#Mexcian American author

[diversityinya]

Fanning the Embers of Fact into Fiery Fiction

By Guadalupe Garcia McCall

Historical fiction has always fascinated me. As a young reader, I remember sitting on a cushy winged-chair in a quiet, sunlit corner of the Eagle Pass Public Library getting lost in books about other times, other cultures. I was mesmerized by the period details, but more than that I was drawn to the fiery hearts of passionate characters who fought fiercely to save themselves in times of great strife.

Torches, lamps, roaring flames, these things are often found in historical fiction. They are the staple of books on revolution and change. But they are also things I came to associate with truth and passion. They were metaphorical representations of courage and conviction in the books I read, books that fanned the flame of my development as a writer who attempts to write to elucidate.

ALL THE STARS DENIED is a companion novel to Shame the Stars (Tu Books, 2016). It is the second installment in the family saga of the del Toros as they continue to struggle and flourish despite racism, prejudice, and other political adversities in the United States.  In this stand-alone book we meet Estrella, the eldest daughter of Joaquín and Dulceña del Toro (the protagonists from Shame the Stars). The year is 1931, and the Great Depression has brought about racial segregation in Monteseco and even more derision towards Mexican nationals living and working in the United States.  

When Estrella organizes a march against the ill treatment of mexicanos in her divided town, she and her family are targeted and forcibly "repatriated" to Mexico. In one torch-lit sweep of Rancho Las Moras, Estrella loses her home, her citizenship, and her father.

The trials and tribulations Estrella and her mother, Dulceña, face as they attempt to return home to Texas with her little brother, Wicho, illustrates another difficult time for Mexican Americans in this country, for it is a matter of historical fact that in the 1930's the U.S. and Mexican governments worked together to repatriate over 1 million Mexicans & Mexican-Americans back to Mexico. It is also a sad fact that 600, 000 of these repatriates were born U.S. citizens.

Although I did a lot of research on the subject of repatriation during the 1930’s, I had to find ways of incorporating those facts effectively into the novel, and that’s where the art of fictionalizing historical events came into play.

I took inspiration from the books and articles I read as well as the first-person accounts of interviews on YouTube. The small mention of two thousand repatriates huddled together in the winter of 1931 in a corral behind the customs house in Ciudad Juárez in Francisco E. Balderrama’s 2006 book, Decade of Betrayal: Mexican Repatriation in the1930s, outraged me, and I knew that the incident needed to become a scene in my novel. But I had no details of that occurrence, so I had to put myself in that position, envision the environment, craft the scenes, and give voice to the characters as best I could. I had to recreateit if I was going to bring the injustice of it all to light.

Throughout the creative process, I asked myself some hard questions. What is important here? Why do I need to depict thisor that incident? At the heart of it all was my need to tell the truth intertwined with my frustration at the inhumane treatment of mexicanos and the demoralization of an entire group of people—mi gente.

Whatever else may fuel my writing in years to come, I know this one thing to be true: I will always write with passion. I will play with fire. I owe it to my loved ones!

Guadalupe García McCall is the author of Under the Mesquite (Lee and Low Books, 20111), a novel in verse, which received the prestigious Pura Belpre Author Award, was a William C. Morris Finalist, and was included in Kirkus Review’s Best Teen Books of 2011, among many other accolades. Her second novel,Summer of the Mariposas (Tu Books, 2012), won a Westchester Young Adult Fiction award and was a finalist for the Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy. Her third novel, Shame the Stars (Tu Books, 2016), is a Commended Title for the América’s Book Award and was chosen as Texas' Great Reads by the Center for the Book in affiliation with Texas State Library and Archives Commission. Her 4th novel, All the Stars Denied, was just released from Tu Books this fall and has already received a School Library Journal starred review. She is an Assistant Professor at George Fox University and lives with her husband in the Pacific Northwest.

All the Stars Denied is available for purchase.

#All the Stars Denied #Guadalupe Garcia McCall #Mexican American #historical #historical fiction #historical novels #guest post #Latina authors #Mexcian American author

[devilscreekballad]

hello sorry im new to ur blog but who are the ros in ur if? ive seen ur intro post that there are 3 mentioned ros but when i saw ur asks there are 4 or 5? im sorry but im just confused. i have no ill intentions with this ask. anyway, i wish u well author.

Hello and welcome.

The current ROs are thus:

Charlie Mulligan: (white, 39, male, Irish-American): MC's oldest friend and partner in crime. Blue-Ribbon conman, gambler and part-time medium, lost an eye during a job a few years prior.

Seán O'Brian: (white, 28, male/genderfluid, Irish): Another excellent conman who approached MC and Charlie, asking for help with speaking to the dead.

Tommy Burke: (mixed (mother black, father white), 29, male, Irish-French): Arsonist and pragmatical grump. Was about to be hanged, now travels with the MC. Has a relationship with Seán.

Mrs. Lian Meadows: (chinese, 35, female): Doctor and sharpshooter, widowed. Pretty cold, no-nonsense approach to life. Travels with the MC to make sure they fulfil their task.

Lynwood: (white, 43, male, British/French American): A Pinkerton agent on O'Brian's trails, trying to bring O'Brian in for murder.

Josie McKee: (mixed (mother white, father black), 30, female, Scottish): Widow, runs the saloon and bordello in Potter's Springs. Bit snarky, good with poisons.

'Preacher': (white, 40?, male, probably Irish?) A mysterious, almost legendary gunman/bounty-hunter who takes a certain interest in the MC and their posse.

Therese 'Tess' Lynwood: (white, 37, female, British/French American) Lynwood's younger sister. Bit of a scatterbrained worrywart, but extremely caring. Follows the posse out of worry for her brother.

Isaac Castillo: (mixed (mother mexcian, father italian), 27, male) Friend and former colleague of Lynwood. Therese dragged him along for a change of scenery. Very pessimistic due to past events.

#baodc ros #the ballad of devil's creek #baodc spoilers #baodc askbox

[lusshhhlifee]

The Mexican Repatriation was the deportation of millions of Mexican descent people to Mexico; sixty percent of which were American citizens. In 1848 with the end of the Mexican American War, the United States had won areas of Mexico such as California and Arizona. The people of these communities that were Mexican therefore gained American citizenship. In 1920 a wave of Mexcian immigrants came to seek refuge caused by the Mexican Revolution. However in 1930, the great depression came and unemployment was skyrocketing as well as anti immigrant sentiment. President Hoover's campaign slogan became “Real Jobs for Real Americans,” these factors gave more reason to increase hatred toward Mexicans.

With the Repatriation of Mexican descent people we begin to see exclusionary laws that were prohibiting Mexicans to work for city governments. Even big companies were bribed by the federal government to fire their Mexicans workers. There were even incidents of forced coercion as well. As Francisco Balderrama explains Ignacio Pena’s story were his family and himself were arrested for a week and sent on a train back to Mexico with only the clothing on their backs. These exclusionary laws and practices have only become a perpetuated cycle of xenophobia.

The Manzanar internment camps were made for Japanese Americans to reside in during WWII, regardless of their citizenship which 2/3rds were American citizens. In 1882 the emperor of Japan allowed citizens to leave the island thus a wave of immigrants came to the United State for economic opportunities. As we have seen in the last two scenarios that with competition for jobs creates hostility among “foreigners.” However in 1941, the attack on Pearl Harbor sparked the intensified racial prejudice and led to fear of potential sabotage by Japanese Americans. The following year we see exclusionary laws being enforced such as stopping the drafting of Japanese American soldiers. They also gave a loyalty questionnaire to internees were they were asked if they would pledge allegiance to the United States but were still denied citizenship. There was also the Executive Order 9066, which authorized the removal of anyone who might threaten the war effort. The Japanese Americans were given days to figure out what belongs to take and what to do with their properties and were sent off to internment camps.

These events throughout our history have created deep- rooted fear or hate toward foreigners, or xenophobia. In these cases it is apparent that the common purpose was to exclude people who did not fit the American standards. However, they justified their actions with language.This propaganda video (post 5) is a perfect example as to how the use of language can manipulate the context of a situation. When watching this video I hear words positive words such as, provide, evacuees, and wholeheartedly. They used these words to paint a positive picture to justify their actions of exclusion.

A contemporary social issue that is similar to these practices is the School to Prison Pipeline. There are laws in place such as the Three Strike rule and Mano Dura, that first created a negative perspective toward students of color and also makes it easier for the student to be suspended or expelled. Then creating a more strict standard held in school made it difficult for students to want to follow the rules, along with other factors. Therefore, being suspended which creates a stigma, or even expulsion. With expulsion comes with being sent to continuation school which can lower the students ability to excel in school. Instead of singling out these students for bad behavior, more school counselors should be provided to help identify and solve the issues to their behavior. Rather than sending them off to another school. To me it reminds me of the perpetuated cycle of discrinimation and prejudice we have seen in the Chinese Exclusion Act, the Mexican Repatriation and the Japanese Internment Camps.

https://www.nps.gov/manz/learn/historyculture/japanese-americans-at-manzanar.htm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Spo1Khmp2U4

https://www.npr.org/2015/09/10/439114563/americas-forgotten-history-of-mexican-american-repatriation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nv2EoJ9RYXs&t=67s

[opedguy]

Haiti Blames Immigration on Poverty

LOS ANGELES (OnlineColumnist.comz0, Sept. 26, 2021.--Watching from his beleaguered Caribbean island, 71-year-old Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry blamed the Texas immigration crisis on “inequalities and conflict,” something he wanted the U.N. to address in short order.  Images of some 15,000 Haitian refugees packed in like sardines under a bridge in Del Rio, Texas horrified the nation and the world, especially watching border patrol on horseback round up Haitian refugees like runaway cattle.  President Joe Biden, 78, said the Border Patrol performing such inhumane treatment would “pay,” without specifying exactly how that would happen  Immigration problems on the southern U.S. border have plagued the region for decades but became a convenient Democrat talking point during the 2020 presidential election.  Former President Donald Trump was blamed by the press for intolerable conditions on the Mexcian border.

 Biden’s border problems are far worse that Trump yet Biden gets a pass because he’s from the right political party.  “We do not wish to challenge the right of a sovereign state to control the entry borders into its territory, or to send back to the country of origin those who enter the country illegally,” said Prime Minister Ariel Henry in his video speech to the U.N. General Assembly.  “Human beings, fathers and mothers who have children, are always going to flee poverty and conflict,” Henry said, urging the U.N. or more affluent countries to help places like Haiti.  Haiti is considered the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, sharing a border with the more prosperous Dominican Republic, a feeder country for Major League Baseball [MLB].  Henry, who became prime minister July 20 after the  July 7 assassination of Prime Minister Jovenal Moise, inherited a mess from the impoverished island nation.  

           U.S. immigration is both a curse and blessing, considering the fact that white U.S. population has been dwindling for decades.  Without immigration, the U.S., like other Western democracies especially in Europe, states watch a progressive decline in population.  Immigration allows the U.S. to maintain its potentially shrinking U.S. population.  Henry’s right when he says that poverty and conflict drive immigrants to the promised land, especially in the United States.  Despite all the U.S. problems, it has a thriving economy, regardless of the Covid-19 pandemic, capable of sustaining its 330 million population.  Adding another 15,000 Haitian immigrants shouldn’t take jobs away from American workers, knowing that Haitians would most likely fill the employment gap in unskilled labor, something badly needed in a wide swath of industries in the United States.

             U.S. immigration policy has been stalled for years with both sides of the aisle agreeing that illegal immigration actually helps the U.S. economy.  U.S. corporate productivity, whatever the industry, is dependent on a cheap, unskilled labor, often taking jobs most Americans workers wouldn’t take.  Henry told the truth about how hunger, poverty and unsafe living conditions drive immigration but there’s no quick fix to the failed states in Latin America or the Caribbean.  Immigrant from failed states flock to the United State precisely because it has a capitalist economy that provides sufficient employment for the population, including legal and illegal immigrants. Republicans fight against Democrats’ new-and-old socialism because they know the consequences to the U.S. economy in terms of eliminating jobs.  Failed states in Latin America and elsewhere cannot support their populations.  

           Haiti’s misfortunes have been compounded by Moise’s July 7 assassination and a devastating 7.2 magnitude earthquake a month later, killing 2,000, injuring 12,000, destroying 53,000 homes.  Haiti’s best hope for the future is rebuilding from the ground up with international assistance, encouraging companies to set up shop in Haiti for manufacturing.  While it’s easier said than done, throwing money at failed states, rarely results in improved economies.  As long as corruption is rampant, there’s little more prosperous states can do to reverse failed economies.  Vice President Kamala Harris wants more U.S. foreign aid to Latin America, something that’s been tried before and failed.   Before Haiti receives one dime of U.S. foreign aid, the State Department must be convinced that Haiti’s government can guarantee that the cash won’t get into the wrong hands.      

       Biden bowed to his left wing caucus stopping deportations and allowing at least 12,500 Haitian refugees to enter the United States.  Whether Haiti can keep itself from civil war or a coup d’etat is anyone’s guess.  Reports of an assassination attempt of Henry makes the situation all the more unstable.  Henry fired an old Moise prosecutor who asked a Haitian judge to file murder charges against Haiti’s new leader. So, if the government survives any more insurgencies, Henry has a chance to convene a donors’ conference with U.S. help to begin rebuilding the dilapidated nation.  Henry’s right when he blames extreme poverty and conflict on Haiti’s immigration problem.  But more than anything else, Haiiti needs leaders that respect the rule of law, human and civil rights and do whatever it takes to bring industry to create jobs on the island.  All the talk about foreign aid can only go so far.

About the Author 

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.   

[nickyschneiderus]

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez parody accounts are all the rage on the right

They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Of course, when the phrase first emerged in the 1700s, we didn’t have Twitter parody accounts.

By any measure, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) has made an immediate and powerful impact on the American political scene. She has drawn the ire of the conservative media. She has sparred with Democratic politicians and media elites. As all true celebs must do, she appeared on a Twitch stream fundraiser for trans rights. And, oh yeah, she is working on policy.

In this day and age, it is difficult to point to one particular achievement that signals AOC has “arrived” in the pantheon of policial celebrity, but one way to tell that you’ve made it in 2019 is a rash of Twitter parody accounts using your picture as their avi.

Take, for instance, the emerging 2020 presidential field. There are a ton of Bernie Sanders parody accounts, thanks to his 2016 run. Kamala Harris, Beto O’Rourke, and Joe Biden all have their fair share. However, also-rans like Julian Castro, Amy Klobuchar, Sherrod Brown, and John Hickenlooper have scarcely a parody account between them. No publicity is bad publicity, even terrible parodies.

Given Ocasio-Cortez meteoric rise to national prominence, it should come as no surprise that it takes little digging to find at least a dozen parody accounts that tweet regularly in the “voice” of AOC. Ocasio-Cortez parody accounts have become so prevalent that Twitter appears to have made a concerted effort to purge accounts that are being mistaken for AOC’s actual account by users. Two recent accounts were suspended yesterday by the social media giant.

The voice, as these conservative parodists would have it, is generally a conservative caricature of the left-wing lawmaker: communist, careless, and clueless.

You have @CortezOcasia, who uses their account to retweet other political parody accounts mocking liberal figures like Don Lemon and Nancy Pelosi. You’ve got the more straight-laced @RepOcasioNY14, who tries to make AOC seem even more left than she actually is by retweeting Cornell West videos and posting about doing socialism with Rihanna:

Nice work this election cycle @rihanna. We'll turn this place Socialist at all costs!! #workingman #struggles

— @Rep Ocasio-Cortez (@RepOcasioNY14) November 10, 2018

Then there’s @0casio2018 (that’s with a “zero” not an “O”) who imagines Ocasio-Cortez with a valley girl affect, adding “likes” and “umms” between airheaded comments and pie in the sky redistributive proclamations.

Lot's of talk about Trump like owning the gov't shutdown, how like arrogant, ugh! He's prez for 2 years and like thinks he OWNS gov't, I never like saw a receipt. I know he's rich, but I need like proof he owns the shutdown. #Ocasio2020 @BarrettBrief #socialismsaveslives

— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@0casio2018) December 21, 2018

@2018_Ocasio doesn’t offer much actual parody, but rather uses the account to rehash the usual Fox News anti-socialist talking points: Venezuala, government overreach, and the rise of “PC culture.”

pic.twitter.com/4BURHBzfd2

— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY14, PAC) (@2018_Ocasio) December 10, 2018

And of course, there’s @Crazy_AOC, who has amassed 12,000 followers with their wild-eyed AOC avi and non-stop shitposting of conservative memes.

Socialism. My precious. pic.twitter.com/M7Ye6HpnJC

— Crazy Ocasio-Cortez (@Crazy_AOC) January 21, 2019

pic.twitter.com/RntclnXVa2

— Crazy Ocasio-Cortez (@Crazy_AOC) January 21, 2019

pic.twitter.com/iav4STyald

— Crazy Ocasio-Cortez (@Crazy_AOC) January 15, 2019

For those not familiar with Twitter parody account culture, you might be asking yourself one key question: Why aren’t these accounts funny?

Unlike parody of accounts of fast food restaurants or meme hats, Twitter political parody accounts have other goals besides viral humor. On both sides of the aisle, many parody accounts are painfully unfunny. Instead, they offer an outlet for the user to anonymously complain about politics in opposition to their own. Not only does the user feel more comfortable posting under their parodic nome de plume, but like-minded users feel more comfortable sharing these posts, as evidence by their massive follower counts.

There are probably a number of reasons that an account named @PelosiLuvsDebt69 could garner orders of magnitude more followers than some random person tweeting political screeds as themselves. But the most obvious (next to mistaken identity) is that even if there are no jokes, the guise of parody makes the posts seem less angry.

It is also undeniable that satirical posts online have the power to sway this discourse. Jokes about AOC’s proposed 70 percent marginal tax rate on those who make over $10 million have morphed the discourse so much that many Trump supporters believe that she actually proposed a 70 percent tax rate on all income of all citizens.  

This betrays the real purpose of political parody accounts: it’s about ideology, not jokes.

Parody accounts prioritize politics over humor on the right and the left. Throughout the last two years, Democrats have gleefully spread tweets from accounts mocking President Donald Trump. Like their conservative counterparts, these are more about political point scoring than joke telling.

Nancy Pelosi is being controlled by the RADICAL LEFT who want to end family separation, pay federal workers and give people healthcare! I'm just waiting for permission to end the shutdown from my dominatrix Ann Coulter.

— Donald J. Drumpf (@RealDonalDrumpf) January 20, 2019

Generally, tweets from these accounts have more in common with an Aaron Sorkin “Have you no decency sir” monologue than a stand-up comedy set.

The tradition of political parody accounts being more about partisanship than punnery dates back well before Donald Trump or Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez took the national stage. From @MexicanMitt to @InvisibleObama parody accounts have been a way for partisans to take shots at politicians for years.

Popular parody accounts of our current moment follow the same tack of fiery opinion rather than actual humor.

Trump era favorites like @RoguePotusStaff, @AltHomelandSec, and @HoarseWisperer have followed a similarly dry playbook and have been rewarded with similarly outsized follower counts. (Disclosure: The author has been blocked by @HoarseWisperer on Twitter).

If you want further proof that political parody accounts aren’t just about being funny, look at the people who run them. Non-political parody accounts are often thought of as an outlet or even a potential opportunity for professional comedians. The man behind @LosFelizDaycare is a professional comedy writer and the alter-ego of @Seinfeld2000 is a TV producer. By contrast, political Twitter parodists come from all walks of life, including airline copywriters and government bureaucrats. The goal often seems to be blowing off a little political steam than gaining writerly esteem.

All of this is also true of the Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez parody accounts. Though the form of the tweets varies from “dank” memes to tossed off one-liners to vitriolic Fox News links, the critiques are the same. An AOC parody account tends to take the same lines of political attack that you see on Fox News. They go after the freshman congresswoman for being too far to the left, too unrealistic, too young, and too female.

The accounts share the same distrust and distaste for socialism, progressivism, and the stereotypical hallmarks of the millennial generation. For these tweeters, AOC stands in for a generation of people looking for a free hand out who don’t yet comprehend the sophisticated machinations of the world around them. 

The Daily Dot interviewed @AlexandraOcasi6 and @aocpress (both user prefers to remain anonymous) about what motivates them to maintain their version of an AOC parody. Since this interview, @AlexandraOcasi6 has been suspended by Twitter, along with other AOC parody accounts including @Cortez4Prez2020. The Daily Dot reached out to Twitter for comment but has not heard back.

With their account, @AlexandraOcasi6 posted a mix of jokes and conservative criticism of the congresswoman. While more explicitly rightwing accounts like @Crazy_AOC often delve into racial and gendered memes, @AlexandraOcasi6 preferred to critique Ocasio-Cortez on policy. Their account often made jokes about Ocasio-Cortez’s tax policies, redistributive/socialist proposals, and mocked her opposition to Trump administration efforts to build a wall on the Mexcian border.

When @AlexandraOcasi6 did make a gendered joke, it was usually in the popular voice common to these accounts, which portrays AOC as a naive millennial, complete with “likes” and “umms.” The jokes were generally more about her age than her Latinx or female identity.

Like many Republicans (the user identifies as “pretty right of center”), @AlexandraOcasi6 dislikes the congresswoman’s policies because they find them unrealistic and believe that her young fan base has more energy than they do coherent politics, they told the Daily Dot:

“AOC is a fun character to parody because most of the things she says are super uninformed and would definitely qualify as gaffes if she didn’t have so much devotion from her fans.  It cracks me up how many insane things I’m able to publish that her followers totally agree with because they’ve already bought what she’s selling.”

Or, up until Twitter cracked down.

I shouldn't have used quotes because you will prove yourself in congress (as if you haven't already and not that you have too). You are absolutely right about the sexism. #meToo

— Peacockblue (@peacockblu) January 6, 2019

@AlexandraOcasi6 admits that they were motivated to create the account partially because they have a fondness for Ocasio-Cortez’s youthful energy. Their thoughts on AOC echo what a conservative might begrudgingly admit about Barack Obama or Beto O’Rourke:

“At the same time, she seems like a really genuine person so I find myself liking her at a certain level.  It’s a lot more fun satirizing someone who makes you smile than someone who makes your skin crawl because being mean-spirited just seems exhausting.”

However, the user behind @AlexandraOcasi6 doesn’t necessarily think that the prevalence of AOC parody accounts will lead to a political future beyond the House of Representatives:

“I think she’s so set on breaking things in Washington, that she’ll eventually make herself a ideological pariah with the Democratic caucus, which will prevent her from influencing anyone outside of her social media sphere.  She’s also deeply naive and I think she knows it. She’s still more of an activist than a legislator so I don’t see her becoming a pillar of our government any time soon.”

@AOCpress takes a similar tone with their account and has similar views on Ocasio-Cortez.

Their tweets paint a picture of AOC as ill-informed and naive, unfit for office and unschooled in political realities. The person behind @AOCpress is a parody account veteran, having run a parody account of Mike Pompeo until being suspended from Twitter. The Pompeo account was sometimes mistaken for the former CIA directors actual account, and was often retweeted by Donald Trump Jr. and Anne Coulter.

PRESS RELEASE: I just drafted an executive order to remove the immoral fencing from around the White House.

— AOC Press (@AOCpress) January 13, 2019

These immigrants wouldn’t be undocumented if ICE didn’t steal their documents.

— AOC Press (@AOCpress) January 9, 2019

Like @AlexandraOcasio6, they shy away from gendered or racial jokes, but like to take on millennials and what they view as the extremity of PC culture.

PRESS RELEASE: AOC announces her decision to go pronoun-free. Please refer to AOC as “your honor.”

— AOC Press (@AOCpress) January 4, 2019

@AOCpress personally views Ocasio-Cortez and her fans as unintelligent. They told the Daily Dot, “I chose AOC because I think she’s dumb as hell and I can attribute any dumb things to her.”

The person behind @AOCpress also identifies as a conservative: “I am an ardent Trump supporter and have been since June 16, 2015.” Prior to starting their AOC account, they ran a Mike Pompeo parody account aimed at promoting the conservative EX-CIA chief.

Unlike @AlexandraOcasi6, @AOCpress sees Ocasio-Cortez as a serious political threat. “I believe AOC is a real threat and if the Country continues on this downward spiral I see a President AOC within the next 25 years.”

Only time will tell if @AlexandraOcasi6’s prediction will come true or if @AOCpress is right.

Will Ocasio-Cortez catapult to the kind of notoriety that leads to immortal parody accounts like @PimpBillClinton (234,000 followers, still tweeting)?

Parody account fame doesn’t necessarily mean enduring political fortunes, just ask @ShitToddAkinSays (RIP) or @TomCoburnsBeard.

While the future remains to be seen, one unassailable fact remains true in the age of politics and social media: if nobody’s parodying you, it’s probably because no one is listening.

from Ricky Schneiderus Curation https://www.dailydot.com/layer8/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-twitter-parodies/

#Ricky Schneiderus Curation

[violetcrownchronicles]

Investigations Now in Progress

31 DEC 1885. Austin Daily Statesman.

We are authorized to give assurances to the citizens of Austin that the city authorities and the executive committee of citizens have arrived at the conclusion, after careful investigation, that all the murders for the last year in this city can be traced to a special cause and to a certain class of persons, and that they will be enabled in ten days, to give the public such a solution of the seemingly mysterious murders, that will free all good citizens from apprehensions of danger. The city authorities and the citizen’s executive committee are in possession of facts that will convict the murderers and demonstrate the fact to the whole world that there is no danger to a good citizen in this city. Day has broken and the light of the sun fully and clearly illuminates the dark deeds of the past year. There will be no more murders, for before the investigation ceases every culprit will be revealed. We do not pretend to assert that every one of the murderers is known, so fully as to insure a legal conviction, and, therefore, elsewhere we advocate a large reward for any and all information that will guide investigations now in progress.

REWARD OFFERED.

It will be seen elsewhere that Governor Ireland has offered a reward of three hundred dollars for the arrest and conviction of each of the murderers of Mrs. Hancock and Mrs. Phillips. The reward, however, is not to embrace conviction of those parties already arrested and imprisoned on suspicion.

We think the governor made a mistake in not making the reward general, including all parties to the crime. The motives that controlled the governor in the limitation of the reward are obvious. He assumed that these arrests were not made without sufficient grounds and that the conviction would follow, as a matter of course.

But we have had experience of the fact that conviction would not follow, as a matter of course, even when the recognition of the murderers has been proved. We know an alibi was proved, sufficient to negative before a jury the positive recognition of one of the assassins, by one of the victims of the outrage and murder. It is creditably stated that one of the officers of the law has the money to pay a thousand dollars for the information that would lead to the arrest and conviction of any one of the participants in the bloody tragedies. If that is the case why not supplement the offer of the governor and increase the thousand dollar said to be in the hands of the officer to twenty-five hundred dollars for the information that would give a clue to the murderers and their final conviction?

We have suggested a reward of twenty-five hundred dollars, based upon the fact that it has been stated by many gentlemen very able to give that amount, that they would supplement the present subscriptions to that amount. It is well worth ten, twenty, a hundred thousand dollars to the city of Austin to detect and punish these demons, and it is useless to haggle about the amount to be paid. If any one has information that will free us from this constant apprehension of being murdered in our beds, give him or her whatever amount he or she asks, and let the world know the truth. It is only necessary to let the world know the whole truth to quiet all apprehension of danger on the part of unsuspected citizens.

THE REIGN OF BLOOD. SOME MORE CLUES TO WORK ON. ARREST OF A MEXICAN WITH A CARGO OF BLOODY IMPLEMENTS.

About 6 o’clock last evening Officers Robinson and Sendrey arrested a Mexcian named Anastacio Martinez at a house near the corner of Live Oak and San Antonio streets, in the First ward, and took him to the police station. Subsequently his premises were searched and two flour barrels full and a bundle of plunder were taken possession of and conveyed to police headquarters. In addition to a large number of articles of female wearing apparel, many of which were stained with blood, the officers found a Colt’s cap and ball six-shooter; a variety of butcher and other knives, seven in number, some of them bearing blood stains; a razor; a small ice pick of blunt bodkin, and a long iron spike, such as might have been driven into the ears of Becky Ramey and Mrs. Hancock. Among other articles the Mexican possessed was a small prayer book, with the name of Ella R. Rooney, written on the inside. He also had a couple of white linen handkerchiefs, with the letters “J.R.” embroidered in white silk on the corner of one, and on the other the letter “A” worked in red. Quite a number of dresses were found in his possession, one of which is expected to be identified today by a German woman, whom it is now thought this Mexican attempted to outrage last summer, and in his flight tore the dress off her. In her scuffle with the man, whoever he was, she inflicted a severe wound in the palm of his hand by jerking a knife blade through it. This Mexican has a scar on his hand, it is said, that looks like it might have been made that way. The lady will certainly know him if he is the man who assaulted her.

Underneath his shirt he carried a roll of money containing thirty-two American trade dollars, there being a piece of cardboard, cut to fit the coin, placed between each dollar, the whole being rolled so compactly that when it struck the floor the sound was more like that made by a piece of iron. Speaking in his native tongue he told officer Sendrey that he had been two years in jail at Brownsville, Texas, for assaulting women, and afterwards laid in a hospital for several months. He is of stout build, good size and between forty and forty-five years of age.

#1885 #December 1885 #john ireland #servant girl annihilator #servant girl murders #austin #Coleman Sendrey #anastacio martinez #mary ramey

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The Grey’t Wall of the USA

Trump and his plan to build a border wall between the US and Mexico is not all the rainbows and sunshine that we may think.  There are many grey areas including effectiveness, environmental factors, and even finances.  As people of the US, it is our job to be knowledgeable of the effects of something so big before swaying in a particular direction

Let’s start out with the book definition of an illegal immigrant; “a foreigner who enters the US without an entry or immigrant visa, especially a person who crosses the border by avoiding inspection or who overstays the period of time allowed as a visitor, tourist, or business person”.

Technically speaking the word, “illegal”, refers to actions, not a person.  So, the act of overstaying a visa or crossing the US border without authorization is illegal, but the person doing it does not become illegal.  To use “illegal” to describe someone, for one, is dehumanizing (something the US tends to have some issues with) and two, it is blatantly not the correct usage of the word.

Immigrants built this country from the ground up and the US is trying to keep them out (the “illegal” ones).  It is hypocritical because almost all of the US population is made up of immigrants and technically we are all “illegal immigrants”.  Just because a person is considered illegal, it does not give Trump the right to marginalize every illegal immigrant as a criminal as well. 

Since now the air is cleared on that concept, we have some work to do

The question of the day is, will the wall stop illegal immigration along the Mexican-US border?

In 2006, President George Bush signed the Secure Fence Act, which led to the building of 653 miles of reinforced fencing along the US-Mexcian border.  This fence has done more than people may think.  The Institute of Defense Analyses estimated that about 200,00 people made it across the border illegally in the year 2015, which is significantly lower than the estimated 2 million illegal entries in the year 2000.

Not only is there a fence along the border either, there are also drones, concrete barricades, ground sensors, and even gunboats.

This goes to show that there will always be something less radical and still effective than building a 2000 mile concrete wall, proven with the Secure Fence Act and the $13.5 billion a year that goes towards the CBP (Customs and Border Protection).

In January, Trump tried to connect the potential Mexican wall to the wall built in Israel and told Fox News, “They were having a total disaster coming across, and they had a wall.  It’s a 99.9% stoppage”.  He was referring to Governor, Scott Walker’s claim that the Israeli wall led to 90% reduction in terrorist attacks.

One,  the US is not dealing with terrorist attacks (knock on wood) or ISIS, that Trump claims is a threat that will come up from Mexico.  Two, that statistic is outdated because Walker used a percentage from 2002-2013, but from 2002-today the reduction of terrorist attacks in Israel is around 50%.  It also doesn’t take into account the addition of cited checkpoints and cooperation between military and security forces that ultimately were the eyes of the wall.

Speaking politically, George Frisvold, a professor at the University of Arizona who specializes in environment policy tried to get the point across that building this wall gives us false hope that we’re actually doing something.  In part, it has this political attraction because it looks like it will do what it was built for, but in reality will be completely ineffective.

The environmental factors around building the wall are what stand out the most. It proves the point that this world is shared not only by people, but also by animals and plants and this wall cannot be built without significant consideration of the effects it would have on wildlife and environments along the border.

Sergio Avila-Villegas, a conservation scientist at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, in September of 2016 emphasized to BBC’s Science in Action team that “Border infrastructure not only blocks the movement of wildlife, but... destroys the habitats, fragments the habitats and connectivity that these animals use to move from one place to another”.

To add on to that, Frisvold stated, “Any time you’re going to put big structures along the border, and usually it isn’t just the structure out there by itself- you have to have some sort of access road for people to go get to it, so you’re going to be tearing up natural habitat with structures and roads, and that’s going to be disruptive”.

The building of these access roads and support facilities will lead to animals like the majestic Sonoran pronghorn and the adorable ocelot being scared away from important sources of food and water.

If you aren’t a big animal person, plants also will be affected because pollen cannot pass through concrete and will lead to desertification along areas of the wall that may not be desertic already.  No plants means no food for the poor pronghorn and ocelots that were already scared away from their natural habitats.

It is not confirmed whether or not Trump is knowledgeable about these sorts of negative impacts.

Coming from a man who doesn’t believe in global warming, environmental factors aren’t a thing either.  According to the Huffington Post, the US’ environmental awareness has been on the up rise with the younger generations being educated more and more about the environment and the importance of maintaining it.

There is only one planet unique enough for the human race to exist on and we cannot continue purposely destroying it.

Financing the infrastructure of a wall stretching across four states obviously has to also be considered.  Trump proposes that Mexico will “reimburse” the US for it, but Mexico’s president, Enrique Pena Nieto, says the complete opposite.  To try and build something as radical as this wall, one would figure that Trump would’ve planned for finances prior to even mentioning the possibility of building it.

According to the White House, they have a “buffet of options” to get Mexico to pay for the wall.

Trump recently came up with the idea to raise a tariff on Mexican goods to 20%.  By doing that, Trump is trying once again to manipulate the American people to agree with his radical views.  In the long run, Trump mentioning that Mexico will eventually reimburse the US for the wall is false and what he really means is that the US taxpayers will pay for the wall now, and US consumers will pay for the wall later with the 20% tariff.  He will never come out and say that to the public because he would lose even more support for construction to begin.

In April 2016, Trump proposed the cut off of remittance payments to Mexico, which is money sent to Mexico from Mexican immigrant living in the US.  In 2016, Mexican immigrants sent hoe $25.7 billion in remittances, when added up, accounts for 95% of all remittances received by Mexico that year.

The proposal would make it difficult for immigrants to prove their legal status by implementing more requirements to wire money to a foreign country.  Stuart Anderson, the executive director of the National Foundation for American Policy, stated that Trump’s use of the Patriot Act (law enacted after the attacks on 9/11) is way too broad and even predicts the proposal would be challenged in court.

Ultimately, the more than likely ineffectiveness of this wall and the negative impacts it will have on the environment and wildlife are only a couple of thing US citizens have to be educated about before swaying in one direction.  Also, the amount of digging into the US’ empty pockets to fund the wall will of course have to be considered.

As US citizens, it is crucial to be aware of what is “true/real” versus what is fluff and cloudiness.  The tendency to Trump to throw out and tweet inaccurate and grey information is only to get people behind him.  For this reason it is more than important to understand the many consequences behind building this wall.

#SpreadLoveNotHate