By Juleyka Lantigua
The more I hear, read, and witness the reaction of many (mostly conservative) white people to the nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court, the worse I feel for white people in general.

You know the feeling. That nagging sense of collective embarrassment (C.E.) some of us brown/black folks feel whenever “one of us” does something so outrageously unimaginable that we shrug our shoulders and brace for impact.

Examples:
    A Latino mayor of huge city admitting to cheating on his wife.
    A certain Black civil rights icon threatening to castrate a presidential candidate.
    A Black star athlete shooting himself in a club after strapping his gun to his sweatpants.
    A first Latino governor who can’t get confirmed for Cabinet because he’s so corrupt.

I don’t know for sure if white people ever get a serious outbreak of C.E., but I bet plenty of them are feeling a little rash-y right about now. The likes of Rush Limbaugh, Newt Gingrich, Bill O'Reilly and their ilk have spent the last week chomping at Judge Sotomayor, and trying to best each other for bottom-feeder status.

Among their most ignorant claims:
    She’s an immigrant fluent in “illegal speak.”
    She’s a racist who thinks she’s better than a white man.
    Her menstrual cycles will impact court rulings.
    She does not know the real America.

I’m not accusing all white people of sharing these incendiary views, not by far. But what I am aware of is that the rest of us non-whites are watching and listening carefully, because deep down in places we don’t talk about, we live with the fear that to some extent many more white folks see us in such radically warped ways as to render some of these statements .0000000001% true in their worldviews.

And that’s why I feel bad for white people right now. I feel bad for them because an almost measurable degree of doubt has been introduced to their relationships with the rest of us, because they have all become somewhat suspect in our eyes—just a tiny bit—because the most vociferous and dangerously ignorant among them have unleashed the type of venom that clouds the air for years.

I hope I’m wrong about this, and that this is merely a fleeting manifestation of some deep-set paranoia the immigrant, Bronx-bred, educated Latina in me harbors in a forgotten crevice in her mind.

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Juleyka Lantigua is a writer whose work has appeared in books, magazines and newspapers around the world.

By Juleyka Lantigua

Chicago is the birthplace of the mythical Hollywood “untouchables,” corrupt and villainous men who existed beyond the reach of the law, who made vast fortunes and devastated countless lives. That was all supposed to be just a movie plot, but it seems that political life imitates art in Chicago.

The wind-swept city holds the embarrassing honor of ranking as one of the most politically corrupt in the country. Mayors, governors, state politicians and their peons, have walked a straight line into a prison cell following their time in office.

So it’s fitting, almost cinematic, that Chicago has assumed a starring role in what promises to be a sweeping national drama centered on the corrupt practices of a megalomaniacal governor and scores of dangerously ambitious politicians. The domino effect that promises to follow will leave a cadre of dishonored public servants and an irrevocably tainted public trust.

But the lesson here is not that absolute power corrupts absolutely, but rather that widespread apathy and complacency are the handy accomplice to the corruption. Many people in Chicago did no seem surprised, even moved, by the unfolding 76-page complaint against a governor who believed himself a political untouchable. Instead, anyone with a microphone in front of them, reminded the rest of us that Chicago has always been rotten to the core. They even taught us the  clever names they use, like “pay-for-play” and “pinstripe partisanship.”

And therein lies the problem.

It is antithetical to a democracy to have a population—be it a town, city, state or country—that accepts widespread corruption as a way of life. It is deplorable that, instead of striving for real change, elected officials simply figure out how to work the system to reap maximum benefits. But it is even more egregious that the citizenry stand by and watch it all happen, almost nodding with ascent because they knew it was eventually going to happen.

Now the soon-to-be-former governor has been transformed into a different type of political untouchable: the kind whose toxic stench radiates for miles out, razing careers, corroding the pubic trust, and poisoning everything he touches.

When he stands before a judge, the entire city and state will stand in spirit behind him as co-defendants in his narcissistic and vile chapter of political theater.

"Juleyka Lantigua is a journalist and editor whose work appears in national newspapers and magazines. For more info visit: www.juleykalantigua.com."

Please join us in supporting Michelle García and her documentary "Tell’em Who You Are.” Michelle will be screening exclusive clips from the film followed by a Q&A session.

About the film
The U.S.-Mexico border occupies a mythical place in the U.S. psyche, a wasteland of lawlessness, dirty and wild. With that image firmly rooted in our minds,, the U.S. government sold the public on the idea of a multi-billion dollar Border Wall across hundreds of miles of the southern border.

Turns out, there’s some truth to those tales and legends.  Blood once soaked the brush country and Tejano and Mexican rebels sacked towns and traded gunfire with Texas Rangers and Army soldiers. My heart pumps with the blood of those rebels, I am their heir and successor and the spirit of their cause summons me home.

Tell’em Who You Are is a return home, the embattled South Texas frontier, to recover memory, the historical memory of the Tejano-owned land that will be lost to the wall. Fighting on the front lines of Border Wall battle are the descendents of those largely known Tejano rebels and revolutionaries, continuing in a struggle for respect that began over a century ago. Our ancestors, the bandits and outlaws of Hollywood stories were actually Tejanos defending and protecting their land,identity and dignity from colonization. More than a century later, their fight is now ours.

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Camaradas El Barrio
2241 1st Ave/115 St./ Manhattan
Donation at door: $5 bucks

About Michelle
Michelle García is a writer, reporter,  subway rider and Texas highway driver.

Here's McCain's response to Obama's informational half hour that aired earlier this week as seen on Saturday Night Live. It again features Tina Fey as Sarah Palin.

As election day fast approaches expect more stories like from both sides of the aisle.

For more in-depth info visit: www.keatingeconomics.com

This very interesting viral e-mail came across our in-box this morning from an anonymous writer, enjoy!

I'm a little confused. Let me see if I have this straight... (I hope I'm not offending anyone);

If you grow up in Hawaii, raised by your grandparents, you're 'exotic, different.'

Grow up in Alaska eating moose burgers, a quintessential American story.

If your name is Barack you're a radical, unpatriotic Muslim.

Name your kids Willow, Trig and Track, you're a maverick.

Graduate from Harvard law School and you are unstable.

Attend 5 different small colleges before graduating, you're well grounded.

If you spend 3 years as a brilliant community organizer, become the first black President of the Harvard Law Review, create a voter registration drive that registers 150,000 new voters, spend 12 years as a Constitutional Law professor, spend 8 years as a State Senator representing a district with over 750,000 people, become chairman of the state Senate's Health and Human Services committee, spend 4 years in the United States Senate representing a state of 13 million people while sponsoring 131 bills and serving on the Foreign Affairs, Environment and Public Works and Veteran's Affairs committees, you don't have any real leadership experience.

If your total resume is: local weather girl, 4 years on the city council and 6 years as the mayor of a town with less than 7,000 people, 20 months as the governor of a state with only 650,000 people, then you're qualified to become the country's second highest ranking executive (and according to the actuarial tables, a > 30% chance of succeeding the president during your first term).

If you have been married to the same woman for 19 years while raising 2 beautiful daughters, all within Protestant churches, you're not a real Christian.

If you cheated on your first wife with a rich heiress, and left your disfigured wife and married the heiress the next month, you're a Christian.

If you teach responsible, age appropriate sex education, including the proper use of birth control, you are eroding the fiber of society.

If, while governor, you staunchly advocate abstinence only, with no other option in sex education in your state's school system while your un-wed teen daughter ends up pregnant, you're very responsible.

If your wife is a Harvard graduate lawyer who gave up a position in a prestigious law firm to work for the betterment of her inner city community, then gave that up to raise a family, your family's values don't represent America's.

If you're husband is nicknamed 'First Dude', with at least one DWI conviction and no college education, who didn't register to vote until age 25 and once was a member of a group that advocated the secession of Alaska from the USA, your family is extremely admirable.

OK, much clearer now.

With approximately forty day left before this year's presidential election, here are a couple of quick reminders for those not in the know. Feel free to spread the word and stay informed as disinformation will be our greatest enemy in this election.

Voter Registration Deadline
Don't get rejected at the polling spot on Tuesday, November 4th. The deadline for voter registration is coming up soon. In many states you are required to be registered up to thirty days prior. Our recommendation is to do it in person at your local election office. As we personally found out in 2004, registering online doesn't always guarantee registration! Deadlines vary from state to state. To check your last day of eligibility, visit: www.declareyourself.com

Electioneering: Just Vote, Don't Promote!
There's been an e-mail circulating recently informing readers that wearing clothing, pins or anything that has the likeness or image of the candidates to the the polling/voting places on November 4th is grounds for being turned away and being denied the right to vote.

According to Snopes.com, "Election laws and regulations in the U.S. typically prohibit the practice of "electioneering" (actively supporting a candidate, political party, or issue) within or near polling places.  Such rules have generally been applied to prevent overt electioneering: posting signs or banners; passing out pamphlets, flyers, or other literature; making oral exhortions, etc.  Recently, however, movements in some states have sought to have bans on electioneering enforced against "passive electioneering" as well wearing by voters of buttons, pins, t-shirts and other adornments bearing the names of candidates."

The issue is a murky one because state laws may prohibit electioneering without defining the term, and the definition of "electioneering" may vary from place to place when the issue is left up to local election boards to define, as is currently the case in Pennsylvania.

It's up to voters to be aware of what the regulations are at their local polling places; if you can't get (or don't have time to find) a definitive answer about what constitutes electioneering where you vote, you may want to leave apparel (or other decorative items) bearing the names of candidates home on election day, or at least be prepared to remove it if asked.  (For example, if you're going to wear an "Obama" or "McCain" shirt to a polling place, be sure to bring a change of shirt with you just in case.)  In general, you should not be denied permission to vote for violating passive electioneering regulations; you should just be asked to leave the polling place and remove the items in question from public view before you re-enter. (Electioneering can be a violation of state law, typically a misdemeanor, so perpetrators run the risk of being detained and/or arrested, but this outcome is unlikely save for cases of flagrant violations.) [ www.snopes.com ]

This one falls under the "too entertaining not to post" category. Here's a clip (circa 1989-1995) of Billy O losing his mind back in the day while on the set of Inside Edition. It may not last long on Youtube so enjoy it while you can.

While this spoof is crazy hilarious it is also somewhat scary as there is the distinct possibility that this man might become President.  In essence, a John McCain Presidency will be a 3rd Bush term in all but name.  This man has actually stated there will be other wars.  Check it out. 

I don't know how many of you have been following the Sirus/XM satellite radio merger, but this is the exact reason why we need a new political direction in this country, where business lobbyists will be somewhat neutralized from tainting and interfering with our political process. This is an interesting case study on why we support Barack Obama's direction for our country over all of the other politicians currently running for the oval office.

(Source: www.orbitcast.com)

Georgetown Partners may have possibly violated bribery law, and supporting members of Congress may have performed ethics violations as well, according to a letter obtained by Orbitcast.

The letter - which was addressed to Sirius CEO Mel Karmazin and sent to Sirius Chairman Joseph Clayton, XM CEO Nate Davis and XM Chairman Gary Parsons - claims that Georgetown Partners may have violated U.S. Code and H.O.R. Code of Official Conduct by contributing money to three politicians, who in turn supported Georgetown in their recommendation to the FCC.

In question are Reps. Gregory Meeks (D-NY), Albert Wynn (D-MD) and Bennie Thompson (D-MS) who all received campaign contributions from executives of Georgetown Partners and subsequently supported Georgetown’s attempt to gain broadcast infrastructure of a combined Sirius-XM.

Georgetown has repeatedly urged the FCC, should the agency approve the Sirius-XM merger, to require that 20% of a combined Sirius-XM infrastructure be leased to a minority-controlled entity.

Rep. Gregory Meeks, in fact, originally supported the Sirius-XM merger, but changed his position to support Georgetown.

• Meeks received a $2,000 campaign donation from Chester Davenport, the managing director of Georgetown Partners on October 7th, 2005.

In a separate letter to Chairman Martin, six members of Congress also sided with Georgetown Partners' agenda, claiming they feel that "a minority-controlled entity should have rights to the broadcast infrastructure."

Of those six Congressmen, two received campaign contributions from executives of Georgetown, according to the letter:

• Rep. Albert R. Wynn received a total of $27,000 from executives of Georgetown between June 24, 1999 and September 6, 2006.
• Rep. Bennie G. Thompson received a $1,000 campaign contribution from Chester Davenport, just five months before supporting Georgetown in the letter to the FCC Chairman.

The letter obtained by Orbitcast claims that this activity raises the question of possible bribery law violations, citing Rule XXIII Clause 3 of the Code of Official Conduct for members of the U.S. House of Representatives:

A Member…of the House may not receive compensation and may not permit compensation to accrue to his beneficial interest from any source, the receipt of which would occur by virtue of influence improperly exerted from his position in Congress.

For the rest of this story visit: www.orbitcast.com