to a New York Times article dated May 19, 1994, 20 years after the great influx of legal immigrants from Southeast Asia, 30% are still on welfare compared to 8% of households nationwide. A Wall Street Journal editorial dated December 5, 1994 quotes law enforcement offici als as stating that Asian mobsters are the "greatest criminal challenge the country faces." Not bad for a group that is still under 5% of the population. Is education important to you? Here are the words of a teacher who spent over 20 years in the Los Angeles School system. "Imagine teachers in classes containing 30-40 students of widely varying attention spans and motivation, many of whom aren't fluent in English. Educators seek learning materials likely to reach the majority of students and that means fewer words and math problems and more pictures and multicultural references." WHEN I WAS YOUNG: When I was young, I remember hearing about the immigrants that came through Ellis Island. They wanted to learn English. They wanted to breath free. They wanted to become Americans. Now too many immigrants come here with demands. They demand to be taught in their own language . They demand special privileges--affirmative action. They demand ethnic studies that glorify their culture. HOW CAN YOU HELP?: Send copies of this letter to at least two other people, 100 would be even better. Help us get the word out. California Coalition for Immigration Reform 5942 Edinger, Suite 113-117 Huntington Beach, CA 92649 Phone 714 921 7142 Date: 4/5/2006 llegal Immigration Costs California $10.5 Billion Annually From Robert Longley, Your Guide to U.S. Gov Info / Resources. FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now! State's "cheap labor" costs average household $1,183 a year Dateline: December, 2004 In hosting America's largest population of illegal immigrants, California bears a huge cost to provide basic human services for this fast growing, low-income segment of its population. A new study from the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) examines the costs of education, health care and incarceration of illegal aliens, and concludes that the costs to Californians is $10.5 billion per year. Among the key finding of the report are that the state's already struggling K-12 education system spends approximately $7.7 billion a year to school the children of illegal aliens who now constitute 15 percent of the student body. Another $1.4 billion of the taxpayers' money goes toward providing health care to illegal aliens and their families, the same amount that is spent incarcerating illegal aliens criminals. "California's addiction to 'cheap' illegal alien labor is bankrupting the state and posing enormous burdens on the state's shrinking middle class tax base," stated Dan Stein, President of FAIR. "Most Californians, who have seen their taxes increase while public services deteriorate, already know the impact that mass illegal immigration is having on their communities, but even they may be shocked when they learn just how much of a drain illegal immigration has become." The Costs of Illegal Immigration to Californians focuses on three specific program areas because those were the costs examined by researchers from the Urban Institute in 1994. Looking at the costs of education, health care and incarceration for illegal aliens in 1994, the Urban Institute estimated that California was subsidizing illegal immigrants to the tune of about $1.1 billion. The enormous rise in the costs of illegal immigrants over the intervening ten years is due to the rapid growth in illegal residents. It is reasonable to expect those costs to continue to soar if action is not taken to turn the tide. "Nineteen ninety-four was the same year that California voters rebelled and overwhelmingly passed Proposition 187, which sought to limit liability for mass illegal immigration. Since then, state and local governments have blatantly ignored the wishes of the voters and continued to shell out publicly financed benefits on illegal aliens," said Stein. "Predictably, the costs of illegal immigration have grown geometrically, while the state has spiraled into a fiscal crisis that has brought it near bankruptcy. "Nothing could more starkly illustrate the very high costs of ‘cheap labor' than California's current situation," continued Stein. "A small number of powerful interests in the state reap the benefits, while the average native-born family in California gets handed a nearly $1,200 a year bill." The Federation for American Immigration Reform is a nonprofit, public-interest, membership organization advocating immigration policy reforms that would tighten border security and prevent illegal immigration, while reducing legal immigration levels from about 1.1 million persons per year to 300,000 per year. 1994 - California This initiative measure is submitted to the people in accordance with the provisions of Article II, Section 8 of the Constitution. This initiative measure adds sections to various codes; therefore, new provisions proposed to be added are printed in {+ italic type +} to indicate that they are new. PROPOSED LAW SECTION 1. Findings and Declaration. The People of California find and declare as follows: That they have suffered and are suffering economic hardship caused by the presence of illegal aliens in this state. That they have suffered and are suffering personal injury and damage caused by the criminal conduct of illegal aliens in this state. That they have a right to the protection of their government from any person or persons entering this country unlawfully. One crooked judge whom was paid off by Mexico overturned what millions had voted for.