SOMOS PRIMOS: Dedicated to Hispanic Heritage and Diversity Issues

"Lord, hold our troops in your loving hands. Protect them as they protect us.
Bless them and their families for the selfless acts they perform for us in our time of need. Amen."

The Military Man & Woman
Sent by Elsa Valdez Elsa.Valdez@med.va.gov

The average age of the military man is 19 years. He is a short haired, tight-muscled kid who, under normal circumstances is considered by society as half man, half boy. Not yet dry behind the ears, not old enough to buy a beer, but old enough to die for his country. He never really cared much for work and he would rather wax his own car than wash his father's; but he has never collected unemployment either.

He's a recent High School graduate; he was probably an average student, pursued some form of sport activities, drives a ten year old jalopy, and has a steady girlfriend that either broke up with him when he left, or swears to be waiting when he returns from half a world away. He listens to rock and roll or hip-hop or rap or jazz or swing and 105 and 155mm howitzers. He is 10 or 15 pounds lighter now than when he was at home because he is working or fighting from before dawn to well after dusk.

He has trouble spelling, thus letter writing is a pain for him, but he can field strip an M4 rifle in 30 seconds and reassemble it in less time in the dark. He can recite to you the nomenclature of an M60 or M249 machine gun or M203 grenade launcher and use either one effectively if he must. He digs foxholes and latrines and can apply first aid like a professional. He can march until he is told to stop or stop until he is told to march.

He obeys orders instantly and without hesitation, but he is not without spirit or individual dignity. He is self-sufficient. He has two sets of fatigues: he washes one and wears the other. He keeps his canteens full and his feet dry. He sometimes forgets to brush his teeth, but never to clean his rifle. He can cook his own meals, mend his own clothes, and fix his own hurts. If you're thirsty, he'll share his water with you; if you are hungry, his food. He'll even split his ammunition with you in the midst of battle when you run low.

He has learned to use his hands like weapons and weapons like they were his hands. He can save your life - or take it, because that is his job. He will often do twice the work of a civilian, draw half the pay and still find ironic humor in it all. He has seen more suffering and death then he should have in his short lifetime.

He has stood atop mountains of dead bodies, and helped to create them. He has wept in public and in private, for friends who have fallen in combat and is unashamed. He feels every note of the National Anthem vibrate through his body while at rigid attention, while tempering the burning desire to 'square-away' those around him who haven't bothered to stand, remove their hat, or even stop talking. In an odd twist, day in and day out, far from home, he defends their right to be disrespectful.

Just as did his Father, Grandfather, and Great-grandfather, he is paying the price for our freedom. Beardless or not, he is not a boy. He is the American Fighting Man that has kept this country free for over 200 years.

He has asked nothing in return, except our friendship and understanding. Remember him, always, for he has earned our respect and admiration with his blood. And now we even have woman over there in danger, doing their part in this tradition of going to War when our nation calls us to do so. As you go to bed tonight, remember this shot. A short lull, a little shade and a picture of loved ones in their helmets.

It is the Veteran

It is the VETERAN, not the preacher, who has given us freedom of religion.

It is the VETERAN, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press.

It is the VETERAN, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech.

It is the VETERAN, not the campus organizer, who has given us freedom to assemble.

It is the VETERAN, not the lawyer, who has given us the right to a fair trial.

It is the VETERAN, not the politician, Who has given us the right to vote.

It is the VETERAN, who salutes the Flag, who serves under the Flag.

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

On the ABC evening news, it was reported tonight (10-25-03) that, because of the dangers from Hurricane Isabelle approaching Washington DC, the military members assigned the duty of guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier were given permission to suspend the assignment.

They refused. "No way, Sir!"

Soaked to the skin, marching in the pelting rain of a tropical storm, they said that guarding the Tomb was not just an assignment, it was the highest honor that can be afforded to a serviceperson.

I don't usually suggest that many emails be forwarded, but I'd be really proud if this one reached as many as possible. We can be very proud of our young men and women in the service no matter where they serve. God Bless them, Joyce Basch joycebasch@juno.com

The tomb has been patrolled continuously, 24/7, since April 9, 1932
For more information: http://www.tombguard.org/who.html

Dinner Alone
Sent by Lynette Chapa LMRobin@aol.com

I was sitting alone in one of those loud, casual steak houses that you find all over the country. You know the type--a bucket of peanuts on every table, shells littering the floor, and a bunch of perky college kids racing around with longneck beers and sizzling platters.

Taking a sip of my iced tea, I studied the crowd over the rim of my glass. My gaze lingered on a group enjoying their meal. They wore no uniform to identify their branch of service, but they were definitely "military:" clean shaven, cropped haircut, and that "squared away" look that comes with pride.

Smiling sadly, I glanced across my table to the empty seat where my husband usually sat. It had only been a few months since we sat in this very booth, talking about his upcoming deployment to the Middle East. That was when he made me promise to get a sitter for the kids, come back
to this restaurant once a month and treat myself to a nice steak. In turn he would treasure the thought of me being here, thinking about him until he returned home to me.

I fingered the little flag pin I constantly wear and wondered where he was at this very moment. Was he safe and warm? Was his cold any better? Were my letters getting through to him? As I pondered these thoughts, high pitched female voices from the next booth broke into my thoughts.

"I don't know what Bush is thinking about. Invading Iraq. You'd think that man would learn from his old man's mistakes. Good lord. What an idiot! I can't believe he is even in office. You do know, he stole the election."

I cut into my steak and tried to ignore them, as they began an endless tirade running down our president. I thought about the last night I spent with my husband, as he prepared to deploy. He had just returned from getting his smallpox and anthrax shots. The image of him standing in our kitchen packing his gas mask still gives me chills.

Once again the women's voices invaded my thoughts. "It is all about oil, you know. Our soldiers will go in and rape and steal all the oil they can in the name of 'freedom'. Hmph! I wonder how many innocent people they'll kill without giving it a thought? It's pure greed, you know."

My chest tightened as I stared at my wedding ring. I could still see how handsome my husband looked in his "mess dress" the day he slipped it on my finger. I wondered what he was wearing now. Probably his desert uniform, affectionately dubbed "coffee stains" with a heavy bulletproof vest over it.

"You know, we should just leave Iraq alone. I don't think they are hiding any weapons. In fact, I bet it's all a big act just to increase the president's popularity. That's all it is, padding the military budget at the expense of our social security and education. And, you know what else? We're just asking for another 9-ll. I can't say when it happens again that we didn't deserve it."

Their words brought to mind the war protesters I had watched gathering outside our base. Did no one appreciate the sacrifice of brave men and women, who leave their homes and family to ensure our freedom? Do they even know what "freedom" is?

I glanced at the table where the young men were sitting, and saw their courageous faces change. They had stopped eating and looked at each other dejectedly, listening to the women talking.

"Well, I, for one, think it's just deplorable to invade Iraq, and I am certainly sick of our tax dollars going to train professional baby killers we call a military."

Professional baby killers? I thought about what a wonderful father my husband is, and of how long it would be before he would see our children again.

That's it! Indignation rose up inside me. Normally reserved, pride in my husband gave me a brassy boldness I never realized I had. Tonight one voice will answer on behalf of our military, and let her pride in our troops be known.

Sliding out of my booth, I walked around to the adjoining booth and placed my hands flat on their table. Lowering myself to eye level with them, I smilingly said, "I couldn't help overhearing your conversation. You see, I'm sitting here trying to enjoy my dinner alone. And, do you know why? Because my husband, whom I love with all my heart, is halfway around the world defending your right to say rotten things about him."

"Yes, you have the right to your opinion, and what you think is none of my business. However, what you say in public is something else, and I will not sit by and listen to you ridicule MY country, MY president, MY husband, and all the other fine American men and women who put their lives on the line, just so you can have the "freedom" to complain. Freedom is an expensive commodity, ladies. Don't let your actions cheapen it."

I must have been louder that I meant to be, because the manager came over to inquire if everything was all right. "Yes, thank you," I replied. Then turning back to the women, I said, "Enjoy the rest of your meal."

As I returned to my booth applause broke out. I was embarrassed for making a scene, and went back to my half eaten steak. The women picked up their check and scurried away.

After finishing my meal, and while waiting for my check, the manager returned with a huge apple cobbler ala mode. "Compliments of those soldiers," he said. He also smiled and said the ladies tried to pay for my dinner, but that another couple had beaten them to it. When I asked who, the manager said they had already left, but that the gentleman was a veteran, and wanted to take care of the wife of "one of our boys."

With a lump in my throat, I gratefully turned to the soldiers and thanked them for the cobbler. Grinning from ear to ear, they came over and surrounded the booth. "We just wanted to thank you, ma'am. You know we can't get into confrontations with civilians, so we appreciate what you did."

As I drove home, for the first time since my husband's deployment, I didn't feel quite so alone. My heart was filled with the warmth of the other diners who stopped by my table, to relate how they, too, were proud of my husband, and would keep him in their prayers. I knew their flags would fly a little higher the next day.

Perhaps they would look for more tangible ways to show their pride in our country, and the military who protect her. And maybe, just maybe, the two women who were railing against our country, would pause for a minute to appreciate all the freedom America offers, and the price it pays to maintain it's freedom.

As for me, I have learned that one voice CAN make a difference. Maybe the next time protesters gather outside the gates of the base where I live, I will proudly stand on the opposite side with a sign of my own. It will simply say, "Thank You!"

Lori Kimble is a 31 year old teacher and proud military wife. A California native, Mrs. Kimble currently lives in Alabama.

To those who fought for our Nation: Freedom has a flavor the protected will never know.
GOD BLESS AMERICA

They Became Americans " Finding Naturalization Records & Ethnic Origins" by Loretto D. Szucs http://www.ancestry.com/rd/prodredir.asp?sourceid=831&key=P1028

Citizenship documents are eagerly sought after for both their sentimental nature and the important information they hold, yet they can be difficult to locate and fully understand. Complex and
constantly changing naturalization laws have resulted in a great deal of confusion. "They Became Americans: Finding Naturalization Records and Ethnic Origins" addresses the complexities of naturalization records in a straightforward discussion. Dozens of illustrations and example documents enhance the reading and simplify your search for these unique sources of American genealogy.

Normally "They Became Americans" retails for $19.95, but for a limited time,
you can buy it in The Shops @ Ancestry.com for $16.95.

Carlos B. Vega is Professor of Spanish, Montclair State University of New Jersey.
Below are the first few paragraphs in
Chapter 1: A Call to Reason

In writing this book we have embarked on a very arduous and ambitious mission. In essence, what we have set out to do is to challenge conventional history as it pertains to the role span and other Hispanic countries played in the making of the United States. The fact is that the vast majority of historians have simply squeezed out of their accounts most of the great deeds achieved by Spain in North America. Consequently, we, as a nation, know very little about the true historical facts, perhaps as little as two per cent of the whole truth. The rest, or the other ninety-eight per cent, has remained entombed until now in the catacombs of history.

These words from the eminent American historian Charles F. Lummis should enlighten most readers on this historical injustice perpetrated on Spain. This is what he had to say over 100 years ago:

It is because I believe that every other young American loves fair play and admires heroism as much as I do, that this book has been written. That we have not given justice to the Spanish pioneers is simply because we have been misled. They made a record unparalleled; but our text-books have not recognized that fact, though they no longer dare dispute it. Now, thanks to the New School of American History, we are coming to the truth, - a truth which every manly American will be glad to know. In this country of free and brave men, race-prejudice, the most ignorant of all human ignorances, must die out. We must respect manhood more than nationality, and admire it for it own sake where found, - and it found everywhere. The deeds that hold the world up are not of any one blood. We may be born anywhere, - that is a mere accident; but to the heroes we may grow by means which are not accidents nor provincialisms, but the birth right and glory of humanity.

We love manhood; and the Spanish pioneering of the Americas was the largest and longest and most marvelous fact of manhood in all history. It was not possible for a Saxon boy to learn that truth in my boyhood; it is enormously difficult, if possible, now. The hopelessness of trying to get from any or all English text-books a just picture of the Spanish hero in the New World made me resolve that no other young American lover of heroism and justice shall nee to grope so long in the dark as I had to . . .

Villamel Publishing Company
7311 Blvd. East
North Bergen, NJ, 07047
201-888-6750

Extract; Home Is Where the Native Tongue Is, WASHINGTON, Oct. 9, 2003
CBSNews.com Sent from the Internet by Cindy LoBuglio lobuglio@thegrid.net

The Spanish-speaking population rose by 62 percent over the period to 28.1 million; slightly more than half also reported speaking English "very well." California, New Mexico and Texas had the highest percentages of residents who did not speak English at home, but the greatest increase during the decade occurred in states that experienced explosive Hispanic immigration: Nevada, Georgia and North Carolina.

For the first time, the Census Bureau printed out questionnaires in 2000 in languages other than English: Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog (the main native language of the Philippines), Vietnamese and Korean. Chinese is the language spoken most besides Spanish, with 2 million people speaking it at home. It was followed by French (1.6 million), German (1.4 million) and Tagalog (1.2 million).
The number who spoke Russian increased the most during the 1990s, nearly tripling to 706,000. That reflected a rise in Russian immigration over the decade, the first since the fall of the Soviet Union.

Data in the census report come from responses to the 2000 census long form survey distributed to about 1 in 6 households. The question asked if a person spoke a language other than English at home, and if so, it then asked to gauge how well they spoke English. The category is used in part to gauge how well people who speak another language can communicate in English in common activities like speaking with police or doctors, or at the bank or grocery store.

The proportion of the population 5 and older in 2000 who spoke English less than "very well" was 8 percent, up from 6 percent in 1990 and 5 percent in 1980.

The bureau found about 11.9 million people lived in linguistically isolated homes, meaning nobody in the home 14 or older knew English "very well." That was up 54 percent from 1990.

In particular, Hispanics often live in neighborhoods where most people tend to speak a language other than English, said John Logan, a sociologist at the State University of New York at Albany, who has conducted research on the issue. He said that level of isolation can lead to a continued reliance on Spanish, even among those born in the United States.

Extract: Fast Hispanic growth shows no sign of slowing in next 20 years
GENARO C. ARMAS, Associated Press http://members2.1stnetusa.com/~a/lafhc/
Sent by Howard Shorr howardshorr@msn.com

Almost half the Latino growth during the next two decades is expected to come from second-generation Hispanics, those born in the United States of at least one foreign-born parent, and 25 percent will be immigrants. That reverses the trend between 1970 and 2000, when immigrants accounted for nearly half the growth.

Many recent immigrants have brought relatives to the United States, thereby reducing the pool of potential future immigrants, he said. Passel also cited recent studies that show women in Mexico, the country that now sends the largest number of immigrants to the United States, are starting to have fewer children.

The study also cited a previous Pew survey found that 72 percent of immigrant Latinos rely primarily on Spanish, compared with only 7 percent of second-generation Hispanics.

Previous research by Passel, also cited in the report, found that 8 percent of foreign-born Hispanics marry outside their race or ethnicity, compared with one-third of second-generation Latinos.

Those rates mirror trends seen in previous immigrant waves and are signs that children of foreign-born Hispanics are assimilating socially, said University of Michigan demographer William Frey.

Extract: Congressman Becerra to introduce legislation to establish and fund: Museum of the American Latino

By SUZANNE GAMBOA, Associated Press Writer
http://www.hispanicvista.com/html3/092903fp.htm

WASHINGTON – September 23, 2003 - An American Indian museum is set to open next year, and discussions continue on the location of a museum dedicated to black Americans.

What's missing, says a California lawmaker, is a museum on the American Latino.

"If you walk the National Mall, you get as good a snapshot of America as you can find anywhere in the world, yet the lesson of our American history is still incomplete," said Rep. Xavier Becerra, D-Calif.

Becerra says now is a good time for serious consideration of a museum about Latino history in America and the contribution of Latinos to American history. Hispanics are now the largest minority in the United States, numbering about 38.8 million as of July 2002, or more than 13 percent of the population.

"This is a way to give us a fuller understanding of who we are. It would not just be a museum for Latinos. It would be a museum to better recognize who America is," Becerra said.

Becerra said he would like to see the museum constructed on the National Mall, the green expanse between the Capitol and the Lincoln Memorial.

That wish is certain to stir opposition, as did the sitting of the World War II Memorial, currently under construction between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument. Mall preservationists went to court over the memorial, which features 56 17-foot pillars, two four-story arches and a sunken plaza with a pool, but the challenge failed to force it off the mall.

Congress also has authorized construction of a black history museum and has designated four possible sites on or beside the mall. The House is debating its location.

Extract: Latino Museum Proposed for Mall, October 14, 2003
Congressional Hispanic Caucus backs the plan. But preservationists say construction is ruining the capital park's vista. By Shweta Govindarajan, Times Staff Writer, Los Angeles Times
Source: http://lmri.ucsb.edu/mailman/listinfo/reformanet kmccook@tampabay.rr.com

WASHINGTON — Latino lawmakers are backing a proposal to build a museum on the National Mall that would commemorate the achievements of American Latinos, amid concerns from preservationists that construction along the Mall is obstructing its scenic green expanse.

The proposed National Museum of the American Latino would house exhibits relating to the artistic, historical and cultural accomplishments of American Latinos. The plan for the museum, which would be part of the Smithsonian Institution's vast and varied collection, has been unanimously endorsed by the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-Los Angeles) is set to introduce a bill this week to create an advisory commission to plan the museum and select a location. The museum deserves to be on the Mall as a "a recognition of the American tradition of acknowledging our forefathers who helped us build this country," Becerra said.

"I'd like people to come away [from the museum] with a genuine, comprehensive vision of what America is," Becerra said. "I don't see how you do that if you don't incorporate close to 40 million
[Latinos] and their predecessors who have made this country what it is today."

"This is [the] right moment to give all Americans a chance to feel they have a complete picture of America," Becerra said.

The National Mall, a two-mile-long stretch of parkland from the Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial, is a popular site for public gatherings, demonstrations and leisure activities.

In recent years, however, it has become a flashpoint among Washington preservationists who say construction on the Mall is ruining the deliberately crafted open space and interfering with the public's ability to enjoy it and reflect on its symbolism.

The National Museum of the American Indian and the hotly contested National World War II Memorial are under construction on the Mall. And Congress is considering legislation to build a national African American museum as well as an underground visitor center for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

The Senate has passed a proposal that would prohibit new memorials on the Mall; a similar measure is under consideration in the House. The National Capital Planning Commission, which reviews plans for buildings proposed on federal property, would have to approve the Latino museum's location and design.

If approved, the bipartisan measure would create a 23-member commission whose job it would be to deliver to Congress a report written over two years detailing construction, funding and exhibits.

Si...! HISPANIA... the birth of a nation within our greater NATION!

SUMMARY: HISPANIC THINK-TANK: Our growing community --largest minority in the land-- should now focus on unity, education, improvement, and closer interaction within to achieve QUALITY over QUANTITY! This will project our entire American society into the millennium as a new BREED!

By Ricardo Castañon HispanicVista, October 6, 2003

Only in America could it have happened! Here, peoples of goodwill and open minds have found the ideal environment to work, live long and prosper. The legitimate "Pursuit of Happiness" guaranteed by the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, and further endorsed by the Bill of Rights have created an atmosphere of positivism unlike anywhere in the rest of the planet. No other area of the world has experienced such a mix of races, beliefs and cultures. The "Old world" and the "New world" have come together to create nature's best!

HISPANIC BLOSSOM

Our Hispanic community, like other immigrant groups, has identified with the common denominator that characterized the founding fathers of this nation --we are all dissidents! We are nonconformist that seek to improve the world we live in. Through hard work and sacrifice, we endured the first stages of
"assimilation" --some like to call it. It was really a process of adapting to the language, ways and means of a more dynamic way of life WITHOUT losing one's own culture and traditions. It was really not that difficult; it was more like a dream-come-true. This scope of freedom and opportunity is what we had envisioned all along. As generations come and go, it becomes easier for the latter. Our offspring move about in today' society as fish-in-the-water, they have created their own milieu. Their genetic memory retains all the positive heritage we have been carrying for centuries, and their brain-cells absorb new data like a sponge!

This Hispanic-blossom is unprecedented and has unlimited possibilities. We have our hearts and guts united by the folklore and cuisine we are instinctively stimulated by. We have that ever-fresh
desire to constantly compete and continuously archive more. The bond that holds us together goes beyond bloodlines; it is our accumulated heritage and that almost spiritual eagerness --so natural in us-- that impels us to prove ourselves not only capable, but worthy of any endeavor.

ONE NATION WITHIN A NATION

In this age of high-tech-robotics, these qualities acquire special value. Our also innate ability to
adapt and improvise, plus our proven bilingual fluency give us a sharp edge. We have enough material and ethereal ties to move ahead and consolidate our community into one nation within our greater nation. We need to retain our identity, we need to nurture our personality with our past and present achievements. This is NOT to discern from other groups or society as a whole; but to contribute with our best and inherent assets for the benefit of all.

A COMMON HERITAGE AND DESTINY

The Aztecs, the Mayan, the Incas, the Toltecs, well... even the Pilgrims and the Quakers never dreamed of what they got started! This progressive mixture of vitality and wisdom from one into the other has sped up a genetic evolution scientists, historians and demographers never, until now, thought possible. Leave it to mother nature. Our society today, with the unreserved participation of every ethnicity in the land, will eventually produce an ALL-INCLUSIVE concept of a "Cosmic Breed" that will take humanity, with a common heritage and destiny, to the next level --to the conquest of the UNIVERSE!

Verdad que... Si?

---------------------------------------------------
Ricardo V. Castanon is the author of the trilogy "SIMPLE SIMON'S ODYSSEY... facing the big questions" a Latin perspective on practical philosophy. Available at http://www.SimonBook.com. Ricardo is based in El Paso, TX. He can be reached at Rico@SimonBook.com

Sammy Sosa Passes Mickey Mantle, Sets NL RBI Mark

CINCINNATI - On September 25th, Sammy Sosa moved ahead of Mickey Mantle with his 537th homer, a two-run shot that also made him the first NL player with nine straight 100-RBI seasons.
Source: Yahoo! News, October 3, 2003

Extract: Breakthrough near for illegal immigrants, farmers –
“This fundamentally changes the dynamic of farm labor in America.”
By Michael Doyle, Sacramento Bee Washington Bureau and Dennis Pollock -- Fresno Bee
http://www.hispanicvista.com/html3/092903bi.htm
Article URL: http://www.sacbee.com/content/politics/story/7473551p-8415956c.html

WASHINGTON – September 24, 2003 - Farmers and farm workers Tuesday uncorked a potentially groundbreaking compromise that offers hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants the prospect of becoming legal U.S. residents. Following years of discussions that were sidetracked by terrorism fears and stuck on some perennial controversies, negotiators presented what they uniformly described as a historic deal. The new legislation gives farmers streamlined access to foreign workers, and gives farm workers a fresh shot at precious green cards. "It frees farm workers so they can finally join American society rather than hide in the shadows."

In a telling sign of unity, Rodriguez was flanked by conservative Republicans and representatives of the politically potent agriculture industry. All are backing the legislation that supporters will be trying to get to President Bush's desk by the end of this year.

In addition to the farm workers themselves, the proposal would permit immediate family members to remain in the United States without fear of being deported. Once the farm workers obtain permanent resident status, their spouses and minor children could likewise apply for permanent residency. Those going on to obtain U.S. citizenship could sponsor parents, unmarried children and siblings.

The measure, introduced in both the House and Senate, gives undocumented farm workers the chance to earn legal permanent status if they agree to keep working in agriculture for a while. The bill also makes it easier to bring in foreign workers through what's called the H-2A program, which has been largely shunned by California farmers.

Specifically, the new residency program covers illegal immigrants who can prove they've worked in agriculture for 100 or more days in the 18 months before Aug. 31. They must agree to keep working in agriculture at least another 360 days over the next six years.

"It's a thoughtful compromise that has required give and take from both sides," said Bob Vice, ex-president of the California Farm Bureau Federation and a voice for agricultural employers. "We need a stable, legal work force," said Pat Ricchiuti, a Clovis grower and first vice president of the Fresno County Farm Bureau. "We need these people as much as they need us."

Ricchiuti and other farmers, like Madera grower Steve Schafer, said the reforms should reduce the burden on farmers who must deal with documents that may not be legitimate. Selma grower Bill Chandler added that the proposed legislation should amount to a more humane way to deal with what many have called a shadow work force.

The bill that took "thousands and thousands and thousands of hours" of work, in the words of Utah Republican Rep. Carl Cannon, could yet run afoul of lawmakers who've called for a complete moratorium on new immigration. The moratorium proponents, while a distinct minority on Capitol Hill, did gain strength after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks that stalled the farm worker bill negotiations.

Extract: US Chamber of Commerce supports Agricultural Workers’ Bill
as important first step in immigration reform http://www.hispanicvista.com/html3/092903gi.htm

Washington, D.C. – September 23, 2003 - The United States Chamber of Commerce applauded the introduction of the "Agricultural Job Opportunity Benefits and Security Act" as an important first step in immigration reform.

"This legislation represents an historic agreement between business and labor on an important issue for the future of our country – reform of immigration rules to address our current and future workforce needs," said Bruce Josten, the Chamber’s executive vice president for Government Affairs. "The excellent work of members of Congress on both sides of the aisle to achieve this result should be commended."

The legislation, worked out over years of negotiations between agricultural employers, farm worker unions and immigrant rights groups – and led by a bipartisan group of members of Congress, including Senators Larry Craig (R/ID) and Edward Kennedy (D/MA) and Representatives Chris Cannon (R–3/UT) and Howard Berman (D–28/CA) – would reform the current agricultural guest worker program and provide an earned adjustment program for undocumented agricultural workers already in this country.

"This comprehensive bill recognizes that immigration reform must include both legal ways for employers to hire foreign workers when U.S. workers are not available, and a path to legitimize the status of those immigrants that have been supporting our industries and economy with their labor," continued Josten. "While the needs of the agricultural community are unique, we hope that this approach can help pave the way for legislation to address the needs of the broader business community for essential workers."

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world’s largest business federation representing more than three million businesses and organizations of every size, sector and region.

Nobility in the United States
http://www.almanach.be/search/u/unitedstatesofamerica.html
Sent by John Inclan from galveston@yahoo.com

[[ Interesting short explanation on the topic. Quick reading.]]

NOBILITY IN THE USA: 1° The Constitution of the USA prohibits both the USA (Art I, Sect 9, cl 8) and the States (Art I, Secr 10) from granting titles of nobility;

THE CONCEPT OF NOBILITY: This concept is very often not very well understood in the USA, leading for example to confusion between royalty and nobility, the wrong assumption of the absolute prohibition of nobility titles in the USA, etc.

Extract: U.S. Unveils Spanish Web Site
Firstgov En Español Aims To Improve Access To Federal Agencies By Offering Translations
by Shweta Govindarajan, Times Staff Writer, Friday, October 17, 2003
Sent by Granville Hough, Ph.D.

A federal agency on Thursday launched a Spanish-language version of FirstGov -- a government-run Web site that provides information about official programs and services -- as part of President Bush's plan to use the Internet to improve public access to government information.

FirstGov en Español http://www.espanol.gov is a centralized collection of major federal agencies' Web pages translated into Spanish, including the U.S. Postal Service, the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services and the Department of Education. It is designed to demystify the way government works and to encourage Spanish speakers to seek information about living and working in the United States, officials said at a news conference announcing the Web site.

FirstGov en Español "is an easy ... portal for those who wish to access federal and state information in Spanish," said Stephen A. Perry, administrator of the General Services Administration, which developed and manages the site. The Web site "came out of the president's mandate, and it's an obvious void that needs to be filled."

The Spanish-language site serves as a gateway to Web sites for 55 federal agencies and 37 states, including California. Each agency listed there decides which information to translate, based on demand, said Teresa Nasif, director of the GSA's federal citizen information center. Because the site takes users to pages written in Spanish, not all content available on the English-language FirstGov will be available there, she said.

So far, more than 100,000 translated government pages are accessible from the site -- including the entire Web site for the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Nasif said. Most of the translation was done in-house by bilingual employees of the Small Business Administration, she said, and professional translators from the State Department acted as proofreaders.

A goal of Bush's 2002 E-Government initiative was to make agencies function more efficiently through the use of technology. A demonstrated interest among the nation's more than 37 million Latinos to obtain government information in Spanish helped spark development of the new site, officials said.

Extract: Restoring the Golden Door
Source: Family Tree Magazine Email http://www.familytreemagazine.com/newsletter.asp

The fates of 30 un-restored buildings on the south side of Ellis Island are being decided right now. Weeds and weather have taken their toll over the 22 acres comprising the majority of the island since its closure in 1954. The National Park Service and nonprofit Save Ellis Island Foundation have suggested three options:

1) Protect with temporary means until the buildings get beyond the point and cost of saving, then demolish.
2) Rehabilitate the buildings over a period of 10 to 15 years. The buildings facades restored, interiors stripped to house nonprofit institutions.
3) The third, preferred by the National Park Service, would unveil, after a five-to seven-year rehabilitation period, a new Ellis Island Institute, complete with a conference and retreat facility, a polity research center and educational program. The retreat facility would be available for only nonprofit organizations and appropriate corporate sponsors holding workshops on issues relevant to the island's history, such as family history, public health, immigration, historic preservation and ethnic diversity.

Latino immigrant moms have healthier babies
By Paul Chavez, Associated Press, October 03, 2003
Sent by Howard Shorr howardshorr@msn.com

Contrary to expectations, Latino mothers from Central and South America who live in California gave birth to healthier babies and had a lower teen pregnancy rate than their counterparts born in the United States, according to a study of 2002 data released Thursday.

The findings by the University of California, Los Angeles, Center for the Study of Latino Health and Culture fall within the so-called "Latino epidemiological paradox," said David Hayes-Bautista, professor of medicine and the center's director.

The paradox, which has been confirmed in other studies, exists because Latinos experience overall better health than non-Latino whites, despite having higher risk factors such as less access to health care systems, lower income and less education, Hayes-Bautista said.

The findings were part of the UCLA center's research on the Salvadoran community in California. Data for the study came from the state's 2002 Department of Health Services Master Birth Files.

Latino mothers gave birth to nearly 250,000 babies in 2002 in California, and 9.4 percent of them were mothers of Central and South American origin. The study found that 7.7 percent of U.S.-born mothers of Central and South American origin gave birth to a baby weighing less than 2,500 grams (5.46 pounds), compared to 6.5 percent of immigrant mothers who gave birth to low-weight babies.

Researchers comparing the two groups also found the teen pregnancy rate was 20.2 percent for U.S.-born mothers, compared to 6.4 percent for immigrant mothers.

"In other non-Latino populations, teen mothers come from the less-educated segments. However, in this case, the more-educated U.S.-born Central and South American women are more likely to become teen mothers," Hayes-Bautista said. "We need to understand this troubling trend."

The findings raise research questions about the Latino health paradox, which includes findings that Latinos suffer fewer strokes and have less lung and breast cancer than whites and blacks.

Researchers want to find the mechanism leading to the paradoxical outcome, Hayes-Bautista said.

"Is it diet, the beans and tortillas? Is there some sort of mind-body spiritual connection? We don't know," Hayes-Bautista said. "But there are similar patterns, almost everywhere you have a Latino population, you see this same paradox."

Carlos Vaquerano, executive director of the Salvadoran-American Leadership and Educational Fund, said the findings can lead to better outreach efforts.

"This type of research helps us identify the needs in key areas such as health, education and population growth," he said. "Furthermore, this study provides our Salvadoran community with information important to our lives and well-being."

U.S. census figures estimate that about 273,000 Salvadorans live in California, with more than 187,000 in Los Angeles County.

A 2001 study by the UCLA center found that most Salvadorans came to California in the 1980s, when El Salvador was engaged in a 12-year civil war that killed 75,000 people.

Extract: Immigrant Success or Stagnation?: Confronting the Claim of Latino Non-Advancement
By Walter A. Ewing, Ph.D. and Benjamin Johnson.*
http://www.hispanicvista.com/html3/101703fc.htm

Latinos experience substantial socioeconomic progress across generations compared to both their immigrant forefathers and native Anglos. But this fact is lost in statistical portraits of the Latino population which don’t distinguish between the large number of newcomers and those who have been in the United States for generations. Advocates of restrictive immigration policies often use such aggregate statistics to make the dubious claim that Latinos are unable or unwilling to advance like the European immigrants of a century ago.

Introduction to an extensive article:
A question that arises repeatedly in the immigration debate is whether or not the children and grandchildren of modern-day immigrants from Latin America are moving up the socioeconomic ladder like the descendants of European immigrants who came to the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. However, comparing immigrant communities from these two eras is no simple task. The progress enjoyed by previous waves of European immigrants can be evaluated with a century’s worth of hindsight. Successive generations of Italian Americans, for instance, have provided an increasingly clear contrast to the first-generation (foreign-born) immigrants who arrived at Ellis Island a hundred or more years ago with little – if any – money, education or knowledge of English. Such neat historical comparisons are not possible for Latinos, nearly half of whom are first-generation immigrants just starting the process of advancement begun decades ago by their European counterparts. While evidence indicates that Latinos are experiencing substantial progress across generations, this fact is lost in statistical portraits of the Latino population which don’t distinguish between the large number of newcomers and those who have been in the United States for generations. Some advocates of restrictive immigration policies have seized upon such aggregate statistics to advance the dubious claim that Latinos are more resistant to upward mobility or “assimilation” than the Europeans of a century ago.

The graph below shows that by the 3rd generation English is the primary/dominant language.

Figure 3

Source: Pew Hispanic Center & Kaiser Family Foundation, 2002 National Survey of Latinos, December 2002.

US Census Bureau: Nearly 1-in-5 Speak a Foreign Language at Home
http://www.hispanicvista.com/html3/101703bn.htm
Mike Bergman, Public Information Office
(301) 763-3030/457-3670 (fax)
(301) 457-1037 (TDD) pio@census.gov

Nearly 1-in-5 Speak a Foreign Language at Home;
Most Also Speak English 'Very Well,' Census Bureau Reports

Nearly 1-in-5 people, or 47 million U.S. residents age 5 and older, spoke a language other than English at home in 2000, the U.S. Census Bureau said today. That was an increase of 15 million people since 1990.

The report, Language Use and English-Speaking Ability: 2000, [PDF] said 55 percent of the people who spoke a language other than English at home also reported they spoke English "very well." Combined with those who spoke only English at home, 92 percent of the population age 5 and over had no difficulty speaking English.

Among those who spoke a language other than English at home were almost 11 million additional Spanish speakers. According to the report, Spanish speakers increased from 17.3 million in 1990 to 28.1 million in 2000, a 62 percent rise. Just over half the Spanish speakers reported speaking English "very well."

The report found that more than 9-in-10 people age 5 and older spoke a language other than English at home in Hialeah, Fla., and Laredo, Texas, the highest such proportion among U.S. places of 100,000 population or more. The 10 places with the highest proportions included four in Texas and three in California. (See Table 1.)

The West was home to more than one-third (37 percent) of all those who spoke a language other than English at home, the highest proportion of any region. California led the states (39 percent), followed by New Mexico (37 percent) and Texas (31 percent). (See Table 2.)

The number of people who spoke a non-English language at home at least doubled in six states between 1990 and 2000, with the largest percentage increase in Nevada (193 percent). Georgia's residents who spoke a non-English language at home increased by 164 percent, followed by North Carolina (151 percent).

After English (215.4 million) and Spanish (28.1 million), Chinese (2 million) was the language most commonly spoken at home, eclipsing French, German and Italian over the decade of the 90s.

Other highlights:

- Of the 20 non-English languages spoken most widely at home, the largest proportional increase in the 1990s was Russian. Speakers of this language nearly tripled, from 242,000 to 706,000. The second largest increase was among French Creole speakers (including Haitian Creoles), whose numbers more than doubled, from 188,000 to 453,000.

- The West and South combined had about three times the number of Spanish speakers (21 million) as the Northeast and Midwest combined (7 million).

- More than 80 percent of the population spoke a non-English language in seven Texas counties -- Maverick, Webb, Starr, Kenedy, Zavala, Presidio and Hidalgo.

The data are based on the responses from a sample of households who received the census long form. Nationally, about 1-in-6 households were included in the sample. Estimates in the report are subject to sampling and non-sampling error.

Extract: Immigrants' Children Fuel Growth Among Latinos
The Washington Post - October 14, 2003
http://www.hispaniconline.com/lstyles/article.html?SMContentIndex=7&SMContentSet=0

The U.S.-born children of immigrants are replacing their parents as the fastest-growing generation in the Latino population, and the shift will have profound effects on the country's largest minority group.

A report to be released today by the Pew Hispanic Center predicts that by 2020, nearly half the growth in the nation's Latino population will be from the second generation. Within seven years, it is predicted to account for one in nine school-age children. And through 2020, it is forecast to make up one in four new members of the nation's workforce.

The growing influence of those in the second generation, who will outnumber their parents within two decades, will rewrite the profile of Hispanic life in the United States. The children of immigrants are likely to move closer to the mainstream than their parents -- marrying people from other backgrounds, for example. Their political views are likely to change as well, becoming more liberal on abortion, experts say, but less supportive of affirmative action. Their earnings and education will surpass those of their parents, experts predict, but will not close the gap with the Anglo majority.

"The biggest difference is that we're shifting from a process where the largest component is Spanish-speaking immigrants -- where language and immigration status were two enormous questions -- to growth of a population that is English-speaking and native-born," said Roberto Suro, the Pew center's director. "You totally move away from the issues that have been dominant. They have a totally different set of issues than their parents do."

Extract: How did Hispanic moniker get chosen instead of Latino or some other ethnic name? The Roots of 'Hispanic' - 1975 Committee of Bureaucrats Produced Designation
By Darryl Fears, Washington Post Staff Writer, October 15, 2003

http://www.hispanicvista.com/html3/101703nat.htm
Sent by Jaime Cader jmcader@yahoo.com
Washington Post article URL: (Registration required) Copyrighted by Washington Post.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A26600-2003Oct14.html

Hardly anyone knows that 28 years ago, Flores-Hughes and a handful of other Spanish-speaking federal employees helped make the decision that changed how people with mixed Spanish heritage would be identified in this country. In 1975, when working for the Department of Health, Education and Welfare, she sat on the highly contentious Ad Hoc Committee on Racial and Ethnic Definitions. Few records survive to document the committee's existence or its work.

"We chose the word 'Hispanic,' " she said in a recent interview. The choice resounded throughout the federal government, including at the Office of Management and Budget, which placed the word on census forms for the first time in 1980. But the decision touched off a debate in the wider community over whether "Latino" should have been the designated term, and that debate still rages.

The story of how the term came to be embraced by government is more important than ever, Flores-Hughes said, because it is crucial to the debate over whether to identify people as "Hispanic" or "Latino," a debate that vexes the Spanish-speaking and Spanish-surnamed community and non-Hispanic Americans with connections to it.

"Latino" refers to the Latin-based Romance languages of Spain, France, Italy and Portugal. The term embraces Portuguese-speaking Brazilians in a way that the word "Hispanic" does not.

"Hispanic" is an American derivation from "Hispaña," the Spanish-language term for the cultural diaspora created by Spain. That diaspora is the result of a bygone age of conquest, which disturbs many of the people who prefer "Latino."

"For us Spaniards, there's always a very strong link to the Spanish-speaking people across the Atlantic," said Javier Ruperez, the Spanish ambassador to the United States. "They are part of the Spanish family."

Ruperez said he understands that people who prefer "Latino" "want to follow their own path. But it hurts. I think it's untrue to say that 'Hispanic' reflects imperialism. Our history is a part of human history. Empires come and go."

A survey by the Pew Hispanic Center and Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation last year found that a majority of Hispanics and Latinos -- 53 percent -- have no preference for either term. An overwhelming majority prefer to identify themselves by national origin.

But among those who listed a preference, "Hispanic" was widely favored. Activists, however, assert that "Latino" is fast becoming the favored term, as students, intellectuals and scholars refer to it almost exclusively in their works. Flores-Hughes said those activists wrongly insist that "Hispanic" was thrust on them by white bureaucrats who knew very little about their culture.

Members of the ad hoc committee said it was hastily formed early in 1975, after educators of Puerto Rican, Cuban, Mexican and Native American descent stormed out of a meeting called to discuss a report at the Federal Interagency Committee on Education.

The group never got around to discussing the report, on the education of Chicanos, Puerto Ricans and Indians. They were livid over how it wrongly identified certain groups. As Flores-Hughes put it, "they came ready for bear."

Caspar W. Weinberger, secretary of Health, Education and Welfare at the time, knew he had a problem. He ordered that a committee be convened to solve the identity matter for good.

The committee included African Americans, Asians and Pacific Islanders, Caucasians and Native Americans, in addition to Latinos. During the year they met, arguments erupted over now-outdated terms such as "colored" and "Oriental."

But the most contentious arguments took place in the group that blended Spanish and English. It included Flores-Hughes of HEW, Philip (Felipe) Garcia of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Noboa-Rios of the National Institute of Education and Paul Planchon of the Office of Management and Budget.

"There was never any consensus in that group to the very end," said Noboa-Rios, who preferred the term "Latino" and still does. "We came up with an agreement, but . . . there were some bad feelings. I know two people who didn't speak for up to a year after it was over."

"I was like a little kid involved in every aspect of the office," said. Grace Flores-Hughes who went on to earn a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of the District of Columbia and a master's in public administration from Harvard University. She now lectures on managing a culturally diverse workforce in the public/private sector and serves as an appointee to the Federal Service Impasses Panel of the Federal Labor Relations Authority.

Flores-Hughes grew up in Taft, Tex., not far from Corpus Christi. Her grandfather regaled her with stories about serving in the army of Pancho Villa. He was originally from Spain, she said, and his family moved to Mexico.

"I was called a 'wetback,' a 'Mexkin' and a 'dirty Mexkin,' " she said. "In public school, I had to be careful what I said. If I spoke Spanish, they would send me home for three days." Her driver's license identified her as Latin American.

That was going through her mind when arguments were raging on the committee. " 'Hispanic' was better than anything I had been called as a kid," she said.

"Latino," she said, would have included Italians, so she would not endorse it. And "Spanish surname" would have given protection to people who had never been discriminated against, she said. Besides, she said, not everyone in the Spanish diaspora has a Spanish-sounding name.

"It was hard eliminating all those terms," she said. "I felt alone. But I was determined to stick to 'Hispanic.' We kept going back to Spain. We couldn't get away from it."

Latin Lovers: The Don Juan Syndrome
By JULIE CHAPA
http://www.hispaniconline.com/hh03/mainpages/culture/film.html

Introduction to an extensive fascinating article on the history of Latinos in the cinema: Since the days of early cinema, Latin men have portrayed some of the most virile, passionate and forbidden characters on the screen. With their swarthy good looks and smoldering eyes, these "Latin lovers" have caused female moviegoers to swoon for decades. But unlike his blond counterpart, the Latin lover was generally not cast in the leading role. He played the rogue to the Anglo gentleman. He was, however, suave and more than able to captivate even the strongest screen siren. Early actors such as Rudolph Valentino, Ramón Novarro and Gilbert Roland invariably set the stage for today's Latino film roles.

[[ I particularly liked the following paragraph, but do read the whole article:]]

"Changing the image of Latinos from murderous greasers to the passionate, suave lover resulted from the loss of what the film industry sought from the beginning—money. The "greaser" movies were not embraced by all. They were virulently anti-Mexican. After ignoring a written protest from the Mexican government in 1919, Hollywood suffered a blow in 1922 when films promoting such stereotypes were banned south of the border. Hollywood's response? The "greaser" became the citizen of fictitious Latin American countries. This aura of mystery added a touch of romanticism to the character and became one of the reasons for the birth of the Latin lover image."
Hispanic Heritage Plaza 2003 Culture of the Hispaniconline.com

Joke license drives home the pain of ethnic hatred
by Richard R. Aguirre
Salem, Oregon Statesman Journal, October 19, 2003
Sent by Howard Shorr howardshorr@msn.com

I’ve tried to get the hurtful color photocopy out of my mind in the past month.
The day it arrived by mail at the Statesman Journal, I shared it with a few astonished colleagues, hoping that act would ease my surprise and disappointment. Then I set it aside, expecting to forget about it.

Still, it haunts me. It reopened scars, pricked at my conscience and upset my sense of fair play.

Ethnic hatred is like that. It has the power to disrupt and damage even though time and distance have long separated me from my roots as a shy California kid — one of seven children of a union carpenter and a factory assembler — who remembers being called “dirty Mexican” and facing discrimination as a third-generation U.S. citizen.

The photocopy arrived just after the start of Hispanic Heritage Month in a pale blue envelope. It was was addressed to the Statesman Journal and had a Salem postmark. It also had a first-class stamp that depicted the U.S. flag — ironic given the envelope’s anti-American content.

Attached to the photocopy was a Post-It note that read: “Just got an advance look at California’s new driver’s license. Thought you might be interested in seeing it. Please forward to (Portland Mayor) Vera Katz.”

It was a photocopy of the bogus California driver’s license that has been making the rounds via the Internet and e-mail the past few weeks. Its point: to protest California’s decision to issue driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants.

Instead of “California,” the phony license has been issued by “Mexifornia,” bears the name “Jose Gomez Jr.” and lists a Los Angeles address.

The real “humor” was in the fine print:
•Expires: Never.
•Class: Illegal alien
•Sex: Mucho
•Weight: Too much
•Signature: X
•Entitled to: Drive, attend college, purchase guns, vote.

Pictured on the license is mustached Mexican character actor Alfonso Bedoya, costumed with the wide sombrero, bandoliers and filthy clothing that he wore as the bandit leader in the 1948 movie “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.” His most famous line: “Badges? We ain’t got no badges! We don’t need no badges. I don’t have to show you any stinkin’ badges!”

The person who mailed the photocopy to the Statesman Journal clearly did so to share his or her disgust with the new California law. He or she may have thought it was funny, but those responsible for this ugly piece of propaganda have revealed the depth of their fear of Mexican immigrants and their hatred toward them.

It’s appropriate to debate U.S. immigration policy and to discuss whether California should be issuing driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants.

Supporters say it is a public-safety measure. They say that licensing will ensure that all drivers know the rules of the road and can buy insurance. Some police support the new law, saying that it will help them track down criminals and crime victims because all applicants must be photographed and fingerprinted, and their physical descriptions and addresses will be recorded.

Opponents say that licensing undocumented immigrants is a public-safety nightmare.
They point out that the law doesn’t require background checks, inviting fraud and undermining law enforcement at a time of heightened national security. They also say that Democrats passed the law to attract support from Hispanic voters.

California Gov.-elect Arnold Schwarzenegger has made it a priority to repeal the law during his first 100 days in office. Schwarzenegger has promised that if the California Legislature refuses, he will support a ballot measure to repeal the law next year.

Sponsors of the law say that the growing opposition may be the result of California’s tough economic times — and the cyclical scapegoating of immigrants in this nation of immigrants.

These are important issues to discuss and debate, but bringing in hateful stereotypes about Mexicans — and widely distributing them — is wrong. It also debases those who seek to ridicule immigrants.

I expect some who strongly disagree with my view on this controversy will send me venomous e-mails or phone messages. No worry. I’ve gotten them before, and so have other Statesman Journal reporters and editors who have explored sensitive racial and ethnic issues.

Others may be tempted to dismiss my comments as the biased ramblings of a “Hispanic activist.”

They would be wrong. I spend almost no time reporting on Hispanic issues, much less advancing an Hispanic agenda. I’m proud to be Mexican-American, but I’m also proud to be an American and an Oregonian.

And frankly, I rarely think about my racial or ethnic identity. I more often think of myself as a father, a husband, a son, a brother, a Statesman Journal employee, an editor and a columnist.

Forty years ago, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. dreamed that his children would one day live in a nation where they would not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

Forty years later, King’s dream remains just that — a fact made plain by the arrival of a color photocopy inside an envelope with a first-class stamp depicting the U.S. flag.

How did we identify ourselves in Census 2000?
The preferred was Hispanic

http://www.hispanicvista.com/html3/092903nat.htm
For full Census report go to: http://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0072/twps0072.html

Table 1. Hispanic Origin Population by Detailed Group: 2000 and 1990

Hispanic Population by Origin Response	1990 Census 2/		Census 2000 2/
Hispanic Population by Origin Response	Number	Percent	Number	Percent
Total	21,900,089	100.0	35,238,481	100.0
General Hispanic	1,403,150	6.4	5,540,627	15.7
Hispanic	390,945	1.8	2,316,515	6.6
Latino	1,577	0.0	411,559	1.2
Spanish	444,896	2.0	765,879	2.2
Other Hispanic response 1/	565,732	2.6	2,046,674	5.8
Mexican	13,393,208	61.2	20,900,102	59.3
Puerto Rican	2,651,815	12.1	3,403,510	9.7
Cuban	1,053,197	4.8	1,249,820	3.5
Dominican	520,151	2.4	799,768	2.3
Central American	1,323,830	6.0	1,811,676	5.1
Costa Rican	57,223	0.3	72,175	0.2
Guatemalan	268,779	1.2	407,127	1.2
Honduran	131,066	0.6	237,431	0.7
Nicaraguan	202,658



SHHAR Board: Laura Arechabala Shane, Bea Armenta Dever, Bill Doty, Steven Hernandez, Mimi Lozano Holtzman, Henry Marquez, Carlos Olvera, Crispin Rendon, Viola Rodriguez Sadler, and John P. Schmal.

The SHHAR Board is proud to announce the publication of its 5th Genealogical Journal. The first Journal was published in 1994. After a break of several years, Steven F. Hernández the editor of the new publication volunteered for the task.. He has compiled an outstanding diverse assortment of studies, including the long awaited research of Tony Campos. Congratulations. . . Steven. .
				5th Genealogical Journal is now available 2003

TABLE OF CONTENTS for the SHHAR Genealogical Journal, Volume V Bernardo de Gálvez by Robert H. Thonhoff ........................................................................ 1 Some Periods in the Life of General Bernardo de Gálvez by Granville Hough........................ 7 Blasones y Apellidos: Gálvez by Fernando Muñoz Altea ..................................................... 11 Lasting Legacy of Insurgent General Pedro Moreno de Ortega y González de Hermosillo: A Biographical, Historical, and Genealogical Study by Steven F. Hernández ...... 13 Archivo de la Parroquia del Carmen y Abasolo, Nuevo León: Confirmaciones, 1893 Extracted and Translated by Viola Rodríguez Sadler............................................................. 57 Alonso de Robalcaba by Lic. Mariano González-Leal ........................................................ 63 Michoacán: A Struggle for Identity by John P. Schmal ........................................................ 79 Los Hernández Gamiño: Breve Reseña de una Familia Alteña by Steven Francisco Hernández-López ............................................................................................................... 89 Descendants of Diego Rendón and María Valverde by Crispin D. Rendón .......................... 111 El Origen de Tres Genearcas Alteños en una Solicitud de Órdenes del Siglo XVII Transcribed by Ing. José Alfonso Rodríguez Ortiz ............................................................... 157 Basic Foundations of Significant Families of Mexico: Tello de Orozco by Tony Campos and Steven F. Hernández ........................................................................ 167
To order a copy of the Society of Hispanic Historical and Ancestral Research Genealogical Journal, Volume V, send a check for $35. (which includes tax, mailing and postage charges) to: SHHAR Press, P.O. Box 490, Midway City, CA, 92655-0490