machete | the blog

A joyful baptism celebration at a Hispanic household in Woodbridge, VA was abruptly interrupted by police who reportedly barged in requesting immigration documentation from the homeowner – the night ended with the tasing (shock with taser gun) of two adults and their subsequent arrest. Relatives of the man and woman that were arrested claim to have caught this all on video. The incident occurred on July 25, 2009.

This story is still very much in development, I heard it on the way to work this morning while listening to the local Spanish-language radio station, El Zol. Relatives of the man and woman who were arrested came on the morning radio show to tell their story. Read the rest of this entry »

Nicolas Sarkozy, the president of France, publicly stated (June 19) his disapproval of the burqa/niqab,  stating that it is not welcome in France and renders women “prisoners behind a screen.“  His statements have set the stage for a possible nationwide ban – this ban would obviously apply to everyone in France…but reasonably speaking, it only targets the Muslim population, which makes up between 5-10% of the total population (64 million).

So how many women actually wear a burqa / niqab in France?
There’s no official number, but estimates are in the hundreds – which means it cannot be more than 1,000 women.

Why ban the burqa / niqab?
The case for banning the burqa is primarily based on two points.

1. Wearing the burqa in public violates France’s intense adhesion to laïcité, or secularism.
   
2. It is an oppressive article of clothing.

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Global Handwashing Day, October 15, 2008. A brilliant idea being implemented by the right organization, the United Nations. With diseases flourishing and spreading at a rampant pace throughout the developing world this initiative comes at a most critical moment.

In the U.S. and other ‘developed’ nations diarrhea is something we treat with over the counter (OTC) medications and very rarely seek medical attention – the problem just goes away and one returns to ‘regularity.’ Well, this is not the case in the third-world, where diarrhea is a real threat – it’s a fatal disease; in fact, it is the second most common cause of death for children under the age of five. Globally, about 2 million child deaths (children under five) occur every year. (UNICEF)
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Several wards in Washington DC have finally decided to pass legislation that bans local stores from selling single containers of beer. This means that residents will not be able to walk into their local shop and purchase a bottle of beer – instead they’ll have to buy a multi-pack. Community leaders that support this ban are hoping to see a decline in curb-side drinking and a huge litter reduction. It should be noted that retailers can appeal and gain exception to the legislation if they have a good enough reason.
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An interesting change in the Failed States Index (published by The Fund for Peace) is #9 Pakistan. Pakistan was at #13 in 2007, from a quick analysis of the index it is clear that a huge economic downturn is the main reason for Pakistan’s move to a premier position amongst the Top 10 failed states. There are no surprises in the top 10 for 2008 as they are the usual suspects…as a matter of fact the top 10 have remained pretty much the same since 2006…Haiti left the Top 10 in 2007 and Guinea got pushed out simply because of Pakistan’s horrible year.

Here’s the Top 10 (No surprises here!):

1. Somalia
2. Sudan
3. Zimbabwe
4. Chad
5. Iraq
6. D.R. Congo
7. Afghanistan
8. Cote d’Ivoire
9. Pakistan
10. Central African Republic

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As expected, Loudoun County’s board of supervisors has passed measures aimed at clamping down on illegal immigration. Following suit with neighbor Prince William County, each jurisdiction’s new laws bear much similarity, and it’s only a matter of time before additional neighboring counties follow suit. Read today’s Washington Post article on the topic.

The county’s decision to pursue appear impulsive and have created a sort of sugar-coated state of emergency in the entire Northern Virginia area that surrounds the D.C. Metro area. Whether the desperate measures are as superfluous as they seem is subjective, at least at this early stage. Read the rest of this entry »

As an eight year resident of Prince William county in Virginia I have witnessed the huge influx of Hispanic residents, estimated to have increased from 9.7% of the population in 2000 to 18% in 2005 – it has to be higher this year (WTOP News, July 2007).

This influx of Latino people, mainly from Central American countries, has created a sort of hysteria amongst Prince William’s largely conservative voting base. The ‘migrant workers’ gathered at 7-11 convenience stores (waiting for work), the boom of Hispanic shopping centers (food & ‘back-home’ goods), and not to mention the neighbors next door – since Hispanic homeownership has risen 2.2% from 2000 to 2005 in the United States.

The polemic here is that a large amount of Hispanic immigrants to Prince William are illegal – this is putting a large socio-economic strain on the county’s infrastructure. The new county law, passed yesterday, is aimed towards getting those illegal immigrants deported. The method: demand proof of lawful presence from any individual that can be detained on probable cause of violation of federal immigration laws. (Washington Times, July 2007) Read the rest of this entry »

Lately there has been much talk about exporting the essence of the U.S. democratic system into other countries across the globe, in particular, the most recent commotion has had to do with Iraq.

After the removal of Saddam Hussein in December 2003, the United States’ most immediate goals in Iraq became the elimination of the pro-Hussein insurgency and the installation of a functioning democratic government.

In March 2003 the majority of Americans (72%) supported armed involvement in Iraq to achieve these goals; nevertheless, conditions have become more realistic and the Gallup poll conducted on July 8th reported that the majority of Americans (62%) believe this whole Iraq situation was a ‘mistake’ (Iraq War Gallup Poll, July 2007). Read the rest of this entry »