MORE THAN VOTER SUPPRESSION

MORE THAN VOTER SUPPRESSION

By Fidel “Butch” Montoya

The first recall election in the history of the State of Colorado shocked and staggered the two elected Democrat state legislators who expected to withstand the recall election. Instead, angry voters in their districts recalled both legislators for their anti-Second Amendment positions and votes for stricter gun control. 

The first ever recall election, sent shock waves through the Colorado State House. For the first time, the constituents of their respective districts recalled two Democratic state senators because of their positions over the controversial issue of gun control legislation.  Colorado Senate President John Morse and State Senator Angela Giron were defeated, leaving many unanswered questions about voter sentiments.

The recall of Colorado State Senator Angela Giron from her Pueblo, Colorado district no doubt surprised many election pundits, and should give Colorado Democrats reason for pause and concern. The district represented by Senator Giron was heavily weighted toward the incumbent, where Democrats are a majority of the registered voters. Giron lost the first ever recall election in Colorado by a 56% to 46% margin, losing by an unbelievable 12% margin.

Also banished from the Colorado Senate was Senate President John Morse who was unable to withstand his own recall. Fifty-one percent of the voters in his district-favored recall, Forty-nine percent of the voters voted against the recall.  In the end, Morse lost his position as Senate President by a mere 343 votes.

On election night, as Giron tried to make sense out what happened, Giron was at a loss for words and told her constituents that she was not sure what happened. President Barack Obama carried her district by over 20% of the vote. With more registered Democrats in her district, I am sure Giron and Democrats felt the winning edge was in their favor. In a district which encompasses Pueblo and Pueblo West, of the 70,719 registered voters, 47% are registered Democrats, whereas, registered Republican voters are only 23%. Voters registered as independent or unaffiliated are 29% of the voters.

Clearly, in a district which historically has been a Democratic voter stronghold, and a district where statewide Democratic candidates could expect Democrats to rally behind their campaigns, now are going to have think twice before counting these votes as their own. Keep in mind, that when Giron ran in 2011, she easily won the election by 55% of the votes cast. It is understandable why Giron could not understand what had happened.

The questions that left Giron perplexed and unsure of what caused her recall and defeat left many other political experts wondering the same. Even the Public Policy Polling withheld the results of their last polling before the election, because they too were puzzled and unsure why their poll showed Giron losing by a 12-point margin. The poll showed Giron losing by such a large margin, the pollsters felt the poll had to be wrong.

Tom Jensen of the Public Policy Polling released a statement explaining why the polling results were withheld. He wrote, “I figured there was no way that could be right and made a rare decision not to release the poll. It turns out we should have had more faith in our numbers because she was indeed recalled by 12 points” The decision to withhold the results, The Denver Post reported raised the ire of many local politicians and bloggers.

The same Public Policy Polling reflected surprising results of how the constituents of Senator Giron felt about gun issues triggering the recall. 68% favored expanded background checks for gun buyers, with only 27% not favoring the expanded background checks. On the more controversial law limiting high capacity ammunition magazines to 15 bullets, the poll had 47% supporting and 47% opposing it. It does not look as if voters were that upset by the gun laws, which generated the recall.

The questions remain as to why Giron, who was elected by 55% of the vote, was forced out by almost 12% of voters.

Some of the voter dissatisfaction with Giron was associated to her initial support of a water bill that would have sent precious water to Aurora and Colorado Springs from the mighty Arkansas River. Giron’s support for a renewable energy bill had opponents claiming it would raise energy rates for resident of Pueblo West. Joey Bunch of The Denver Post reported that Giron had created a number of enemies of influential Democrats since her election in 2011, which no doubt could have played a role in the recall.

The picture drawn from the voter dissatisfaction complaints may have prompted many voters in her district to sign on to recall of Giron. There is another perspective, which may have affected why voters in Giron’s district, perceived her tenure at the State House with disapproval. Twenty percent of the voters who signed the recall petition were Democrats. The Denver Post reported that many signers volunteered that Giron was, “arrogant and difficult to work with.” The fact that 20% of Democrats signed the recall petition, that statistic alone should give us the best reason why Giron lost.

Giron protests the fact of her being difficult to work with or arrogant, “I’m really a grassroots person. I don’t hang out with the VIPs.”

Still, there were voters speaking out about their dissatisfaction with her work as the senator from Pueblo.  One of the three plumbers who initiated the recall, Victor Head, president of Pueblo Freedom and Rights, the group responsible for the recall, issued a statement, “Giron’s disregard for the majority of her constituents to vote ‘no’ on anti-Second Amendment issues and her general disregard of our Constitution and the rights of the citizens of Colorado demonstrate she must be removed from the Senate. This election has been about holding our elected officials accountable.”

David Zvonek, state director of Americans for Prosperity proclaimed, “Coloradans…sent a clear message that politicians who blatantly ignore their constituents will be held accountable.”

The Founder of the Basic Freedom Defense Fund, Tim Knight felt lack of accountability from Giron played a major role in the recall. “Tonight is a victory for the people of the state of Colorado, who have been subject to the overreach of a Democrat agenda on guns, taxes, and accountability to the people.”

George Rivera, retired Pueblo police officer who will serve the remainder of Giron’s term, thanked the Pueblo Freedom and Rights organization, “This election has been about holding our elected officials accountable. The voters of Pueblo have sent a strong message. We are the voice of democracy.”

On CNN, Giron tried to raise the issue of “voter suppression” as the reason for her loss. In a very argumentative interview with the CNN anchor, Giron ill prepared for the interview only reinforced the observations of being, “arrogant and difficult to work with.” 

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=NNcWCxVIIkQ)

The 2013 session of the Colorado Legislature called one of the most progressive in Colorado history, but after the recall of the Senate President and Pueblo Senator; it should give other Democrats cause for alarm and reevaluation of their liberal agenda.

Voters are watching very carefully their elected officials, their voting records, their ability to communicate and respond to voter concerns, and whether or not, they too may be perceived as arrogant and difficult to work with.

~30~

Now Is the Time for Immigration

1/30/2013

By Fidel “Butch” Montoya

President Barrack Obama in his Las Vegas speech once again raised our hope he would work with the Congress on a final resolution to immigration reform. The President laid out an immigration reform blueprint that he unveiled in El Paso, Texas last year. The President’s proposal was not as detailed as in the El Paso speech, but he made it clear he will wait on Congress to work out the details, and if the plan bogs down in Congress, he will send his own Bill on immigration reform to the Congress.

The President’s original reform proposal focused on four points. A pathway to citizenship solution for the 11 million undocumented immigrants currently living in our country which is a priority that needs to resolved. Securing or improving border security, which has always been a sticking point for the GOP. A complete overhaul of the confusing outdated legal immigration system, that is currently in place. Finally, a better verification process, made easier for employers to verify the status of workers.

The Washington Post Editorial in the January 30th edition summarized the President’s strategy. “The president has offered a useful road-map – even tighter border security; tougher requirements for employers to verify applicants’ immigration status; and a pathway to citizenship – that closely mirrors the bipartisan accord taking shape in the Senate. The real test will be whether lawmakers can nail down the details of a bill that recognizes the reality that 11 million undocumented immigrants are here to stay, as well as the nation’s ongoing need for new immigrants who bring energy, drive and talent to our shores.”

In his speech in Las Vegas, the President laid out his basic belief that the time for immigration reform is now. “I’m here because most Americans agree that it’s time to fix a system that’s been broken for way too long. I’m here because business leaders, faith leaders, labor leaders, law enforcement, and leaders from both parties are coming together to say now is the time to find a better way to welcome the striving, hopeful immigrants who still see America as the Land of Opportunity. Now is the time to do this so we can strengthen our economy and strengthen our country’s future.”

With both political parties very much aware of the growing strength of the Latino demographics, and the increase in electoral potential, it is also clear the Republican Party understands it must work to recruit a larger percentage of the Latino vote to their party. Many pundits have made it clear, change the mean spirited rhetoric or be prepared to lose the Latino vote…again.

THINK PROGRESS | Center for American Progress has shown the dilemma facing the GOP. “Latino voters comprised 9.5 percent of the electorate in 2008 and a full 11 percent in 2012. These shifting demographics—especially in key swing states such as Nevada, Colorado, Florida, and Virginia—mean that how each party talks about immigration will only be more important in the future.” With President Obama receiving 71% of the Latino vote, the work for the GOP is certainly daunting.

The polls reflect the change in attitude since the Presidential Election last November and by the bipartisan group of Republican and Democratic Senators – referred to as the “Gang of Eight” who have submitted a plan for immigration reform this year. The plan has four basic principles that will guide the Senators in providing detailed and specific proposals for the bill.

Four Basic Legislative Pillars:

1. “Create a tough but fair path to citizenship for unauthorized immigrants currently living in the United States that is contingent upon securing our borders and tracking whether legal immigrants have left the country when required;

2. Reform our legal immigration system to better recognize the importance of characteristics that will help build the American economy and strengthen American families;

3. Create an effective employment verification system that will prevent identity theft and end the hiring of future unauthorized workers; and,

4. Establish an improved process for admitting future workers to serve our nation’s workforce needs, while simultaneously protecting all workers.”

Ali Noorani, Executive Director of the National Immigration Forum responding to the President’s speech in Las Vegas expressed the hope and faith that this is truly the right time to move forward on reform, as it seems the political will is growing stronger with each new endorsement for reform. Noorani while expressing his strong support for passage of a reform bill was also realistic about the work it is going to entail.

“The bipartisan support surrounding immigration reform is unlike nearly any other issue facing Congress because people who hold a Bible, wear a badge or own a business want a commonsense immigration system. In addition, today’s debate on immigration is fundamentally different from previous reform efforts for exactly the same reason.

These ‘Bibles, Badges and Business’ leaders have worked together over the past two years to forge a new consensus on immigrants and America. Thanks to their leadership in the Mountain West, Midwest and Southeast, and in Washington, D.C., today’s framework is an articulation of that bipartisan consensus.

From the leadership of the Evangelical Immigration Table to the vision of the Utah Compact to conservative voices speaking publicly for reform, momentum is on our side.

What lies ahead will not be easy, and compromise will be necessary. But leaders in both parties are clearly ready to do their jobs and create an immigration process that serves the needs of all Americans.”

Two strong Latino faith advocates who have fought for immigration reform and who have met with the President several times over the past four years expressing the urgent need for reform joined other faith leaders in sending letters to the President and the leadership in the House and Senate.

The letter asked that the first 92 days of the President Obama’s second term be the deadline for immigration reform.

“We are driven by a moral obligation rooted deeply in our faith to address the needs of immigrants in our country. Compassionate and just treatment of immigrants is a frequent topic in scripture. The Hebrew word for immigrants “ger,” occurs 92 times throughout the Bible.

The letters call for balanced immigration reform that respects the God-given dignity of every person, guarantees secure national borders, protects the unity of the immediate family, ensures fairness to taxpayers and respects the rule of law, but also establishes a path toward status and/or citizenship for those who qualify and who wish to become permanent residents.

Hispanic Evangelicals are convinced that our nation can do immigration reform because we are a nation that knows how to work through its most contentious issues. It is the just and moral thing to do. Inaction is not an option. Immigration reform now!”

One of the Latino faith leaders, Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, President, National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, who signed the letter, spoke of his reaction after listening to the President present his immigration reform speech in Las Vegas.

“I was present as President Obama laid out a comprehensive solution to America's immigration crisis. His presentation serves as a reconciliatory prescription to a nation torn apart by this debate. I commend him for his courage and call upon all the followers of Christ to pray for our president and Congress as together we marry conviction with compassion.”

Rev. Gabriel Salguero, President, National Latino Evangelical Coalition, who also signed the letter to the President and leaders in the House and Senate, reacted to the Las Vegas speech with a strong expectation for reform now.

“Hispanic Evangelicals are convinced that our nation can do immigration reform because we are a nation that knows how to work through its most contentious issues. It is the just and moral thing to do. Inaction is not an option. Immigration reform now!”

Reviewing the last election, Gary Segura, Ph. D  of the polling firm Latino Decisions, stated in a statistical evaluation of the 2012 election, The Political Calculus of Immigration Reform: What Republicans and Democrats Stand to Gain or Lose in the Upcoming Debate, “Latino net contribution to Obama was a 5.4% margin. For the first time in US history, Latino vote can plausibly claim to be nationally decisive.”

As the political process begins in Washington, D.C., together with our allies we must keep the pressure on the Congress to move forward quickly so the momentum we have for immigration reform will not be wasted. This is the time for all of us to work together, understanding that there will be issues on both side of the aisle, but also agreeing that the common good outweighs the individual effort to prevent reform from going forward.

U. S. Representative Luis V. Gutierrez (D-Ill) has laid out a strategy for passage of immigration reform. “We are on track to pass a bipartisan bill this year that legalizes millions of immigrants, keeps families together, strengthens our country, and eventually allows immigrants to apply for citizenship. All of the pieces are falling into place. We have not signed on the dotted line and some important details are yet to be resolved, but what we have now is momentum. Momentum, plus encouragement from the American people, the President, and immigrant and Latino communities, will get an immigration bill across the finish line this year.”

After so many disappointments over the years, being aware of how undocumented immigrants have had to live in the shadows of our society. Individuals with so much talent and ability to share with other Americans to reflect the justice and righteousness we enjoy.

Now, that we can finally visualize on the horizon, immigration reform in the Promised Land, we must continue to believe “Now is the Time! we realize the necessity of fixing our immigration nightmare.

“For too long our communities have lived in fear as immigrant families have been torn apart through unnecessary harsh enforcement policies. The immigration problems we face as a nation are complex and difficult.”  (Bishop Minerva Carcaño, Episcopal leader of the Los Angeles area and co-chair of the United Methodist Interagency Task Force on Immigration)

Continue to pray for progress and for the day when we will no longer stand idle while families are torn apart and deported and when undocumented immigrants will no longer have to live in fear and in the shadows.

Fear of the Dark Side

By Fidel "Butch" Montoya

A week after the horrendous shootings in Newtown, Conn., Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper along with Denver Mayor Michael Hancock called on citizens to pause at the exact time the shooting occurred and to remember the innocent victims of the mass shootings. 

As we stood in silence in front of the City Hall tower, as the first of 26 chimes began to toll, each toll seem to flash into my mind the mental images of the shootings in Newtown.  

I understood the purpose of pausing in silence, trying to understand and comprehend the reasons for the shock we still felt, and trying to find some way to erase the visuals of children crying as they ran from the school, first responders running into the school to stop what some teachers called a “wild animal loose in the building.”  

The most difficult scenes were the parents waiting near the fire house praying and hoping their children would be seen running from carnage in the school, for many parents, their children never came.

This week, we have heard a New Haven lawyer plans to fill a $100 million dollar suit against the school district, claiming it could have done more to protect the children from arguably the deadest school shooting in our history.  

Attorney Irving Pinsksy claimed in the lawsuit, a 6 year old client was traumatized by what she heard on the intercom which was accidently switched on. The “conversations, shooting, & screaming” of the horrific shooting which left some children shot multiple times as they tried to hide from the deranged shooter.  Pinsksy said the school district had failed to keep the children safe.

But as I stood silently in the cold morning waiting for the bells to toll 26 times in memory of these precious children, I thought what are we going to do?  Down the street from the State Capitol, gun dealers were already out of stock of the AR-15, or the bullet clips that hold 30 or more bullets.

As we memorialized the victims, as we heard the bells from churches, government towers, schools, others were standing in line to buy their automatic weapons and other weapon options.  

The Colorado Bureau of Investigation which handles background checks in Colorado has not been able to keep up.  According to the Associated Press, while the data for December is not available yet, the Federal Bureau of Investigation says they had completed 2% more background checks by the end of November. 

The Associated Press reports that many of the gun runners who ran to their favorite gun store claimed the comments by President Barrack Obama and other politicians calling for more gun control, created the run to purchase automatic weapons before the government placed a ban on these weapons.

America stands at a Y in the road, to move forward with gun reform, or to pontificate, preach, march, or write op-eds to set the stage for a grass roots movement to get rid of automatic weapons in our country.  Now we hear because of the panic sales of automatic weapons, some of these sales should be grandfathered in to prevent or slow down the sale of automatic weapons, while our politicians gather enough courage to put pen to law and send these laws on for the signature of President Obama.

We hear phrases like “gun control,” “gun reform,” “automatic weapons ban,” “automatic weapons ban on gun options like clips which can hold 100 bullets.”  Whatever phrase we use, we cannot back away from the public commitments to do something.  

On Fox News Sunday, California Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein says America needs to bite the bullet and move forward on gun control.  "When you have someone walking in and slaying, in the most brutal way, 6-year-olds, something is really wrong,"

I believe we all believe “something is really wrong.”  But it is not just the automatic weapons and clips that “hunter’s purchase to go hunting or target practice.”  I don’t want to get dead locked on why we may think these weapons are needed to hunt or to shoot at practice targets.  I would like for all of us to admit together that something is really wrong with these weapons being so readily available to almost anyone, including the mentally ill.

If we can come together as Americans and realize we must not allow the shootings of Newtown to fade in our memory like Columbine High School may have for so many, just maybe we can start a long term effort to do what is necessary to stop the sale of these weapons.  

Not to demean the parents and other victims of these gut wrenching shootings, but many Americans who cried out “something is really wrong” after the Columbine High School, Virginia Tech, the Aurora Movie Theater, and the other shootings in the recent past, have allowed their voices to go silent.

But as I stood waiting for those 26 tolls of the bell, I thought of other victims in our gun crazy society who have been killed by illegal guns.  Gangsters who drive by with automatic weapons, killing rival gang members.  Unfortunately, injuring other innocent victims, and killing young children or teenagers who had nothing to do with rival gang politics.

These shootings sometimes don’t even make the news on the television newscast, or if reported in the newspaper, you probably have to search very carefully to find any details or information about another family affected by gun violence.

Yes, if we were to count the number of people shot in our neighborhoods in our cities every week, we would be shocked by the large number of victims, and shooters who seem to simply slip into the night.  Yes, we march in the streets, we write our op-eds in the local newspapers, we write to our Senators and Representatives who politely send us a form letter thanking us for writing, and if we are lucky, maybe they will show up for the rally or march.

But what is really happening to those letters?  Does it come down to Senator John Doe receiving 150 letters opposed to gun control, and only 100 wanting more to be done.  Who then pushes the green button on the Senator’s desk when it comes time to vote against gun control?  The big campaign supporter who promises to continue to support the Senator, and by the way, Senator, what was the name of your favorite charity?  Meanwhile, we go around proud of ourselves because we wrote our letter to our Senator, then wonder what else we can do.

What is it that we have to do to realize “something is really wrong?”  Gun reform is not just about the big news stories that capture our attention for a week.  When automatic weapons are being used by criminals or gangs on the streets in our cities that outgun the police, I don’t hear any United States Senator calling for gun control.

When a gang member does a drive by shooting and kills the innocent victims who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, maybe we will hear from an elected official.  Sometimes the news media may even do a story that causes us to pause, about the victims, the shooter, family and friends left behind. But then quickly we go on with our lives.

I think it is time we realize that “something is really wrong,” is right now.  It is not just the big gut wrenching national stories like Newtown, Aurora Theater, or in whatever state or city.  When an automatic weapon is used to rob a bank, used by gang-bangers, or used to kill innocent people in our cities or neighborhoods, we better stop and do something because something is really wrong.

Years ago, as a photojournalist I covered a funeral for an alleged gang member.  I spoke to family members before the service and assured them I would not interfere as I covered the memorial service.  I kept my distance and honored their privacy, but to this day, I can hear the young man’s mother cry out for her son.  “Oh, Joe.”  “Oh, my Joe.”  She called out to her Hito Joe, shot and killed in a gun battle.  This happened more than 37 years ago.

The haunting call still rings in my heart and the memories in my mind still very much alive of this mom as she was being pushed in her wheelchair into the chapel.  The cry now more muffled, but more eerie sounding as the doors closed and for the last time, I heard her cry out, “Oh, my Joe.”

Will we wait again until the cries, screams, and the noise generated by the guns used by the next insane killer slowly drift away in our memories until the next shooting that shakes us out of our daily routine, and almost in unison, we cry out, “something is really wrong.”

If something is really wrong, what are we going to do about it? 

Evil Visited Us Today

By Fidel "Butch" Montoya

The news from Newtown, Connecticut last week, that shook the nation out of complacency and left us shocked beyond disbelief that a mad man had carried out another horrific nightmare where 20 elementary students were shot, along with 7 adults.  The gruesome shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., were too awful for many of us to comprehend the early news reports coming out of a picturesque small town nestled in an area of rolling hills and peaceful solitude. 

As more and more dreadful details came out of Newtown, the sickening realities of the shootings were too difficult to accept.  Many of us immediately thought of our own children or grandchildren and could not face the pain inflicted upon parents waiting to see if their children ran out of the school.   In the back of our minds, we were questioning how could such a horrifying incident happen in an elementary school, where we expect our children to be safe? 

As Governor Dan Malloy who tried to make sense out of the ghastly circumstances that left some parents unable to believe their small children had been slaughtered in their classroom, solemnly said, “Evil visited us today.” 

Yes, evil personified by a young man whose own mother worried of leaving her son alone. She was too terrified as if she sensed the evil in her son and was afraid he would not be able to control the demonic presence controlling her son.                                   

Adam Lanza, the deranged and allegedly mentally ill young man of 20 years old, finally lost control of his demons and the evil that drove him to kill.  One law enforcement officer claimed he had the weapons and enough ammo to continue his deadly shooting trek in the hallways of a school where students were told a wild animal was loose in the school. 

How does one lose one’s sense of reality and without remorse, kill small children who had barely begun to explore a new world with friends, of numbers, colors, words, and teachers who would help them understand this exciting journey into their futures.   

This is the difficult dilemma we now face again as a nation that worships its right to bear arms, especially automatic weapons.  A nation so bent on fear and uncertainty, some are forced to purchase automatic weapons for protection and a sense of well being.  We have read the news reports that often claim some of these weapons outgun weapons used by police officers on the street.

The cry to do something rumbled slowly at first across our country and then the rumblings became stronger and stronger as people begin to realize we could not continue down the same path of buying and owning automatic weapons.  Just maybe Americans may begin to understand we must develop a unified front to get these automatic weapons off the streets, and to prevent the sales of these weapons that were built to kill other human beings. 

President Barrack Obama who came to Newtown to express his sympathy on behalf of a stunned nation, the strain and tension he felt could be seen on his face and in his words.  “We can’t tolerate this anymore. These tragedies must end. And to end them, we must change. We can’t accept events like this as routine. Are we really prepared to say that we’re powerless in the face of such carnage, that the politics are too hard? Are we prepared to say that such violence visited on our children year after year after year is somehow the price of our freedom?”

Even as the President called for an end to these tragedies saying we can’t 

tolerate this anymore, and that we must change.   In Colorado, gun buyers literally waited in line in gun shops to purchase their weapons of choice setting record gun sales the very next day after the shootings.  

The number of gun buyers overwhelmed the Colorado Bureau of Investigation and created a backlog of background checks on individuals wanting to purchase these weapons of mass destruction.  Many potential gun buyers waited in line because they feared the government may soon ban automatic weapons. 

Somehow the show of force from the President who said he was going to push for change to end these tragedies, to our Senators and Representatives in Washington, D.C. who now find public opinion forcing them to consider if our country is ready to change when it comes to banning automatic weapons and changing our laws.  Banning automatic weapons and clips of ammo that can pack over 100 bullets are just two of many changes members of Congress are talking about changing.

In 1999 in Littleton, Colorado at Columbine High School where two students loaded with automatic weapons, home built bombs scattered throughout the school, and a battle plan to kill other students, marched systemically down the halls catching other students and teachers who were caught off guard by bursts of gun shots in the hallway, lunchroom, and ultimately in the school library were most the student victims were shot.

Demands for tighter control on automatic weapons were similar to what we hear today, doing something to prevent these weapons from being purchased and used to kill innocent people.  Politicians made their speeches, newspaper editorials called for new laws, but in a dramatic show of force, the NRA at it national convention in Denver shortly after the Columbine High School shootings, marched in the streets in defiance of those politicians who dared to control their right to purchase automatic weapons.

Along with other incidents where high automatic weapons were used to kill students in other schools and colleges, the horrific shootings at the movie theater in Aurora, Colorado in July left us stunned and mortified by the cold blooded determination to kill unsuspecting movie goers, who may have thought at first, it was part of the movie or some grand scheme to promote the movie.

Again, a young graduate student whose mental health had been questioned by doctors who had completed evaluations on him, with one who  even wanted to have him hospitalized or taken off the streets because of the fear that this young man, could do the unthinkable.  But no one took the initiative to follow the red flags, and we saw the results of when a person in need of mental health assistance ends up killing innocent movie goers and causing so much human destruction that night.  Hoping to kill police officers who no doubt he figured would go to his apartment to search for evidence; he set up booby traps so police officers might have become victims as well.

The real question for all of us to answer is will a ban on automatic weapons, and more stricter laws to prevent more of these horrendous crimes , really stop the violence?  As much as our country needs to see a change, how do we stop the fear we have to protect ourselves and family, and to defend ourselves while enjoying a movie out, a special dinner, or some other form of entertainment?  Will more laws fix the shooting epidemic we are facing?

Evil has visited our country again and what President Obama has called, “indescribable violence” has left its scar on our hearts again.  How do we legislate against evil?  How do we pass new laws that we know cannot control human behavior?  How do we make sure our weapons are secure at home so our children don’t have access to them?

I pray it would be so simple to just wave our magic wand and do away with evil and all of these gruesome killings.  How do we enact an automatic weapons ban, knowing like other criminals, if there is a will, there is a way to get their hands on these weapons of what President Obama called “unconscionable evil?” 

Until we change or allow God to transform us, and renewing of our minds, another law on the books will not put an end to these sad and horrible scenes of death.

Who Are the Latino/a Voters?

By Fidel "Butch" Montoya

I wonder whether or not the Republican Party – and today’s GOP Leadership really understand the dilemma they are facing about the future and existence of their political party.  

The name calling, the real ugly and hateful name calling, the efforts to create a nasty and fearful environment that undocumented immigrants would want to “self deport,” rather face the increased pressure and wrath of ICE.  

Some Republicans simply do not understand that they have not only poisoned the policy alternatives of moderate Republicans, but also any possibility of sitting down and working together to craft the necessary legislation to finally passing in the Congress, comprehensive immigration reform.    

The extremists of the GOP have alienated a group of Latino voters who have shown in the past when given a moderate candidate such as President George Bush as an alternative, about 41% of the Latino vote went to Bush instead of voting for Senator John Kerry.

In the short period of about 4 years, the extreme conservative base pushed the GOP to the extreme right, leaving Latinos without any choice but to vote for President Barrack Obama, giving him about 71% of the Latino vote.   

As with most Americans, on November 7, you could hear a collective sigh of relief across our nation after enduring one of the most expensive and nastiest presidential campaigns in our country’s history.  The lies and counter charges left many of us wondering, “Who is telling the truth?”  

The two candidates seeking the most important powerful job in the world, spent over $6 billion dollars collectively, and unfortunately, we learned lying or purposely misstating the opposition's position is no longer morally wrong. 

The political strategists and political pundits who are trying to analyze why certain voters voted for one candidate, why other voters were not as engaged or as politically challenged or excited about the campaign to bring in the vote as they were in 2008.  

Much has been made of the fact that 71% of the Latino vote went to President Obama.  It is easy to explain the reasons why Latinos voted for President Obama, after enduring ugly acts of racism and hateful words of bigotry of the past only become more agitated, destructive, and real in every segment of our society today.  

The members the Republican Right-wing for the last ten or more years have literally bashed the Latino voter as “members of the government entitlement give away club.”  Other GOP politicians have bashed Latino voters as the cause of many of the socio-economic problems we face in our country.  

An esteemed panel of experts were invited by the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars this past Monday in Washington, D.C. to try to figure out the significance of the Latino vote and the consequences in future elections.

Many political pundits have pointed out that the “Latino voter bloc” or "the demographic changes in the Latino community" has steadily increased in numbers and are now have the political clout for helping the President win vitally important states that ultimately gave the President the necessary Electoral College votes to win re-election.  

Yet, political strategists point out only about half of the eligible Latinos bothered to register or to vote on Election Day or by early voting.  There is no question the Latino vote in future elections may be the determining factor in winning elections simply by getting the Latino voter to get to the polls to vote.

Some enlighten and intelligent political experts are beginning to understand the significance of the future Latino vote.  

One national Republican pollster who acknowledged to other leaders in the Republican Party, they all must be willing to compromise and accept the new demographic reality. 

“The Republican Party is in danger of becoming the ‘Win In Off Years Only Party’ unless we make a full-throated improvement with Hispanic voters,” wrote GOP pollster Glen Bolger in a memo to Republicans. “And, we have to admit it is us, not them.”

It would be encouraging if more Republicans accepted Bolger’s assessment, “And, we have to admit it is us, not them.”  

However, some of the right-wing extremists in our country refuse to admit or even understand that the changing demographics are going to change America for the better.  

In an article, “America Nears El Tipping Pointo,” Ann Coulter once again races to the head of the class to proclaim to the Republican leadership that beware of the growing Latino presence, or what I call, growing power in American politics and policy.

Ironically, just as aside, we should demand that Ann Coulter at least know some basic Spanish words so she doesn't sound as ignorant as the title to her article - "El Tipping Pointo?"

Coulter goes on to quote other writers and researchers about the state of Hispanics in our country. I suppose it is easier to criticize Hispanics without leaving her finger prints at the crime scene.  

Coulter writes, blaming Senator Ted Kennedy for our nation's future plight.  "The youth vote is a snapshot of elections to come if nothing is done to reverse the deluge of unskilled immigrants pouring into the country as a result of Ted Kennedy's 1965 immigration act. Eighty-five percent of legal immigrants since 1968 have come from the Third World. A majority of them are in need of government assistance." 

When claiming that Hispanic babies are illegitimate, she uses research from Heather MacDonald.  "More than half of all babies born to Hispanic women today are illegitimate. As Heather MacDonald has shown, the birthrate of Hispanic women is twice that of the rest of the population, and their unwed birthrate is one and a half times that of blacks."

Coulter claims because of the number of illegitimate babies..."That's a lot of government dependents coming down the pike. No amount of "reaching out" to the Hispanic community, effective "messaging" or Reagan's "optimism" is going to turn Mexico's underclass into Republicans."

Without saying it herself, that Hispanics are immoral, lazy, hate going to church or another way of saying they are moving away from family values, Christian beliefs and values.  

"Charles Murray recently pointed out that -- contrary to stereotype -- Hispanics are less likely to be married, less likely to go to church, more supportive of gay marriage and less likely to call themselves "conservative" than other Americans." 

Nate Cohn writes in the current New Republic that in the past certain bell weather counties were more white than they are today, because Hispanics, Blacks, and Asian are changing the voting patterns.

Guess what, Coulter can now make her point that there already too many "of them moving into our safe suburban communities".  "These were the counties chosen by Cohn, not me, to show that Republicans are losing "the white vote." Except they're not so white, anymore. With blacks, Asians and Hispanics voting 93 percent, 73 percent and 71 percent for Obama, Republicans have to do more than just win the white vote. They have to run the table." 

Finally, quoting Michael Barone, whom she calls an election maven, Barone's prediction was that these Third World immigrants would go the way of other immigrants, like the Italian immigrants, and become Republicans.

Once again, Coulter can use Barone to say, "They're hardworking! They have family values! Maybe at first, but not after coming here, having illegitimate children and going on welfare." 

Coulter writes all on her own, words we can attribute to her. It is a nice way of saying that the demographic changes and trends in voting are not good for white people in the future.  She says, "Romney got a larger percentage of the white vote than Reagan did in 1980. That's just not enough anymore."

Coulter as usual, takes the low road, using political hate speech to discourage any steps by Republican leaders to get down and dirty trying to recruit more Hispanic Republicans.  It is a shame that Coulter actually believes that Hispanics will "lower the greatness of America."  

Yet, it was the grand ole conservative icon President Ronald Reagan who said it first.  "Latinos are Republicans, they just don't know it."  

In spite of this hate and fear spewed by Coulter to encourage and enlist other Republicans to build a new wall, a wall to keep Latinos out of the GOP, one has to wonder with such hate continuing to come from the Right, who would want to be a Republican anyway? 

The mystery remains, who are the Latinos and what do they want? 

For a an excellent attempt to answer that question and bring more clarity for the political strategists in the GOP, Dr. Miguel De La Torre writes an article, “Political strategists need to understand there is no single Hispanic vote.”  

It probably would not hurt if some of the Democrat leadership who in the past have taken the Latino vote for granted, realize the demographic changes in the growing Latino community will affect the Democrats as well.

The coming seismic political changes will make both political parties accountable and finally, will have to listen to our policy changes in the Party Platforms and in Chambers of Congress...and White House.

Pastor Fidel “Butch” Montoya

H. S. Power & Light Ministries – Latino Faith Initiative

Monday, December 10, 2012 Commentaries

Binders of Hispanics

Political strategists need to understand there is no single Hispanic vote.

By Miguel De La Torre

In meetings at GOP headquarters across the country, one can almost hear the party bosses ordering the delivery of binders of Hispanics.

This is not all bad. The Latina/o community, and by extension the United States, does well when Hispanics are found in both the Democratic and Republican Party -- as well as the Libertarian and Socialist Party.

The thoughts, ideas and voices of the large and fastest-growing group in the U.S. need to be at all tables, participating in and influencing the entire conversation. The last thing the Latino/a community wants is to be co-opted by any political party as a special-interest group used to deliver votes.

That said, I am a bit concerned with some of the attempts to woo us. It is great for our self-esteem to suddenly become the center of attention for both political parties. Nevertheless, the courting process needs to be conducted in a respectful and dignified manner.

To that end, here is some unsolicited advice.

1.) We are a people, not an interest group.

The reason many women were turned off by the GOP this past election season was because Republicans identified their concerns for them instead letting them speak for themselves. (The virtues of rape were not high on their list, and they cared about more than just jobs). So on Nov. 6, women spoke very loudly.

It is paternalistic to tell people – whether they be women in 2012 or Hispanics in 2016 -- what their issues are and therefore how they should vote. Don’t treat us as consumers to whom you can sell a used car.

A more successful path is to ask us. What are our issues and concerns? How do we envision the America of tomorrow? You may not like what you hear, but if you want us to walk with you, then you need to change your tune (i.e., immigration).

2.) We are not a race.

There is no such thing as a stereotypical Hispanic. They are white with blond hair and blue eyes, they are black with curly hair, and they are everything in between.

They have Native American features and/or Asian features. They are Catholics, Protestants, worshipers of the Orishas (African quasi-deities), Jewish, atheists, spiritualists and followers of Amerindian religious traditions. 

Some speak “pure” Spanish. Others speak Spanglish and others only English. Still others converse in Cholo, Mayan, Náhuatl, or Pocho. Some have recently arrived in this country, while the ancestors of others were here centuries before the Europeans.

They live in the blank despair of the barrio and in the comfortable illusions of the suburbs. Some pick apples and grapes, others pick stocks and bonds. Do not treat us as some monolithic group where we all agree on the issues.

3.) We are not window dressing.

Finding an assimilated Hispanic who speaks with a Euroamerican voice and placing that person on a pedestal to be our spokesperson doesn't mean that the rest of us will follow, let alone listen. There is a slang word that is used to disparage those people – coconuts. It means that they are brown on the outside but white within.

Ask yourselves: Are there more Latina/os on the stage than in the audience? If the answer is yes, we call that tokenism and find it offensive.

4.) Even if you recognize that we come from multiple nations of origins, there are major differences among us -- even within our own ethnic group.

This is why you will never find a spokesperson for our entire community. There are major political differences between light-skinned Cubans in Miami and darker-skinned Cubans in New Jersey. Chicanos in California have different priorities than Tejanos in Texas.

You do yourself a great disservice when you attempt to lump us all together. We are not unified, and that is not necessarily bad.

5.) Despite our differences, anti-Hispanic rhetoric tends to unite us.

You cannot expect our votes after telling us to self-deport. Even though most of us are documented, demonizing the undocumented by portraying them as freeloaders, criminals, diseased and subhuman is an insult to all of us.

As Aretha Franklin sang, all we are asking for is a little respect.

6.) If you plan to hang on to philosophies that are detrimental to the Hispanic community, don’t come a courting.

Most Latino/as subscribe to a world view that sees the government as a vehicle that can protect the marginalized from the abuses of the plutocrats. So don’t tell us the government is the problem.

If you want to dance, then you too must change to enter into a relationship. It is not only we who must assimilate and conform. So must you.

I look forward to the day when a Hispanic Republican runs against a Latina Democrat for the presidency of the United States. But until then, both parties need to learn how to make us true partners in creating the future of this country. We cannot settle for less.

Miguel De La Torre is professor of social ethics and Latino/a studies at the Iliff School of Theology in Denver and an ordained Baptist minister.