Protesters nationwide call for immigration overhaul

Responding loudly to Arizona's strict new law, thousands rally in L.A. and elsewhere.

Galvanized by Arizona's tough new law against illegal immigrants, tens of thousands of marchers took to the streets in Los Angeles on Saturday as the city led the nation in a May Day turnout to press for a federal immigration overhaul.

As many as 60,000 immigrants and their supporters joined a peaceful but boisterous march through downtown Los Angeles to City Hall, waving American flags, tooting horns and holding signs that blasted the Arizona law. The legislation, which is set to take effect in midsummer, makes it a crime to be in Arizona without legal status and requires police to check for immigration papers.

_________________________

one month ago, as reported in the Atlantic City Press

One Dem, not backed by party, to challenge LoBiondo in November

By JULIET FLETCHER Statehouse Bureau

in part......Unofficial petitions filed Monday with the state Division of Elections show the only candidate to file as a Democrat for the congressional seat is Gary Stein, a Mullica Township resident who has run in past elections as a third-party or independent candidate.

Stein, who mounted an independent challenge to Ventnor resident LoBiondo in 2008 and in 2009 ran for governor in a field of outsider candidates, has used his campaigns to call for closing the U.S.-Mexico border and taking steps to fight Mexican corruption.

He filed 346 petition signatures with the Division of Elections, against LoBiondo's 843, but has not received support from any of the county Democratic organizations in the 2nd District....
__________________

Inside (the campaign) Baseball.   Ms. Fletcher said she was in a huge hurry the night this story was filed, we talked ever so briefly.  She said she would interview me two days later. The "reminder" above about Mexico, and it was a reminder, I added at last second before I was rushed off the phone.  I said, "Ms. Fletcher, remember why I first ran 2 years ago?"  I'm still waiting 4 weeks for that promised interview, but in the mean time Mexico seems to be back on the radar screen, bigger then ever, so perhaps she did me a favor stating my platform, (i guess).  And then I talk to my friend in Mexico and (like usually happens) I get crazy, so I say Thank You for the complimentary article Ms. Fletcher.                                                  

 

     
                The used up phone cards

  Two long years running for elected office, three frustrating years contacting the press, three maddening years calling my friend in Morelos, Mexico, assuring him the self centered, media phonies and feckless politicians in this country will finally hear me out on immigration reform. The e-mails number in the 1000's. Hang in there buddy, I'm hitting pay dirt this November, come hell or high water!!
____________________________

Highlights of last Friday's (4/30/2010) phone conversation with my Mexican friend B***.........who once lived in our house- not that long- just 5 years!!  What can I know about Mexico?

1) We cleared up one confusion on my end concerning the civil service job he secured, once he paid the standard bribe (in his case, payment was 2 parcels of land, worth about $10,000 or 120,000 pesos* ). 

  a) He won't see any pay for 7 months.  That's still true,    but he will get that missing salary eventually, courtesy Mexico City**, in one lump sum at the end of said period (7 months)............probably minus one or two months which will wind up in his supervisors pocket.  At least that's what he can expect- it's not something usually discussed beforehand.  It's unsaid, as in, take it or leave it!
      
 1a)  Now why have a trial period for a new hire?  My friend is a apprenticing as a night watchman-daytime janitor (can you believe it!) at a local school (getting into the Fire Dept; too chancy, bigger bribe, no guarantee, Mayor or no Mayor helping him out).   Any dirt poor Mexican soul, hard up enough to want to enter the government civil service ranks- as a janitor- and pay a bribe- probably can't make it through the 7 months with out money to pay for food (he's now really, really poor, go back half a sentence and re- read- in which case  the position  still needs to be filled; necessitating the next  sucker willing to pay yet another, disgusting bribe. Pay offs are non-refundable.  My friend will see it through.  There's always a chance for advancement.  Janitoring is excellent preparation for politics by way, I should know.

2)  Continuing the phone conversation.  My friend is a sharp guy- very observant.  The schools dumpster gets emptied one time and Mexico City** gets billed 9 times.  The disposal service gets paid  once and the supervisor i.e., principal gets paid (quietly) 8x.  The rich get richer.

3) More hair raising 10 minute conversation from last Friday.   The brand new gas powered blower my friend purchased to make .cleaning the grounds easier is now working again.  Warranty?  Oh, sure.  Travel 2 hours to the supposed authorized repair service, and then, who knows what?  My friend reached into his own pocket; cost? $25 dollars, or roughly 2 weeks pay for the average Mexican.
      a)  Where did he get the idea he needed a blower?  He fell in love with mine while he lived here.  A straw broom usually suffices there.
       b)  He asked supervisor i.e., the school principal, if a lawn mower was available.......... let's not even go there.

4)  The Chevrolet Suburban I drove down to Mexico and left for my friend (another story for another day, but what wonderful memories!) now has a broken "proportioning valve" on the brake system.   A very basic, but not easy part to get even here in the U.S., but not a part that goes bad very often on a 80,000 mile vehicle.  That's here, not there.  There, they have speed bumps on the main drag every quarter mile in the confines of the city or towns.  Just when you get up to speed, you brake.  This system works very well in stopping speeders, but more importantly it eliminates the middle man- the cops- from shaking down the poor motorist even more then usual!!!  That's called compassion, the corrupt gov't,  having empathy for the average citizen,  by foreclosing on the cops best way of handing out citations- i.e., speeding.. 

      a)  His mechanic (who I've met personally) had to jerry-rig a proportioning valve not designed for Chevrolet Suburbans.   My friend has brakes again, but there's a leak......around the proportioning valve fittings of course.  took the mechanic all day to fit, what should have been, a half hour job.

5)  More phone chit-chat.  Drug violence makes it's first appearance close to friend's home town.  Local residents warned to stay inside at night while 2 gangs square off.  This is 2 days from the border!  Funny but the United States sponsored Mirada Initiative does not seem to be working too well?  Who's been saying its a waste for 2 long years?  Stein for Congress in 2008 said just that.


What else have I been saying ad infinitum (ad nauseam)? (enough of the phone conversation, I feel a "soap box" coming on.......

The amnesty issue doesn't go away (See left side column).   But wait, here's a once in a lifetime opportunity*** to grant amnesty in exchange for something accomplished on their end.  Mexican illegals hold back remittances, and family back home don't complain..... causing such deep embarrassment that the Mexican gov't  then stings- arrests- prosecutes, the petty thieves better known as the  police, spreading fear into the civil servant ranks, and the dominoes fall.  Honest government workers, of which there a many- cheer.  Wow, think about it?  A (different kind of) TEA PARTY MOVEMENT BY ILLEGALS HERE, DIRECTED AT THE MEXICAN GOVERNMENT BACK THERE (where it's so, so dangerous). Tea Party solidarity.  Mexican illegals, tea bagging, and American Tea Baggers, doin their separate thing, might equal good feelings, and could be the impetus for amnesty?  Glenn Beck what do you think?

Results. Prosperity is  around the corner when corruption is on the wane.  Mexicans no longer need to crash our border.  Mexicans (living in Mexico) are then tied in solidarity to their neighbor to the north (us)- instead of increasingly resenting Americans- which I predicted and my friend now confirms on the phone   He hears it now, all the time.  And last but not least; trade between the two countries goes through the roof- adding jobs here- as a stimulus like program that cost NOTHING.    They'll fix their broken infrastructure, especially the SANITATION, and we'll supply the know how.  Al Gore help me!  It's very polluted down there.  Al, what have we got to lose? My plan either works, or it doesn't.

......and one other silly, minor benefit.  Retired Americans would line up at the border crossing's for the chance to drive all over the beautiful and exotic Mexico country side- which is now finally safe to do- since I got elected and proved anything is possible.  Well almost anything, this Drug Cartel has really gotten out of hand in two years.  I'm worried.   How did that happen with all the close co-operation  between the so smart American and obsequious Mexican gov't?  Not even sure the old "boycott" idea is even applicable at this point.  Things have gotten so bad, but it sure as hell might create a good will among fed up Americans not ready to grant 12 million illegals amnesty just because undocumented's want it.  On that score alone, it's worth trying and I could be the point man.....

Direct quote from "Stein for Congress"  first try,  2008.

"Elect me, send a message and then the politicians can POINT TO ME FOR COVER (the disgruntled voters' crazy candidate)..."
___________
foot notes

* will double check with my friend on the value of that land the family used to secure (bribe) his job

** there are no local school taxes etc.  There's no Income taxes.  All local government money comes from Big Brother-central gov't GRANDE- in Mexico City.

*** a once in a lifetime opportunity for one party, Democrat or Republican to seize this idea and swell their ranks.

 5/31/2010  While looking for a  photo copied page from a book about Iwo Jima that my father sent me 2 years ago, I came across a photo disk  with pictures from Mexico, showing the New Jersey registered Suburban mentioned above- Beto meeting me at the border (Matamoris) and 2 days- and numerous run ins with the policia later- at his three quarter finished house. 

 
  New Jersey to Texas                                Motel in Matamoris, U.S. cars going south                          Beto, Suburban, same motel

      
Somebody should have told us,            The still, unfinished-house Beto hoped to                              His home town
"only drive at night, boys!!!"                   turn into a bed and breakfast for Americans.

 
                                           
                                                              Where's the one best athlete in this picture?  Answer, below


Far left.  Beto's brother Francisco.  Plays professionally on wknds.  Makes more money in two hours then his brothers make in 2 days.  Perhaps good enough to play on one of the national teams.......however that takes "greasing" a few palms- like everything else in that crooked- but beautiful- country.  Beto and his brother, when they were in the states, used to send money home for Francisco's schooling.  Now a teacher....................but more bribes etc, etc.